Congratulations!  You’re ready to apply for college.  College applications are the next step in the multi-year process that you’ve been working on since Daisy Girl Scouts. Your challenge is to condense 18 years of academic and extracurricular experiences to showcase your unique talents and highlight your individual personality.   Your effort to carefully complete the application will differentiate you from the thousands of other applicants competing for admissions.

In order to do that, ASK QUESTIONS.  Then, you can determine the specific experiences that best highlight your individuality.  Find trusted guides—people who understand your unique characteristics and are knowledgeable about the college application process—to answer your questions.  Your parents, the school counselor or a private, individual educational advisor are all examples of these trusted guides. 

Recently, Sara, a Communications and Marketing intern with the Girl Scouts of Central California, a long time Girl Scout and incoming senior, asked me to use my professional educational expertise to answer the following questions, which she and her senior friends are considering, to help other Girl Scouts to achieve their college dreams. 

What information do colleges ask for on the application?

In general, colleges ask for:

• Basic biographical information
• Be sure to know your social security number
• School and academic history
• Have a recent copy of your transcripts so you can include the classes and grades you’ve taken.
• SAT Reasoning or ACT scores
• Be sure to send an official score report from the testing service directly to the university or college you’re applying to.
• UC schools also require applicants to have at least 2 SAT Subject Exam scores.
• Activities,  Awards and Work Experiences
• These descriptions of your awards, extracurricular activities and any work experience are an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants.  Include brief details about the activity or award AND what you learned from the experiences.
• Personal Essay
• This statement is your opportunity to show the admissions officers your unique qualities and abilities.  Doing multiple drafts will be sure to give an accurate description of your personality and how your experiences affected you.  Get several opinions as you’re drafting to be sure to capture your distinctive personality.
• Letters of Recommendation & Interviews
• Be sure to follow the guidelines for submitting letters of recommendation.  UC & CSU applications do not include letters of recommendation.
• If the college gives the option for an interview, take advantage of it.  It’s another opportunity for you to tell the university who you are and determine if you want to go to that school.
  

How much time will it take to fill out an application?
Take your time on each application. You’ve spent 12 years in school and many hours participating in and organizing after-school activities, like Girl Scouts, to prepare for college.  Now is not the point in the process to rush.  Think through your answers on the application.  You’ll be more confident in your application, knowing you put your best effort into it.  Quality matters, not time, when pursuing your lifelong dreams.

• I’ve done community service, joined clubs and played sports at school and been in Girl Scouts for many years.  What’s important for me to highlight about these activities in my application?

Your description of each activity, club, and/or sport should:

• Include any leadership positions you’ve had in those activities, even if it wasn’t an official title.  This will show your ability to be responsible and follow through on your commitments.
• Emphasize what you learned from participating in that activity, club and/or sport.  Clearly stating what you learned will allow the college admissions officer to know more about your unique personality and distinguish you from other applicants who have similar experiences.

What are colleges looking for in an applicant?
Colleges are looking for students, who’s academic and extracurricular experiences will add to the educational vitality of their campus.  They want a diverse student population, based on applicants’ current residence, unique academic talents, and special interests and skills through extracurricular activities. 

You are already unique and will meet these diversity standards.  Take your time and carefully think through your answers on the personal statement, awards, activities and work experience descriptions to give the admissions officials the information they need to see your individuality.

College is an achievable dream.  You’ve been consistently working toward this goal throughout your lifetime.  Taking your time now to work through the questions on the applications will emphasize your distinguishing characteristics and experiences and give you the most competitive edge possible in gaining admissions.  Giving yourself time will also help get your essential questions answered, by a reliable source, to reduce your stress in completing a complicated but not impossible task.