preparing for college life essay

Preparing for College Life Essay

As one thinks about the new life in college, it helps students to be clear on some of the ways that college is unique from the outset. If a student has just graduated from high school, one is likely to find some distinctive differences. For instance, one will probably be a part of a more diverse student body, not just in terms of race, but also in terms of age, religion, political opinions, and life experiences.

Essentially, high school students spend endless hours choosing a college. They use guides to contrast schools. They surf the internet, evaluating websites and getting a feel for each college’s personality. Choosing a school is the first big decision of college life. College life is what I can consider to be the supreme privilege of the youth. The privilege of joining college admits to the privilege of deserving college. College life belongs to the great things, at once joyous and solemn, that are not to be entered into lightly.

Preparing for college life is a challenge and an opportunity at the same time. This is because to prepare someone for college is a problem that no teacher and no school have ever been able to solve.

In the widest sense, the transition from school to college is almost coincident with the transition from youth to adulthood, it is often a period in life when the physical being is excitable and ill controlled, when the mind suffers from the lassitude of rapidly bodily growth, and when the youth’s whole conception of his attitude to other people is distorted by conceit.

Sensitive to his own importance, just beginning to know his power for good and evil, one is shot into new and exciting surroundings, out of a discipline that drives and holds him with whip and reign into a discipline that trusts him to see the road and travel on it.

The best school is the one that prepares a person for this struggle, not the schools that guard students most sternly or most tenderly, nor does the schools that guards them, but the schools that steadily strengthen the students to meet new environment. The best college is the college that makes a young person into a full adult.

The first feeling of a freshman is confusion, the next one is often a strange elation at the discovery that now at last his elders have given him or her a head start. In a person’s life, at the beginning of a college course, there must be, as everybody knows, a perilous time of going out into the real world.

To many students, this time has already come at school. The less protected boarding school or academy, the more it is threatened with vices known to a college the cloistered private school does not afford. Due to the lack of opportunities in the day school, students feel themselves more free and uncontrolled. Thus, if a college is in or near a large city, there is a high possibility that a new college student can demonstrate bad habits, which has not been yet revealed by the parents.

The main objects of school and college are the same. They are to establish character, and make that character more efficient through knowledge; to make moral character more efficient through mental discipline. In the transition from school to college, continuity of the best influence, mental and moral, is the thing most needful.

In a certain sense, college is the place for mistakes. In college a young person tests the strength, and, while testing it, he is protected from the results of failure far more effectively than one will ever be protected afterwards. This is usually based on the fact that parents or authority figures are not around to monitor the life of the student. This calls for the students to be in a position to make choices and make decisions about what they feel is right or wrong. It is a period where the ability to establish and stand by principles is tested.

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IvyPanda. (2018, October 31). Preparing for College Life. https://ivypanda.com/essays/college/

"Preparing for College Life." IvyPanda , 31 Oct. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/college/.

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IvyPanda . 2018. "Preparing for College Life." October 31, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/college/.

1. IvyPanda . "Preparing for College Life." October 31, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/college/.

Bibliography

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It may sound like a chore, and it will certainly take a substantial amount of work. But it's also a unique opportunity that can make a difference at decision time. Admissions committees put the most weight on your high school grades and your test scores . However, selective colleges receive applications from many worthy students with similar scores and grades—too many to admit. So they use your essay, along with your letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities , to find out what sets you apart from the other talented candidates.

Telling Your Story to Colleges

So what does set you apart?

You have a unique background, interests and personality. This is your chance to tell your story (or at least part of it). The best way to tell your story is to write a personal, thoughtful essay about something that has meaning for you. Be honest and genuine, and your unique qualities will shine through.

Admissions officers have to read an unbelievable number of college essays, most of which are forgettable. Many students try to sound smart rather than sounding like themselves. Others write about a subject that they don't care about, but that they think will impress admissions officers.

You don't need to have started your own business or have spent the summer hiking the Appalachian Trail. Colleges are simply looking for thoughtful, motivated students who will add something to the first-year class.

Tips for a Stellar College Application Essay

1. write about something that's important to you..

It could be an experience, a person, a book—anything that has had an impact on your life. 

2. Don't just recount—reflect! 

Anyone can write about how they won the big game or the summer they spent in Rome. When recalling these events, you need to give more than the play-by-play or itinerary. Describe what you learned from the experience and how it changed you.

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3. Being funny is tough.

A student who can make an admissions officer laugh never gets lost in the shuffle. But beware. What you think is funny and what an adult working in a college thinks is funny are probably different. We caution against one-liners, limericks and anything off–color.

4. Start early and write several drafts.

Set it aside for a few days and read it again. Put yourself in the shoes of an admissions officer: Is the essay interesting? Do the ideas flow logically? Does it reveal something about the applicant? Is it written in the applicant’s own voice?

5. No repeats.

What you write in your application essay or personal statement should not contradict any other part of your application–nor should it repeat it. This isn't the place to list your awards or discuss your grades or test scores.

6. Answer the question being asked.

Don't reuse an answer to a similar question from another application.

7. Have at least one other person edit your essay.

A teacher or college counselor is your best resource. And before you send it off, check, check again, and then triple check to make sure your essay is free of spelling or grammar errors.

Read More: 2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts (and How to Answer Them)

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How To Prepare For College — College Readiness Guide

What does it mean to be ready for college? There are some important steps to take during high school. Here are 11 tips to help you to be prepared academically and personally for your college education.

• Start Planning for College Now!
• Take the Right High School Classes to Prepare for College
• Get Involved in Extracurricular Activities
• Keep an Extracurricular Record
• Get to Know your High School Guidance Counselor
• Build Relationships with Mentors
• Work on College Readiness Life Skills
• College Visits - Schedule a College Campus Tour
• College Entrance Exams - Make a Plan
• Create an Organization System
• Apply for College Admission, Financial Aid and Scholarships

High School is a great time to learn, explore, develop, and dream. When you start your freshman year, you may not know where you want to go to college or what you want to study. But there are things you can do that will move you towards being ready to select, apply, and be accepted to a great college. You need to be prepared for the challenges you will face once you arrive and start your college education. The following tips and details can help you prepare for academic success in college.

1. Start Planning for College Now!

If you are a high school student, or will soon be a high school student, now is the time to start preparing for your post-secondary education. College may seem like it’s far away, but in some ways, it will be here before you know it! Preparing for a college education takes time, effort, and dedication.

When should I start preparing for college?

High school provides many opportunities, but it is up to you to take advantage of them. You can make the most of your high school years by thinking ahead and learning how to prepare for the future. Take the first step and make up your mind that you will make the most of the coming years, knowing your diligence will pay off later!

2. Take the Right High School Classes to Prepare for College

Plan to work hard in high school. Taking the most challenging classes available (AP, IB, Dual Enrollment and Honors classes) will benefit you in multiple ways. In addition to learning the course content, such as Algebra, Chemistry, or a foreign language, college preparatory classes will also develop your skills in note-taking, studying, writing, test-taking, time management, critical thinking, and more. These important skills will prepare you for the rigor of college classes.

How do I prepare for college academically?

Many high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) classes, and some offer International Baccalaureate (IB) courses or Dual Enrollment opportunities, which have the added benefit of allowing you to earn college credit. Dual credit for IB and AP courses is based on taking the corresponding IB Higher Level test or AP exam at the end of the course. The required score to earn dual credit will vary from college to college. Depending on your score and your intended major, the awarded college credit may allow you to waive a class, start in the next course level, or fulfill elective credits.

Some high schools will add “weight” to your Grade Point Average (GPA) for advanced classes such as AP or Honors, so taking these classes can boost your GPA. Another advantage to taking AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, or Honors level courses is that the class is listed as such on your high school transcript and colleges will know that you chose to challenge yourself academically. This motivation shows a college board that you are better prepared for the college classroom. 

One word of caution: These kinds of classes are difficult. Know yourself! Don’t take a class if you are not prepared to do reasonably well with hard work and effort. It is especially important to take Dual Enrollment classes seriously, as these college credits and good grades will be a part of your college transcript.

There are so many choices of classes. How do I choose between them?

Develop your academic interest. Especially during your junior and senior years of high school, you can often choose courses that will prepare you for the college degree program of your choice. For example, if you are considering nursing school , it can be helpful (or even required for acceptance) to take classes such as Anatomy, Physiology or Statistics in high school.

Thinking about an engineering degree ? Load up on math and science courses. You don’t have to know exactly what major you will choose but taking classes in your main area of academic interest will best prepare you to build upon that knowledge in college.

3. Get Involved in Extracurricular Activities

Involvement in activities outside of schoolwork makes high school a lot more interesting and fun. These extracurricular activities also provide opportunities to gain proficiencies you couldn’t learn through textbooks and tests alone. Through extracurricular activities, you can develop important skills, such as teamwork, public speaking, creativity, leadership, and self-awareness.

What extracurricular activities should I do in high school?

