College Application - Brooke Barnett

Course-Notes Senior Editor Brooke Barnett give her input regarding college applications: Applying for colleges can be cumbersome. In addition to good test scores, high GPA, AND tons of essays, applying for colleges can become a real downer. Here are some tips to help build your prerequisite for starting the application process. 1. Start Early! People always talk about how you should take your tests in advance…You really should. I know that this doesn’t help people who are already seniors out there, but I am sure most of you would attest to that. The SAT and ACT are only scheduled for certain days, so make sure that you plan ahead. Also, check with your guidance counselor and see if and when the SAT or ACT could be in your school. It is nice to not have to wake up as early to drive further when it is just around your neighborhood. Also, you do not have to take both tests. Check the websites for both and see which one seems to fit your abilities. The SAT is more English based while the ACT is more analytical. If you bomb one test, you can take the other. It is always said that if you take the SAT test more than once, your score will raise by over 100 points. I can attest to that myself because my SAT went up dramatically. Register online so you can track the process of the scoring easier and find out A.S.A.P on how well you did. 2. Look at colleges online. Parents and counselors always say that you should go and visit colleges. Well, I for one am busy with school and work. It can be out of the way to go visit colleges that are far away plus, what if you want to go out of state. There are a couple of ways to stop this dilemma. One of the great things now is the invention of the internet. Virtual tours are EVERYWHERE. You can even Google Maps the school you are interested and take a look. Once you do take the PSAT, colleges will bombard you with emails that are asking you to apply. Some of them you have never heard of. It never hurts to take a look at when you want to procrastinate math homework. The other thing that you can do is go to a college and career fair. Schools usually hold a college and career fair once or twice a year. It never hurts to look around. A lot of the representatives are there at hand ready to ask what ever random question you can throw at them. 3. Don’t stress! The hardest one which is easier said than done. High school and college are the best times of your life. Make the most of your High school years. There are tons of more options available for you besides college. All you have to do is ask. You do not have to worry about what you want to do for rest of your life. You do not have to worry about who is accepted into what school. Enjoy your senior year and make the most of it. Note from the Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Many people stress out at the thought of applying to colleges. Others are anxious and nervous only after applications are submitted. To be fair, the entire process does appear to be intimidating; where you apply could determine where you will spend the next four years of your life. However, by researching and preparing ahead of time, the process becomes much simpler. And after applications are submitted, remember: there isn’t much more you can do to help or hurt your application besides keeping grades up and rocking the interview. Best of luck! Feel free to comment on the advice and tips provided by Brooke. Sincerely, Vicki Shen Course-Notes Deputy Editor-in-Chief