Christina Li
College applications are coming up for the seniors and the juniors are starting to feel uncertainty about where to start for the college process. Ms. Sloane, one of TBLS' trusted college counselors, answers some questions.
What advice/tips would you give to students going through the college process or about to enter the college process?
Take time to thoroughly research different schools and programs. Make sure the schools are the right fit.
How would you recommend getting started?
Naviance account. It's an easy tool to look up different schools and compare yourselves to other students based on GPA and test scores.
How would you recommend asking for recommendations and knowing who to ask them from?
Ask from teachers who you have strong relationships with, not necessarily whose class you did best in. Ask someone who can represent you. Ask after school or during an off period and have a conversation. Ask if they can write a good recommendation.
Do you have tips for the college essays?
It's called a personal statement for a reason. You really want to focus on you and what makes you special, not on your family and friends. It should be character based, and colleges should be able to see who you are and understand you based on that essay.
What's the key to staying on top of all your deadlines and not feeling overwhelmed?
Over the summer before senior year, create a Google Docs of all the deadlines and make a timeline where you can check everything off. Start during junior year so when you're a senior, you'll have a list of schools. Make a calendar. The earlier you start the better. Your schools list should be done by senior year.
What advice would you give to students who don't know many colleges and want to know more?
Think about what you're interested in studying. Research particular programs and find schools that have them. Naviance also has a career interest profile test that you can take.
What's one thing you would definitely keep from your own process of applying? What's one thing you would have not done if you did your application process again?
One thing I would keep is I knew what schools I was applying to by the end of junior year. I didn't have to worry about researching colleges or writing personal statements. One thing I would have not done is how when I was in college, I did everything on paper so I only applied to like six schools. With Common App, you can apply to twenty schools and everything is more easily accessible so take advantage of that.
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