College applications can be daunting to say the least, I mean it’s all brand new. Not all, but most, colleges require not one but a couple of essays in the application process. Now if you are a phenomenal writer this shouldn’t be an issue. But for the people who cringe at the thought of writing more than 200 words, this one’s for you. 

The prompts are border-line basic, but what no one tells you is that they want you to tweak it. Let’s take the personal essay for example, they want to know what makes you, you but they don’t want to hear your whole life story. Confusing right? They want you to pick a theme and elaborate on it, tell a story using a metaphor. That information alone sends seniors into a daze, half processing what that actually means and half brainstorming what’s important enough in their life to be considered a theme.

Not only do college applications require essays, some scholarships require them as well. Someone once told me that people apply for over 30 scholarships before being granted a couple of them. Free money is great, and I encourage every single senior to apply for as many scholarships as they possibly can. There are deadlines for them so now is not the time to procrastinate. I’m preaching to the choir here. 

There are a lot of things that factor into your eligibility for scholarships with your ACT and SAT being a huge thing. Some juniors/seniors take these tests seriously and some blow them off; be the one who takes them seriously. The higher the score, the higher the pay. Yes, these tests are beyond stressful, some may even say stupid, but they matter to colleges. 

Last but not least you have your FAFSA. This is a government issued document, so you can imagine it’s pretty lengthy and diction heavy. This document provides you with financial aid, a very important asset for college. If you didn’t know already, college is outrageously expensive! But they want to help you get that degree, so all of these steps are necessary and will help you in the long run.

Yes, the application process can be stressful and overwhelming at times, but you only get to do it once. Enjoy it seniors.