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Any general advice?
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Start early, don’t apply to more than ~10 schools, don’t apply to schools that you can’t see yourself at, don’t focus too much on prestige
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Know your limits and don't overdo it. Nothing's worth throwing away your mental health for.
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Do not shotgun. I repeat. Pour your hear into 8-12 schools and use EA and ED to your advantage.
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Start early! Do lots of research!
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Start your essays during the summer
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Find schools that are fits for you not just prestige. I myself love smaller private tech schools so it made the whole finding the right colleges a lot easier. Worry about prestige and chance of getting in after you've decided on what schools seem like fits (At least 20 Schools including safeties and reaches.) Visiting and talking to students at the school can help narrow down schools you're looking to apply to or even already applied to. It's more of a puzzle game where you are trying to fit yourself into the one piece needed. Don't force yourself to fit because of pressure or prestige.
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make all the memories and never procrastinate!
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Start early and prioritize fit over prestige.
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I got 5 freaking Bs. Never hurts to explain why in the explanation section and also don’t freak out too much about not getting perfect scores and grades.
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The most ideal scenario would be to enter the college application process with a clear, defined vision of your future goals (career-wise, major-wise, etc) as that makes answering the "why x school" essays so MUCH easier. If this isn't possible, try to think about ways to market yourself to make yourself stand out. As an asian applicant, I chose to focus less on my musical accomplishments because I knew that they couldn't compare to kids who had done NYO, gone to Tanglewood, etc. I instead focused on my work as a member on the school board and teaching a student with learning disabilities violin. I also talked about how those two things made me interested in neuroscience and education.
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Start on apps super early!
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Start early.
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Dont stress so much. Every college is good.
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Your college list will make or break you. Tbh apply to 10 schools or less or you essays will be trash. PLEASE have financial and acceptance safeties. State flagships are getting harder and harder to get into recently!!! It would be smart to have a lower tier college on your list that can get you a full ride or a good deal depending on your stats.
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Don't panic.
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Take classes you want to take, join clubs you want to join, and have a THEME and personality to your application.
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Aim high you never know where you'll get in.
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Contact your admissions counselors. I'm going to USC next year likely because I expressed interest in the school to MY admissions counselor (shoutout to Hope Amaral).
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Apply early action to as many schools as possible. Apply to a rolling safety to get an early acceptance.
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Choose safeties you would want to attend.
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Visit schools if you can, talk to current students about their experiences, this will help you decide. When dealing with rejections, tell yourself it wasn't the best fit. Spend a lot of time on your essays, and start early, my stats were not the best, but I think my essays were really what got me into these places. Be authentic in your application to make your personality shine. Don't be tempted to make your application or essays match a "theme", admission officers just want to know your true self.
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Start as early as possible with everything
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Start early, drill yourself on the stuff you don't know, and most importantly, be yourself. Colleges can see through you like you're nothing if you try to be something you're not.
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Once you have good grades and test scores, the essays and teacher recs are most important by far.
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Good test scores and a bad GPA are gonna screw you :/
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If you’re slightly interested in a college, apply (if money isn’t an issue/you have waivers). I wish I applied to more schools outside my state.
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Stay mentally healthy, that trumps over anything. No point in the future if you’re on the verge of wanting to die in the present.
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Do what you love; don't pay attention to anything else.
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Dont apply as a cs major.
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Focus on your ECs and essays. Those are what make or break an application. UPenn essay was the one I worked the hardest on and it was the one Ivy I wasnt straight up rejected from.
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DON’T PROCRASTINATE!
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If you're focused on LACs still hit up some Universities for the diversity in majors.
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Don't stress too much! Many top schools offer similar general resources, if you are determined, you'll find plenty that you love about any one of them. Also, talk to those who have already graduated at your school... internet strangers can offer some advice, but it's much easier in person (and you can better understand where someone is coming from).
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Hang in there! Push through and remember that there's more to life than an acceptance or rejection.
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SAT/ACT scores aren't everything. Pretty much anyone applying to a T20 will have amazing scores/gpa. You will most likely stand out because of your ECs and essays! Essays are really important and can make or break your application depending on the school. Also make sure that you are genuinely passionate about a school if you apply there. Don't apply anywhere just because it's prestigious. Also not getting into a T20 isn't there end of the world! Just keep in mind that it's work ethic that can really make a difference in your college years.
