There’s an old saying that’s something like, “a journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step.” To many, starting the college application process can seem like you're embarking on a 1000 mile journey. The task is big and there are many elements to prepare for, but it’s not so bad if you break it down to that first step.
The college admission process is intimidating. It’s not something most people do often. Many parents of college-bound students never went to college themselves or if they did, the admissions process has likely evolved significantly. Also, there are a lot of moving parts. You have to meet deadlines, you have to get your high school transcript there, you have to get your standardized test scores there, you have to write an essay or statement that’s basically going to define you–and then what about financial aid, and housing, and choosing a major. And what’s the difference in early decision and early admission? Should I apply for summer? I heard it’s easier to get in. Should I apply through the common app or on the school’s own application on their website? Maybe I should start at a community college. Wait, I can get in-state tuition from an out of state school? Oh no, I’m still in high school and have an economics test tomorrow I forgot to study for. Wait, this school is requiring me to complete the CSS Profile By Friday. What the heck even is that? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Stop. Breath. I think the runaway train of thoughts above is how too many people approach the process, but you can’t look at it this way. Your head really will explode. I talk to parents and students all the time who are so intimidated by the process because they look at all these pieces as a whole. As a result, they can’t figure out how to dive in and they languish in starting the process.
A better approach would be to focus on that very first step in the journey. Colleges and universities know the process is challenging and it’s one that few people have a lot of experience with. So, I think colleges do a really good job of walking applicants through the process. You don’t have to answer all those questions above when you start the journey and you don’t have to complete the journey in one sitting. (Well, you probably should plan not to which means you do need to be aware of deadlines. Starting your application at 11:35pm when it’s due at midnight is a terrible idea).
I tell my students, that just about every college has a big button on the landing page of their website that says “Apply Here”. That very first step simply begins with clicking that button. You should very shortly see a box that says “First Name” and I fully believe it is best practice to type your first name into that box. Keep going one step at a time in this way, and you’ll soon find that you’ve made real progress in the application. Just as it tells you where to type your first name, it will tell you when it’s time to make some more difficult decisions. Just take those as they come, save your progress and consult about things with parents or high school counselors if you need to, and then move along with whatever makes the most sense for the situation. Keep taking one step at a time and you’ll be 1000 miles down the road before you know it.