The first step is to explore. As you start high school, you will find you have many new opportunities—sports, theater, music, art, debate, and computer science, just to name a few. While you can’t do everything, try to get involved in as many clubs, teams, and activities that you find interesting. There is not a required one-size-fits-all list of activities—what matters is that you find clubs and programs that interest you!

You won’t know if you like something if you don’t try it. Keep an eye out for clubs that may specifically help you prepare for a particular college major. For example, if you think you might be interested in earning a business degree , find out if your high school has a DECA chapter or similar association. If you think you’d like a career in politics, check to see if your high school has a Young Democrats or Young Republicans organization.

While you want to appear “well rounded,” it is important that you don’t take on too much. Allow yourself enough time to excel at the activities you care about most. It can be helpful to see freshman year as the time to try a lot of things. In your sophomore year, you can begin limiting your involvement to your most important activities. This will allow you to spend more time on fewer things.

Ask yourself these important questions: What is most important to you? How can you develop that area into a true passion? How can you take your involvement to the next level? How do you become an expert, a leader, or develop community awareness in that area? This is what makes you unique and allows you to shine on a college application or qualify for a scholarship. Developing an interest into a passion may also direct you towards an area of study and choice of career.

4. Keep an Extracurricular Record

Keep a record of your extracurricular activities. You can be asked about them in a few different ways on college applications. Your high school will keep track of your classes, grades, and credits. It is up to you to keep track of everything else.

In order to be prepared for college applications, create a document that records your involvement in sports, clubs, volunteer work, community service, and part-time employment, etc. and keep it in one place. Begin with the summer after eighth grade (you were a high school student at that point) and continue through your senior year. Keep track of the time you spent on each activity and look for trends that highlight your involvement in meaningful activities. Don’t forget to document all awards, honors, and leadership positions. This list will be extremely helpful—not only when you are applying to colleges, but also for scholarship applications or building a resume. If you wait until your senior year, it is really difficult to remember everything you accomplished. As the Chinese proverb states, “Your memory is only as good as the paper you write it on.”

5. Get to Know your High School Guidance Counselor

You likely have a high school guidance counselor assigned to you. Make an appointment with him or her! You don’t need to wait until they reach out to you. It is important to connect with your guidance counselor regularly, starting with your freshman year.

Who can help me be prepared for college? 

Your guidance counselor knows your school offerings and opportunities, including visits from college admissions counselors, college fairs, test prep classes, scholarships, and much more. Your guidance counselor is also a great resource for social and emotional support as well as career and college readiness.

Unfortunately, most guidance counselors are extremely busy and overworked. Make their job as easy as possible. Come to your appointment with your questions ready and don’t expect to take too much time at each appointment. Thank your guidance counselor for information, help, and advice. Remember that you may need a letter of recommendation from your guidance counselor. To write a good letter, your guidance counselor needs to know your best characteristics and as what stands out about you.

It can be helpful to think of your guidance counselor as you might think about your doctor. They are busy, they care about you, they know a lot, and they give you advice. It is important to follow their advice—though when in doubt, it’s always good to get a second opinion.

6. Build Relationships with Mentors

Coaches, teachers, employers, and religious leaders are all potential mentors who can provide valuable support. Look for people that make you say, “I want to be like that when I grow up!” or “I want to do that job when I graduate.” Get to know them and find out about their lives. Learn from their mistakes and their successes. Share your dreams and concerns with them and ask for advice about choosing a college and career. 

Mentors can open up opportunities for you, and can help you identify your strengths (and weaknesses!). A mentor will suggest ways to improve and provide wisdom when making decisions. You can also ask your mentor to write a letter of recommendation. Building relationships with mentors is a skill you will develop throughout your life. Start now. And hopefully, you can be a mentor for someone else someday!

7. Work on College Readiness Life Skills

How can i get ready for college life.

Make a list of the life skills you would like to learn, then keep adding to it. Think through the best way for you to learn about each skill. Can your dad teach you to cook your favorite meal? Can your neighbor teach you how to check your oil or change a tire? Can your mom teach you the basics of doing laundry? Can your teacher or mentor help you set short term goals and make a plan to achieve them? What about grocery shopping, money management, and personal safety? Some things you can teach yourself, like remembering to set your alarm clock so you wake up on time. Many skills you can learn by watching a tutorial online. Depending on the number of life skills you want to learn, make a plan and set a goal— such as learning and practicing one new skill every month.

8. College Visits - Schedule a College Campus Tour

Try to visit as many college campuses as possible early on during your high school years. Don’t wait to do every visit during your senior year. While it is best to visit during the school year when campus life is active, a visit in the summer is better than no visit at all, and a campus visit can be easily added to most summer vacation trips. Campus visits can range from a few hours to a whole day, but typically plan to spend an afternoon.

How do you get the most out of college visits?

To make the most of your visit, spend a little time preparing. If you are vacationing in Portland, OR and want to visit the University of Portland, contact UP Admissions to register for a campus tour. You can also attend an information session. These official offerings give potential students a lot of important information about what the school has to offer and what makes it unique. 

You can also make an appointment with the Office of Financial Aid . This is a great chance to ask about scholarships and learn how to apply for financial aid. You may want to learn more about a particular degree or program. For example, if you want to become a teacher, it is helpful to meet with someone in that department and possibly sit in on an education class. Keep in mind that while campus tours are a great way to gain a lot of information, be sure to walk around the college campus on your own as well. To get a true feel for the school, take some time to talk to college students and explore, using a campus map as your guide.

9. College Entrance Exams - Make a Plan

Make no mistake, colleges and universities consider college entrance exams to be one of the most important new student benchmarks. Familiarize yourself with standard college entrance exams and what is required or recommended by the colleges that interest you. U.S. schools will generally accept the ACT or the SAT, but some may prefer one over the other. Some colleges also recommend or require the optional writing portion of the exams. You will need to decide which test you will take, and some students take both standardized tests. It is best to take college entrance exams during your junior year, although some motivated high school sophomores will take the tests just see how they do and as part of their preparation.

How do I prepare to take the SAT or ACT test?

There are no easy shortcuts. The best way to prepare for college entrance exams like the SAT or ACT is to take challenging coursework while in high school and to learn the material well. For example, the best way to prepare for the math section in the ACT or SAT is to study math! Beyond that, it is helpful to practice and learn tips to help you do your best. Ask your guidance counselor for suggestions that are specific to you and how you test. He or she may be able to recommend specific test prep classes or tutors helpful for the SAT and ACT exams.

Many students need to learn strategies for pacing themselves since the tests are timed. If the first test doesn’t go as well as you hoped, don’t give up. Many students choose to take the entrance exams more than once. You can use your prior results to focus your preparation for the future test. For example, if math was your lowest score, spend time reviewing for that portion of the test.

Set a goal to complete your last SAT or ACT test by the summer after your junior year. That will allow you to send your test scores to the colleges at the beginning of your senior year.

10. Create an Organization System

How to stay organized researching colleges.

As soon as you start meeting with college reps and visiting colleges, you will gather important information you’ll need to keep organized. If you can’t visit a campus in person, you can learn a lot by “visiting” a college online and reviewing their website.  Information aggregation websites like U.S. News, Niche, Chegg and others can also be used to learn about different colleges and universities. Create a document where you can record important information, so you don’t forget. If you learn about a school that offers a particular major, write it down. If you hear about a Study Abroad program that sounds amazing, add this to your notes. If you had a great campus tour, be sure to record your experiences. Make a note of everything that excites you and is important to you so you don’t forget.  Include notes about scholarships, internship programs, professors, research programs, outdoor opportunities, campus clubs, and more.

As you move towards your senior year, you will narrow your list of colleges that you think are the best fit for you. All the information you have gathered—as well as all the self-discovery you have gained during high school—will help you make the best decision.

11. Apply for College Admission, Financial Aid and Scholarships

Once you’ve made a list of your favorite colleges, create a new document (or re-organize the document you used to record important college information) to help you during the application and admissions process. Make notes of all application deadlines, guidelines, and any other requirements. If you asked teachers and mentors for letters of recommendation, create reminders to follow up and confirm the college has received them.

Plan time into your schedule during the start of your senior year so you can properly focus on your college applications, as well as pursue financial aid and scholarships. Remember that financial aid can include not only scholarships and grants (money you don’t have to repay) but also loans (that you do have to repay). If you’ll need a part-time job, you can browse university jobs to find many opportunities. This vital research will help you develop a plan to pay for college.

College Readiness

The high school years provide an abundance of opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and maturity needed for success in college. Take challenging courses that allow you to expand your academic focus and build on your future education goals. Get involved in extracurricular activities, discover your passions and pursue your dreams.

What is College Readiness?

College readiness encompasses all aspects of your academic preparation, including the basic skills of note-taking, reading texts, studying for exams, and writing essays and research papers. It involves developing life skills, such as time management, goal setting, and managing money. In addition, college readiness requires a level of maturity that will allow you to successfully navigate the abundance of freedom, responsibilities, and opportunities that college life provides. Part of that is knowing yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and taking the initiative to work on areas that you need to develop. This is an exciting time as you grow in understanding of your core values and main interests. Your ability to build healthy relationships will allow you to grow, collaborate and communicate effectively with others.

