5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Senior Year

Hola chicos! Before starting my senior year of high school, I thought I had everything figured out. Everything seemed so simple, apply for colleges, wait, choose, and you're done. But I was wrong. So wrong. The application process itself is so time consuming, and I wish I had listened to some of the advice my then senior friends had told me. So, in order to relieve some of the pressure and stress from this process, I thought I'd share some of the tips I learned along the way that I wished others had told me before. 1. Start your personal statements early. Though the actual college applications don't officially open until October, many of the colleges re-use their prompts and you can find many of them online. The UCs (University of California) require two prompts and I began my first draft in June (it was a school requirement so I didn't really pay much attention but now I wish I did). 2. The process does not end after you click submit. While busting my a** to meet the January 1st deadlines during winter break I kept telling myself, Just one more essay and you're done. Granted I applied to 19 schools, so that mantra was constantly repeated in the weeks leading up to the submission deadline but what I didn't realize was that even after I submitted the completed application, there were still much followup paperwork to submit-mid year reports, tax documents, financials are all things that must be submitted before the deadline the college gives you which varies from as early as February 15 to as late as April 1. 3. Check your email daily. Colleges will email you so often that you will become to be spammed but all those emails are worth looking over and keeping. Many may hold scholarship opportunities, others, ways to contact their students or obtain more information on their programs, and even once in a while, an admissions letter may enter your email earlier than you might believe.

• Side note, please, please, please make sure your email is professional. There is nothing worse than receiving an email from mrsstyles101@gmail.com. PROFESSIONALISM IS KEY!

4. Keep track of all your paperwork. You will need to submit a lot of paperwork and each college will require a variation of them. These include, ACT/SAT scores, transcripts, letter of recommendations, resumes, and financials and missing even one of these can mean the difference between being accepted and rejected. 5. Begin taking standardized tests in the second semester of junior year. Many of my friends started taking their ACT/SAT tests in their first semester of senior year which in my opinion is far to late to begin because it often means you are unable to retake the test. Retaking the test is a great thing because it allows you to improve your grade if even with just 100 points (or 2 on the ACT).

I hope this was helpful!

With love,

Joza

#college #highschool #senioryear #5things #SATACT