Written by: Abby Han

It’s college apps season! As a fellow senior that has gone through the application process for college, I have compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you write a killer application. 

1. START EARLY

Even though junior year can be a grind, it’s essential to start your applications early. You can log into the Common App, start researching what colleges fit you best, and even brainstorm essay topics. I made the mistake of waiting to work on my college applications during the fall of this year. Taking advice first hand, you DO NOT want to be working on college apps ON TOP of regular senior year school work. I found myself being too tired to work on college applications after completing school work. So in order to save the stress and energy, just crank it out during the summer when you don’t have senior classes to deal with (also, maybe get summer assignments done early too while you’re at it)!

2. Don’t apply to a college for the cLoUt

When choosing what colleges to apply to, it is extremely important to apply to a college you feel best fits you and what you want. Yes, parents and other people’s suggestions can help narrow down your options, but it is best that you don’t let the school’s name be the sole reason why you apply to a school. You will be spending the next four years of your life in this place, so apply to a college that has what you’re looking for rather than attending a school based on its name or reputation. 

3. GET HELP

There are tons of helpful resources you can use when writing your applications, like the Writing Center or a trusted teacher to help look over college essays. You can also get help at the College and Career Center, where you can get help with choosing a college, writing your essay, and answering questions about particular colleges. I heavily worked on my college essay with Mr. Humphreys, who works in the College and Career Center. I’ve received a lot of help with every step of the writing process, including brainstorming for ideas, approaching the writing of the essay, editing, and revising. Everyone can have an extremely different definition of a “good” college essay, so try to ask only 2-3 people for feedback on your essay. 

4. WORK ON IT LITTLE BY LITTLE 

The college application process can seem really daunting at first, but getting started early and working on it little by little is key to getting everything done on time. After experiencing the stress of the first semester of senior year, I can’t stress enough that getting your apps done early and consistently working on them is important. I made the mistake of waiting until weeks before the application deadline is due to quickly write up drafts for my essay. My advice is to save yourself the trouble and just set aside 30 minutes every day or an hour on the weekend dedicated to college apps. You’ll get your apps done early and you can enjoy your senior year. 

5. Essays

When it comes to college essays, there are infinitely many different writing styles and topics to write about. Not all essays need to be a sob story, so just be YOU! I decided to write about field hockey, because it was something I am passionate about, and it is a big part of my life. College essays are what show colleges a side of you that can’t be shown on a transcript. Most importantly, you want to show how a particular experience, person, or thing has impacted you as a person. Colleges have heard it all, so what is going to make your essay stand out is how you’ve grown from the situation. 

And those are all of the tips I have for now! I hope that they helped you out in some way, whether you are just about to start the application process or are already in it. Either way, good luck on all your essays and applications!

Written by: Abby Han

As I mentioned in my entry about journaling, I decided to map out my week with everything that I need to do. I have a big whiteboard calendar that I have used before, mainly to map out the outside school activities I have for the month. However, for this week’s tip, I decided to map out EVERYTHING from field hockey practices, to exams, to prom. I wrote out every activity that I needed to do for each day. Writing out all my activities helped me visually see what needs to get done and how much I need to get done. I was able to plan out what days I could study for certain exams based on how many after school activities I had. For instance, I have field hockey practices Monday and Wednesday from 7-9, so I know for those days I will lose a lot of time for school. With this information on hand, I was able to plan to study for my Biology Quarter Final on Tuesday when I did not have practice. Connecting both the school and outside school activities let me have complete oversight of what I needed to do. Writing out everything that needs to be done not only helped me stay organized for school, but also with prom. As you may know, prom requires A LOT of planning. Writing out what day I was going to pick up my dress or pickup the boutonniere helped me work out all the little details and really helped me be fully prepared for the big day.

When it came time to study, I used my previously mentioned “code” for prioritizing what classes to study for. I then used the 52 minute working habit to make sure I budgeted my time, so I would not get caught up working on just one class for the whole night. I also broke up large assignments like my TOK presentation into little 30 minute chunks throughout the week. I was able to coordinate with my partner to slowly and efficiently get our presentation done instead of staying up until 1 am desperately trying to find the significance of Banksy’s painting.

All in all, I think everyone should map out their weeks, because it helps you visually see how much you need to get done and helps us stay organized with our busy lives. Mapping out all the activities really helped me remember to do all the little tasks and gave me peace of mind knowing that I won’t forget to study for that big math test or forget to book my nail appointment for prom. Writing out a study plan doesn’t need to be extravagant with a big writeboard and codes (although it can be very helpful), and it can be as simple as a To-Do list. Writing out what needs to be done can really help you stay organized and I hope you all try out this strategy!

My rating out of five stars:

★★★★★