The college application process is an experience that places huge demands on high school students who aspire to be admitted into college. It’s a reality check, a delicate and difficult balancing exercise, and a potentially rewarding (or disappointing) experience all rolled into one.

When choosing a college you have to take a cold hard look at what you bring to the table: your past academic performance, your SAT/ACT scores, and your extracurricular activities. As a senior, if you’ve spent your high school years saying “I’ll do better next year” or “next year I’ll join a club or do some serious community service”, well, your time is up!   The choices of your past will determine your future chances of getting into your dream school. But don’t worry, many colleges look at the whole person and some don’t even require SAT/ACTs. There’s a school for everyone; a school where you can have a true college experience.

As if balancing school and a social life wasn’t hard enough, NOW add in the college process. Deciding where to apply (there are over 3000 colleges in the United States), drafting essays, figuring out deadlines, scheduling interviews, and visiting can become extremely stressful. My advice: work with your parents as a team. You’re in charge of all the content and substance, and they can help keep you on track to meet all the deadlines. One really important tip that worked for me: look up the admissions counselors for each school and start an email relationship with them so you’re not just another name. Don’t be afraid to send them extra info about yourself or explaining grades that aren’t required. Make yourself stand out. Another tip: once you identify the colleges (max 12), search for which schools use the common application. This way when your counselors receive your transcripts and teacher recommendations, you can now apply to multiple schools by only completing one application.

One day after a stressful 6 hours at school, I came home to a thick envelope lying on my dining room table.  I opened it cautiously and after reading the first line I could not wipe the grin off my face.  It felt like I won a marathon. I was excited and relieved to know I had been accepted somewhere.  However, I’ve also experienced not being accepted to a school.  To me it was “water off a ducks back.”  All I can do is keep my head up and be glad to be accepted to three colleges so far and many more to come.  All I can say to the school that denied me is, “It’s your loss.”

I think I can speak for most of the senior class and for myself that the college process is a dreadful and thrilling point in our lives because it can determine our futures. It’s a nail-biting journey and all you can do is hope for the best.