Every year, millions of applications are filled out for students to decide where they want to continue their education. Whether it is a community college in a town, or a university across the country, everyone graduating high school has to plan on what they want their life to be surrounded with. College applications can take a lot of time, but there are lots of helpful tools for it to be easier.

“A good first step would be to utilize the SuperMatch function on your Naviance account,” GHS Counselor Ms. Bennett said. “You put in what you want and don’t want, and it generates a list of matches.”

The Common App and Naviance are both great ways to help applications. They make the process easier by keeping everything organized and make it go by faster, while also finding schools that fit best for students. These apps make it easier to know what students should put on each application.

“Organizing which schools require what is easily the hardest part for me,” High School Senior Bella Malizzio said.

When filling out applications, students can choose what information they use on their applications.

“I did put my best SAT score on my application because I was proud of the results, I had on it,” High School Graduate Jacob Midgley said. “If you’re not proud of you score or thinks it underrepresents you as a student, it is more than alright to leave it out.”

The SAT and ACT have recently both become optional for most schools. This makes people way less stressed about taking those tests and getting good scores, but if the score satisfies the individual, they can always put it on. These test and the personal essay are the most important for an application if the school requires both.

“The most important thing to remember is that it is a piece of your application,” Ms. Bennett said. “It is not just to see your writing ability, but also to learn more about you as a student and why the school should accept you to their school or a specific program.”

The personal essay for colleges is how the college really gets to understand why each student wants to attend that school. It is a long process, but is worth it at the end because the essay is the deciding factor for most of the schools. Personal essays are not something to be sped through, but to take as much time as possible and check it with as many people as possible.

If any senior is in need of help with college applications, be sure to check out the College Application Assistance from Counseling and Advising in the cafeteria every other Friday.