Ready for College?

Make every effort to meet with and learn from your guidance counselors, mentors and other role models in your life. Allow these trusted and influential role models help you develop your strengths and find creative ways to work on your weaknesses. Stay organized and take notes as you research colleges and apply for admissions. Once you get to college, you will continue to grow, learn and advance in all of your academic goals. The time you put into college preparation and work you put in now will lay the foundation for academic success and a lifetime of learning.

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How to Prepare for College in High School

It's never too early to start thinking about your college journey.

Mary Sharp Emerson

Starting high school is both exciting and nerve-wracking. You have to adjust to a new school environment, new expectations, and new opportunities. College seems like it’s light years away.

Four years isn’t that long, however. Before you know it, you’re going to have to start thinking about your plans for your college degree, if you plan to pursue higher education.

Of course, you don’t have to choose your college or declare your major your freshman year. You have plenty of time to experience the different opportunities that high school has to offer. Still, there are things you can do every year in high school to begin preparing for college. 

This guide will help you navigate the steps you can take each year of high school to set yourself up for success in college. 

The Importance of Preparing for College in High School

If a college degree is your goal, it’s never too early to start preparing for college.

The college application process is increasingly competitive , especially if you’re set on attending a top school. Of course, there’s no way to guarantee acceptance into a specific college. Yet thinking about acceptance criteria in high school gives you the opportunity to decide how you want to meet those criteria. 

Preparing for college isn’t just about meeting acceptance criteria, however. 

It’s also about building the skills and knowledge you’ll need to succeed once you’re there, such as good study habits and excellent writing skills. And you should begin working on independent living skills you’ll need when living on a college campus . 

When Should High School Students Start Preparing for College?

Starting the preparation process early in high school gives you more time to identify the activities and skills you’ll need. And it’s never too early to focus on high academic achievement and begin exploring extracurriculars and volunteer work.

But, it’s also never too late to begin preparing for college. There’s no need to panic if you weren’t focused on your college journey your freshman year. You can start the planning process at (almost) any point in high school.

Freshman Year

In your freshman year, you don’t need to worry about delving into the college search quite yet. 

Your primary focus should be on academic success and starting to explore your interests.

Create an Academic Plan

Your academic record and strength of schedule will be the most important part of your college application. 

Your academic plan should outline the classes you want to take throughout high school. It should include all the classes you need to graduate. As you make your list, you should begin thinking about which Honors and AP classes you want to take and when you can take them. 

Don’t forget to include some classes that you think you’ll enjoy.

Develop Good Study Habits

Maintaining a high GPA depends on good study habits. Building those study habits now will help you succeed as classes get harder in high school. And you’ll be setting yourself up for success in college, too. 

Some critical study habits that you can begin working on right away are:

• Developing an organizational system and sticking to it
• Completing assignments fully and turning them in on time 
• Note taking skills: practice taking notes in class and trying different methods to see what works best for you
• Managing your time effectively and efficiently
• Exploring where and how you study and work the best

Participate in Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities can help you prepare for college in many different ways.

They can demonstrate to college admissions officers that you are a well-rounded high school student with a variety of interests.

They also allow you to explore different areas of interest and even potential career paths. They help you build important life skills like teamwork, leadership, and time management. And of course, they’re a great way to get to know other high school students and get involved in your community.

Start Your College Resume

The best way to ensure that your college application includes all your activities and accomplishments is to build your list as you go. Remembering everything four years later is harder than it might seem! 

Your list should include:

• School clubs and extracurricular activities
• Volunteer and community service events
• Awards and accolades
• Jobs and internships
• College classes and college-prep programs

Your list should be as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible. While you may not use everything on your applications, having it accessible will give you options.

Explore Harvard’s College Programs for High School Students

Sophomore Year

Preparing for college in your sophomore year probably won’t look much different than it did your freshman year. You should continue to focus on academic success and exploring extracurricular activities. 

You can also start to more clearly identify your interests and strengths.

Research Career Interests and Potential Majors

Sophomore year is a great time to begin exploring how your interests might impact your future career.

Do you excel in chemistry or the robotics team? A career in STEM might be best. Do you love reading and writing? Perhaps you may want to think about a career in law .

Of course, there’s no need to settle on anything quite yet. Explore a variety of different opportunities. You never know what will spark your interest!

Meet with your High School Counselor

School counselors know a lot about different colleges, what admissions committees look for, and the application process in general. 

Their job—in large part—is to help you determine what you want in a college and help you find the college that will meet your criteria.

Getting to know them early will help them better tailor their recommendations. And they can help ensure that you are on track in your college preparations.

Take the PSAT

Standardized testing no longer plays an oversized role in the college admissions process. Post COVID-19, many—although not all—colleges have made submitting test scores optional. 

However, there are still valid reasons why you should take standardized tests, starting with the PSAT your sophomore or junior year of high school. 

Taking a standardized test keeps your options open. You’ll be able to apply to any school you want. And a good test score can improve your chances of admission.

The PSAT can qualify you for the National Merit Scholarship program and other scholarships. And it’s a good way to understand what, if any, additional preparation you need to take the SAT or ACT. 

Spend Your Summer Productively

Free from the pressures of the school year, summers are a great time to participate in activities to feature on your college application and help you prepare for college life. A few activities that look great on a college application include: 

• Getting a part-time job
• Volunteering or participating in community service
• Participating in a college prep program

However you choose to spend your time between sophomore and junior year, be sure to add your activities to your growing college resume so you can remember them when it comes time to work on your college applications.

Junior Year

Junior year of high school is when you really start to engage in active college preparation. 

This year, your goal will be to focus on the skills and activities that you’ll want to highlight on your application. And you’ll want to start imagining what your college journey might look like. 

Focus on Academics

Academics should be a key focus of your junior year.

Take the most advanced classes you can, especially in areas that interest you. However, it’s ok not to take every AP course—too much work can be stressful and may compromise your GPA. 

Remember to focus on developing quality organizational skills, good time management skills, and excellent note taking skills and study habits. These skills will help you continue to succeed in high school and set you up for success in college as well. 

Build Relationships with Teachers and College Counselors

Your teachers and school counselors play a critical role in helping you prepare for college, especially your junior and senior years. 

So don’t be shy—take the time to get to know them and to help them get to know you. These relationships will be critical once it’s time to ask for letters of recommendations. 

Begin College Research

During your junior year, you’ll want to start building a list of potential colleges and fields of study. Some specific factors to think about during this research phase include:

• State or private
• Available programs of study
• Specialized programs you may be interested in
• Sports, clubs, and extracurriculars
• Atmosphere and student body
• Cost and potential for available scholarships

Attending college fairs is a great way to learn about many different schools and hear directly from admissions officers. 

Your research should also include some college tours and discussions with college admissions officers. 

It’s ok if you don’t have the time or the money to plan an extensive tour visiting college campuses around the country, however. Visiting local colleges is a great way to explore different types of colleges to see what you might like. 

And many colleges today offer virtual tours and meetings with admissions officers. 

Take the SAT or ACT

If you plan to take standardized tests, you’ll want to complete one before the end of your junior year. If you don’t like your score, you have time to study and retake the test again before applications are due.

The two most common standardized tests are the SAT and the ACT . If a college requires standardized tests, they will likely accept either of these two tests. However, you should check specific admission requirements at colleges where you are likely to apply.

Sign up for a Summer College Program

Taking a college class may be one of the best things you can do to prepare for college life. 

Participating in a college program for high school students will help you understand the difference between high school and college academics. It will give you the opportunity to explore a potential major. Depending on the program, you may even be able to earn college credit.

And living on a college campus will give you a preview of what it’s like to make decisions on your own and balance studying with socializing. 

Senior Year

Preparation for graduation and moving on to college can feel like they dominate your senior year. And there’s no doubt about it—senior year can be stressful. 

Here’s where you will need to focus your time and energy during your final year of preparing for college.

Maintain a High GPA

Academic success has been a priority for the first three years of high school. But senioritis can make it easy to let your grades slip. And if you stacked your senior year with AP and college-level classes, maintaining a high GPA can be challenging.

College admissions committees do look at your senior year GPA, so it’s important to stay focused. Maintaining top grades and continuing to work on good study habits remains the most important thing you can do to prepare for college in high school.

Develop a Standardized Test Strategy

If you didn’t take your SAT or ACT in your junior year, you should consider doing so early in your senior year. 

If you have already taken a standardized test, you’ll have to decide whether to use your scores, re-take the test to try to get a higher score, or simply not share your scores with colleges. 

For colleges that are test optional, there’s no right or wrong choice. You have to look at your individual score in the context of your application. School counselors can help you decide which strategy is best for you.

Decide Where to Apply

Much of your focus senior year will be on deciding which colleges and programs you want to apply to. 

If you feel confident about your first choice school, you may want to consider applying early decision or early action . However, you’ll still need to have applications to other schools ready in case you aren’t accepted or are wait-listed at your top choice.

Because many colleges and universities today use the Common Application , it’s easier than ever to apply to a number of different schools. 

