First Steps

Get Into College—First Steps

First Steps Chapters

First Steps

Self-Assessment

Academics

Activities and Interests

The Search Begins Chapters

The Search Begins

Reaches Matches Safeties

Application Process Chapters

Applying to College

GPA and Transcripts

Standardized Tests

Preparing for Standardized Tests

ECAs

Myths and Fact about ECAs

Early, Regular, Rolling

The Application

Writing the College Essay

Letters of Recommendation

Supplementary Materials

Surviving the Interview

Hooks and Intangibles

Financial Aid

- Need-based vs need-blind

- What you want is not always what you get

- Building your aid package

- Where to learn more

What Happens Next?

- Awaiting admissions decision

- Waitlisted

- Time to reflect

Transfers

Taking a Year Off

International Students

List of all USA Colleges

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It ought to be simple, BUT Getting into an American college can be an intimidating and scary process. There was a time—maybe 20, or 30 years ago—when students would put in three applications and were accepted into one, or two schools. Today, the admissions process has become a high-stake obstacle course.

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What Is The Admissions Process All About?

The game of admissions is brutal; you usually only get one chance at it, and it’s up to you to gather whatever information you can in order to compete.

Once you have decided that college is where you want to be after graduating from high school, you'd want to look around for all the information you can get. Basically, it all boils down to one word: Matchmaking.

College picking is matchmaking

The colleges are looking for people that match their class profile, and you are looking for schools that match your needs and goals. Much like barter trade; if you have what the colleges want, and if what the schools offer interest you, there is a match.

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that they MUST get into X University that ranks in the top 5 of the US News. Some look at the top 300, others look only at the top 30; while yet others look at only the Big Three: Harvard, Princeton, Stanford.

America has over 2400 accredited four-year colleges, and every school is right for someone, but no school is right for everyone. So the very first thing you will have to do is to search for the college that is right for you. Again, it does not mean looking at only the top 10 or 20 schools in the United States.

But before you do that, you have to know what you are looking for. As I said earlier, college picking is all about matchmaking. To know what schools match you, you must do a self-assessment. Think about what you want. Why do you want to go to college? What do you hope to do when you're in college? Asking yourself these questions will help you discover more about yourself and what you want in life.

Believe me, this can be one of the most fun part of the college admissions process. In fact, every part can be fun if you want them to be.

Learn more about applying to college.