Six Tips for Your Daughter’s College Application Journey

Prioritize grades. What is the most important thing your daughter can do to make a good impression on colleges? Keep studying and keep her grades up. This is important even for seniors in their spring semester. Schools want to see that their potential students are serious about their studies and have a great work ethic. This is especially important as more colleges and universities go standardized test-optional. 

When do you need to visit colleges and take standardized tests? Students can take the SAT or ACT the fall of their junior year. However, it’s preferable to wait until at least spring of junior year to do this, as it really helps to have a whole year of junior math before taking the test. As for visiting colleges, families should not feel pressure to make visits at a particular time during high school. While there is a benefit to visiting colleges when classes are in session, some families prefer to visit colleges in the summer between sophomore and junior years. Some wait until they are accepted to schools, and then visit those schools to help them decide whether to attend. It is ultimately a matter of personal prudence and preference. 

Familiarize yourself with the Common App. The Common App is an online undergraduate college admission application that is used by hundreds of schools. Students can fill out all their information and submit their college essays to multiple schools all in one place. This saves the time and hassle of having to go to multiple websites to apply to schools. The Common App also provides a very useful scholarship finder feature that helps students find scholarships to apply for based on their information. 

Don’t stress about the extracurriculars. When it comes to service and activities outside of academics, there are no specific checkboxes a student has to fulfill. United States service academies want examples of leadership, but most schools aren’t looking for specific extracurricular activities on the student’s resume. Pursue things that truly matter to you. This passion will come through on your application and in your essay. And when considering your service and leadership experience, don’t discount the ways that you serve and lead at home! Colleges take that into account. 

Get to know these common terms. 

Don’t forget kindness. It’s important to be compassionate with yourself and others throughout this entire process. Don’t waste time comparing your application experience with others. There are so many unique factors that go into each student’s decision—from location to subjects that are important to you—that it’s impossible to compare. And remember to be thoughtful of others as college acceptance time rolls around. It can be a stressful and emotionally challenging time for many, so be considerate of other students as you celebrate your own acceptances.