Be sure to check specific application requirements for each individual school, however. And always remember to customize each application. 

Complete Your Applications

A large part of senior year will be spent in the college application process. You’ll need to be focused and organized. 

Be sure you know when all the applications are due. 

Keeping an organized calendar of deadlines will help you plan enough time to gather the necessary information. Writing a high quality essay will take time (and many drafts). You’ll also need to give teachers, counselors, coaches, and others sufficient time to prepare and send in their recommendations.

The process can be stressful. But again, the skills you use to move through the applications successfully will be useful when you start college!

Don’t Forget About Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid is an integral part of the application process. 

Financial aid, including scholarships, loans, grants, and family contributions, can be complex. You’ll need to work with your family or guardians to ensure that you have all the correct information and to complete the appropriate forms.

To determine your family contribution and your eligibility for federal student aid, FAFSA is the place to start. You’ll also want to check out similar forms for state financial aid. 

And don’t forget to search for scholarships for which you may be eligible. School counselors often maintain lists of organizations in your area that offer scholarships for high school students.

Build Life Skills

Preparing for college also includes making sure that you are ready for the greater level of independence and responsibility that you’ll have at college. 

You’ll have more control over your schedule, for example, but that also makes it easier to procrastinate. Those organizational and time management skills that you’ve built in high school will be critical to staying on track. 

It’s also important to build basic life skills. Do your own laundry. Work with your family to manage your medications. Go grocery shopping and prepare simple meals. Even these small steps will pay off in the long run as you move to the next phase of your life.

Why Preparing for College in High School is Important

Looking ahead from your first year of high school, college seems very far away. But you’ll be shocked at how quickly the school years pass. 

Following these simple steps throughout your high school years will help make the transition to college easier and your college experience more enjoyable. 

Experience college academics. Spend your summer at Harvard.

About the Author

Digital Content Producer

Emerson is a Digital Content Producer at Harvard DCE. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Yale University and started her career as an international affairs analyst. She is an avid triathlete and has completed three Ironman triathlons, as well as the Boston Marathon.

14 Tips for Test Taking Success

Worried about getting through your next big exam? Here are 14 test taking strategies that can help you do your best on your next test.

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1.2 Your Academic Journey and Personal Story

Questions to Consider:

• How can your academic journey develop skills needed for college success?
• How can your personal story prepare you for applying to college?

Your Academic Journey

Now that you have a better understanding of what college can do for you, it is time to focus on how high school is preparing you for college, or better yet, how you can prepare yourself in high school to become college ready. It is clear that what you do (or don’t do) in high school can affect your ability to get into the colleges of your choice, but there is more to preparing yourself than just earning a high GPA or class rank. Your high school education can provide you with ample opportunity to help you hone your academic skills.

Take Difficult Courses

Any student who is serious about applying to college should consider taking challenging classes while in high school. Why? Because those classes can help lay a foundation of high expectations and hard work and they are often highly regarded by college admissions counselors. These classes are sometimes called Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or honors/advanced classes. If you are considering taking such courses, talk to your guidance counselor or current teachers. They may be able to offer suggestions for how to get selected (if there is an application process) and give you a realistic picture of what will be expected. There is no need to take all AP, IB, or advanced classes to prove you are ready for college, but taking a few can provide a college admissions committee evidence that you are open to challenge.

Manage Time and Tasks

If there is one skill that you can develop now that will help you throughout your college career, it is the ability to manage your time and complete tasks. If you already use a planner to track what you need to do and when it is due , then you are on the right track. You can enhance these skills by setting reminders for yourself—and not relying on teachers or parents to tell you when to complete or submit an assignment. The most important part of managing your time and tasks effectively is to build in time well before something is due to complete the work and to overestimate (at least initially) how long you need, which can provide time “buffers” that will keep you from rushing through work to finish it.

Learn to Learn

Earlier, you were introduced to the argument that the purpose of college is to become a learner. You don’t have to wait until college, though, to figure out how best to learn different subject matters. This is one reason you should consider taking challenging classes–they require that you put more time and effort in them to learn the material. And those skills will make transitioning to college much easier. How can you “learn to learn”? You may have little control over what you are learning and how you are tested, but you can control how you approach the learning. One way to learn how to learn is to space out your learning over time (as best as you can—sometimes teachers like to give you a pop quiz when you least expect it!). Reviewing a bit of material for a short amount of time over several days (as opposed to cramming it in right before a test) produces better results. Another way to learn how to learn is to monitor how well your learning strategies work. Did you do well on a test? Take some time to reflect on what you did that resulted in a good grade. Did you space out your studying? Did you look for connections in the material? Likewise, if you do poorly on a test, determine what led to the result. The more you can identify what works and doesn’t for you, the easier it is to make improvements in your learning strategies.

Demonstrate Integrity and Ownership of Learning

Being a high school student often means having a lot on your plate. It can be easy to put off homework and studying, not do it at all, or cut corners to complete the work. While you may be able to get away with some stumbles like forgetting to turn in an assignment, other behaviors, such as getting someone (including Artificial Intelligence software) to do your homework or write a paper for you can get you into trouble. Now is the time to build the skills you will need later in college. Taking full responsibility for your learning as well as demonstrating integrity in all assignments no matter how big or small are the foundation of those skills. How do you do this? For one, you acknowledge that every action or inaction will produce a result. If you put in the work to write the paper, you will earn the grade you receive. If you do not put in the work or find a way to shortcut the process by using someone else’s writing, then you have missed an opportunity to improve your writing, your thinking, and your project management skills. Plus, you may get into trouble for academic dishonesty, which could mean failing an assignment or a course, or getting a more substantial punishment, such as expulsion. The stakes only get higher when you are in college.

Keep Test Scores in Perspective

You will learn more about standardized test scores and their purpose for getting into college later in this chapter, but it is worth noting that while what you make on the ACT, SAT, or equivalent standardized test, may factor into your ability to get into and pay for the college of your dreams, it is not necessarily a reflection of who you are and what you are capable of. Definitely do all you can to raise your test scores through practicing, prepping, and doing your best on the day of the test. But do not assume that a low test score will be the end of your long-term goals or educational journey. They are just one piece of information by which an institution may evaluate your potential, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that tells who you are.

Your Personal Story

Just as important as your academic journey is your personal story. You will need to develop and reflect on both for your applications to college and scholarships. Those who read about you will want to know not only about your accomplishments, but also your challenges and how you have overcome them.

What Makes You Unique

It may seem cliché to say “There is only one you!” But there is some truth in the fact that you are unique—there is no one else like you. To that end, you may want to draw upon those unique characteristics as you begin to shape the story that you will share with college admissions staff and scholarship committees. Will you be the first in your family to go to college? Do you live on a working farm and feed the goats, cows, and horses every morning before school? Can you ride a unicycle or juggle or both? There may be both personal characteristics as well as experiences that make you stand out from others, and if there are, consider weaving these details into the tapestry of your story. Start by making a list of your characteristics—no trait is too small or typical at this point. You can eliminate items later when you start building your story, but for now, create the list and add to it as you think of new things that you are or can do.

Getting Gritty

Many college essay prompts include an opportunity to share a time in your life in which you faced adversity and overcame it. For some students, this prompt is difficult for they have either not experienced a life-changing setback or not considered themselves challenged. It is important to remember that any setback or disappointment—no matter how inconsequential it may seem to you—can be the basis for an essay that responds to such a prompt. There is no need to embellish the circumstance if it is truly not harrowing, but it is acceptable to frame the experience as something that was difficult for you. Most readers of essays are less looking for a made-for-Hollywood story and more wanting to see someone who has demonstrated tenacity, resilience, and reflection no matter how big or small the adversity is. Even if you are not required to write an essay on a time in your life in which you failed or experienced disappointment, having a story handy for interviews (for scholarships, internships, or jobs) can help you share insight into your personality and strengths in a succinct way.

Finding the Themes of Your Life

In Katharine Brooks’ (2010) book You Majored in What? 3 she shares a writing and reflecting activity called “Wandering Pathways and Butterfly Moments” that guides readers through a series of prompts to develop a list of life experiences for the purpose of discovering what career pathway may be most fruitful for them to pursue. These life experiences could be as monumental as moving to a new state and starting a new school or they can be as mundane as spending the summers fishing. The goal of the exercise is to record what you have done or what has happened to you to get a sense of a “story.” These stories are built upon the connections and themes that you see in the experiences. Here are some of the life experiences Brooks wants you to consider when you are crafting your personal story.

• What have you done during the summer or holiday breaks from school?
• What did you play when you were a young child?
• What are some of your major life experiences (e.g. family events such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces)?
• What do people say you do well or have a talent for or seek you out for?
• What do you consider your greatest achievements?
• What jobs have you had?
• What groups have you belonged to?
• What awards have you won?
• What lessons have you learned?
• What do you like to do for fun?
• What kind of “secret” talent do you have?

The goal of answering the questions is to capture as much about who you are and how you have been shaped to develop clear connections among the life elements and create themes. These themes can drive your personal story that can share on a deeper level who you are or who you are becoming.

