College Prep
For our rising seniors and underclassmen interested in college research earlier. This will hopefully help ease some of that college application stress away!
Topic: Utilizing Naviance & Common Apps
All of these different portals can be confusing and overwhelming, and a lot of people don’t know where to start. We were in the same boat around a month ago scrambling to sign up for all of these different college application portals.
Naviance:
A tool like Naviance can offer students plenty of resources for understanding, planning for, researching, and completing the college application process. This platform is beneficial when organizing college lists, tracking deadlines, and especially exploring colleges with its SuperMatch College Search tool. With Naviance students can compare their personal GPAs and test scores with the averages of different colleges to help students determine what they should count as their safety, target, and reach schools. Another great tool allows students at Tech to see the stats of other tech students including the percentage who applied to a specific school, the acceptance rate, and average test scores. Naviance also manages the recommendation letters aspect of the process, as students request their teachers through the recommendation letter section. Naviance has many more resources that can help relieve the stress of and make the college application process a bit more manageable.
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Common App:
The Common App is a college application system that allows students to apply to multiple schools at once by having all the components needed to apply to each school in one place. Students will generally complete the majority of their applications through this platform as ~1000 schools across the world accept the Common App. The Common App has different sections to help applicants manage their tasks and fees, keep track of deadlines, research schools, and learn more about Financial Aid. The Common App opens on August 1st and closes on January 1st and it’s recommended that applicants start preparing for their application during the summer even prior to the opening date as a way to ensure they can gather all needed components in time.
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Other Application Systems:
Although many schools accept the Common App, there are some schools that still use other application systems. For example, to apply to CUNYs, applicants must go through the CUNY application portal, allowing students to apply to six colleges at once. Similarly, students apply to SUNYs through the SUNY application portal. Other application systems include the Coalition for College, which is much like the Common App, but generally targets students from underrepresented groups, and the UC Application, which allows students to apply to any of the nine UC schools in one place.
Topic: College Essays
Writing college essays can be a stressful thing however there are a few things to keep in mind that’ll make the process easier. In order to have a good college essay, you will need to spend your time wisely on writing it. It is recommended to have it written before the summer of your senior year because you will have more time to plan and revise. It will also provide you with enough time for early actions and decisions. When senior year starts, you will have other important responsibilities such as grades, tests, and extracurriculars and you do not want to cram the application because it will decrease the quality of it. Your essay should be about who you are as a person including your personalities and identities that shape you and not about GPA, grades, and a list of impressive extracurriculars. There are other places to write these such as on the activities section so you should not waste your 650 words on it. It is also helpful to have suggestions from others and have at least 3 trusted people to proofread it for you. The hook is very important and your main goal is to let the admission officers understand who you are as a person and resonate with you. They want to see what you are able to bring to their school. Best of luck!
Topic: Scholarships
Every year millions of students attend college to set their foundations into the society that awaits all of us. For most of us, this higher education comes with a cost - the school tuition and fees or in general, the money required to enter college. Despite this, many scholarship opportunities are out there to lessen the limitations that this financial barrier can have on your education. As provided are some of the many scholarship opportunities out there as well as the eligibility and requirements for each specific program. The scholarship programs are just one part of the many steps to secure a smooth and better transition into your college life that will lead you into your longed future! There are many resources that can be used to research about the different types of scholarships. There are tons of websites such as Scholarship.com, College Board, FAFSA and so much more. By tapping into these resources and pursuing these opportunities, you can unlock pathways to academic success without the weight of financial strain. Remember, your journey through higher education is not just about attending classes, but also about embracing experiences, connections, and personal growth. So, take the step forward, explore these scholarships, and embark on your college adventure with confidence and determination—it’s never too late :)
Topic: Financial Aid
Most upcoming college students likely will need some sort of financial aid in order to pay for their schooling. That’s why it's important not to exclude any given colleges solely due to their price. Prepare yourself with these resources and begin looking for scholarships and gathering paperwork needed for the FAFSA in advance. Look over these articles to see what extra opportunities you might have for financial aid (ex. If you are from a military family) and don’t be afraid to contact your guidance counselor for extra advice.
This is a quick step by step overview of the general financial aid process.
This is an overview of what types of financial aid you can get (special qualifications and an explanation on common ways to get financial aid).
General tips for receiving financial aid.
