“Applying to college is stressful.” How many times have you heard that before?
It might be the long checklist, or maybe it’s all the different deadlines, but applying to college doesn’t have to be as stressful as everyone makes it out to be. Especially since you can learn from students who have already been through it. See how recent college admits handled the application process and what you can learn from them to own your application journey:
1. Set Earlier Deadlines for Yourself
Student Advice from tvolkre
University of Pennsylvania ‘21
“I found that it is extremely important to set deadlines for yourself that are at least a week or two earlier than the school’s deadline. Treat this as the real deadline, and you’ll find you have a lot more flexibility for mess-ups or a lot of simultaneous deadlines. Additionally, remember that the majority of your peers are going through the same process. Use them as a source of support and don’t feel as if you have to pretend the stress isn’t getting to you.”
Find his advice helpful? Unlock his UPenn student profile to see more of his application advice!
2. Start Early & Create Schedules
Student Advice from risssa_rose99
Johns Hopkins University ‘22
“Yes, applying to college is extremely stressful, especially if you’re like me and you waited until the last minute. Start early. Also, don’t get too bogged down in all the essays. After writing so many, they’ll start to write themselves. Try creating a schedule to work on the essays for each college to even the workload. Good luck :)”
Want to read her application essays? Unlock her successful Johns Hopkins application file!
3. Stop Comparing Yourself
Student Advice from kellyhrdunn
Stanford University ‘22
“College is an individualistic process. I cannot stress this enough. It doesn’t matter where your peers are applying, or what that other person’s SAT scores are. Focus on yourself and what you want to get out of college because at the end of the day, it’s your life! Try not to rely entirely on the “big names” (although I’m a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to this) and don’t look at rankings! Stay away from College Confidential unless you have a specific question in mind, and try not to delve into the whole “rank me” section.
The college process relies on so many other external factors beyond just you, like if they happen to need a tuba player that year, or if they have one too many art majors. Most importantly, make time for yourself. My best essay (the supplemental for UChicago- check it out!) came after I went on a sunrise hike with my friends and had gotten an amazing breakfast burrito. My idea for Stanford’s letter to a roommate came after I had been out until 3 am with my friends. Let inspiration come to you, because it will. Just give it time.”
For more in-depth application advice, view her Stanford student profile! Plus, you’ll get to read her essays too.
4. Stay Motivated
Student Advice from alexa_howard
Brown Univeristy ‘21
“As a first-generation college student, I had no one to help me when applying to college. It was extremely stressful juggling high school classes, application essay writing, deciding what schools to apply to, managing college interviews, and figuring out the intricacies of applying to college, such as when to apply early decision or early admission. Compounding all of this was my community’s desire to see me do well in life without their full understanding of how difficult getting into top-tier schools really is. I dealt with this stress by reminding myself that what truly makes a person successful in life is their hard work and effort and that sometimes the closing of one door is really the opening of another one.”
Unlock her Brown student profile and find inspiration in her application journey.
5. You’ll Get Through It
Student Advice Mikacarr716
Brown University ‘21
“The application season will come; but, it will also pass! I remember agonizing over the season to come, fretting over writing my personal statement and supplemental essays, not knowing exactly what I would say and not knowing whether it would be enough - good enough. The season will come, and what once seemed so daunting will not! Soon, your applications will be signed, sealed, and delivered (over the internet) and that season you agonized over will be in the past. You’ve got this!”
View her Brown University student profile and see how she got through her application journey!
Hopefully these tips will come in handy for you! Work at your own pace in a way that’s comfortable for you. Everyone has different studying and time management styles. Find your own and stick with it, and applying to college might just end up being like taking another class for you!
Want more student advice? Use our Advice Search feature to get your application questions answered!
Want profile access? Our premium plans offer different levels of profile access and data insights that can help you with your application process. Unlock any of our packages or search our undergraduate profile database to find specific profiles that can help you make an informed choice about where to apply!
About The Author
Back