Hi my name is Ethan! If you are reading this you’re probably figuring out what you want to do in life and so you’ve decided that you are interested in going to college. I’m here to give you some tips on how to get where you want to go. To do this I have ten easy steps for you to follow.

1. Respect your audience:

This step is rather easy,  let’s say you’re applying to this college as your backup you must make the school feel like it is your first choice. Most likely if this school feels like they are not your first choice they are not going to accept you.

2. Know your audience:

Knowing your audience is a very Important part of applying to college. What this step is looking at is the school’s background and other people who have applied. Then seeing what the school likes to see and making sure you have all your stuff together. This way you have the best chance of getting accepted.

3. Being honest:

Being honest is a very important step as well. This stuff means to be straightforward with your college because chances are they are going to do a background check on you. Then they will determine their version of the truth and let’s just say they decided that you stretched the truth too far, then it will only hurt your chances of getting accepted.

4. Making a good essay;

Having a good essay is the most important part of applying to college.  This is your chance to tell them who you are, what you are going to do and how you’re going to do it. You need to make sure it represents all your interests. This is your chance to show why you stand out from other people and what makes you unique and special to have at their college.

5. Standing out:

Standing out is an essential part of applying to college. You need to remember that a lot of students apply to college everyday. You need to make sure you stand out and they don’t skip over your application for someone else. Show them why they want you.

6. Knowing your deadline:

Knowing your deadline  is understanding when the best time to apply is. Applying early usually gives you a better chance of getting in so it’s important to keep in mind not to do it at the last minute where you have a less chance of getting selected.

7. Choose your recommendations wisely:

When you apply for college you choose recommendations. you should pick very carefully who your recommendations are. A solid recommendation is someone who is Credible and who is going to have your back and help you out. 

8. Target and reach schools:

Having a good Target and reach school is very important. A Target School is a school that you know you can get into and you are confident about and it’s always a nice plan b or a.  A reach school is the school that it’s a 50/50 throw up for whether or not you’re going to get in. If you do get in you would like to go there. It is important to find both a reach and Target school when applying to college.

9. SAT scores:

Nowadays some colleges require SAT scores and some don’t. if you are applying for a school that does not require them it all depends on what your score is.  If you have a good score it is a very good idea to send in your score because it will do nothing but help you. If you have a bad score I highly advise you keep the score to yourself.

10. Clubs and activities:

When applying to college it is Important to keep in mind any clubs in activities that you may have done in your high school career. Because extracurricular activities will do nothing but increase your chances of getting into college they show you are motivated and willing to exceed expectations. This goes back to our other step: standing out will make you pop out in their eyes.

As you’ve just read there’s a lot of things to keep in mind when applying to college.  This is a very difficult and confusing process but I assure you following these steps will do nothing but increase your odds of getting into a good college and succeeding.