Applications and Essays

Tips for Preparing Your Application

• Read all directions in your application BEFORE you begin to fill it out.
• Don't Procrastinate!
• Use a computer or word processor whenever possible. This will make it easier for the admissions committee to read your application. It also shows that you cared enough to spend a little more time on your application.
• Have someone proofread your work
• Make a copy of the completed application before you send it in. Just in case the folks in admissions lose or worse, never receive your application. This way you will have a spare.
• Make sure you include the application fee.
• Paperclip the check to the front of the application where it can easily be found.
• Make sure that you use the proper amount of postage on the envelope. Go to the post office if you have to find out how many stamps you will need. There is nothing worse than having your application returned to you for insufficient postage - after the deadline!

The College Application

• The application is the form that a college sends you or can download from the college’s website. It is the document you will record all of your personal information on. Stuff like your date of birth, your home address, and your mother's maiden name will all be asked for. Not particularly relevant to college admissions, but a good way to keep track of who you are.
• You should have a social security number before you start filling out you applications and you should type or print it neatly on the top of each page of the application in addition to all other items that you send the college. This is usually the way schools keep track of their applicants. Some school applications will even have a place for you to record your social security number on each page of the application.
• In addition to all the biographical information, schools will want you to record your grade point average, your academic record, your test scores, your activities, and a few other items on the pages of the application. Most schools will also require you to submit a brief personal statement or essay.
• Your number one priority at this point is to read all directions completely. Then read each application carefully to find out specifically needs to be done and when.
• Make a list of things you need to take care of (finding a teacher to write you a letter of recommendation, having your test scores sent to the school, having your official high school transcript sent, etc.) and include the dates by which these tasks must be completed. Do not wait until the last minute to take care of things that must get done.
• Once the application is completed you will need to arrange to have a copy of your school transcript, and your test scores sent to the school.
• Don't forget to follow up on teacher recommendations to see that they are sent in on time as well.
• Return to your list of things that must be done to complete the application, once you have finished all of these it is time to transfer the information on the copy onto the original. Use a typewriter or word processor if possible. If this is not an option for you, be sure to print in your best writing, using only blue or black ink.
• Once the application is filled out make a copy of all materials you are sending to the school and keep these for your files just in case your application gets lost in the mail or misplaced in the admissions office. Then use a paperclip to attach the essay and the application check to the completed application.
• Place the materials in a large envelope (usually comes with the application), apply proper postage, put in a mailbox and cross your fingers.

The Essay or Personal Statement

• Some of the colleges will ask you to write some kind of essay. This is done for a number of reasons. First of all the colleges want to know if you can write. Can you spell? Can you put more than three or four sentences together on a piece of paper? Are you able to express yourself? Colleges are also hoping to learn more about you as a person. They are trying to get a better picture of what you are like as a person.
• How important the personal essay is to the admissions process will vary from school to school. Some schools are primarily concerned with your classes, grades, and test scores and may only evaluate your essay if you are in a borderline situation, while other schools may place more emphasis on the personal essay. Remember to keep things in perspective; a spectacular essay is no substitute for a strong academic record just as a poor essay will probably not detract from an outstanding academic record.
• Here are a few things you should keep in mind when writing the essay:
• Writing takes time - don't procrastinate
• As you probably already know, writing can take a while. You want to give yourself plenty of time to get your thoughts and ideas across. Don't wait until the last possible minute to write your essay.
• Make sure that before you start writing you read the question carefully
• There is nothing worse than getting halfway through your essay only to discover that you read the question wrong and must now start over.
• Before you start writing you might want to brainstorm for ideas
• Make a list of things that you might like to discuss that are relevant to the essay topic. Just start writing down everything you can think of on a sheet of scratch paper. Once you have done this you can proceed to making an outline of the essay.
• Make an outline before you begin.
• Quite often the question you are being asked can be broken down into many questions that can serve as part of your outline.
• Think of a way to get your point across in an original manner
• How can you write about something in an honest, descriptive, and interesting way without sounding too gimmicky? How can you separate your essay from the thousands that the admissions committee has previously read? Try to write about something you care about. Don't write what you think the college wants to hear - they get plenty of those essays. Be original.
• Write your essay in stages
• Your outline will come in handy for doing this.
• Take frequent breaks. Time away from your writing will enable you to become more objective and allow you to spot errors more easily.
• Edit your work and rewrite
• Writing is 10 percent writing and 90 percent rewriting. You can always improve on what you have. All the more reason to start working on your essays early.
• Proofread your work for typos, spelling, and grammatical errors. This is pretty self-explanatory. Admissions officers do not like to see sloppy mistakes.
• Have someone else read your essay. Preferably someone who is a good writer. You might want to ask your English teacher at school. Keep in mind that everybody else might have the same idea too. This would be another reason why you shouldn't procrastinate.