As you probably already know, going to college is really hard, and there are many people that fail to make it there these days.
This can be attributed to a couple of reasons including;
- Lack of funds
- Poor academic performance
- Losing interest
- Medical reasons
However, the majority of students who are interested in attending college, usually do. This is because they use a strategic approach to the situation. Part of those strategies include the following;
1. Be early enough to apply.
Lots of students fail to apply at the university of their choice because they’ve come late and the process is probably closed.
This, therefore, means you have to apply as soon as possible in order to make sure you’re on a safe side.
Applying earlier enough also puts you on a safe side of the vetting process. This is because lots of students that apply towards the application deadline stand a chance of being rejected. By this time, the school has probably already got the highest number they want.
2. Pick three dream schools
Ever heard of the saying about not putting all your eggs in one basket? The same is true here. The end goal is attending college, and this matters more than what college you attended.
By applying at three colleges, you are laying a safety net for yourself to fall back on, just in case everything doesn’t go as planned.
3. Take your family’s path.
It is always a wise decision to apply in a school where some of your elder relatives have been before. This increases your chances of being admitted to the same institution.
This is precisely because some institutions tend to prioritize applicants that have relatives who are alumni there.
It gives the impression that the institution has earned the trust of that particular family, and that’s one quality they treasure.
It also helps the university get more applicants, now that many people will apply knowing that their predecessors can merit them on this.
4. Have your application fees at bay
Every applicant has to pay a certain amount of application fees to get enrolled into a university of their choice, meaning you should have the money ready with you as soon as the application bells ring.
Failure to have this money means you have no chance at enrollment in the university of your choice.
5. Get great grades and test scores.
Countless numbers of brilliant students have been able to attend the most prestigious colleges, despite some of them being incapable of sponsoring their education.
You know why? It’s because they had good grades.
Good grades reduce your chances of cutoff, and even if you don’t get a scholarship at a prestigious university, good grades enable you to apply anywhere and everywhere of your choosing.
6. Sharpen the extracurricular activities you’re good at.
While at school, extracurricular activities might seem more like a waste of time, but they are extremely important – that’s if you are good at them.
Some students have been able to win national and international scholarships because they are good at music or sports.
However, you don’t have to worry about this if you aren’t that good in any of these areas. Do a little cardio and read your books.
7. Get a letter of recommendation from your teacher.
Recommendation letters from teachers are always a ticket to being considered into a college of your choice.
When a teacher recommends you positively, it is because you have something besides being just a mere student. It is usually about your morals or other qualities that make you who you are.
So, before you bind your papers together, you have to make sure that a good recommendation letter from your teacher is part and parcel of it.
8. Participate in essay competitions
Essay competitions are a great show of intelligence capacity, and they give you more merit as a student.
University is usually filled with writing essays about many things and having this quality as a passion is really impressive
9. Proofread your application
Make sure that your application is impeccable, because that’s the chance you have at getting shortlisted.
This means you have to do a bunch of edits (which aren’t fun), on your application to make sure it is the best you can forward to the institution of your choosing.
10. Keep a clean social life
Being on social media, there are a lot of things that we say for clout and attention, because that seems like the trend.
However, some of these things will be taken literally by those in charge of vetting. This means you have to make sure that all those posts and tweets that will seem a little out of the line are deleted.
If they seem out of the line, they probably are.
11. Don’t give up if you’re waitlisted
Being waitlisted is really demoralizing. This is because you’ll almost feel like everyone has forgotten about you, and that you don’t have what it takes to join the institution.
Conclusion;
We all face our own fair share of academic challenges, in and outside of the classroom. At some point, you might even think there’s no chance of attending college. However, playing your cards right will guarantee the possibility of attending college.