Here is some advice from my foster siblings who graduated last year:
Apply to colleges you’d really consider going to . . . do not keep your mind on one particular college too early in the process . . . try out for scholarships . . . visit every school you apply to and get it done early . . . sign up for housing early . . . start early senior year–don’t wait . . . be very honest in your essays . . . don’t necessarily look at where your friends are going–branch out–you may end up like me, going somewhere I originally ruled out completely . . . choose the school you like the best–not the ones others like . . . choose where you will be happy . . . consider smaller schools . . . make the decision for yourself . . . have options, do things early . . . spend lots of time writing essays and establish good relationships with your teachers and counselor . . . college visits matter . . . don’t freak out . . . don’t think a college is impossible to get in–you’ll feel worse if you never applied than if you apply and don’t get in . . . schools try to recruit you . . . take the hardest classes and don’t rule out any school–you will change your mind . . . take the ACT/SAT when you’re supposed to . . . be open-minded . . . . stay on everything early because it is much easier to deal with step by step . . . don’t put your hopes high in just one particular college . . . don’t wait till the last minute (Remember my motto: Procrastination is the ENEMY!) . . . just do what feels right–don’t make a decision until you know; I have six days left until I have to decide and right now I don’t have a clue (Note from Clyde: you should make your final decision, if college is your choice, by May 1 of your senior year, notify other schools of your decision to attend, and move on!) . . . don’t follow the crowd–go with what you know will be good for you . . . if you want to play a sport, apply early–it makes everything easier (Here’s my sport-related concern: I am particularly fond of frisbee, so if I select a four-year program, I’ve gotta check out the NCAA Eligibility Center) . . . don’t stress over the ACT/SAT–they are what they are–focus on actual learning and extracurricular activities . . .
Talking with friends can be very valuable as you make your plan. My friend Katy is very sympathetic to my confusion about my future. Find an informed sympathetic friend who has been through the what-do-I-do next stage of life and talk with him or her.
On the other hand, my friend Lilly is so overwhelmed about the thought of graduating that she has just jumped in and is now knee deep in applications with no real sense of direction about her future.
Find out who you are, what you want, develop a plan to get where you want to be and paw your way forward.
C U L8R.
WOOF,
Clyde
