How to Get Into the College You Want
Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions in a young person's life. Usually, this step is anything but easy. Many colleges not only require applications, but exceptional grades, college essays, high SAT scores and, of course, financial aid. You will need to put your best foot forward to earn acceptance into your desired college.
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Instructions
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Pre-Application
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Come up with a list of the top colleges you are interested in. Narrow it down as low as possible, preferably between three to five colleges. Keep a few backup colleges in case your first choice does not work out. Research these colleges and find out what their admission requirements are. Do you need to write a college essay? Is there a mandatory one-year residence requirement for freshmen? Do the colleges only take students with a specific GPA? You should ask these questions well before applying to any colleges.
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Eliminate any colleges you do not meet the requirements for. Begin asking your parents, teachers and friends for college advice. Talk to your school's college adviser, who can help you apply to the college you want to go to. He can also help you find other colleges you are eligible for. Gather as much information about college as you possibly can. You can never know too much.
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Visit the college you want to get into, if possible. Take a tour of the campus. Speak to students walking around and ask them questions about life at the college. Get well acclimated to the campus's atmosphere and lifestyle. Take it all in as if you are already a student there.
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Work on getting a high GPA. Take as many honors or Advanced Placement classes as you can. Colleges like it when potential students take challenging courses. This tells them that you are a hard worker and excel academically. In addition, many AP high school courses count as college credits, meaning you will have already worked towards graduating from college before even entering it.
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Study hard for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. Colleges often look at these scores on your transcript to measure how well you do academically. They also compare your scores to those from thousands of other applicants across the country, so you will be competing with fellow students who want that acceptance letter as badly as you do.
Application
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Apply to your desired college. Do not forget anything the college specifically requires, such as college essays or recommendation letters. Include all of your accolades in the section where you can list your honors. Make sure to send in the application before the deadline.
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Be confident. If you know you have what it takes to get into this college, then in all likelihood, you will receive an acceptance letter. Do not apply for any colleges you are unsure of getting into. Always keep your head up. Remember, you worked for this. You put in the time and effort to produce a strong application.
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Celebrate if you receive an acceptance letter in the mail -- you deserve it. Continue searching and applying for other colleges if you are rejected. While many of us want to get into a specific college, the reality is that some of us are chosen and others are forced to search elsewhere. Not every college will see you as a model student. Take it as a lesson learned and move on.
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References
- Photo Credit college campus image by Nick Alexander from Fotolia.com