Consider this scenario: Raphael has taken the time to write down his life experiences so he can build his personal narrative. Some of the answers to the questions above include the following:

• Raphael’s jobs: lifeguard, babysitter for his nieces and nephews, tutor, art teacher for elementary students
• Raphael’s hobbies and interests: watching old movies, volunteering at the library, creating original jewelry from natural objects
• Raphael’s awards and accolades: he won a writing contest in 11th grade, his friends come to him for advice, he has earned high grades in all of his classes
• Raphael’s major life events: parents divorced when he was 6 years old, he started a new school in junior high, his aunt passed away when he was 14 years old

From this short list, Raphael can begin to draw out themes that he can use to create a detailed picture of who he is. He has found himself in teaching roles with his jobs. He has a love for the arts as evidenced by his hobbies. He is a good communicator evidenced by his awards and accolades, and relationships are an important part of his life. Raphael can use those themes—and details from his experiences—to craft his story as someone who has demonstrated an interest in connecting with and helping others by sharing his expertise and experience.

Recognizing the themes in your life helps you to describe how you've become the person you are now, and helps you to understand who you will become.

"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn't end" —former First Lady Michelle Obama , Becoming (2018)

Analysis Question

In what ways is your academic journey in high school shaping your personal narrative? Describe how the following experiences are helping you “become":

• The classes that you are taking
• The activities you participate in as part of school (e.g., sports, performing arts, etc.)
• The learning that you are doing outside of school (e.g., community language class)

In what ways are your personal experiences shaping your story? Describe how the following experiences are helping you “become”:

• Major life events
• Favorite activities
• Awards and accomplishments
• Jobs or volunteer work
• 3 Brooks, K.(2010). You majored in what? Plume.

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• Book title: Preparing for College Success
• Publication date: Jul 12, 2023
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• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/preparing-for-college-success/pages/1-2-your-academic-journey-and-personal-story

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College admissions

Let us guide you through the application process, unit 1: getting started, unit 2: making high school count, unit 3: exploring college options, unit 4: applying to college, unit 5: paying for college, unit 6: wrapping up, unit 7: life after college.

College Admissions

Guide to Saving for College

Saving For College 529 College Savings Plan Investing for College Baccalaureate Bonds Treasury Bonds

College Preparation

Preparing for College Childhood Tips

High School Students

Overview Curriculum Counselors Juniors Seniors

Test Taking

Exams Overview Background info The ACT Test ACT Testing Tips The SAT Test SAT Testing Tips PSAT

College Search

Finding a School Best College for You Types of Schools Search Aids Primary Factors Does Image Matter?

Applications

Application Submission What Colleges Want Letters of Recommendation How to Impress Finishing Touches

Interviews What to Expect

Admission Essays

How to Write an Essay How to Choose a Topic Outline Tips Edit Structure Edit Style

What to Study

What to Study Select a Major

Campus Tours

Campus Tours What to Expect

• /  Admissions
• /  Preparing

College Preparation Guidance

A timeline for students.

College is a brave new world, and the unprepared student faces many disadvantages. Most high schools provide some degree of college prep, but being ready for college requires more than a few advanced courses and tutorials on filling out admissions applications. Being ready for college is as much a state of mind, as it is an attained level of education.

The best college preparation begins when children are young. Parents can help instill in their children a love of knowledge, and a realization that a college education is both desirable and attainable. By giving their children a positive educational outlook, parents can ensure an easy transition from high school to college. Once a student is in high school, and definite college goals become uppermost in their minds, parents and children can discuss coursework, academic achievement and extracurricular activities with an eye towards planning for college.

Develop an Academic College-Oriented Mindset

Early preparation for college begins with the nurturing of a college-oriented mindset. Students should visualize themselves on a college campus, in a lecture hall or living in a college dorm. Self-affirming images like these have a powerful effect on the way we perceive our goals, and on how we actively pursue them.

Again, parents can help their children embrace this mindset at an early age by talking about college and higher education in very real terms, and as something as something attainable and desirable. Begin talking to your children at an early age, and stimulate their interest with discussions on what they would like to be when they grow up. These conversations can lead to teenagers considering long term educational goals, and to the burgeoning of a college-oriented mindset.

Make Use of Counselors and Other Resources

Once a student is in high school, teachers and counselors can play a large part in college preparation. High school counselors are particularly valuable resources when it comes to planning for college. As students make their way through their high school years, they should take advantage of what their high school guidance counselors can offer in the way of advice and information that will make college a real possibility.

Way in Which Your High School Guidance Counselor can Help You with Your College Preparations

Your high school guidance counselor can help you prepare for college in a number of valuable ways including:

• Helping you narrow down your college choices .
• Helping you choose a college major that best suit your personality and skills.
• Providing valuable information on scholarships and grant programs.
• Offering advice for choosing high school course work that will benefit you when the time comes to transition to college.
• Providing assistance with scholarship essays and college admissions essays .
• Providing help with confusing financial aid applications .

Make it a habit to visit your high school counselors regularly, and keep them up to date on your college ambitions. Their advice can help you make the right choices concerning your college career.

Understand College Application Requirements Early

Along with regular visits to your high school guidance counselor, begin requesting college application packages early on in your high school stay. Build up a tentative list of colleges and universities you would like to attend, and request admissions packages from them. Familiarize yourself with the application process, and consider what a college application entails so you can plan accordingly. By looking over a few college application forms, you'll get a good idea of any high school coursework you may still need to take. You might also begin thinking about any extracurricular activities you may want to be add to your college applications to help make you more attractive to the admissions board.

Develop and Program Good Habits Early

The habits you develop in high school will help you adjust to the new demands of college life. Beyond study habits, students need to consider the effects of lifestyle on their educational progress. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for the transition into college life:

• Become accustomed to getting up at a regular time. College courses begin as early as 8 AM, and you need to be able to be on time to classes and ready to work.
• Work a part-time job and set a personal spending budget. Funds will be tight on campus, and you will need to be able to manage your money.
• Open a 529 college savings plan as early as possible, and make saving for college a priority.

With proper preparation, college is a realistic goal for all students. The benefits of a college education go far beyond career and income. College life helps students develop in many intangible ways, giving them a love for knowledge and an inquisitiveness that will serve them well in all of their pursuits. Ideally, parents and students should work together toward the common goal of making college a reality.

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, life events that prepare you for college.

So, I'm starting to think about writing my personal essay for college applications and I want to write about some significant life event that has helped me prepare for the college experience. Anyone have ideas or examples of life events that might fit this theme?

When considering life events that have prepared you for college, it's essential to reflect on personal experiences rather than generic events. College admissions officers appreciate genuine stories that showcase your individual growth and maturity, as those are what show them what you, compared to any other applicant, have to offer. Here are some examples of life events that might fit your theme:

1. Overcoming a personal challenge: This could include dealing with a medical condition, bouncing back from a setback or failure, or overcoming a particularly difficult obstacle in your life. Focus on how this challenge shaped your character and prepared you to face new obstacles that college life might bring.

2. Family dynamics: If you have taken on significant responsibilities within your family, such as caregiving for a family member or contributing to the family income, these experiences can highlight your ability to balance multiple roles and prioritize your education even when facing external pressures.

3. Travel or cultural experiences: If you have lived or traveled extensively in different cultures, you could discuss how these experiences broadened your perspective and prepared you for navigating diverse environments, like those often found on college campuses.

4. Engaging in meaningful community service: If you have dedicated a significant amount of time to serving your community, you can discuss how these experiences shaped your character, taught you valuable life skills, and motivated you to continue making a positive impact in college.

5. Demonstrating leadership: Highlight experiences where you were in charge of leading groups or initiatives, such as student government, clubs, or community projects. Share how these provided opportunities to build teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills that will be useful in college.

Remember, the goal of your personal essay is to showcase your unique personality, values, and growth. When choosing a life event to discuss, make sure it is a genuinely transformative experience that has shaped you in a meaningful way and connects to your future college goals. If you want further guidance, consider checking out CollegeVine's guide on how to tackle the main Common App essay: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-common-application-essays/.

Happy writing!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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18 Ways to Prepare for Your Freshman Year of College

Students should follow these steps so they're ready when classes begin.

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• Be ready before classes start.

Transitioning from high school to college  can be a big change for students, with many moving away from family and friends for the first time. For those stressing over this new life chapter, there are ways to prepare before classes begin. From researching academic supports to practicing time-management, the following tips can help incoming freshmen get organized and build a foundation for college success.

• Be prepared to be treated as an adult.

The transition from high school to college is more than just a move to a higher level of education. In many ways, it signifies the change from childhood into adulthood. And although students may not feel quite like adults, that's how colleges and universities will treat them, says Josh Stern, vice president for student services and dean of students at Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania. Mail and information surrounding grades and financial aid will go to students instead of parents or guardians, he says. Students "need to understand that mom and dad, or their parents or supporters, might not be getting that information," Stern says. "They really need to know how to navigate planning their schedule, when the bills are due and how to access their grades."

