In my last post I promised to explain my extended absence from the blog, and I intend to keep that promise. Simply put, I have been busy doing applications: for universities, scholarships, bursaries, internships, you name it. I have been swamped by applications of all kinds and of all types. Now, with all the accumulated experience and wisdom, I decided to write a short guide on them. This first one will be on the basic university applications.
Deciding on Your Targets
The first step in your journey is choosing your possible destinations. Take your pick. There are certainly many factors at play. What major are you interested in? The sciences? Arts? Business? How big of a campus do you want? Do you want to be close to home? With friends? Do you prefer an athletic school or an academic one? Liberal arts perhaps? Refer to a book if you are really stuck. Look up the profile of each university/college and chose wisely.
I would suggest that you select three or four targets. Backups are always needed but too many is usually costly. In fact, university applications in my experience cost around $125 with some fluctuations. Nevertheless, try to diversify your choices. Have a guaranteed one for backup, try for a realistic goal and probably apply for a long shot as well. This will ensure that if you overestimate or underestimate yourself, you will still end up in the university or college you deserve to be in.
Start early… actually start now
For those who are applying next year, start early! In fact, take note of the early decision deadline and apply! Not only is it possible that applying early will improve your chances of admittance, knowing admission decisions early on gives you an advantage in scholarship applications, but more on that later.
If you haven’t started yet, start now! I mean it! Some universities including McGill and University of Toronto require you to create an account, pay a fee and initiate your application process by the end of February. If you are applying for any major scholarships, the middle of February is usually the deadline for your completed application. So get on it.
Take account of all your applications and research what must be done and deadlines for those tasks. Make sure you know when you have to pay fees, when you have to submit transcripts and reference letters and when you have to apply for major entrance scholarships. Keep everything you learn in an organized word document or in a neat filling system. Organization is key.
Prioritize and Start on the Tedious Stuff
Prioritize all your tasks, usually by their deadlines. DO NOT WAIT LAST MINUTE. University and college applications have a painful way of going wrong at the worst times. Ask my friend who missed an application deadline because the application server crashed. Make a calendar and make sure you stick to it. I would recommend the following system:
Make sure you get everything you need from other people first. Ask your teachers, employers and supervisors weeks in advance to get the reference letters you need. Heck, ask for it now just in case you might need it. Besides, a good reference letter is practically money in the bank – it gets used sooner or later.
Start longer writing assignments early. Essays are a special pain that usually take numerous days to polish. Establish a support system. If you tend to procrastinate, make your parents “guide” you in the process. Find editors and peer reviewers early on and make sure you can depend on them. Of course, make sure you write. Write, , edit, rewrite, reedit, repeat, repeat, repeat…
Alright this post is getting quite long. I guess I will continue it in the next one… and scholarship applications will have to wait… and a little humor to wrap things up.
