Cry if you have to

Senior year. I am taking more tough classes than I should. I have piles of homework every night. I am studying for the SATs, ACTs, and any tests at school in between. Oh, yeah. I’m also struggling to apply to the place I’ll spend the next four years of my life.

For those of you that are struggling – like me – to finish up (or just start) those applications which define your future, welcome! Here are some general tips about applying, mainly through Common App.

1. Finalize your list

Make sure you know where you are applying. Having a set list of schools makes the application process much less painful. You can start requesting transcripts, scheduling visits and interviews, and even sending your test scores. The best lists have reaches and safeties. Do not be afraid to shoot for those small-acceptance-rate stars. Just remember to have options back here on earth.

2. Get on your selected schools’ mailing lists

Most colleges and universities have a link on their website to sign up for a mailing list. Some just want your name and address; others ask that you tell them your desired major and favorite extracurricular activity. No matter the requirements, you will receive newsletters, colorful pamphlets of smiling alumni, and breakdowns of the school’s best qualities by mail. Though it can be irritating to sort through, being on a mailing list not only shows the college that you are interested in them but also improves your chances of being contacted for a regional interview or a fee waiver.

3. Be yourself

I know the phrase was plastered on your elementary school teachers’ walls, but you need to keep it in mind when applying to colleges. If you put up a front in your application, you deny any school the chance to know you. In the long run, writing an essay without your true voice or playing up activities you never really cared about does nothing but make your application seem vague, uniform, and absent of personality and passion.

4. Do not stuff your resume

Listing every club meeting you wandered into for five minutes or award you think you got freshman year does make your application look full. But that is not necessarily a good thing. Admissions officers have no idea of what you dedicated your time to and really enjoyed. Your true passions are buried beneath a list, and you look like someone who is involved in too many activities to be fully invested in any of them. Highlight the things that mattered most to you in high school, the things you think helped shape you. The descriptions of your activities are a gold mine. Talk about what they did for you and how much they meant to you. Treat this part of the application as another way to express yourself, not as a list.

5. Tackle that essay

The prompts are painfully broad, and the word limits either make you feel strangled or stretched. However, essays are the most important part in a college application. It is your chance to show Admissions Officers who you are and what makes a compelling addition to their school. Find a story to tell about yourself, let your voice come through, and edit like crazy. Asking for the help of another pair of eyes is not a bad idea, but be careful about allowing someone to ghost write your essays. If you read it back and hear the voice of your mom or English teacher, chances are colleges will too.

6. Rock those supplements

In Common App especially, supplementary essays are key. No school wants to be at the bottom of your list. You have to make them feel special. Hopefully, every college on your list is there for a reason. Be honest about it. Reference their school website – anything from a course that stuck out to a picture you saw on the homepage. Express how much you want to go there, and you will put a smile on an Admissions Officer’s face.

7. Find the magic number for your teacher recommendation letters

Believe it or not, college admissions officers do not care what every teacher has to say about your work ethic. Sometimes submitting more than two or three teacher recommendation letters can weigh down your application and irritate whomever is looking at it (and you certainly do not want that). When selecting what teachers you want to write your recommendations, most schools ask for junior or senior teachers in core subjects. Once you have those two chosen, be selective about adding any more. It can be nerve-racking to ask a teacher for a recommendation, so prepare yourself. Write up a resume for them with your activities, community service, and any awards you have won, so they will have something to reference.

8. Choose which test scores to send

The battle between ACT and SAT is epic, and the winner is different for everyone. Colleges tend to allow the SAT to be super-scored, while only one ACT score is preferred. Most schools request SAT subject tests along with SAT scores. AP scores can help demonstrate your skill in a certain subject as well. Oh, and here’s the thing: some schools don’t care about any of it. Now, it depends on where you apply, but always keep a look-out for ‘test optional’ schools. More colleges are offering alternatives to test scores in the form of school essays or projects. Do not beat yourself up about how your scores compare to your friends or your dream school’s ‘average.’ Focus on which test best showcases your strengths and send that score. You are more than numbers, and colleges will recognize that.

9. Take care of your counselor and your transcript

The guidance office is the place to be senior year, so you should get to know your counselor. Pop in to ask questions, clarify requirements, and reiterate deadlines. Becoming a familiar face will help them write a better recommendation for you (which is required in the Common App). You also need to make sure your transcripts are sent to your schools, which can be requested through Naviance. The rule is ‘better safe than sorry’ when it comes to questions about college. Is your safety really a safety? Did your transcript request come through? The guidance office has the answers.

10. Cry if you have to

Believe it or not, there comes a time when you hit ‘submit’ on the applications that have daunted you for months – and it gets pretty heavy. Eyes can start watering, cheeks can start flushing, and hands can start shaking. Why? Well, yes, you did finally finish your college application. But a part of you has also finished childhood. You’re done. Your next step is acceptance letters, narrowing down to your final decision, and packing your bags. Sure, chances are you’ll get a few ‘I regret to inform you’s,’ but that’s life. That’s adulthood. That’s growing up and moving on and being disappointed. And chances are you’ll also get to hug your parents, cry some more, and feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders by your own arms when you receive a ‘Congratulations!’

Just remember that college applications are nothing more than empty boxes and word limits. They cannot contain you or the last four years of your life. More than that, you are not defined by a ‘I regret to inform you’ or ‘Congratulations!’ The important stuff comes next year, when you get to define yourself at whatever school is lucky enough to have you enroll.