• Embrace time-management tools.

College offers a sense of independence that many students didn't have in their high school years, when teachers and parents kept them on track for graduation. Balancing the academic and social demands of college can be a challenge for even the most diligent students. But there are plenty of digital tools designed for students, and a little organization can go a long way in making sure time is used wisely. Smartphone apps and tools can help students limit time on entertainment and social media and maintain their study schedules. "I always encourage students to think about things that help them maintain their focus, have a little bit of self-care, but also to have fun," Stern says. "They need time to blow off steam, to take care of stress, and there’s lots of resources on campuses to help them do that."

• Make a plan for communicating with your parent or guardian.

Going off to college isn't just an adjustment for students. It can often be a challenge for parents and guardians, particularly those with first-generation college students. Striking the right balance between letting students be independent and maintaining parental responsibilities can be tough. Students and parents should determine plans for how and when to communicate, especially as it relates to important matters like grades, bills and financial aid. "It’s important that they have a conversation with their parents about how often they’re going to be in touch, not just to ask for money or to come home to do laundry,” Stern says. "What are the parents' expectations for their student in terms of communication and sharing information?"

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• Read as much as possible.

College coursework consists of substantially more reading than is required in high school. Students should start getting used to the increased workload by reading books during high school and the summer before college . While many students read for pleasure over the summer, some colleges assign a specific book to incoming classes to read prior to the start of the semester, which may then be discussed in introductory courses and other forums. Students looking for a good read should check out some of the common reading programs used at colleges across the nation, including multiple New York Times bestsellers and books grappling with societal and political issues.

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• Research possible college majors.

At most colleges, freshmen don't need to know right away which college major they will pursue. But students should start thinking about it in preparation for selecting courses. Those interested in prelaw and premed, for example, should learn more about those tracks if their college offers them. Experts encourage students to explore academic advising programs at their respective schools to understand what classes are needed to complete requirements for majors or minors and ultimately their path to graduation day.

• Build a manageable course schedule.

While some colleges have students set up their freshman year class schedule at orientation, others do so during the summer. Students who are hoping to graduate early, or who have extra requirements due to their major, may feel compelled to take a heavy course load. But for the average student, it's best to stay within the recommended number of credits and courses per semester, says Sara Harberson, founder of college consulting firm Application Nation. That number will vary, but she says any more than five courses per semester can create a significant challenge. "The college recommends a certain number and a certain number of credits for a reason,” she says. “All the students who take more than that really do struggle for the most part academically, and then it cuts into everything else they want to take advantage of on that college campus – the social opportunities and the extracurricular opportunities."

• Think carefully about what's needed for your dorm or apartment.

While some students who attend college locally may elect to live at home, many will move into on-campus dorms or apartments. The living situation will determine what to bring, but a little preparation will go along way. For instance, the air conditioning in some dorms might not be as strong as some students are used to at home, so bringing a small fan is a good idea, says Connie Horton, vice president for student affairs at Pepperdine University in California. Dorm rooms might also offer a smaller space than at home, so that should also be a consideration. Roommates should coordinate o avoid bringing two of any items when only one is needed, like a refrigerator or microwave. But still bring enough to make your living space personal, Horton says. That can include throw pillows, blankets or photos. Doing so can bring some familiarity and help you feel more comfortable and at home, she says.

• Stay connected through your school email and student portal.

Important information regarding campus life, classes or on-campus opportunities might come through email during the summer, so activate your school email account as soon as possible and be sure to check it. Most colleges also have a self-service portal that contains all the information a student will need regarding schedules, credits, financial aid, academic advising and other important info. Don't wait until the school year starts to use it. "Learning how to navigate the internal mechanisms of the university and how they communicate is really important," Stern says. "Since students really live in that digital space, it’s a lot easier to navigate if they familiarize themselves with it over the summer prior to starting school."

• Polish your people skills.

College pushes students to develop strong communication and people skills . From group projects to communicating with professors, an ability to convey ideas clearly and work collaboratively will serve students well. That includes dealing with social issues. Many students will find themselves working closely with people from different backgrounds and life experiences, so they should consider taking advantage of diversity and inclusion workshops or books. “Part of learning as an adult is learning to have relationships and conversations with neighbors, colleagues and all kinds of ... (people) that are very different from you," Horton says. "So this is a good time to practice that."

Knowing how to work well with others will also come in handy when it's time to apply for jobs and internships during school and after graduation.

• Make a plan for managing your money.

The independence that college brings can sometimes get students in trouble financially. Students should speak with their parents or mentors about finances and create a budget, says Jennifer Seitz, director of education for Greenlight, a family-based financial planning app. Because expenses can add up, it’s prudent to look for ways to save money, she says. Local restaurants and businesses often offer discounts to college students, so make a list of places to go to save money on food, clothes, textbooks or other items. Also be mindful of spending and plan to be more selective about how and where to spend. While it might feel hard in the moment to skip out on an impromptu food run with friends, saving that for a more meaningful occasion may be best, she says. “Know where you want to prioritize some of that discretionary spending,” she says.

• Weigh getting a job freshman year.

College is expensive, and costs go beyond tuition and fees. Day-to-day expenses make up a significant chunk of a student's college budget. A part-time job can alleviate budget strains, but also take time away from classes. Some students may be eligible to participate in the federal work-study program , and college financial aid offices can help answer questions before the semester begins. Finding a job in their desired field of study can also help students gain valuable career experience. Before making the decision to work as college freshmen, students should talk to their families about financial expectations. “You want to prioritize and focus on your studies, but you also want to be able to meet your financial needs," Seitz says. "It’s important to find a position that’s flexible with your school schedule."

• Keep in touch with the financial aid office.

If a family's financial situation changes in the months before freshman year, there are options to get more help to pay for college. The website of the Federal Student Aid office notes that students or families that have had their income affected by a loss of employment, a reduction of work hours or various other factors may be eligible for additional funds to pay for college by writing an appeal letter . Stay in touch with the financial aid office and ask for more financial support if it's needed.

• Refresh yourself on difficult concepts from high school.

Many college courses build on previous knowledge, and professors assume students enter their classroom with mastery, or at least competent understanding, of material covered in high school. This is particularly true in math and foreign language courses, says Colleen Paparella, founder of college admissions consulting firm DC College Counseling. If there's content students are still unsure about or need more practice with, they should spend some time over the summer before freshman year studying, she says. “It’s going to be hard to go to the next level of Spanish in college if they didn’t fully grasp what they were supposed to have learned in AP Spanish in high school,” Paparella says.

• Know how to stay safe on campus.

Campus safety is a concern for many students, so researching a college's procedures ahead of time can help them feel safe. Students should practice common sense by being aware of their surroundings and learning about how their college handles safety issues, including sexual assault. Both parents and students should take time before the semester begins to become familiar with campus safety resources and procedures. Families unsure of how to gauge campus safety can use these 6 questions as a starting point to understand what to look for and expect when their student heads off to college in the fall. "Whether you go to college in a major city or you go to college in a very rural area, be aware of your surroundings," Harberson says. "On campus, it’s almost like you have to have eyes in the back of your head. I don’t think it’s just reserved for students who go to college in an urban area."

• Prepare for how to deal with social pressure around alcohol or drugs.

Away from home, students may find it easier to slip into unhealthy behaviors, including around alcohol and drugs. That is particularly true during freshman year, when parties and other social events are aplenty. Students should be mindful of these pressures and recognize that what may feel like minimal participation at first can quickly spiral into academic and legal problems, Horton warns, saying students should begin with the end in mind. “It is the beginning of adulthood. They are on their own," she says. "Yet, they’re still needing a little help in making healthy choices sometimes. Just think through basics like drink refusal strategies, stuff like that.”

• Make the most of orientation activities.

Orientation typically begins in the weeks and sometimes months before classes start and can be a great way for students to get acclimated and ask plenty of questions . Realize that everyone is trying to make friends and adjust to a new environment, so don't be shy. After orientation, many schools offer unique first-year experiences that help students further connect with their classmates and college community. Attending these sessions can help students meet new friends and "get ahead of the curve" before the school year starts, Harberson says. "They understand the campus. They understand the buses. They understand where things are. They get a feel for college classes. I see that as a huge advantage going into college."

• Research ways to get involved.

College provides a number of opportunities for students to explore existing interests or embark on new hobbies. Whether it's joining a musical ensemble or organizing around social issues, many schools make it easy to get involved. Having a plan of action before arriving will help students select meaningful activities and ensure they don't miss important sign-up dates or meetings once school starts. Use social media to discover clubs or organizations you might like to join, then reach out via email, Paparella says. Look for ones that seem active and inclusive. “Once students get onto campus, they can go to some of these activities and already have an idea in mind of what they’d like to sign up for,” she says.

• Know where to go for academic help.

Incoming freshmen should be aware that colleges offer a range of ways to get academic help. Many schools have writing centers dedicated to helping students with essays and research papers . Students having difficulty in a class or who just want to speak with a professor one-on-one should take advantage of open office hours. School libraries can also offer knowledgeable staff and study resources to help students. These options can be especially valuable for international students who might be struggling with English language skills or students who need accommodations . Be proactive in reaching out to the necessary offices if you need support, Harberson says. "Most colleges and universities are doing a really great job with those."

