College is an important part of life for many pursuing a specialized career. Applying for it can be a difficult process though, and many seniors are left in the dark about what all they need to do. What I have found most helpful has been keeping a list of what I need to do and by when. The most crucial aspects include resumes, a college essay, recommendation letters, and the application itself.

Resume

The point of a resume is to highlight yourself and your accomplishments as honestly as possible. The easiest way to start a resume is to use one of the templates found on Google Docs. 

These templates are amazing because they let you organize your resume properly. It is important to have your personal information, such as your name, contact information, and sometimes birthday. If the resume is for colleges or scholarships, you are going to want to include any clubs you have been in and any leadership positions you’ve had in them, your sports experience, your work experience, and any other extracurricular activities that are important to you.

A resume should show how you manage your time. Whoever is viewing it wants to see how well-rounded and dedicated you are. This means that it is going to be important to include how long you participated in any of the elements on your resume. Sometimes, you will even need the average hours per week/month you spend on the activity in question.

Overall, writing a resume is relatively easy, just keep in mind that you are essentially advertising yourself as honestly as possible.

College Essay

Your college essay is your opportunity to show the colleges more of your personality. There is only so much an admissions office can gather off of an application or resume. Most colleges will use the same 5 or 6 questions for you to base your essay off of. There are two main pieces of advice I have for anyone writing a college essay: start early and stay focused on the question you’re answering.

Starting your essay early allows you to edit. The essay has to 650-700 words, including the title. While a title is not mandatory, it can be used as an element of structure. While it sounds easy, keeping the essay under 700 words is difficult. You want to make sure every word counts towards the overall message of your essay.

Keeping focused on the question your answering helps the admission office understand what makes you individual compared to everyone else. You want to make sure your essay showcases how unique you are. Writing about a sports injury, a growth that you had, or any other common experience is not a good path to take unless you have an incredibly unique approach.

Letters of Recommendation

Most colleges either require or recommend two letters of recommendation. It is important to choose wisely when asking people to write them for you. Bosses, teachers, and coaches are good examples of people to choose from. You’ll want people who are responsible and reliable. Make sure you give them enough time to respond to you. Asking them to write on specific character traits of yours that are positive would also help them.

Application

Nowadays, the physical application for college is relatively simple with the Common App. Creating an account on Common App early is a good practice as it will save you time when application season rolls around.

Before you submit your application, make sure you read it over three or four times and get a parent to read it as well to check for errors. Submitting the application a couple days before it is due is a safe practice just in case there is a problem or glitch.