After all the essays, letters of recommendation and entrance exams are finally done, college applicants may find one question creeping up in their minds: What now? Below are our recommendations on how spend your time after applying to colleges.
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Breathe!
Take it easy on yourself. There is a lot of anxiety involved in the college application process, and while it may seem like a good idea to call up your top school and see how things are going – don’t. Learn to cope with the unknown, and work on your patience. There will be lots of stress and waiting on results ahead of you. Your level of resilience depends, ultimately, on you. Try a yoga class or daily meditation routine. Reach out to school counselors or teachers for some perspective if you need to talk. This is an exciting time! But it doesn’t have to be an overly anxious one.
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Channel your energy into your next step
You’ve researched the schools, programs and the area. Now is the time to look into the details. Check out social media accounts for the school, especially the departments and clubs that interest you. Do a little digging on the professors and graduates. This will help you understand the climate of the school and see if you can imagine yourself there.
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Keep your head in the game
Your application is a snapshot of your performance; you don’t want the rest of the picture to be out of focus when you finally get accepted. Don’t let your grades slip now. Think about how you’ll prepare for your finals and APs. Look for study groups at school or in your community. Colleges will be able to see your grades for the entire year. Besides that, it's a good idea to stay in shape academically. You want your adjustment to a college workload to go as smoothly as possible.
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But don’t forget to have fun!
It’s not all about studying either, though. This is the last year in your high school, and maybe in your town as well. Celebrate the end of this first chapter of your life, and enjoy the important classmates, teachers and coaches who have been with you throughout this time. You may want to look for a summer job as well. This can be a good way to see people in your community and save up some money before you go off to school.
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And above all, apply for scholarships
Any new venture brings unexpected costs, and college is no exception. Take advantage of this time to look for grants and scholarships here on Scholarships.com. With a free scholarship search, you can use the search filters to focus on your interests or proposed majors. If you’re not sure about your area of study yet, run searches based on everything from grades and test scores to ethnicity and gender. You may even be able to tailor your college essays to use in scholarship applications, so put them to work. See what’s out there, imagine the possibilities and get excited!
