Experiencing the college application process firsthand gives the Class of 2022 a lot of valuable insight that future applicants can benefit from.
The incoming college class of 2022 students shared some advice with us on how they would have approached the application process if they were to do it all again. Were there any regrets? Did they make any mistakes? What did they appreciate the most? Hindsight is always 20/20. Learn from these students from the class of 2022 and don’t make the same mistakes they did:
1. Research a Range of Universities
Student advice from kellyhrdunn
Stanford University ‘22
“Don’t get me wrong - I’m incredibly grateful for where I have gotten into. However, if I could do the process over again, I’d actually do some research on other smaller institutions. I know college is a daunting monstrous process, and it’s easy to gravitate towards the big name colleges. That being said, I know every one of you who are reading this post could succeed at any other school and possibly have an even better college experience than you would have had at the Harvards, Princetons, or Stanfords of the world.”
Unlock her Stanford profile to read her full application and advice!
2. The Stress of Being Perfect
Student advice from risssa_rose99
Johns Hopkins ‘22
“My only regret was the amount of stress and pressure I put on myself to be perfect. I am SO qualified but so are thousands of other applicants. It all comes down to whether you are a good fit for the school or not and that is something you cannot change and don’t want to. You want to be at a school where you feel you belong, where you find your tribe. So give all you got but if you get denied a couple of times, that’s OK!!!! Everything will work out. Johns Hopkins wasn’t even in my top three choices and now its my absolute favorite place. Just trust me :)”
Unlock her Johns Hopkins application file to learn more about her application journey.
3. Don’t Forget about School Work
Student Advice from Necchiserena
Fordham University ‘22
“I would pay more attention to school and grades, because during senior year it was very difficult for me to balance school, the college application and extracurricular activities, and my grades ended up being low. I definitely regret that.”
Unlock her Fordham student profile to learn more!
4. Have an Application Plan
Student Advice from tylersoares2001
Emory University ‘22
“Make sure you apply to a wide variety of schools (safety, match and reach) and that you understand your application options (EA, ED, Regular). Apply early to be eligible for scholarships and special programs. Also, apply for financial aid, regardless of your family’s income; there’s a very lenient border as to which classes and income levels receive aid.”
Unlock his Emory application file to read his application essays and advice!
5. Don’t Equate it to Your Worth
Student Advice from FguringOutLife
Harvard University ‘22
“Plan ahead. I cannot emphasize how important this is, whether in terms of getting great recommendations, boosting your extracurricular profile or getting higher test scores.
Acknowledge it will be stressful but your life DOES NOT depend on this. I spent so many nights crying over my essay, thinking it would not be good enough. No one can guarantee “it’ll be okay,” but everyone can assure you that this does not determine the value of the past 18 years of your life.”
Unlock her Harvard student profile to learn more about her application journey.
Want more student advice? Use our Advice Search feature to get your application questions answered!
For further access, our premium plans offer different levels of profile access and data insights that can help you get into your dream school. 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! We have 60,000+ successful college application files uploaded by college students. See how they got in, and how you can too!
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