What I Wish I Knew

The first quarter of senior year is a very busy time for those students. Applying to colleges and finding a path for after high school raises a lot of questions and situations that you might have never thought of. Over the past week, I have asked some SLA seniors the question; “What do you wish you knew going into senior year?

 

“I wish I knew how to start my Common Application.”

So many people wish they started the Common App sooner. While it’s okay to start and follow applications at your own pace (with the exception of an eventual deadline), things will start to come up quickly, and sooner than later they have to be started. What can you do? Start the common app as early as August 1st, before your senior year. When making an account, you should use whatever email you think will be the easiest to access. This is important because that’s the email schools will reach out to with updates. Fill out what you can on your own first, then ask questions later, this allows you to stay on pace and not get stopped by one question.

 

“I wish I had someone write my letter of recommendation.”

Letter of recommendations should be one of the things you start to think about at the end of junior year. Think of teachers who have taught you longest, or teachers you feel comfortable talking to. Make sure that whoever you ask, you bring it up respectfully, and understand that they are taking time out of their lives to do this for you.

 

“I wish I knew what schools need test scores, essays, etc.”

School information can be found publicly online. Make sure to do research early on! This helps eliminate and narrow down your list. Think of what schools need essays, and get on it early. Search the prompts, get ahead of the game. This will lead to an easy transfer process when you start your applications.

 

Any other questions you have? Any other answers you need? Feel free to reach out to me (kmcdowell27@scienceleadership.org) and give me suggestions of what other resources and responses you need!