When entering your senior year of high school it is essential to stay calm and fight the urges to give up. Senior year is one of the most important stages in one’s academic career; there are many decisions and transitions that take place and college applications can be a confusing and overwhelming process to many. Here are some tips to stay calm during the college application process.
Be Prepared: It is important to know the different types of colleges, what they offer, and what they look for in their students. Cal-States, UCs, Community College, or private schools offer a different experience in education and overall student living. It is easier if you have a brag sheet and resume when you are writing your college applications too!
Advocate for Yourself: YOU MATTER! Every step you have taken has led you to this moment and you must advocate for yourself. Whether it’s asking for more money, asking for letters of recommendations, or even just applying to the college of your dreams, you are important in this process so don’t let it intimidate you.
Know What You Don’t Know: An important lesson many will find during this process is how clueless people are about college and life in general. A big part of advocating for yourself is asking questions and during this process you will have a lot of questions. Do not be afraid to ask people any and all questions that come to mind, it is almost impossible to do this on your own. You might not know a lot but at least you will know what you don’t know and what to research and learn more about.
Find a mentor: It is highly recommended that if you do not already have someone you can rely on, know that this a great time to find a mentor. Someone who will help you answer life’s questions, proofread your college applications, and help you find different resources for yourself. A mentor can be an older friend, family member, teacher, therapist, or even a significant other that helps you out.
Stay Positive: Receiving a rejection letter from the college of your dreams might feel like the worst thing in the world but we all get over it. Sometimes things do not go as planned, you miss deadlines, you get rejection letters, or you do not receive the financial aid help you need to go to a college. However, there are always options out there for you and time will heal things. Stay positive and stay confident.
Take it easy: One of the best decisions I made was taking easy classes my senior year. With only one AP and three free classes I had a lot of time to work on my college applications and do a sufficient amount of research on different colleges. Take breaks frequently, go out with friends and family, and enjoy senior year.
Involve Yourself: I highly recommend attending college readiness workshops and programs. On great resource is the Heart of Los Angeles College Access Program which helps you set deadlines, teaches you about different colleges, gives you a mentor, and helps you overall with your life struggles. It’s free for all high school seniors and I highly recommend it.
Overall, just remember to take a breath and make sure that you are going through everything with the best possible attitude.
-Gio