麻豆区

1

Give yourself time. Starting your application early is something that future you will be grateful for! Getting things started before senior year begins allows for extra time to check your work before hitting submit.

2

List your activities in order of importance to you and describe what you did, not just what the club or activity does. You鈥檒l have at least 150 characters for each activity, so feel free to use the full space to tell us more about what you do within this club or activity.

3

We鈥檒l ask more about the people who have supported you in this process鈥攑arents, guardians, counselors, alumni, coaches. Providing us with contact information (especially for parents) helps us keep them in the loop about deadlines, application checklists, and other details that may be helpful for them to know.

4

Before you apply, talk to your parents about financial aid. Will you be applying for need-based aid? If so, what aid applications and additional information does the school require? Remember that schools differ in how they award financial aid, so spend some learning more about the process. In the application you鈥檒l be asked if you鈥檙e applying for financial aid. It鈥檚 a simple 鈥測es鈥� or 鈥渘o鈥�, but answering this question correctly is important.

5

Your application is our window into your world. It鈥檚 an opportunity to introduce yourself to someone who really wants to get to know you, but may not get to meet you. Be thoughtful, intentional and honest.

6

The application is your story, and it should be crafted by you. That said, it鈥檚 ok to ask a friend or family member to look over your materials before you hit submit. They might notice something you鈥檝e overlooked. Take their guidance but don鈥檛 let them rewrite your work.

7

Know yourself before anything else. There is a lot of noise in the college search process鈥攁nd it鈥檚 not just coming from the colleges! Your decision should be guided by the things that matter most to you (academic environment, social scene, campus size, location etc.).

8

Trust your intuition, but do a good fact check as well. Use your resources (college search tools, websites, friends and family) and do your best to see the whole institution, not just what shows up on TikTok.

9

Understand your options when it comes to the application. Not all items are going to be required, and the decision to share them is up to you. Does this school require that you submit a standardized test score? If it鈥檚 optional and you鈥檙e unsure of what to do, talk with your regional counselor, or check the school鈥檚 median score range to see where you fall.

10

Be honest. Be yourself. We鈥檙e not expecting you to be perfect (no one is). We want to know you鈥攖he whole person. This means sharing accomplishments proudly, but it might also mean giving some background on areas of the application that might not be as strong, or may benefit from some additional information. Don鈥檛 be afraid to provide context.

11

Lean in, lean out, lean everywhere and as often as you need to! From your college counselor to your admissions counselors, we鈥檙e here to help.

12

Don鈥檛 pass over application rounds too quickly. Regular Decision may feel like the standard, but if this school is a top choice, Early Decision comes with some major benefits!

13

The exploration doesn鈥檛 end once you鈥檝e hit submit. Keep learning about each of your schools. Stay in touch with admissions if there are updates that may add value to your application. Remain curious about the future and open to possibility.

14

Choose recommenders who鈥檝e seen you rise to challenges. Sometimes, it鈥檚 not the teacher who gave you your best grade that will give you the strongest recommendation.

15

Extra recommendations (beyond what鈥檚 required) are great when the recommender has new insights or a different lens on your strengths than the others. If it鈥檚 more of the same, it won鈥檛 enhance your application.

16

Ask teachers for recommendations in person, or through a thoughtful and polite email Make sure you do this by early fall in order to give them plenty of time to produce that letter supporting you. Also, your teachers may know you very well, but they also may be writing a lot of recommendations. It may be helpful to provide them with an activity list or resume of things you鈥檝e been involved in, as well as a brief summary of what you appreciated about their class in particular.

17

Say thank you! Thank the people who have helped you through recommendations, guidance, support, and encouragement.

18

When you鈥痸isit campus鈥攚hether virtually or in person鈥攚rite a pro/con list. No detail is too small! Do this with each school & compare lists.

19

Go off the beaten path. The tour will cover a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time. Give yourself the room to explore campus on your own either before or after the tour. Find a spot to sit down and observe the area around you.

20

The tour guide is one person with a pretty big job of representing the entire student population. If their interests or experiences don鈥檛 align with yours don鈥檛 assume that the college is not a good fit. After your tour, ask the admissions staff if they could help connect you to a student who has shared interests. Don鈥檛 make a decision based on one person鈥檚 experience.

21

When鈥痺riting the essay, focus on a blade of grass, not the entire field. Tell one good story, not a mini-series.

22

Interview must: Research the school! Expect to be asked what stands out about this place specifically.

23

Make sure the essay is well-crafted, and that it represents your authentic voice. You don鈥檛 have to deliver a gasp-inducing, life-changing, earth-shattering moment. Tell us a story that no one but you could tell.

24

Coach advice for鈥痳ecruits: Don't let parents do all the talking! Join the conversation & be assertive.

25

Understand the coach鈥檚 recruitment goals and timeline and communicate your own timeline with coaches. If they are looking to lock in a recruit class by the first round of Early Decision, you鈥檒l want to know that now.

26

Check your email! The email address you put on your application is the one we鈥檒l use to let you know if something鈥檚 missing and when your decision is released.

27

Whoops鈥攄id you forget to include something in your application? Have additions after you hit submit? Send updates directly to your regional counselor and we鈥檒l gladly update your file.

28

Manage the application process, don鈥檛 let it manage you. Choose a standing weekly time to talk as a family about the search and application process. That time is sacred 鈥渃ollege talk鈥� time so you can enjoy the many other facets of your life as a family the rest of the week.

29

Set up and monitor your college application portals. Once you apply most schools will send you login credentials for their applicant portal. This is where you鈥檒l be able to track documents submitted or items still needed by admissions or financial aid. It鈥檚 also where a college will communicate updates about your application. Log in as soon as you receive those credentials and bookmark that site.

30

Keep track of deadlines. Use a spreadsheet or other similar tool to organize all of your deadlines for admissions and financial aid. Set soft deadlines a week in advance so that you are ahead of the game.