With the start of August came the opening of just about every college application. In fact, some even opened earlier, on July 1. It feels strange to say that I am applying for colleges. For years, I have heard of seniors applying and even been researching different schools, but now I am in the position of filling out online forms, making transcripts and resumes, and telling the history of just about everyone in my family.
I cannot say that I know everything about this- I’m still in the early stages of applying, and none of the schools I have applied for have released any decisions yet. But I wanted to share my experience so far along with some encouragement for other seniors or juniors who are already thinking about how they’re only a year away from this.
The first college I applied for was Anderson University. I made an account, and filled out all the preliminary information. One of the most challenging parts of this step was filling in extracurricular activities. I was asked to put the name of each activity I have participated in during high school, my position, and a description.
Earlier this summer, using The Scholarship Navigator, I had filled out a Super App, which is basically just a Google document with all my high school information. This was super helpful in filling out the activities section as I was able to simply copy and paste information from the document to the application.
After filling out the application, I submitted my transcript, resumé, test scores (ACT, CLT, and AP), and letters of recommendation. Not all these steps were required, but I decided to do almost all of the optional items. The only thing I decided not to do was the essay/writing sample.
This application took me the longest, mostly because I had not yet prepared an official transcript or finalized my resumé. Once I got those two items completed, all I had to do was submit requests for recommendations (after asking my references if they were willing!), and pay the application fee.
Carson-Newman University
This was the second school I applied for. The first part of the application was similar to Anderson’s. However, I had to choose my activities from a drop-down menu, which meant I wasn’t able to find everything I have done so far in high school. There was also more emphasis on what I have done in my church, which was encouraging. It is always nice to know that a school is trying hard to admit Christian students.
The only other items I have been able to submit so far are my test scores and transcripts, but the portal does say that there will be other requirements based on the admissions decision.
Bryan College
I applied to Bryan because of the impressive scholarships it offers based on test scores. As my third application, I again filled out the application form. This one asked for the same basic information, including whether I have taken dual enrollment from anywhere before.
In addition, I had to submit a transcript and/or test scores. I chose to do both since I feel that a transcript is helpful, and I have previously sent my CLT score to Bryan.
None of the college application processes have been overly tricky. It hasn’t taken me more than a couple days to apply for any of them. In fact, by the time I got to Bryan, I had all my information and requirements ready, and it took me only about an hour to get everything inputted into the system.
Starting early has also been really helpful because by the time my schoolwork really kicks off with Wilson Hill the last week of this month, I will have applied to almost every university I wanted to.
Since I haven’t received any decisions and therefore have not quite decided where I will go, there are still a few other schools that I plan on applying for. I want to make sure I have a few options so that I have the best opportunity of following God’s will and attending the school that will be best for my goals.
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