Accepted! the Five Step Guide to Acing the College Admissions Process

Congratulations! You’ve succeeded in making it through most of high school, and you’ve decided to attend college. Now you have the daunting task of the college admissions process–but don’t worry. I’m here to help.
Here’s the 5 step guide to acing the college admissions process.
1. Start Early.
I cannot stress this enough–don’t wait until the day before your application is due to begin filling out your paperwork. Chances are, most of your college applications will be submitted online–and most of those will be submitted through the Common Application. Go ahead and set up an account with the Common Application–even if your deadline is months away, you will find that the overwhelming number of questions asked of you in your applications become much less overwhelming when spread out over a number of months. And, as soon as you access your college’s applications, you can begin working on you essay(s). Which brings me to my next point…
2. Write a stellar essay.
Don’t underestimate the importance of the essay in the college admissions process. Consider this: at highly competitive colleges, the applicants all look the same–everyone has a high GPA, SAT/ACT scores, community service, and extracurricular activities. The essay is the one section of your application in which you can set yourself apart from the crowd and make an impression on the admissions officers. A good essay is interesting, shows you and your accomplishments favorably, and is well written. And trust me, a good college admissions essay can take months to write. My advice? Begin writing when the deadline is far on the horizon, and most importantly, have others read your essay. The constructive criticism given by your parents, teachers, and friends can take a mediocre essay to a good one and a good essay to a great essay. Continue reading …
Article by, Melody Sisken and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.

Originally posted by Candice A