Parenting Teens

Today, I’m running a guest post by none other than my 16-year-old daughter, who has written about easing the college application process! She’s going through some of the stages of this herself, and after slogging through lots of information, she thought she could point out some useful tips. Some of her information came from College Net, which can be a very useful site when putting in those college applications! Both my daughter and I, hope you find something useful here for yourself and your teen!

Between keeping your grades up and worrying about college applications, senior year can be hectic. Throw financial aid and scholarship applications in the mix, and things can get downright scary! However, with a little planning and research, getting ready for college can be much easier.

When a block of unused time finally rolls around, use it to research some of the colleges and universities in which you have had some interest. Look up information on campus life, and use resources like the Princeton Review to see what current students have to say about their professors, the food, and the curriculum. When you find a school that seems like a good fit, look at their admissions factors. For instance, at Georgia Tech, the average high school GPA is currently 3.71 (on a 4.0 scale), and the middle 50th percentile of combined SAT scores (Critical Reading and Math) ranges from 1260 to 1390.

Once you have decided on a small handful of schools to which you would like to apply, request applications from those schools. Alternatively, fill out the Common Application, which can be used at hundreds of colleges across the country. Take note of any other requirements on your application, such as essays, letters of recommendation, and a copy of your high school transcript. Take special note of the application deadline, and put that date everywhere you need to in order to send your application on time.

Once you have your name, birth date, and other basic information on the application, it gets a little harder. The application essay can often seem like the most difficult part of applying to college. Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee and planning an all night session to get the perfect essay, relax. Before you concentrate on the actual question, brainstorm topics, such as positive qualities you would like to point out to the admissions committee. Once you decide on your topic, start writing a rough draft of the message you would like to convey in your essay. Finally, look at the question on the application. Add or take away information to make your rough draft fit the question.

Even though many of us have heard this information constantly for some time now, fully understanding it can be very useful to students who will soon be entering college. A knowledge of how to handle applying to college can allow you to keep your current grades up, since many colleges still look at transcripts even from senior year, and have an advantage over other students in the application pool. Submitting all required materials can expedite the process so that you can relax, get your application in before the deadline, and possibly receive your decision letter early.

Armed with this information, and a blue or black pen, getting through all those college applications should be easy. Remember to give yourself some time to complete the applications, so that you won’t be stressing to get six applications finished in one weekend. Relax, and try not to let college get in the way of what little bit of high school is left. Don’t forget to dot the I’s and cross the T’s, and applying to college shouldn’t be any harder than that research paper for biology.

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