Navigating College Essays

As senior year has started for myself and many other seniors, the college application process has been a rollercoaster of confusion, stress, excitement, self-doubt, and a collection of several other emotions. Because many of those likely reading this are ambitious, career oriented individuals looking towards applying to college in the near future, I thought it would be helpful to share some ideas and free resources that I have found helpful in the process of writing my application essays, but also building extracurriculars throughout my four years of high school. 

The College Essay Guy - https://www.collegeessayguy.com/

The College Essay Guy’s website and videos have been extremely helpful to both me and several of my friends. His website has guides on brainstorming for the personal statement, supplemental essay prompts for individual colleges, examples for explaining extracurricular activities, and lots more general advice. His videos have also been helpful in regards to tips on interviews, overused essay topics, etc..

Fly-in Programs - https://blog.collegevine.com/college-fly-in-and-diversity-programs-a-complete-list

  Several colleges have fly-in programs with applications that open some time in the summer and close early fall. After applying, a select number of students are chosen to be flown into the school and essentially experience student life for a weekend. These programs are designed for high achieving students from underprivileged backgrounds who would not otherwise have the opportunity to visit the university. Also, many times even if a student is not accepted to the fly-in program that they applied to, the university will often waive the application fee as a reward for simply applying and showing interest in the school.

Niche - https://www.niche.com/

Niche is a database for all schools, colleges, and universities in the United States. It is good for helping you brainstorm which colleges would be a good fit based on academics, goals, major preferences, campus life, location, culture, and a variety of other factors that go into deciding which university to attend.

Teachers, older students, and school guidance counselors - 

While cliche I will admit, older students who have recently graduated, teachers, and school guidance counselors can be helpful tools for understanding what college is like, getting feedback on essays, and finding information about scholarships. It is always helpful to reach out to a trusted adult or older friend while navigating the process.