Applying to colleges is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. From organizing application materials to keeping up your GPA, meeting deadlines, and trying to manage your daily life’s pressures and responsibilities, there’s a lot to juggle! Luckily, there are ways to streamline the college application process. The Common App—which launches today, August 1—allows students to apply to multiple colleges using one digital application at once.
Before diving into the application process, check out these tips to help make getting into your dream school much smoother.
Tip 1: Take advantage of early action
Applying during a school’s early action period offers some advantages you won’t get during the regular application cycle, from waived application fees to additional scholarship opportunities. Oglethorpe, for instance, offers its early-action applicants a waived admission fee, a non-binding decision, and an automatic invitation to our Scholarship Weekend, where admitted students can compete for full-tuition scholarships. For most universities, this period opens with the launch of the Common App on August 1 and closes in early December. Add the early action deadlines for your list of schools to your calendar to make sure you don’t miss out!
Tip 2: Ask questions
Your admission counselor is here to support you throughout the college search process — don’t hesitate to reach out to them if you have any questions about applying to schools, whether specific to that institution or more general. When you share your academic interests and career goals with your admission counselor, they can offer you new insights to help you narrow down your list of potential schools or open yourself up to opportunities you may not have considered before.
Tip 3: Make the most of your personal essay
Your essay is how admission departments understand who you are as a student. Showcasing your academic and extracurricular interests, future career goals, and why you think you would be a good fit for the school you’re applying to help the counselor read your application and better understand who you are as an individual.
If there are parts of your application you’re concerned about (GPA, test scores if required, or some other academic indicator), your essay is a great place to address those factors honestly and explain why they might not be where you’d like them to be. Supplementing your application this way can strengthen your overall impression as a potential student.
Wherever your post-high school path may lead, you don’t have to walk it alone. These application tips will give you the boost you need to confidently apply to any school.
Oglethorpe University is a small college in the big city of Atlanta where students have the best of both worlds. You’ll build relationships with caring professors, enjoy small classes on a gorgeous campus, and take advantage of all the professional opportunities Atlanta has to offer. Learn more.
Meet author Heidi Barringer, Associate Director of Admission.