A more in depth review of the entire financial aid process along with different types of financial aid available to you.
A review on terms often used in regards to financial aid.
Topic: Safety, Target, and Reach Schools
A well-rounded list increases your chances of being accepted by at least one college. Knowing which schools are in what category is highly important because it will help you develop your own college list. You can apply to as many colleges as you want, but it is recommended that you apply for at least three colleges in each category. Comparing your scores to each college's midline can assist in this categorization. Applying to schools in all three categories maximizes your chances of acceptance and provides you with a range of options.
Safety schools are schools for which you have a high chance of acceptance. These are colleges where your academic credentials are higher than the average admitted students. You have a very strong chance of acceptance to these schools. When selecting safety schools, it's important to also factor in the financial aspect of it.
Target schools are those where you have a reasonably good chance of acceptance. These colleges fall in the mid-range of your academic credentials. Your test scores and GPA are around the same level as the average admitted student. Most people end up in a school in this category so choose schools that you genuinely want to attend.
Reach schools are highly competitive and it is schools that you are unlikely to get into. Despite the difficulty, it's recommended to apply to reach schools because the experience of trying is better than regretting not having tried at all. Receiving a rejection is more preferable than always wondering about the "what if".
It is important to use reliable sources that update each college's ranking, acceptance rate, etc. before applying.
Topic: How to Pick Your Colleges
Oftentimes, students don’t know what colleges to apply to and how many. The application process can feel stressful if they apply to too many for the sole purpose of “applying”, or to big name schools for the name and not their interests. Thus, it is important to understand their values, goals, programs, and align them with the college’s ideals. Therefore, these resources will help students determine their values and goals to ease their process while choosing.
Here are some websites with tips to pick the right colleges for you to apply to.
Topic: Advice from Upperclassmen
It is best to hear from upperclassmen who have experience in the college application process. They provide us with first-hand accounts of their experience and tips to make college application less stressful.
“Hi everyone, my name is Ashley and I am the 8th gen H.O.P.E. President! The college application process can be a really tiring and draining process, but there are definitely some things you can do to make it easier. Firstly, I CANNOT stress the importance of planning ahead and trying to finish your applications as soon as possible. This doesn’t mean you have to submit everything in august, but I really recommend you to at least draft everything by the end of September or early October. I wish I fully understood how stressful it would be to finish applications during holiday break. If I drafted everything early and spent a 1 month editing, I would have been able to get through my first semester of senior so much better.
Secondly, I really recommend diversifying the schools you apply to and to apply to as much college as you can without overwhelming yourself or harming the quality of your applications. College applications at the end of the day are largely due to luck. You may be rejected to one of your safety or target schools just because your application reader doesn’t like your writing style while another one might have. By applying to a decent amount of schools of different varieties, you can increase you chances of getting into a school you will love. This also means not only applying to ivies! Research schools that aren’t just ivies. There are so many great schools out there that can provide you an experience as great as one you would get at an ivy.
Lastly, for those of you aiming for the top schools, I need to stress the importance of interviews and essays. When you are competing with applicants that are all valedictorians and 1550+, your story will make or break your application. Show who you are. Show that you have a personality and show why you do the things you do. Practice doing interviews as a conversation rather than an interrogation and have multiple trusted people look over your essays. I wish all of you good luck with your college apps! If you have any questions feel free to let me know!”
-A. Liu, Harvard 27’
“College Prep is kind of difficult, but in general, the best advice I have is to start early, stay open minded, and be organized.
By start early, I mostly mean don't do things last minute. Don't procrastinate until the last minute. When you're sending out emails and asking people questions, it takes time for people to respond. Don't email your counselors and advisors last minute. Don't ask your teachers for recs last minute. Don't apply for financial aid last minute. Things will almost always take longer to do than you think they will. Maybe you'll need more time to gather the forms you need to apply for financial aid, or maybe you'll need more time to schedule a meeting with your college advisor because they're busy with other students. Start early so that you have more time to react to unexpected situations.
