14 JANUARY 30, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
EDUCATION
Make applying to college less stressful
Applying to colleges is exciting
for many high school students.
But that excitement is sometimes
tempered by anxiety.
The college application process
can aff ect students’ lives for years to
come, so it’s understandable why some
teenagers might feel stressed as they
apply to college.
The National Center for Educational
Statistics says 69 percent of high
school graduates in the United States
enroll in college the fall aft er graduating
from high school.
Many students begin applying to
college before entering their senior
year of high school. Students can
employ various strategies to make
applying to college less stressful.
CREATE AN INVENTORY
OF EXPERIENCES AND
AWARDS
When completing their college applications,
students submit a variety
of materials.
In addition to students’ track records
in the classroom, schools will
be interested in kids’ extracurricular
activities, hobbies, volunteer work,
and even things they do during their
free time.
Parents and students can work
together to develop a master list that
includes information about what students
have accomplished during high
school. These may include involvement
in certain clubs, participation
in sports teams, advanced ranking in
scouting programs, or even a list of
books read.
Having this document handy will
make it that much simpler to fi ll out
college applications.
INVESTIGATE THE
COMMON APPLICATION
The Common Application began as
a niche program for select private liberal
arts colleges, but now has grown
into an organization that services
more than 750 schools. The organization
enables students to create an
account and complete one basic form
that will be accepted by all institutions
who are members.
It helps students streamline the college
application process and reduce
redundancy. An alert system also
helps applicants manage application
deadlines.
AVOID APPLYING
EVERYWHERE
Some students think that applying
to dozens of schools will improve their
chances of being admitted.
However, applicants may be wasting
their time applying to schools they
have no intention of attending, and
that only adds to the stress of meeting
deadlines.
Narrow down the possibilities to
a handful of favorite schools and go
from there.
USE THE RESOURCES AT
YOUR DISPOSAL
Students who have access to guidance
counselors, mentors, college centers, or
even teachers who are willing to help
with the application process should use
these resources wisely. In addition, iPhone
and Android apps can help streamline
the college application process.
CONSIDER SCHOLARSHIPS
CONCURRENTLY
Some schools automatically consider
applicants for scholarships, grants, and
work-study programs. But that’s not so
with every school, so students may have
to apply on their own or rely on third
parties for scholarships. Fastweb is a
leading online resource to fi nd scholarships
to pay for school.
Advance preparation can make
the college application process a lot
less stressful for students and their
parents.
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