WHAT I WISH I KNEW WHEN APPLYING TO COLLEGE: Tips, Advice & My Experience!!

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In the beginning, I chose a school and went there for a year and two months and then transferred back home and went to a community college for two semesters and then transferred to a school that I met now, which is the University of Minnesota. Totaling my school experiences Thio three different colleges in three years, and now I am a senior in college. If you apply e. D to a school, it means that if you get in, you are going there early decision, which is great for those that have a school. The college admissions office knows that these were the students that really want to go to this school and that when we accept them, they will be our students. Then E. A is similar except not as intense, meaning that early acceptance you get into the school, but you're not tied down. I kind of wish that I did apply IAI to some more schools because this also breaks up your list of college applications. Which is it doesn't have to be a stressful as you think during your career in high school. A good way to go about this is applying to at least to safety schools to, like please and then to reaches, which means applied to schools that based on their acceptance traits. No matter what, you're going to get into a school. It might just be my personality or how I was a student in my community at my high school. I think I was trying to please a lot of different people during my college process and forgot that at the end of the day, I'm the one that has to go to the school and live my life with a degree from that college. When it came down to my list of options, all I could think of were various mentors and teachers at my school and what they would think if I went to this college versus this one and what they wanted. I was trying to please my friends by knowing their location of their schools because wouldn't it be awesome if we ended up in the same city, state or area of the country? I was trying to please my parents by which school is the cheapest. Which school is closest to home? Where did they want me to go? I was trying to please my college counselor because, of course, he had his own opinions. I guess he wasn't pressuring me to a certain school, but he was definitely telling me like look at the benefits of this institution versus what would happen if you went to this institution. Then I had the pressure from various adults in my high school that I was close to and where they thought would be a good fit for me. I had the pressure of going to a school that was a train ride away from Ah boy, that I really, really liked my senior year of high school and all of these different people kind of just tor away at me from the inside because I was being pulled in so many different directions. So trying not to get caught up in the idea that you're letting somebody down by choosing a school that you think they wouldn't be happy for you because, like I said, at the end of the day, you were the person that needs to move and go to this institution. The fourth thing that I wish I knew when applying to college is don't define a school by people that you know. We're also applying that an institution or by students that already go to that school that you know, I think it's super easy to characterize an institution, college or university based on somebody else that, you know that may be already attends that school is applying the school or has committed to go to that school. I know that when I was applying to school, I would look at various students in my class and determine the school's personality off of their own personality. A school could be very different things to every single student. My senior year of high school was comparing USC Thio, the two students in my class that were accepted to that school and thinking, Oh, USC is full of students like that or telling my college counselor I don't want to apply to a certain college because I know someone that goes there, and that person is so not right for me. I think it's super easy to personify a school or college based on the people that you know that are intending that school because you're trying to look for a characteristic of this university, and sometimes that might be accurate. For the most part, when you're applying to college, don't take a school off of your list because you don't like somebody that is applying that school or because you know a student that already goes to that school that is very different than who you are because the school is full of diverse students. The major, like colleges, need a diverse range of students to fill a school. Finally, the fifth thing that I wish I knew when applying to college is if you really, really love the school but didn't get the best financial aid package you can advocate for yourself and appeal to have your financial aid appealed. I didn't know this was a thing until the spring of my senior year when I was meeting with my college counselor and I was telling him how much I really, really loved the school in New York. I'll just say it cause I only have great things to say about the school. So after visiting the school, I contacted the admissions officer that told me I was accepted and told them how I really love the school. The point is that if you really love school and they love you, most likely they will add to your financial aid package if that means that you will come to their school. This also goes for if you want to visit a school but can't afford to fly out. If you received financial aid and you ask them to fly you out to their school, most likely they're going to say yes because the college wants you to go to their school. So if they let you see their school before final decision and you fall in love with it and you go to that school, it's a win win. Wooster and Wagner e mailed all the reps, told them how much you love their school and how I wish I could visit. They all flew me out so I could visit the school, and it really did help. So if you're struggling with that during your process and you're thinking, Oh, I would love to go to school out in New York but can't afford to visit or I can't afford to go out there, contact them. He loved you because they accepted you and they're going to want to help even further, to see their school and become one of their insert mascot here. I love the chat coming down below what schools you're currently applying to. I'm super curious, and if you already did apply to schools, let me know what you wish you would have known when applying to college.