When I say to stay open minded, I mean that, when you're looking through colleges and scholarships, you shouldn't be ruling out any colleges or opportunities you come across. There's a lot to say on this one, and a lot of specifics to get into, but as you're looking into colleges to apply to, don't immediately say that a school isn't for you, or that you'd never go to a certain school. A lot of applicants don't get into their dream schools, and end up having to look through the rest of their choices. Remember that, even if you get accepted into a school, you don't necessarily have to go. Even if you don't think a school is completely right for you, it's still better to have the option of choosing from 10 schools, rather than being forced to choose from only 2. Of course, applying to each school takes time, so definitely still be mindful about which schools to apply to, but please don't limit yourself to only a handful of schools.
This also kind of applies to scholarships. There are so many different kinds of scholarships out there that target specific niches and varied groups of people that it'd be a shame if you discouraged yourself from looking or applying to any, and didn't have enough financial aid as a result.
And this doesn't quite apply to the current stage of college applications just yet, but once you get your financial aid statements from the colleges you've been accepted to, you can always try to email the college and talk to them about potentially getting more financial aid. I've seen people who got thousands of dollars in scholarships just by asking the school or by saying "I'd love to go to your school, but the financial aid is making me reconsider" or something similar.
Remember that colleges WANT students to attend, and they'll be doing a lot of ensure that students are sufficiently attracted. One thing they'll do is go to college fairs and set up stands there, or they'll visit schools for a talk with the students. This is why it's important to attend college fairs! You'll be able to hear from the schools you're interested in, and if you keep going to fairs and talking to college reps with an open mind, maybe a school you originally weren't interested in will start sounding good to you. By going to college fairs, you'll learn more about the colleges you're applying to, making it easier to write "Why Us?" Essays. By listening to those college reps, you'll also be more easily able to hone in on what exactly makes the college you're applying to so appealing. Using the specialized facts from their own reps, you'll be able to make the college feel like you actually did careful research on them, showing the amount of care and interest you've put in.
Another thing colleges will do, is actually offer trips to their campus, and they'll pay for you to go! It's called a "fly-in program" or something similar, and the college might offer a guided tour and a Q&A session with the admissions office if you choose to go. Again, it's important to remind open minded during this process because once you're on a college campus, even if you didn't originally plan to go to the college, some things might start to stand out to you, and you'll end up liking it. Alternatively, maybe a college you thought was perfect won't seem so good anymore. Remain open minded.
And that’s all a lot of info, but the college process will throw even more info at you, and it'll be a lot to handle, which is why I say to "be organized"! Make a schedule of important days, have a place to organize your favorite colleges, and whatever else is necessary to make sure you stay on top of things!!”
-B. Ly University of Rochester 27’
“Many applicants during the college process are often confused on what to do during it. However, the school will provide the assistance needed such as through guidance counselors, teachers, and other peers that can mentor you. When I was originally applying, I continuously kept bothering my counselor with questions concerning college. Looking back, I most definitely did not need to do that and I could have trusted the system as well. One thing to say about this though is that you can’t entirely depend on the system because it requires you to play your role too. For example, you should be asking your teachers for recommendations two to four weeks before the term ends in your junior year. SATs should be self-explanatory, but if you don’t know, please take them as soon as you can. Once senior year comes, college applications will take up a lot of your time and will leave you no time to study for them. You can also superscore, which means you can take your best English score and your best mathematics score from different tests.
Regarding college applications, make sure to balance classes and the applications. Many students often lose their acceptance in their schools because they started to slack off. This is known as “senioritis”. Remain vigilant in your courses while applying and do research on your schools. Even if you don’t get into the college you want, you can always try to transfer in. And if that doesn’t work, it’s okay. My personal philosophy is that life can lead you to places you wouldn’t think you would be and you can enjoy that aspect of life too. Everything has a downside, but also an upside.”
-E. Tan Stony Brook University 26’
“Juniors should think about which teachers they want to get a recommendation letter from…It’d be best if you get IT from one that pertains to your major. You wanna make sure that you build a connection with your teacher so that when the time comes to ask they can write a good recommendation. You’re in a way selling yourself to colleges and getting them to consider accepting you. Around April your English teachers will probably start asking you to draft your college essays so that it can be refined so make sure you put in the effort so that it’s not wasted and it’s definitely a good time to look into colleges. Look for a good selection…for example look for some safety schools that you can definitely get into and some that may be harder.”
-R. Zhu
“For college essay. Definitely start early. And if you’re unsure about a topic, try making different drafts and then see what others think. That’s why u have to start early. That way u have more time to change things around. For college apps, try making a calendar for all deadlines.”
-Keying