Many MHS seniors are in the process of applying to colleges. But many are at different stages in the process: some have already been accepted, others have submitted applications for early action, and some have not finished their applications and plan on submitting regular decision. With every stage comes stress in the unknown of what to do and what comes next. This is a process that comes every year, and it is something that is always new to the person doing it. Some advice is always helpful in unknown situations, and many people throughout the school can provide their input.
Some of the most important things needed for applying to college are completing the application itself. This can be through the individual schools’ websites or in the Common Application, where a majority of schools will allow students to apply all at once. It is important to begin this as early as you can because there are many different sections throughout, many requiring writing short and long essays, and acquiring information from all your years of high school. One of our counselors, Mrs. Belko, mentioned that the Common App is only a time saver if you are applying to three or more colleges. After interviewing several teachers at MHS, most advised to make your essay unique and have it show your strengths. They also said to make sure you edit and polish it until it is the best it can be. Additionally, you will need to request a copy of your unofficial transcript to fill out what classes you have taken. Another piece required in many college applications is letters of recommendation from both teachers and your counselor. When asking for a letter of recommendation, most teachers said that they prefer for a student to ask them in person, and then they can send an email with accomplishments, leadership positions, classes you have taken, or anything else the teacher would be able to use to write a good letter. One of our English teachers, Mrs. Westerlund, said that it is good to think about letters during junior year, “You need to be a student that a teacher can brag about. Participate in class. Be more concerned about improving one’s skills than earning a letter grade.” When submitting, make sure to keep in mind the application fees that vary from school to school. These will be stated on their websites and also in the common application, and have the possibility of being waived.
Our counselors gave some advice on common issues that they see. Mrs. Belko mentioned that the main issues she notices are related to deadlines. There are usually multiple people who will have to submit writing for your college applications, such as letters of recommendation and counselor reports. It is important to give them enough time to complete these for you to submit them on time. She also said, “Having a resume, brag sheet, etc., ready to go when asking people to write letters speeds up the process and shows you’re prepared!” Ms. Vang said that a common issue she sees is students misunderstanding a requirement, resulting in an application being incomplete. As for the counselor report and recommendation, she said that it is a good idea to email them to give them a heads up and let them know of any additional information to be included. If you need help with your application, both counselors said to just make an appointment or, if you just have a quick question, to email them.
Another crucial part that many colleges want is a FAFSA on file. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is a form that requires information from both you and your parents about demographic information, financial information, and anything else that would qualify you for financial aid. Both you and your parents should have financial documents on hand to make sure you include the correct information. This form takes a couple of days to a week to be processed, so make sure to submit this before the date your schools want it by. When submitting, you will also link to what schools you are thinking about applying to. Those schools will receive that information from the FAFSA. Even if you do not think you will receive any financial aid, it is important to fill out the FAFSA because many scholarships require you to have it in and have an SAI (Student Aid Index).
After your applications are in, scholarships are the next thing that you should be thinking about. There are many different scholarships available, based on need, merit, club membership, etc. There are also local, state, and national scholarships available. To find a list of many local scholarships as well as some national ones, check out your student services Google Classroom, and you will be able to find a spreadsheet with all of them displayed with eligibility and due dates. Many of these deadlines are spread throughout the school year, so it is recommended that you create your own list of ones you want to apply to so you can keep track of and keep on top of them. Make sure to pay attention to what is needed for the scholarship, though, because some may include writing essays or accessing financial information. You can also find scholarships on your own and reach out to your counselors about ones they know about that might be a good fit for you. Both counselors explained the different levels of scholarships. The first is national scholarships, which are harder to earn because of how widespread they are, but are still a good idea to try for. Some websites Ms. Vang suggested for these types of scholarships are Going Merry and Scholarships.com. The next is state scholarships. These have much less competition and are a smart idea to sign up for. Next, many colleges have scholarships within themselves, so if you already know where you want to go or have a few you are applying for, make sure to apply to these as well. These scholarships can be found on college websites. Lastly, there are local scholarships. This offers a much smaller pool of applicants, making it much easier to earn money. There is a list of local scholarships that comes out in December, which both counselors suggest students fill out. Mr. Collins left me with some helpful advice as well. He said, “…once accepted and given money, ask for more! Appeal!”
The last essential part of college applications is the many required documents that colleges will want to be sent. One of these is sending official test scores. If you are planning to submit your test scores (ACT or SAT), some colleges may want you to submit your scores directly from the testing organization. Keep in mind, this is on a school-by-school basis, so make sure to check the school’s website to see if it is required. It also costs money to send these scores, so keep that in mind. Most of these required documents are on a school-by-school basis, such as the STARS and the CSS profile. The STARS is required by some colleges and stands for Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record System, and is essentially your transcript, but a select few schools require you to write it out yourself. Another thing required by some colleges (like Madison) is a CSS profile through the College Board. This is a form similar to the FAFSA, but it is much more in-depth and also costs money to submit. There are other forms and documents as well that only some schools require, but make sure to check on the individual websites to find out what is needed.
There are many people here to help students, and some of them offered their advice. Mr. Davis made sure to point out that students should try their best to work ahead and not wait until the last minute. Many deadlines for applications and scholarships are coming up, so this is something that is very timely. “Students realize that they should have made better decisions during their high school career.” Said Davis. “Like being more involved or taking more leadership roles. Students can’t change their activities, but they can show the admissions department what they did do and why those actions/activities/classes were valuable toward making the student a good candidate.”
