Apply Yourself

Application season!! STRESS.

I feel you! I remember applying to colleges and universities two years ago. As the first person in my family to apply for college you can imagine I was pretty lost. Maybe you're the first person to apply for college too. Or maybe the first person to apply for an international school. Maybe not. Well, you know what, no matter the circumstance, it's tough getting through this application season. So here are my two cents on ways to minimize the stress.

1.) Order your colleges according to preference
The top of your list should be colleges you would die for and at the bottom would be schools that you don't feel as attached to; or you can order them according to deadlines. Do this early so that you don't get all emotionally attached to all the colleges the same when the deadlines are drawing near.
2) Mark your dates
Mark everything: when you want to be finished with a draft, when you are going to give your teachers the letters of recommendation forms, when they're all due.
3) Keep everything in a folder
Applying online makes everything easy, but it also gives you a lot of confirmation pages to keep on hand for those JUST IN CASE scenarios. Unless a"just in case" happens you most likely won't need to review the papers. Just keep all those stored away in a folder and don't worry about them.
4) Designate a "college working day" once a week
Balancing senior year school work and activities with college applications is tough no doubt. What worked for me is designating one day out of the week where my college applications come first. Only once I was done with what I had planned to complete would I start my homework. Plan this day well and don't hesitate to switch off days. It shouldn't be the day or two before a test, or when you need to be working on an assignment that's worth a lot of points. This worked for me because then I didn't have to be worried every single day of the week. Just got it done and over with.
5) BE YOURSELF.
You will reduce stress significantly knowing that you're a perfect candidate for the school you are meant for JUST the way you are. Let yourself come through in your application through everything--the major you declare (if you really don't know what you want to major, just really put undecided. not that big of a deal.), the personal statements you write, what you say in your interview. What is important to you should come through naturally. Yes, practice and write often, but don't make up a new you. Also, be real to yourself. Constantly be in self-reflection during this time. Keep a journal. Relieve stress.

I hope this helped you plan and relieve some stress. If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave comments on the post. Don't worry. Someone loves you already and would love to have you attend.

Best wishes,
Joanne