The Ultimate Advice Guidance To University Applications

Applying to university can be a daunting experience for high school students. There are numerous things to consider, such as selecting suitable universities and crafting the ideal personal statement. However, no matter where one ends up for university, it is an experience that will help shape our future as individuals.  

Many students will choose to apply using early decision, also known as an ED. Early decision applicants means that the student is obligated to attend the chosen university if accepted, making it a binding commitment. This statutory guarantee limits your early selection application to one school. Applying with ED is not a necessity, but is a choice that many students choose to make. For more depth into this concept, we interviewed a current senior named Hoang who got accepted into his ED school, which is Tufts University. Hoang stated, “Tufts was definitely my first choice as it was my ED, but I'm not sure if I would call it my dream school as I did not put my mind to that extent yet. However, it was definitely a school I was really hoping to get into for a while!”. 

Many of you may be worried about the application process as it can be a stressful time. Depending on the university that you are applying to, there will be different requirements as well as different expectations. For example, US schools tend to involve a more holistic approach. Meaning, you will have to apply using factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and personal essays. However, if applying to other countries such as Australia, the application process is much more straightforward. For instance, typically Australian applications will only be made up of your scores, which can come in a variety of forms like GPA, SAT, IB score, etc. 

Emily, who got accepted into Rice University, expressed her personal experience with the application process saying “The application process was actually not that stressful for me. The hardest parts were actually making the list of schools to apply to and figuring out the perfect approach to writing all of the college essays.” For more personal insight, we also interviewed Addison, a current senior who will be going to NYU. She expressed that “NYU was my dream school since I was in 7th grade. However, I was very scared when applying because I thought my IB predicted score was too low”. This goes to show that you should strive for what you believe in. Even if you don’t get accepted into your dream school, you won’t know unless you try. With good planning and organization, you will be able to craft a decent college application.

Finally, through talking to current seniors, we acquired many helpful pieces of advice. Emily expressed “I think that it’s very easy to compare yourself to these kids on the internet with crazy stats and ECs. But speaking from experience, the majority of kids who get accepted are pretty average. So, just focus on writing the best essays, doing what you love and enjoy the rest of your high school years”. University acceptances may seem like the most important thing in the world, but it is also key to focus on yourself as an individual and still enjoy your time in high school. Addison also had encouraging words of advice which were “Don’t try to fake it too much, be authentic and passionate. Show your involvement in school activities and do things that you care about”. Through engaging and consulting this year’s seniors, a common theme as to why applications are so stressful is the comparing factor. It is easy to compare yourself as applications are naturally a competitive process. However, you should focus on doing the best that you can with your abilities.