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Get your essay ideas/drafts done over the summer, also study for the SAT/ACT during that summer as well for 1-2 final attempts if you need them. Don't expect to get into any of your reaches and have good target and safeties to compensate.
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Get those essays start early, and try to avoid becoming overinvested in one school. Research them all equally or don’t bother researching them at all.
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Start early. That said, I did turn in most of my apps at the last possible day, but this is not ideal.
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Think of how many schools you think you should apply to. Apply to at least one more.
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START YOUR ESSAYS OVER THE SUMMER. BE YOUR WEIRD AND UNIQUE SELF.
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Don’t expect to get in anywhere with an acceptance rate <20%.
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Start apps early and apply for summer internships.
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Be prepared for unexpected bumps, give yourself more time than you think you need. You will use it.
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College admissions are completely unpredictable so... go in with literally no expectations.
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This is Financial aid ~ Apply to LOCAL scholarships! Check with school and see if they have scholarships available and look over the requirements and have those essays written and completed! I know people talk about Fastwebs but like college applications they are in the shot in the dark.
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Don't shotgun, unless you are an international student in need of aid.
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Make sure to apply to schools you would actually enjoy yourself at. Not just because the academics are betters.
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Don't be afraid to take a gap year.
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Financial safeties > Acceptance rate safties.
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Don’t be stupid.
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Choose your major wisely — If you’re not sure that you want to do engineering/CS, don’t.
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Believe in yourself. Pick reach schools, but pick safeties too.
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Don't procrastinate.
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Don’t fuck up.
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Stats don't matter as much as you think! Focus on EC's and essays!
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Take the SAT seriously.
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Please do not think you are above the college admissions process; many of my friends made such a mistake and their collegiate chances therefore suffered dearly. Listen to good admissions counselors, not people who think they can both buck the system and heed no one's advice. Also please never mention mental illness, even if it gravely affects your life. I did so because it unfortunately defines me but all I got was rejection after rejection. Colleges do not want people they fear won't graduate, or even people they think won't graduate in 4 years, so please be careful. Mental illness unfortunately insinuates instability. I know you might have been through a lot, but college admissions is a callous process, overriding even the humanity of the AOs. The people deliberating over your application do empathize with you - their job just commands otherwise.
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Focus on ECs and essays. Having only good stats doesn't take you as far as you might think.
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ESSAYS ARE KEY. I doubt my application would have held much meaning without putting effort into my essay. i really tried to capture my emotions and goals in them. I will always believe that my essays were what got me in.
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Don’t apply to too many schools! It sucks the life out of you and makes senior war even more painful. Email your AOs throughout the process, especially for LACs. Don’t base your worth/ability to get in to college based on the first decisions you receive.
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Ranking is not everything!
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Apply early to your top schools.
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Take risks and write well in your essays. Those matter so much more than I thought-- ACT/SAT/GPA isn't everything.
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Apply to safeties. Google acceptance rates are inflated and often inaccurate. Instead refer to reddit's past threads and findings as they are more accurate. Tulane's acceptance rate is 13% people. Not 30 something. Further, know that the college you go to does not define your worth. A lot of well qualified kids get denied everywhere, so expect a lot of denials. Where you go is where you are supposed to be. Deal with FAFSA/CSS early. Finally, try to apply to a lot of EA schools.
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Be specialized, not well rounded.
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Extracurriculars and essays matter way more than stats for T20s. Like way way way way way way way more.
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Spend 15 hours combing through and solidifying a college list specific to your major and needs. HAVE SAFETIES. too many posts on here are of people who didn't get in anywhere because they had no safeties. Try to ED. schools like Rice see insane jumps if acceptance rates from ED to RD. Pls don't REA anywhere, not worth it.
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Work on your passions outside of school, learn programs relevant to your field.
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GET A LOT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE TIME.
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If you love somewhere, ED it. I got deferred EA from UChicago, pulled the trigger on EDII and got accepted. Elite colleges are accepting less and less applicants through RD.
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Don’t worry about prestige or rankings. Go somewhere where you will be happy and be able to reach success.
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For juniors and younger: don't wait until the last minute to do anything (duh)-- so many people scrambling to try to add ECs and stuff to pad their resume and it isn't a good look. Almost everyone doing their apps wishes they had started doing what they're into earlier and stuck with it throughout all of high school. This also applies to testing, essay writing, pretty much anything in this process-- start prepping early.
