Every Year, around this time, millions of high school juniors are getting ready to apply and enroll in college. At this point, society has deemed that college is a necessity for all who want to obtain a stable job and a great future. While this is far from the truth, going to college is an opportunity to learn more about the world and figure out what one truly wants to do. Deciding to go to college is easy, but the tricky part is getting in.
The thing about college is that there are so many different paths to take. Understandably, many get overwhelmed by the process. First of all, what most people think of when they hear the term college is called university. Universities are usually larger research-based institutions where people receive their bachelor's degrees. Usually, completing university takes a person four years, although it can take more or less time. As for colleges, most of them are smaller and have fewer options in terms of majors and research opportunities. A lot of them do have programs that allow students to get bachelor’s degrees, but many of them give out associate's degrees too.
It is at this point that I believe that I should explain the difference between a bachelor’s degree and an associate’s degree. A bachelor's degree is a four-year-long degree that comprises 120 credits. Having a bachelor's degree means that the person holding it probably knows their stuff. An associate’s degree is much the same but it only lasts for two years and is only half the number of credits. People with associate's degrees do know a lot, but not as much as someone with a bachelor’s degree. More information can be found online and for the best explanation, one should contact their high school guidance counselor or college admissions counselor.
The whole point of the previous explanation was that most people are applying to universities that hand out four-year bachelor's degrees.
“How do I get in?” One might ask.
Well, it’s much simpler than one might think. To get into university, one needs to take care of four essential aspects of their academic career: GPA, Standardized test scores, Personal Statement, and Extracurriculars.
In general, one’s GPA is the most important factor when it comes to applying to university. A university will look for students within a certain GPA range for each of their different programs and then pick the ones that they believe would be the best fit for their school. They usually distinguish this through the other parts of one’s application. Bottom line is that one should have a GPA that falls into the university range and then use the other parts of their application to make themselves stand out.
Speaking of the other parts, one’s standardized test scores are the next biggest factor in the application process. While many schools recently are going test-optional, meaning they don’t require test scores, having good scores still looks good. Especially for programs that still require the scores regardless of whether the school is test-optional or not, like nursing, having good scores can make or break an application. The two standardized tests that most schools accept are the SAT and ACT. Doing well on these tests is critical if one wants to get into university. For most, preparing at least 3 months before the test is a good way to study. The practice material is available both on the SAT and ACT websites and from a multitude of third-party test prep companies. Studying once a week until the day of the exam is a really good way to get ready for the test.
In addition to GPA and test scores, another aspect of the application process is the personal statement. This is usually a 750-word essay that one can use to describe their experiences and personality. A lot of the time a prompt is given and students have to answer the prompt within their essay. The personal statement is SUPER important as it is one of the only ways admissions staff get to see the more human side of one’s application. The essay is supposed to be a narrative that paints a picture for the admissions staff and students should therefore not write it as if it were a persuasive essay. Instead, they should pick out a moment in their life that was critical to their development or shaped them as a person and write that out in a story format. The goal is to show as many sides of a person as one can.
Lastly, the other major factor universities use to gauge a person’s suitability to a program is their extracurriculars. This ranges from clubs to sports to community service. Anything one has done outside of the usual high school curriculum is a good way to show universities what that person is like. Including leadership positions, awards, and what one gained from the experience also helps.
In conclusion, getting into university is not as challenging as one might think at first. If one keeps their grades up, studies hard for the SAT or ACT, and participates in a couple of extracurriculars, they already have a good chance of getting into university. Writing a good personal statement also is beneficial and making sure to complete everything by the deadline will help as well. Doing all these tasks will allow one to reach their maximum potential and succeed in the future.