Find more resources for college success.

The college journey doesn't end after freshman year, and U.S. News has a wealth of information on everything from finding scholarships to how to write a resume for opportunities like internships. You can also get the latest news by following U.S. News Education on social media, including  Facebook and Twitter .

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Opinion Guest Essay

This Is Peak College Admissions Insanity

Credit... Illustrations by Pete Gamlen

Supported by

By Daniel Currell

Mr. Currell, a lawyer and consultant, was a deputy under secretary and senior adviser at the Department of Education from 2018 to 2021. He is a trustee of Gustavus Adolphus College.

• May 1, 2024

Selective college admissions have been a vortex of anxiety and stress for what seems like forever, inducing panic in more top high school seniors each year. But the 2023-24 admissions season was not just an incremental increase in the frantic posturing and high-pressure guesswork that make this annual ritual seem like academic Hunger Games. This year was different. A number of factors — some widely discussed, some little noticed — combined to push the process into a new realm in which the old rules didn’t apply and even the gatekeepers seemed not to know what the new rules were.

It happened, as these things often do, first gradually and then all at once.

It started with a precipitous rise in the number of people clamoring to get in. The so-called Ivy-Plus schools — the eight members of the Ivy League plus M.I.T., Duke, Chicago and Stanford — collectively received about 175,000 applications in 2002. In 2022, the most recent year for which totals are available, they got more than 590,000, with only a few thousand more available spots.

The quality of the applicants has risen also. In 2002, the nation produced 134 perfect ACT scores ; in 2023 there were 2,542 . Over the same period, the United States — and beyond it, the world — welcomed a great many more families into the ranks of the wealthy, who are by far the most likely to attend an elite college. Something had to give.

The first cracks appeared around the rules that had long governed the process and kept it civilized, obligating colleges to operate on the same calendar and to give students time to consider all offers before committing. A legal challenge swept the rules away, freeing the most powerful schools to do pretty much whatever they wanted.

One clear result was a drastic escalation in the formerly niche admissions practice known as early decision.

Then Covid swept through, forcing colleges to let students apply without standardized test scores — which, as the university consultant Ben Kennedy says, “tripled the number of kids who said to themselves, ‘Hey, I’ve got a shot at admission there.’” More applications, more market power for the schools and, for the students, an ever smaller chance of getting in.

Last year, the Supreme Court’s historic decision ending race-based affirmative action left colleges scrambling for new ways to preserve diversity and students groping in the dark to figure out what schools wanted.

Finally, this year the whole financial aid system exploded into spectacular disarray. Now, a month after most schools sent out the final round of acceptances, many students still don’t have the information they need to determine if they can afford college. Some will delay attending, and some will forgo it entirely, an outcome that will have lasting implications for them and, down the line, for the economy as a whole.

These disparate changes had one crucial thing in common: Almost all of them strengthened the hand of highly selective colleges, allowing them to push applicants into more constricted choices with less information and less leverage. The result is that elite admissions offices, which have always tried to reduce the uncertainty in each new year’s decisions, are now using their market power to all but eliminate it. This means taking no chances in pursuit of a high yield, the status-bestowing percentage of admitted students who enroll. But low uncertainty for elite colleges means the opposite for applicants — especially if they can’t pay the full tuition rate.

Canh Oxelson, the executive director of college counseling at the Horace Mann School in New York, says: “This is as much uncertainty as we’ve ever seen. Affirmative action, the FAFSA debacle, test-optionality — it has shown itself in this one particular year. Colleges want certainty, and they are getting more. Families want certainty and they are getting less.”

In 2024, the only applicants who could be certain of an advantage were those whose parents had taken the wise precaution of being rich.

The Early Bird Gets the Dorm

For Ivy Wydler, an elite college seemed like an obvious destination, and many of her classmates at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., were headed along the same trajectory. After her sophomore year of high school, she took the ACT and got a perfect score — on her first try, a true rarity. Her grades were stellar. So she set her sights high, favoring “medium to big schools, and not too cold.”

Touring campuses, she was dazzled by how great and exciting it all seemed. Then she visited Duke, and something clicked. She applied in the binding early decision round.

It’s a consequential choice. Students can do so at only one college, and they have to promise to attend if accepted, before knowing what the school’s financial aid offer will be. That means there is at least a chance an applicant will be on the hook for the full cost, which at Duke is $86,886 for the 2024-25 year. Students couldn’t be legally compelled to attend if they couldn’t afford it, but by the time they got the news, they would have already had to withdraw their other applications.

If full tuition isn’t a deal killer, as it wouldn’t be for Ivy’s family, the rewards are considerable. This year, just over 54,000 high school seniors vied to be one of only 1,750 members of Duke’s incoming class. The 6,000 who applied in the early decision round were three times as likely to get in as the 48,000 who applied later.

Until recently, early decision was a narrow pathway — an outlier governed, like the rest of this annual academic mating season, by a set of mandatory practices laid out by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which is made up of college admissions officers and high school counselors. Those rules said, for example, that colleges couldn’t recruit a student who was already committed to another school or actively encourage someone to transfer. Crucially, the rules said that colleges needed to give students until May 1 to decide among offers (noting early decision, which begins and ends in the fall, as a “recognized exception”).

The Justice Department thought those rules ran afoul of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which bars powerful industries from colluding to restrain competition. At the end of 2019, NACAC agreed to a settlement mandating that the organization “promptly abolish” several of the rules and downgrade the rest to voluntary guidelines. Now, if they chose to, colleges had license to lure students with special offers or benefits, to aggressively poach students at other schools and to tear up the traditional admissions calendar.

At that point, nothing restrained colleges from going all in on early decision, a strategy that allows them to lock in students early without making any particular commitments about financial aid. Of the 735 first-year students that Middlebury College enrolled last year, for example, 516 were admitted via binding early decision. Some schools have a second round of early decision, and even what amounts to an unofficial third round — along with an array of other application pathways, each with its own terms and conditions.

With the rules now abandoned, colleges got a whole new bag of tricks. For example, a school might call — at any time in the process — with a one-time offer of admission if you can commit on the spot to attend and let go of all other prospects. Hesitate and it’s gone, along with your chances in subsequent rounds. “We hear about colleges that are putting pressure on high school seniors to send in a deposit sooner to get better courses or housing options,” says Sara Harberson, the founder of Application Nation, a college advising service.

To inform these maneuvers, colleges lean on consultants who analyze applicant demographics, qualifications, financial status and more, using econometric models. High school seniors think this is checkers, but the schools know it’s chess. This has all become terrifying for students, who are first-time players in a game their opponents invented.

Application season can be particularly intimidating for students who, unlike Ivy, did not grow up on the elite college conveyor belt. When Rania Khan, a senior in Gorton High School in Yonkers, N.Y., was in middle school, she and her mother spent two years in a shelter near Times Square. Since then she and her younger brother have been in the foster system. Despite these challenges, she has been a superb student. In ninth grade, Rania got an internship at Google and joined a research team at Regeneron, a biotechnology company. She won a national award for her study of how sewage treatment chemicals affect river ecosystems. Looking at colleges, she saw that her scores and credentials matched with those of students at the very top schools in the country.

One of the schools she was most drawn to was Barnard. “I like that it’s both a small college and” — because it’s part of Columbia — “a big university. There are a lot of resources, and it’s a positive environment for women,” she said. And it would keep her close to her little brother.

Barnard now fills around 60 percent of its incoming class in the early decision round, giving those students a massive admissions advantage. It would have been an obvious option for Rania, but she can’t take any chances financially. She applied via the general decision pool, when instead of having a one in three chance, her odds were one in 20.

Officially, anyone can apply for early decision. In practice it’s priority boarding for first-class passengers.

Unstandardized Testing

When selective colleges suspended the requirement for standardized testing, it didn’t really seem like a choice; because of the pandemic, a great many students simply couldn’t take the tests. The implications, however, went far beyond mere plague-year logistics.

The SAT was rolled out in 1926 as an objective measure of students’ ability, absent the cultural biases that had so strongly informed college admissions before then. It’s been the subject of debate almost ever since. In 1980, Ralph Nader published a study alleging that the standardized testing regimen actually reinforced racial and gender bias and favored people who could afford expensive test prep. Many educators have come back around to regarding the tests as a good predictor of academic success, but the matter is far from settled.

Remarkably, students still take the exams in the same numbers as before the pandemic, but far fewer disclose what they got. Cindy Zarzuela, an adviser with the nonprofit Yonkers Partners in Education who works with Rania and about 90 other students, said all her students took the SAT this year. None of them sent their scores to colleges.

These days, Cornell, for example, admits roughly 40 percent of its incoming class without a test score. At schools like the University of Wisconsin or the University of Connecticut , the percentage is even higher. In California, schools rarely accept scores at all, being in many cases not only test-optional, but also “test-blind.”

