Applying to College
Here's my advice:
- Don't waste time visiting every college in the US--research schools online instead. Many schools have e-tours available online where you can see video tours of the campus.
- Don't get hung up on one school. Allow the dream to change. Explore. Ask questions. And consider whether the answers to those questions confirms or casts in doubt your prior opinion. Tunnel vision is bad.
- Weigh how much you like a school against its cost. Anyone who tells you to forget the bottom line while making a college decision is either way rich or completely stupid. Money really is a valid consideration for most people. It can also indicate how much a college cares about you.
- You don't need to know that a special school would have taken you unless you intend to go there. Take all the money you'll save and spend it on something you'll really enjoy (I bought my first Coach purse). Apply for the dream only if you have an intent to attend if accepted. Research up front and you can delete many schools you threw on a list. I applied to three and that was plenty for me. No regrets.
- Now here's a thought. Sincerity is very difficult to mass produce, and for this reason, you should be able to count your applications on one hand. If you spend a lot of time on a few applications, the quality of each will improve and you'll have a better chance of being accepted to the schools you actually care about. Just think, if you were reading stacks of apps, wouldn't you reject those generic-sounding apps right away?
Good Luck!