Applying to College!

Applying to college can be stressful, believe me I know. So hopefully I can give you guys some advice that helped me in the midst of my college selection process.

When I was a senior in high school, I applied to 7 schools for college. These included: UCI, SDSU, Cal Arts, NYU, Juilliard, Fordham University, and Rutgers University. Out of these schools I only got rejected from Juilliard, which is understandable because it is one of the hardest programs to get into. Nonetheless, it didn’t turn out to be the program for me. So, here I will share some tips for friends who are worrying and stressing about the college process. I will overview how I chose to apply to the schools I did, how I got in, and how I chose to attend the one I did.

Some ways you can make sure you are not limiting yourself during the college selection process is to search colleges first without worrying about money or ranking. It’s important to solely read about each college program of your interest and only consider the pros and cons of the program. For example, you should take into account how comfortable you are being away from family and how far you would go away from home. My next tip would be to consider areas you’d love to live in. Think of places you’ve visited, do you prefer a small city or large city? Beach or mountains? Close to home or away from home? Personally, the two places I wished to live during my selection process was California and New York. I know, these are completely different coasts, but I love both states so what can I say!

After you choose the area you would prefer, then I would compare other aspects, such as the cost of tuition, how much scholarship money you can possibly earn, and most importantly, throughout your search, you should continue to consider deep down in your heart, what school would be the right one for you?

Once you select the schools in the areas you prefer to live, check to see if you’re able to meet their academic requirements. I would suggest that if you are going to college for a sport or art, you should still do your best to have grades that go above and beyond the requirements. I say this because now athletics and arts are crazy competitive, and though I know you guys are all special and unique and totally gifted, those outstanding grades can put you on even more of a pedestal with admissions.

Make sure your essay shows what makes YOU unique. Admissions already see how great you are academically in your transcript and in some cases short essays, but in the main college essay it’s important that you are connecting to them personally. Some of you may know about the “S essay”, I linked it below because this essay is a perfect example. Don’t be afraid to also make this entertaining, admissions has to read several essays. They might be bored at the time but if you write an engaging, interesting paper and you are making their job easy and exciting, then that for sure puts you on their good side. So don’t over think the essay processes.

Although I knew I’d be far from my loved ones, I chose New York over California because I knew this was the best choice. I knew that by experiencing New York right now in my college years, I would make amazing memories. After long talks with my family, I was happy to know that I was supported by friends and family all around.

In the end of my application process I compared all the dance programs and schools I got into, and although they were all great, I felt that Fordham University’s BFA program was the best for me.

Be true to yourself so colleges really know who they are admitting into their school. Wait to make your final decision once all of the scholarship money is offered. And most importantly, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get into the school of your dreams. Know that everything happens for a reason and you will go to the school you need to be in. God always has a plan!