As the deadlines to apply to colleges creep up on NC seniors, they must write a multitude of essays, manage letters of recommendation, compile activity sections, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and study to take standardized tests. Although juggling school and college applications may seem daunting, knowing tips, tricks and tidbits for one of the most important decisions students will make can significantly ease the college application process.

“I wake up at 4:30 a.m. most days to work on college stuff because I lack creativity after a full day of school. It also helps me start my school day feeling accomplished and awake. It’s definitely not for everyone but it definitely helped me feel less overwhelmed,” senior class president Ryan Lacey said. 

For the majority of students, simply taking the first step to find a college that piques their interest poses the hardest part. Fortunately, NC provides its students with access to Naviance, a college-readiness tool that can help students find scholarships, ask for letters of recommendation and, of course, find a college that fits their needs. Using the SuperMatch College Search and Advanced College Search features, students can filter colleges based on location, major offerings, diversity, cost and other deciding factors. To ensure acceptance to at least one college, students should find a variety of colleges in which they meet or exceed the admitted freshman profile criteria. Applicants can find this information on the universities’ websites or use the universities’ Common Data Sets, which reveal the admitted applicants’ statistics and the criteria that the universities use in admissions in order of importance. 

After choosing schools that check every box, seniors can utilize college websites, attend campus visits and reach out to admissions counselors to not only gain a better understanding of the environment they will spend the next four years in but to discover information that they can write about in their supplemental essays to those colleges.

To find out which essays or elements colleges require, seniors should create accounts on the Common Application: the platform that houses over 1,000 colleges and universities and simplifies the application process by requiring its applicants to submit one “common application” to its partner colleges. After adding the colleges to which students plan to apply, they can click on each college to see what the institutions require. 

Most importantly, applicants must keep track of all due dates to their colleges including priority deadlines—the deadlines that students must meet to receive consideration for scholarship or admission. NC students and all students in Georgia can also apply to any in-state college or university for free in November, which students can wait to save possibly hundreds on college application fees.

While compiling the Common Application’s requirements, seniors should ask their peers to review their personal and supplemental essays, activity section and any other component of the application. Although the process may feel scary, with the help of friends—especially those with niches in writing— students can feel confident as they apply to their colleges and universities.

“One thing I think is important [and] that I have been trying to remember is to try to give each of my essays an “identity” to make me more memorable to admissions officers. [For example, providing] a memorable extended metaphor, analogy, or anecdote that ties the entire essay together,” Lacey said.

Nevertheless, college and university admissions surprise applicants, parents and teachers yearly as they alter their admissions processes and consider a variety of factors. Given that admissions officers typically view each applicant holistically, applicants should focus on presenting their best selves through essays and choice of recommenders. With the randomness of admissions, students should never take a rejection, deferral or waitlist personally, rather they should simply find a college that best suits their personalities.

The Chant wishes the Class of 2024 the best of luck in the upcoming admissions cycle!