Advice for lowerclassmen on the college application process
Staff Writer
As the first semester of the school year ends, so do college applications for seniors at American High. Along with the completion of the application process are many lessons learned; lessons that can be passed down to lowerclassmen anticipating this defining event in their lives.
Sanika Sharma (12), who got into early decisions for Cornell, says, “We had this fear that we weren’t going to get into any good schools, and it was kind of you shoot as many shots as you can and pray that one of them works out. I applied to more than 20, which was just way too much.”
The first part of the process is choosing which colleges to apply to, and campus visits can be a major factor in deciding. Luke Viñas, who applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, said, “Try to visit as many campuses as you can. You wouldn’t really want to go there if you can’t see yourself [going there]. Maybe the school in Arizona is freaking hot all the time. If you don’t like the hot weather, why would you go there?”
The essay was the most challenging aspect of Sharma’s applications. “I was most stressed about writing all these essays. Just don’t try to overthink it. What to you might seem like a big deal is not that big of a deal to the person reading your essay.” Viñas suggested, “Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in that application. You can use whatever kind of language you want to express who you are as a person. Don’t be shy.”
As for how to approach the essay, Viñas recalled, “You have to know what you want to write about before you actually start writing. In the beginning I just started writing random stuff, because I didn’t know what to write about yet. But once I locked on to exactly what I wanted to write about, everything started to flow.”
Just as important as the essays are extracurriculars to beef up your transcript. Viñas, who is part of the marching band as well as the wrestling team, said “Being in extracurriculars in general made me more confident.” For Sharma, extracurriculars were not always related to her major: “Even though I’m majoring in STEM, I think some of my most meaningful extracurriculars were non-STEM,” Sharma recalled. “When you’re writing your extracurriculars, it’s a list, but when you’re writing your essays, that’s when you actually have to talk about what is meaningful to you.”
Recommendation letters, the last part of the process, were mostly uncomplicated. Sharma initially stated that she had not faced any challenges. However, she soon recalled, “For some schools you need to look into the website. Even if it says one teacher rec and one counselor rec, look into the website, because for specific majors or specific colleges within the university it needs to be a math teacher or it needs to be a science teacher.”
Viñas was required to get a letter from a senator or president, as part of his application to the Naval Academy. He stated, “It’s a pretty straightforward process. It’s a whole nother application that you have to do. Since my dad is in the military, I get the option of doing a presidential nomination which is an easier process.”
As Viñas finished up his applications and began the transition to college, he took a lesson learned from high school, advising, “Know when things are due and how much time you have to do it. [Keep] on top of everything, have a schedule.”
Sharma gave some parting advice for other high schoolers anticipating the application process: “Do something that you’re passionate about, and try to balance your time,” Sharma stated. “Not everything you do has to be what colleges want. I think that you should kind of focus on what you actually enjoy, instead of a checklist that you’re trying to check.”
Viñas reflected on his high school experience, saying “Don’t try to rush things. Enjoy your time. You don’t know when it’s just gonna end, because…it’s gone by super fast.” As for applications, Viñas stated, “You got it. It’s not that hard. Just do it.”
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