By Armita Rohani
If you’re reading this, you’re probably entering your last year of high school. You have one last homecoming, last concerts and games, and the last year of living under your parents’ wing. Soon, you’ll have your final AP’s, prom, and graduation to worry about, let alone the never ending fervor of college applications and hackling with financial aid officers. It may seem stressful, or overwhelming, but there are ways to overcome that and make the most of your final year at East.
College apps. The most time consuming, stressful, and ongoing process in a senior’s life. You’re constantly tweaking essays, trying to find a spike to put on your activities list, juggling what awards to put down in the honors section, visiting colleges, contacting admissions officers, calculating your financial aid packages, bouncing between teachers for recommendation letters…the list goes on and on. The best time to have started this whole ordeal was two months ago. The second best time is now. Start drafting a couple ideas for your personal essay, and just write. Spend half an hour just writing. Don’t stop, just think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. Using those timed writings, take apart bits and pieces of sentences, and combine them to form paragraphs. That will get you set for your first draft. Don’t put this on the backburner, a college essay doesn’t magically get finished in a week or two, it takes months to craft something that encapsulates your personality effectively. Once you’re finished, ask a teacher or a peer to look over your draft and give suggestions.
Grades. East’s guidance counselors will send your half year report (Q1 and Q2) grades to colleges that request them. Out of all the marking periods to slack off and get senioritis, these first two aren’t it. Put effort into these grades, make sure you’re doing all that you can to excel in your classes, and don’t let a couple bad grades discourage you from improving. Afterall, it’s only the third week of school, and first semester grades don’t finish until the end of January. Talk to your teachers if you’re struggling or need help understanding a concept, search up YouTube or Khan Academy videos to expand on your learning, and review your notes frequently. Don’t wait until the night before to study, even if it is a minor grade like a quiz. They add up.
Standing out. If you search up a college’s name, followed by “Common Data Set,” you will find the important aspects that college reviews in terms of your application. This includes the importance of the applicants factors (such as course rigor, class rank, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation), the quartiles of test scores (like SAT and ACT) and GPA’s, their student body (number and percentage of undergraduate students, graduate students, and the ethnic background of students), etc. These factors can help you determine your chances of getting in, and whether or not the school is right for you. Building a relationship with your college admissions counselor is vital. Although your application is viewed by numerous counselors, in something called a panel, some schools factor in “demonstrated interest” when reviewing your application (this can be found in the common data set as well). The best way to do this is to attend events. Whether on campus or virtual, getting your name on the roster brings a huge advantage. Most schools have webinars you can attend only on specific days, having that play in the background while you’re doing school work adds to your application. Best part, they’re almost always free!
Testing. If you haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet, or don’t like your score, take it again. It is never too late to, especially as more and more schools are gravitating towards a test-mandatory policy. As for AP’s, while they do add to your transcripts rigor, getting a good score can save you thousands of dollars and semester’s worth of classes. Study for your AP’s early, starting January/February so you can get a good score and earn transferable credits. Most college’s AP score policy varies, so be sure to check on that before taking your AP’s.
Making the most out of your last year. I know, I know. There’s too much to do, not enough time to do it, so you’re just focusing on your classes. It doesn’t have to be that way. Managing your time efficiently and effectively is your foolproof method of creating more time for yourself. Go to the football games (even if you can only go for an hour), dress up for spirit days, attend dances and events, and get involved in the school community. Most importantly, TAKE PHOTOS! You will be looking back at them when you leave for college.
