5 Mistakes to Avoid when you Apply for College
Friday, October 2, 2020
High school students thinking about going to college after earning their high school diplomas are aware of the long college application process that awaits them. Here are five mistakes to avoid when applying for college!
For high school students who want to go to college and earn a university degree after earning their high school diploma, the college application process can be both a rush of excitement and a time filled with stress and anxiety.
High school students can avoid this stress by following the advice of avoiding the following college application mistakes.
DO NOT Forget to Read Any and All Directions Clearly
High school students/prospective college students must pay close, detailed attention to what each school asks for on its college application. Once reading these directions, make sure to follow them!
Many times, for example, students forget to fill out parts of the data on the college applications. Students, in not reading clearly, forget to fill out and answer all the questions on a college application.
Any blank spaces will make an incomplete application that also leaves colleges with an incomplete picture of the applicant.
DO NOT Let Parents Direct The Entire Process
Yes, it is good for parents to actively engage in the application process, but this comes with its limits. Parents should never fill out the application, write personal statement essays or take control of communication with school officials. These responsibilities fall on the student.
Parents can advocate for their students by providing guidance and support as well as helping their students keep track of application deadlines and search for scholarships.
But, top colleges and universities want to see students take the lead and campaign for themselves.
DO NOT Submit Applications or Personal Statement Essays WITHOUT a Complete Proofreading
Feel free to lean on spellcheck to help you out, but remember that spell check does not catch everything and many times, spellcheck autocorrects INCORRECTLY.
We highly recommend reading each written part of your college application aloud so that you can catch all errors. Reading the written parts of your college app aloud can also help you make sure that you are truly conveying the message you desire to get across to the college admissions teams.
DO NOT Wait Until the Last Second to Start Applying
Remember that most colleges and universities have different application plans. Most commonly, they have early action, early decision, and regular decision.
Pay attention to the deadline you have chosen and remember not to wait until the last minute to start your application. Applications can take as long as several weeks to put together and waiting until the last possible moment will set you up for a stressful time that doesn’t come with a guarantee that your application will be the best it can be.
DO NOT Forget to Read any Curriculum Requirements
When applying to a college or university and selecting a specific major, remember to make sure to check curriculum requirements and take the corresponding high school classes needed so that you can get in. A classic example is that most students who want to get into engineering programs have to take physics and calculus at some point in high school.
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