The high-water mark of test-optionality, however, was also its undoing.

Applicants tended to submit their scores only if they were above the school’s reported median, a pattern that causes that median to be recalibrated higher and higher each year. When Cornell went test-optional, its 25th percentile score on the math SAT jumped from 720 to 750. Then it went to 760. The ceiling is 800, so standardized tests had begun to morph from a system of gradients into a yes/no question: Did you get a perfect score? If not, don’t mention it.

The irony, however, was that in the search for a diverse student body, many elite colleges view strong-but-not-stellar test scores as proof that a student from an underprivileged background could do well despite lacking the advantages of the kids from big suburban high schools and fancy prep schools. Without those scores, it might be harder to make the case .

Multiply that across the board, and the result was that test-optional policies made admission to an elite school less likely for some diverse or disadvantaged applicants. Georgetown and M.I.T. were first to reinstate test score requirements, and so far this year Harvard, Yale, Brown, Caltech, Dartmouth and Cornell have announced that they will follow. There may be more to come.

The Power of No

On Dec. 14, Ivy got an answer from Duke: She was rejected.

She was in extremely good company. It’s been a while since top students could assume they’d get into top schools, but today they get rejected more often than not. It even happens at places like Northeastern, a school now ranked 53rd in the nation by U.S. News & World Report — and not long ago, more than 100 slots lower than that. It spends less per student on instruction than the Boston public schools .

“There’s no target school anymore and no safety school,” says Stef Mauler , a private admissions coach in Texas. “You have to have a strategy for every school you apply to.”

Northeastern was one of the 18 other schools Ivy applied to, carefully sifting through various deadlines and conditions, mapping out her strategy. With Duke out of the picture, her thoughts kept returning to one of them in particular: Dartmouth, her father’s alma mater. “My mom said, ‘Ivy, you love New Hampshire. Look at Dartmouth.’ She was right.” She had wanted to go someplace warm, but the idea of cold weather seemed to be bothering her less and less.

Meanwhile Rania watched as early decision day came and went, and thousands of high school seniors across the country got the best news of their lives. For Rania, it was just another Friday.

A Free Market in Financial Aid

In 2003, a consortium of about 20 elite colleges agreed to follow a shared formula for financial aid, to ensure that they were competing for students on the merits, not on mere dollars and cents. It sounds civilized, but pricing agreements are generally illegal for commercial ventures. (Imagine if car companies agreed not to underbid each other.) The colleges believed they were exempt from that prohibition, however, because they practiced “ need-blind ” admissions, meaning they don’t discriminate based on a student’s ability to pay.

In 2022, nine current and former students from an array of prestigious colleges filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit — later backed by the Justice Department — arguing that the consortium’s gentlemanly agreement was depriving applicants of the benefits of a free market. And to defang the defense, they produced a brilliant argument: No, these wealthy colleges didn’t discriminate against students who were poor, but they sure did discriminate in favor of students who were rich. They favored the children of alumni and devoted whole development offices to luring the kinds of ultrarich families that affix their names to shiny new buildings. It worked: Early this year, Brown, Columbia, Duke, Emory and Yale joined the University of Chicago in conceding , and paying out a nine-figure settlement. (They deny any wrongdoing.) Several other schools are playing on, but the consortium and its rules have evaporated.

This set schools free to undercut one another on price in order to get their preferred students. It also gave the schools a further incentive to push for early decision, when students don’t have the ability to compare offers.

For almost anyone seeking financial aid, from the most sought-after first-round pick to the kid who just slid under the wire, the first step remained the same: They had to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, or FAFSA.

As anyone knows who’s been through it — or looked into the glassy eyes of someone else who has — applying for financial aid can be torture at the best of times. This year was the worst of times, because FAFSA was broken. The form, used by the government to determine who qualifies for federal grants or student loans, and by many colleges to determine their in-house financial aid, had gotten a much-needed overhaul. But the new version didn’t work , causing endless frustration for many families, and convincing many others not even to bother. At mid-April, finished FAFSA applications were down 29 percent compared with last year.

“The FAFSA catastrophe is bigger than people realize,” says Casey Sacks , a former U.S. Department of Education official and now the president of BridgeValley Community and Technical College in West Virginia, where 70 percent of students receive federal funds.

Abigail Garcia , Rania’s classmate and the 2024 valedictorian of their school, applied to in-state public colleges as well as Ivies. She couldn’t complete the FAFSA, however, because it rejected her parents’ information, the most common glitch. She has financial aid offers from elite schools, all of which use a private alternative to the government form, but she can’t weigh them against the public institutions, because they are so severely delayed.

For most students, 2024’s FAFSA crisis looks set to take the uncertainty that began last fall and drag it into the summer or beyond. “That’s going to reduce the work force in two to four years.” Ms. Sacks says. “FAFSA completions are a pretty good leading indicator of how many people will be able to start doing the kinds of jobs that are in highest demand — registered nurses, manufacturing engineers, those kinds of jobs.”

As the FAFSA problem rolls on, it could be that for the system as a whole, the worst is still to come.

Can Any of This Be Fixed?

On the numbers, elite college applicants’ problems are a footnote to the story of college access. The Ivy-Plus schools enroll less than 1 percent of America’s roughly 15 million undergraduates . If you expand the pool to include all colleges that are selective enough to accept less than a quarter of applicants, we’re still talking about only 6 percent of undergraduates. The easiest way to alleviate the traffic jam at the top is to shift our cultural focus toward the hundreds of schools that offer an excellent education but are not luxury brands.

Luxury brand schools, however, have real power. In 2023, 15 of 32 Rhodes scholars came from the Ivies, nine from Harvard alone. Twenty of this year’s 38 Supreme Court clerks came from Harvard or Yale. If elite colleges’ selection process is broken, what should we do to fix it?

Here’s what we can’t do: Let them go off and agree on their own solution. Antitrust law exists to prevent dominant players from setting their own rules to the detriment of consumers and competitors.

Here’s what we won’t do: Legislate national rules that govern admissions. Our systems are decentralized and it would take a miracle for Congress not to make things worse.

But here’s what we can do: Hold the schools accountable for their processes and their decisions.

Institutions that receive federal funds — which include all elite colleges — should be required to clearly state their admissions criteria. Admissions as currently practiced are designed to let schools whose budgets run on billions of taxpayers dollars do whatever they want. Consider Stanford’s guidance to applicants: “In a holistic review, we seek to understand how you, as a whole person, would grow, contribute and thrive at Stanford, and how Stanford would, in turn, be changed by you.” This perfectly encapsulates the current system, because it is meaningless.

Colleges should also not be allowed to make anyone decide whether to attend without knowing what it will actually cost, and they should not be allowed to offer better odds to those who forgo that information. They should not offer admissions pathways tilted to favor the rich, any more than they should offer pathways favoring people who are white.

It just shouldn’t be this hard. Really.

The Envelope Please …

Ivy has the highest academic qualifications available inside the conventional system, and her family can pay full tuition. Once upon a time, she would have had her pick of top colleges. Not this year.

Over the course of the whole crazy admissions season, the school she had come to care about most was Dartmouth.

Along with the other seven Ivies, Dartmouth released this year’s admissions decisions online on March 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern. Ivy was traveling that day, and as the moment approached, she said, “I was on the bed in my hotel room, just repeating, ‘People love me for who I am, not what I do. People love me for who I am, not what I do.’”

She was rejected by Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Columbia and the University of Southern California, where Operation Varsity Blues shenanigans could once guarantee acceptance but, as Ivy discovered, a perfect score on the ACT will not. She landed on the wait list at Northeastern. She was accepted by Michigan and Johns Hopkins. And Ivy was accepted at both her parents’ alma maters: the University of Virginia and Dartmouth, where she will start in September.

For Rania, the star student with an extraordinary story of personal resilience, the news was not so good. At Barnard, she was remanded to the wait list. Last year only 4 percent of students in that position were eventually let in. N.Y.U. and the City University of New York’s medical college put her on the wait list, too.

A spot on a wait list tells applicants that they were good enough to get in. By the time Rania applied to these schools, there just wasn’t any room. “It was definitely a shock,” she said. “What was I missing? They just ran out of space — there are so many people trying to get into these places. It took two weeks to adjust to it.”

She did get lots of other good news, a sheaf of acceptances from schools like Fordham and the University at Albany. But then came the hardest question of all: How to pay for them? Some offered her a financial aid package that would leave her on the hook for more money than undergraduates are allowed to take out in federal student loans. Even now, some colleges haven’t been able to provide her with financial aid information at all.

Rania had all but settled on Hunter College, part of the City University system. It’s an excellent school, but a world away from the elite colleges she was thinking about when she started her search. Then at almost the last moment, Wesleyan came through with a full ride and even threw in some extra for expenses. Rania accepted, gratefully.

For Rania, the whole painful roller coaster of a year was over. For so many other high school seniors, the year of broken college admissions continues.

Daniel Currell, a lawyer and consultant, was a deputy under secretary and senior adviser at the Department of Education from 2018 to 2021. He is a trustee of Gustavus Adolphus College.

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