If you’re just starting the college admissions process, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed by all the things that you need to do. Luckily, you have nearly three months to get yourself together and organized for the application process that awaits you in the fall. Here are some things that you can do to maximize your summer leading into the college application process to better position yourself for a fall filled with less stress.
Tip #1: Visit as many different colleges as possible.
If you have no clue as to what kind of school you want to attend, visit a large variety from technical schools to large schools to small schools to art schools. See how they feel to you when you set foot on their campuses, and from there you will get a better sense of what is right for you. Don’t judge a school only by the materials you read. These materials are marketing materials to stimulate your interest in the school so they’re all going to look good based on the brochures you get. It’s in your best interest to set foot on these campuses to get a sense of what the place is like behind the brochure. If you already know that you want a certain kind of school, then visit several different ones in that category. So if you want a small liberal arts school, visit one near a city, another one that’s in a rural location, and so forth. There are over 4,000 schools and we are all different from another in some way. Here is a great worksheet from US News to help you document each institution you visit.
Good luck, and check back for more advice in the coming months!
Tran Kim-Senior
Assistant Director of Admissions
Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment
