Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels
Applying for college can be quite scary, and it is common to feel that way as you are embarking upon an exciting journey, a new stage in your life that will have a massive impact on your future. To reach your goals, make sure to be well-prepared for anything that might happen by researching the dos and the don’ts of college applications. Here are some of the don’ts you need to keep in mind when you start working on your application.
Do NOT Be Careless About the Application
Your application is your chance to make a positive first impression. If you forget or fail to proofread it, remove all of the errors and grammar mistakes, it will make you look like someone who doesn’t care about the quality of your own work. The admissions committee will notice it at once and deem you unsuitable for their school. Because if you don’t care enough to give your application an extra read, you will not be that considerate and thorough with your studies either. Proofreading is often underestimated, but it can either make it or break it for you. Even if you apply to a back-up college and it is not the school you have been dreaming of, being considerate and thorough is more of an approach to life, and it will not only show itself with one application.
Do NOT Underestimate the SAT Essay
Most college applications are pretty standard: applicants are requested to provide their documents, a filled-out form, and high school scores. Since the process is quite standardized, there is nothing exciting about it. However, the SAT essay is something of a golden ticket. It is your time to shine as many admissions committee members pay particular attention to this part of the application. The essay allows them to see the personality standing behind the papers, to make an assumption about the type of student they are dealing with, and see if the latter makes a good fit for their school. The essay offers an excellent opportunity to show who you are, what makes you a great candidate, and what value you can bring to the college and its community once accepted.
Do NOT Be Unnecessarily Eloquent
Some students make the mistake of treating the application process as a poetry contest; they turn to flowery language and end up sounding fake. It might be appropriate in an actual poetry or writing contest where participants are evaluated based on how complex their language use is. However, college application is not the place for it. All of your writing needs to be clear and up to a point. It needs to be functional and relevant. Admissions committee members need to consider hundreds of applicants and review dozens of applications every day. They do not always have the time or energy to give your piece of artwork enough attention. In fact, being too poetic might get your application failed as the admissions committee will not get the information they were expecting to get from your application papers and essay.
Do NOT Hesitate to Get Some Help
At college, you will continue writing various essays and papers. So if you thought it ends in high school, you couldn’t be more wrong. Even more, when applying, you will need to write an admission essay or a personal statement. Since not everyone feels that comfortable with writing papers, let alone an admission essay. Writing a personal statement can be challenging and even daunting, as many know it can be a deal-breaker for the admissions committee. If you feel rather unsure about your admission essay, you should get someone to help you. It can be your favorite teacher or a professional essay writer who, without doubt, knows how to turn your essay into an impressive piece of writing. Academic writers can give you some advice on how to write your admission essay, offer a draft, proofread and edit your text, or even write the whole thing for you.
Do NOT Ask a Wrong Person for a Recommendation Letter
A recommendation letter is a sort of reference the admissions committee can use to make sure that the claims you make in your application and personal statement are true. It can prove or disprove you are a good student you assert to be. To get a good recommendation letter, you need to ask the right teacher to write it for you. Ideally, this would have to be the teacher you have a good connection with, someone who knows your strengths and passions in life. Their letter needs to correlate with your admission essay. That’s why getting a recommendation from a random teacher just as a formality will not do it. Moreover, it will reduce your chances of getting accepted to your dream college.
And lastly…
Do NOT Think That You Are Not Enough
Many high school students dream of the time they can finally leave home and go to college to pursue a degree for years. The truth is many students don’t get into a school they want or any school at all. And the sad part is it is not always about being rejected. It is quite often about not applying in the first place. Some students fear that they are “not enough” for a school they dream of, so they end up not even applying there, settling for something mediocre, something local, and not “too hard to handle.”
Think about it this way: even if you do fail, you will at least know you tried and did your best and will get some valuable experience. If you don’t try at all, you will keep wondering what could have happened if you had the courage to apply to a college of your dreams. Also remember, once you decide to apply, you need to forget about the “not enough” feeling once and for all because it will do you no good. It will only haunt you and take your confidence away when you really need it.
