Hello all!
Senior
year was the most stressful year I’ve had to go through in high school, but
also the most rewarding. My experience with applying to college was a little
bit crazier than expected. I had absolutely no clue where I wanted to go to
college at the end of junior year or what I wanted to study for that matter. My
parents kept nagging me asking me if I wanted a large University or a small
Liberal Arts College or if I wanted to go out West or up North, but I had
absolutely no idea what I wanted. It made the process a little bit more
difficult.
I
had friends at Sewanee: The University of the South and University of Georgia
and I visited both schools. After these two visits I knew I wanted a rural
setting because I didn’t like all of the hustle and bustle of a college town
and also that I wanted to move far away from home. That narrowed it down, but
not quite enough. I am much more of an English/History person, so my parents
suggested looking into Liberal Arts schools. I looked everywhere from Pitzer
College in California, to Ithaca College in New York; Lewis and Clark in Oregon
and Colorado College, and I loved all of these schools. They were small,
outdoorsy and far enough away from home. I really appreciated the colleges that
did not look strictly at test scores and GPA, but really took into account the
holistic view of the applicant. For example, I applied “Test Optional” to three
out of the eleven schools I applied to, and I also chose to do an interview
with these schools. If you are very
outgoing and a people person you should definitely consider an interview. If
your school isn’t close enough to visit campus, most schools conduct phone
interviews. This interview gave me the chance to speak a little bit about my
high school career and explain my accomplishments in a way that wasn’t
quantitatively calculated.
At
the start of senior year I had it narrowed down to around fifteen schools (not
very narrowed down)… I began to start my applications and realized this process
was going to take a lot of essay writing. That being said, I really enjoyed
writing my essays. It was very personal and I opened up in my writing. I
strongly suggest writing about something you are passionate about. It can be
something minuscule and not significant to the people around you, but something
that affected your life in a major way. Colleges really do appreciate when you
are able to “bleed on the page.” Also, do not wait until the last minute. I
decided two nights before the deadline to apply to Sewanee and they had five
essays on their application… Let’s just say those two nights were filled with
lots of coffee and not a lot of sleep.
When
it was all said and done I applied to three large Universities and around six
smaller ones. I applied to all schools Early Action mostly because I had all of
my essays written, but also because I wanted to hear earlier from schools in
January rather than April. As the acceptance letters started to come in, I had
to make a final decision. I decided my top schools were Ithaca College, Lewis
and Clark College, Colorado College, and Denver University. The best advice I
have to all of you is to go and visit the college. You need to get a feel of
the campus and get to know some of the students to fully understand if you are
going to fit in there. On paper they can make it sound great, but you don’t
actually know if you are going to like it or not until you have visited.
When I visited Colorado College I knew it was
right for me. They have a unique learning system based on the Block Plan where
you take 1 class for three and a half weeks and then have a block break for
four days. This allows travel and exploration, but also allows me to focus on
one class at a time. When I went up there for admitted student weekend I felt a
connection and was completely at ease with my decision. I cannot wait to spend
the next four years there!
My
best advice for you youngsters is to start writing essays early, there is
nothing more stressful than having schoolwork AND an essay deadline all in one
week. Also talk to people; don’t be shy. Everyone loves talking about the
school they go to, so ask them questions and even go and stay with them. It
will definitely help you narrow your choices. It’s the first big decision you
are making on your own and it’s emotional for everyone. Last thing: do not be
afraid to apply to different types of schools. I am so glad I applied to a wide
selection of schools because it gave me options that I was extremely happy
about in the end.
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