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Look at admissions statistics on the websites of the colleges themselves when determining safeties/matches! Or you'll get waitlisted from "matches" like I did. Also, make sure you'll be able to afford a college before you apply there. Use those calculators.
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Do high school in a way that makes you happy. Don’t think about resume building too much, you should enjoy life/education instead of always worrying about the next step. You should obviously care about your future, but don’t let it come at the expense of your current happiness and mental health. No matter what college you go to, if you have a good work ethic and hustle, you can have a really fulfilling life and career. Name matters way less than you think!
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Start your applications early (summer after junior year). Don’t wait until the last second.
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Show you as a human, not just you as a student. It you spend hours a week practicing an instrument, add that in your activities section. If you play magic the gathering with friends once a week, write about it. Don't box yourself in to an academic archetype. Colleges want interesting, 3-dimensional people on their campuses.
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Do your research and properly consider each school you're applying to. I wasted a couple hundred dollars on colleges that I would never even consider attending.
In a similar vein, don't feel pressured to apply to a bunch of schools just because your friends are doing so.
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Look just don't stress out so hard. Sure you might have your eyes on your dream school but take other factors into consideration too.
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Don’t procrastinate. Chances are senior year isn’t a breeze if you’re browsing this sub. Do your apps early, but get lots of help from as many trusted people as possible.
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Definitely apply to safeties and financial safeties! Even though you may be able to get into a school academic-wise, you maybe would not be able to afford it. Make sure you have a safety school that you can afford! Also, try to go on campus visits and try to walk around the college by yourself to see if you would really fit in there. Lastly, don’t put all your eggs in one basket! The chance of you getting into an elite school like a T10 is really low for a large majority of applicants. Some of my friends, who have a 1% HS rank and 36 ACT got rejected from all their reach schools so don’t expect that you will get into a top school because of your stats. College admissions are so random. I got into the most selective school I applied to (Duke) but got rejected from slightly less selective schools like USC and Rice (but these schools are still really selective). Don’t take rejections personally! Also, love your safety school!
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Apply to your safeties early action, it shows those safeties you actually care and somewhat want to attend
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(mostly for ca kids) i regret not applying for more dream out of state schools cuz in hindsight ucs could’ve served as more of a safety so don’t be afraid to dream.

(everyone) find schools you can apply for free and use them as safeties.
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APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS!!! I had to watch one of my good friends turn down Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and Duke bc they offered her next to no aid. Start applying as early as junior year. Apply to anything you might even be remotely qualified for.
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Start apps now
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RESEARCH
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Start applications earlier and apply to a good range of reach, target, and safety
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Don’t skimp on your safeties! Make sure you actually like and care about them. Your college list needs to be balanced and very well thought out.
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Start your apps eadly
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Love your safeties. Don't just apply to colleges underneath your GPA and call them safeties. My biggest mistake was applying to very few colleges because I was almost certain I would be accepted into SDSU. Turns out I got rejected, but I couldn't be any happier attending Washington State University
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Go with your gut on the school that’s right for you!
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Don't overload yoyr senior year with APs. Senioritis will kick your ass. Essentially senior classes don't really matter to colleges.

Take some time away from college apps and do things you enjoy. It doesn't have to be stuff for your apps. You'll regret it later if you don't.
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Senior year is hard. Applying to colleges becomes almost like an additional class.
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Don't only apply to T20's, thats just Clout Chasing and it's not worth, apply to a lot of safeties/matches you LIKE!
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Do it early
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Start early: work on Essay writing over the summer. Prompts for most colleges generally stay the same, so take the initiative and start writing. A small amount a day (even only 30 min. or so) can go a long way. You have less time than you think, don’t let yourself procrastinate until the deadline. Trust me, you’ll be much happier that way.
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Don't disregard "lower tier" schools and only apply to T20 schools. It's okay to apply to a few, but ensure you have safeties THAT YOU WOULD ENJOY GOING TO. You've worked hard enough to get here so you owe it to yourself to get a great education at the very least. Finally money does matter (for most of us), take on as little debt as possible because a bachelor's is not going to into crippling debt over. As much as you may want to go to a certain school it's probably not worth it if you graduate with $200,000+ in debt. A full ride to a safety is an infinitely better value than full price at your "dream school"
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Complete your essays over the summer.