AfTER high sChOOL
ACCEPTED
!
six THinGs Texas students should
know about getting into college
A
pplying to college is a lot like looking for a job or trying out for a team. You choose something that interests
you, and then try your best to convince whoever is in charge that you have what it takes to be part of
their organization. but whereas there might be only a few spots open on your high school’s varsity football inside
squad, there are thousands of places available in hundreds of colleges each year. whether you are the first in
your family to apply to college or both of your parents have advanced degrees, going through the admissions
process can be stressful. fortunately, there are plenty of free resources available for Texas college-bound
College
students. The best is college for Texans (www.collegefortexans.com), which features a list of all the state’s
colleges and universities, a checklist for selecting a school, and a link to the online Texas common application.
To help you get started on your own college search process, here are six steps you should take. Admissions
1. Make school Your Job 3. build a Resume Portfolio 5. Make a List of Colleges
The first thing college admissions officers look for what if you had to take a final exam on the last three do you want to stay in Texas for college or see another
on your application is your grade point average. It’s years of a subject and didn’t have any notes to study? part of the country? would you be more comfortable at
simple—you have to make the grades in high school to well, that’s exactly what it’s like trying to complete a a big university or a small college?
earn your spot in a college. The easiest way to do that college application if you haven’t kept an ongoing file of Think about what you would like to study and what
is to think of school as your job, starting in your first all your activities, honors, and employment. matters most to you (like location, size, or religious
year. If you show up late for work, slack off, and talk start your first year and build a career portfolio (see affiliation), and then start developing a list of colleges
back to the manager, you’ll get fired faster than you can page 15). It’s also smart to create a computer file called that fit your criteria.
say, “do you want fries with that?” but if you always “college resume” and add to it each time you participate use online tools like www.collegefortexans.com
arrive on time, work really hard, and try to learn from in a service project, win an award, get a new job, and or www.collegeboard.com to learn more about each
management, then pretty soon you’ll probably get a so on. use technology to create a resume format or ask school and take online campus tours. buy or borrow
raise or a promotion. your parents or guidance counselor for help. when you from the library some of the many college guides
what works on the job works in the classroom, too. sit down to complete your college applications, review available. If possible, schedule visits to the schools you
Take challenging courses. Turn in all your work on time. your career portfolio and call up the resume—all the are interested in, or, through the school’s admissions
pay attention in class. contribute to discussions. ask for information you need will be right at your fingertips. office, arrange an interview with a recent grad who lives
help when you don’t understand something. by treating in your area so you can ask questions about courses,
school as a career, you’ll have a better shot at earning 4. Prep for Tests faculty, or anything else.
the grades and teacher recommendations that you need most colleges use scores by the fall of your senior year, narrow the list down to
to move to the next level. from the saT, saT II, or the top five or six choices. while some online applications
acT tests in making their are free, it can cost up to $70 per school to apply, so be
2. get involved in Activities admissions decisions. realistic about how much you can spend on applications.
colleges don’t accept students to fill seats. check which tests the
They look for students who will add to the entire schools you’re interested 6. submit Polished Applications
college community by playing on sports teams, in require and sign up once you send in an application to a college there’s no
performing on stage, volunteering for service to take them in time taking it back, so make sure you get it right the first
projects, and so on. look at the clubs and to include the scores in your application. college for time. double-check your spelling. If you use the same
teams available at your school Texans (www.collegefortexans.com) also has a free essay for multiple schools, remember to change the
and sign up for the ones that acT, saT, and gre prep course. name of the school to fit each application. make sure
interest you. In addition to spend time preparing for the tests before you walk you have any required standardized test results (acT,
showing school spirit, being into the room with your no. 2 pencils and calculator. go saT, saT II) sent to each school.
part of an organization is a through sample saT questions at www.collegeboard. be neat and complete, and meet every deadline.
great way to build teamwork com or acT tests at www.actstudent.org. There are also make copies of each application before you hit the send
and leadership skills—two dozens of test-prep books you can buy, some including button or pop it in the mail. If you don’t receive an email or
traits that can really help software that tracks your progress as you go through postcard confirming that your application was received,
your college application sample exams. contact the college to make sure it arrived. Items can get
stand out from remember: If you don’t do well on a test the lost or misdirected, especially when thousands of students
the pack. first time, you usually can take it again and try to are sending in applications at the same time. by having
improve your score. copies, you can easily submit again.
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