This is the final post. I was just reading my first entry and I must say it is pretty awesome I had the opportunity to document such a crucial part of my senior year. Looking back, things like essays and SATS already seem so distant and trivial which is a bit wild because during that time those were what pretty much dominated my life (or so it seemed). I guess it does come to show how it’s really just a phase you have to get through. At the time it seemed like hell, but when you really put your heart into it, create some type of enjoyment in it, I think it really comes through at the end. Ultimately, I was accepted into all of the colleges I applied to (Bard, Bowdoin, Kalamazoo, Macalester, Middlebury, and Oberlin) with all but one being through an early acceptance or early write. I would definitely attribute a good amount of my results to luck, but I can notice the things I did right and things I still would do different if I could do it over again.
I think the single best thing I did during the admissions process was deliberately pick my colleges. This year I know a lot of students who got stressed by the competitiveness of the season and went about applying to 15 or more colleges. I don’t think I would even have the ability to apply to this many, but I think in narrowing my list down to 6 I was able to really pursue each college on my list. I was able to have interviews wi th almost all of them, write very personal essays that were unique to each school, send issues of the school newspaper to them, and really develop a connection with each college. Maybe I am wrong, but I do think colleges take notice of a student who seems really invested in being able to attend their institution.
What I wish I had done differently has more to do with finances which I’ve noticed has been a big problem for a lot of students this year. I think I would have balanced my list out more by applying to more “likely’s” to receive more merit aid since at all of my schools I found I could not receive any need-based aid. I also would have definitely applied to outside scholarships (like the CollegeZapps Video one). I think there is so much emphasis on getting into college and almost none on getting extra money to pay for it. For juniors who are reading this, I would definitely recommend pursuing a “Scholarship Search” in addition to your colleges, especially during the summer when you are probably bored at home. Even a simple $1000 essay scholarship is $1000 you won’t ever have to pay back and when college costs become a reality, you’re going to wish you had a little assistance.
4 months of your life though. That’s really all it is. The rest is waiting, which most lie and say is the “worst part” (For the record, taking the SAT was the worst part ). If it really means something to you, then spend that extra hour a night studying SAT vocab or reviewing your Activities Resume. By the end, I assure you it’s worth it. When it comes to this time of year, there starts to be this “magical” feel to it. Everyone, whether accepted, waitlisted, or denied seems a lot more relieved. Like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders and it’s really nice. People may not get into their first choice, but find a fresh look at their lives as they consider this new path they may follow. You see the next step unfold for these people you’ve known for most of your life and it’s really exciting. I feel if you truly do work your hardest, then you can’t have any regrets. You could be waitlisted everywhere and at that point you’d still have the reassurance that you did all you could.
Anyways, I apologize for the lengthiness of this final post, but I figured it was appropriate. I wanted to say thank you to anyone who has spent their time reading this blog. I am never sure if there are many of you, but know that I appreciate your time and I hope I may have been able to give some insight on the college application process. I also wanted to especially thank CollegeZapps for giving me the opportunity to write for them and also granting me a space where I can reflect on this period of my life.
AND! Last but not least! For those of yo u who are voting, keep it up! And thank you soooo much for getting me this far already! Each vote gets me closer to that beautiful, shiny, new Macbook so know that I appreciate every single one.
Signing out for the last time,
Chris D.
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Have a great life!
I still haven’t gotten my housing applications in the mail yet, and I’m getting pretty antsy. I’ve been doing some research on housing and general campus activities, though, so I’ve been keeping myself busy. I’m so excited for Ball State! A few of my friends are going as well and I already know people there, so it will be a blast