Top 5 College Application Tips for High School Seniors

Application Boot Camp® 2016 for rising high school seniors has ended and we are gearing up for the start of the academic year. This year’s Application Boot Camp students were amazing. This is our most gratifying work—meeting the students we’ve gotten to know through writing their comprehensive reports and helping them increase their odds at their top-choice schools!

If you are a rising/current high school senior, don’t wait; finish all of your essays NOW before heading back to school.

We have been flooded with emails and calls from current seniors and their parents asking how we can help them in the confusing process of college applications. So, here we go:

Take a deep breath…

Then, follow our TOP 5 APPLICATION TIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS…

1.) Create a plan NOW for addressing your college applications. That means designating time each week to focus on various aspects. Our students spent 30-40 hours on essays alone this summer. Commit to every Sunday afternoon or each Wednesday evening as your time to organize, research, and write. Cut out your social life as the time spent now will pay off in college options.

2.) Review the Common Application slowly and carefully. It’s confusing and you don’t want to wait until you are ready to push the submit button! Understand each section now.

3.) Leverage the Additional Information box the Common Application gives you. You have 650 words to let schools know more details on your extracurriculars for instance. Don’t leave this space blank.

4.) Craft an application strategy that includes non-binding early action schools such as University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Dickinson College and one binding Early Decision school such as Williams College or Northwestern University and one Early Decision II school such as Vanderbilt, Emory, or Colgate.

5.) Write an essay for the Common Application that focuses on your academic area of interest NOT your strong character, great personality, Great Aunt Sue or sports success.

One more bonus tip:

6.) Once you select schools to which you will apply, research their supplemental questions and organize them into categories. Our students are proactive and write the essays they want to write, fitting them into the supplements rather than the other way around.