Negosentro|Why You Should Work on Your College Application as Soon as Possible|The senior year of high school is a flurry of activity and college applications can soon creep up on you. Before you know it, you might see the college application deadlines on your calendar, which can send you into a massive panic. That’s why it’s much better to work on your college application as early as possible, and here are some of the advantages to getting prepared in advance.
College Applications Are a Lot of Work
College applications aren’t just about filling in a form and getting your guidance counsellor to write a nice letter. While each college has its own application process, most applications take several hours and usually require you to gather a lot of information.
Some things the application is likely to involve include:
- Filling in a form — some of these can be very long and detailed, asking about all sorts from your high school record to your family details
- Putting together information on your extracurricular activities
- Writing an essay — this will either be on a set topic or something that interests you
- Listing your honors, disciplinary infractions, summer activities, internships and more
You’ll also need to work on getting letters of recommendation and teachers will have a load to write during college application season. Asking early means they have more time to focus on your letter.
College applications are time consuming, and if you plan to apply to more than one school, which is recommended, it’s potentially a big workload that you don’t want to leave until the last minute.
You May Get an Early Decision
Got your heart set on a particular college? You may want to get your application in early, as this can get you an early decision. There are many advantages to an early decision, perhaps the biggest one being that you can breathe easily, knowing you’ve got a place in a college you love. If you’re worried about getting financial aid, then you can get this sorted out early too, and your senior year becomes much less stressful.
The main disadvantage of an early decision is that it’s binding, so you can’t change your mind and you have less time to explore your options. This means you have to be certain in your choice.
Ensuring You Meet the Admission Requirements
Start looking at colleges early and you’re more likely to find one that’s right for you. It gives you a chance to investigate colleges that might accept your grades and ones that have the right combination of cost, location and academics. Start your research by looking for American University admission requirements and those of schools you are interested in on CampusReel. If you don’t quite meet their requirements, then you may have time to bring up your GPA or really work on those SAT scores to give yourself a better chance.
It’s easy to procrastinate when it comes to college applications, and let’s face it, they’re not the most fun thing to do. However, there are advantages to starting early, not least because it reduces your stress level and allows you to enjoy your senior year.
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