When people would say that senior year was easy, I don’t think they were accounting for college applications. I wish I could have been better prepared for them, or had a list of tips to guide me. So, Juniors, here’s your Christmas gift! 

So there are a bunch of colleges and universities that you can apply to. I would say the main ones would consist of University of California schools. UCI, UCLA, UC Davis, UCSB, UC SD, UC Riverside, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, and Berkeley. All are amazing schools located through the state. I recommend starting with these applications, since they are the most challenging and will lay the foundation for the rest of your applications. I would argue that I spent the majority of my time focusing on these college essays. I spent a long time staring at the screen, waiting for inspiration to hit me.  Truthfully, it never did. There’s a lot I wish I knew before I started the process, so here’s my list of the most important things I would keep in mind. 

• Start brainstorming early! 

I am not saying to have your entire personal insight questions completed, but it’s good to already be thinking about what you may want to write about. Focus on what events in your life have shaped who you are today. Think about your accomplishments and your goals. What has made you want to accomplish these goals? WHY WHY WHY WHY! You have to keep thinking that while brainstorming. The college administration team should not have questions after reading your response. They should have every answer they need through reading your responses. 

• Start building your college list 

Applying to 27 schools is expensive and time consuming. Applying to 2 is bold and risky. Build a list of realistic schools that you think you have a chance at getting into. Your list should be balanced with safety, reach, and target schools.  College applications are time consuming, so don’t waste your time applying to schools you have no interest in attending. Having a strong college list can allow you to focus your time and creativity on the schools you want to go to. 

• There are several questions that allow you to showcase yourself in different ways: take advantage of them. 

Do not repeat yourself. There are eight different Personal Insight Questions that you can choose from, and you only have to complete four. Your answers should not be the same answers, but worded differently. They want to get to know you, to see if you’re a good fit for their schools. If you focus on one aspect of yourself, then you aren’t giving the admissions officers enough to work with. Show different sides of you throughout these different questions. Maybe an officer will not sympathize with one aspect of your story, but will fall in love with another. Take these questions as opportunities to show yourself 0ff. Each question should have a unique answer. 

• You learned about hooks early in your education: use them. 

You would be surprised how well hooks work. When you have a response to a question, starting it off boring makes the response boring. Don’t be boring. Don’t be afraid to do something unique. Often times, these admissions officers will have hundreds of thousands of applications to look through. They can often tell the direction your essay will go from your first couple sentences. It is absolutely critical to catch their attention at the beginning, and it will leave a good impression for the rest of your essay.

• ASK FOR REVSIONS

There’s a lot that you can miss when you proofread. Having advisors look over your work helps a lot. Remember that it’s okay to ask, just make sure you give them plenty of time.

• Don’t stress

It’s okay to worry about college applications. They’re important. But remember that you will end up exactly where you’re supposed to be and it will all be worth it. Getting that first acceptance letter is such a surreal experience. It makes all the worry worth it.