It’s that time of year again. Juniors, along with their family members, are reminded by Chris Clark that it is time to start the college search process. While this can be a stressful time in a Nerinx girl’s life, one must know that they are not alone. Here is advice from some Nerinx Seniors on how to get into college (and stay somewhat sane through the entire process):
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Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. There is no contest on who goes to a more prestigious college. The primary goal of college is to gain skills to acquire a career. Think about your career; not about the petty parts of a college (for example, the size of its football field, your friends going to the same college, etc).
— Jess Niewald
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If you are interested in playing a collegiate sport, you need to start looking now, especially if you plan on playing Division I or Division II. Look at different programs, contact coaches, and get a feel for what you want to do. But also remember that sports isn’t everything. You don’t want to go to a college just for sports, tear your ACL halfway through the season, and never play again. Your body has an ACL, but your brain does not.
— Emma Lohman
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Be open to disliking a college. How a college looks on paper can be totally different than real life. I was in love with a college based on its website, but after visiting, I hated it. I left the tour early because I disliked it so much. If you’re open to not enjoying something, then it won’t throw you off if you don’t like it.
— Molly Gier
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My main advice is for athletes who want to play in college to start contacting coaches now and a LOT of them. Even if you’re unsure about whether or not you want to go to the school, you should still contact them because it never hurts to do so.
— Michelle Lewis
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The best thing to remember is that Ms. Clark will do her very best to get you into college, specifically the colleges you want, but that only happens if you do all of the work she asks you to by the day she asks. She is your biggest blessing, and I highly recommend taking her Jump Start class in the summer – you take care of so much paperwork, it’s really awesome going into Senior year with a college app essay already written and reviewed by college admission reps.
— Rebecca Marcolina
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DEFINITELY GET YOUR ESSAYS AND STUFF DONE OVER THE SUMMER!!! If you have the opportunity to take Jumpstart, I 1500000% support it and would recommend it in a heartbeat!
— Maya Abrahamian
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Have an idea of what you want to do by start of Senior year, especially if you’re interested in the medical/health field. For example, SLU has a great direct admit 6 year physical therapy program. About 100% are employed after graduation. I maybe would have looked into that and applied to SLUH if I would’ve known in time.
— Jess Niewald
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The college process is as stressful and complicated as YOU make it. It can be easy, or it can be hard, it’s all up to you. Take everything day by day, and try not to worry too much about it because everything will work out in the end.
— Anna Fiordelisi
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I would suggest getting your testing out of the way as soon as possible (i.e. Junior year).
— Anna Gaioni
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An important thing to think about is a resume. Gather all of the academic, athletic, and extracurricular awards and accomplishments you have done these past three years and put them down on paper (or in your computer!). Colleges are super big on extracurriculars, so make sure to record the service or clubs you’re a part of!
— Emma Lohman
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Try to really talk to your parents about what you want. So much of my college troubles have been from failed communication with parents.
— Morgan Einwalter
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Many people say location shouldn’t be a priority, but it most definitely should. You are going to be living in this place for at least 4 years, you want to be happy where you are. Don’t go somewhere where you’ll have to take out countless student loans that you’ll be stuck paying off forever. Chances are, there’s a more affordable school you’ll love just as much. Don’t be worried if no one is looking at the same schools as you. You’ll meet so many new people right away, and you won’t be the only one that’s going without knowing anyone. It won’t be as scary as it seems. Start looking for scholarships to apply to early, it becomes a lot of pressure if you wait until the last minute. Consider your happiness through the whole process! That’s really what’s most important.
— Gretchen Boxdorfer
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My advice would be to just relax and not stress out over every little thing. We put too much pressure on ourselves during the college process because we suddenly have to make these huge decisions that will affect ‘the rest of our lives’. The college process can cause a lot of stress in someone’s life, and it’s important to relax and release all of that stress. Realize that not everything revolves around getting accepted to your dream school or getting a 30 on the ACT. And remind yourself that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. BE HAPPY 🙂
— Madi King
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I would say one of the things that I had the most trouble with was trying to get all of my applications done in one sitting. I would try to complete a whole application at once to have them done as soon as I possibly could. I should have planned out just a few minutes each night to work on one. It would have reduced a lot of my stress. I also highly recommend the Jumpstart class over the summer. I didn’t take it, but a lot of my friends did and had their applications all completed and submitted by August whereas I just completed my last one in January.
— Ireland Reeves
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Definitely apply to colleges as early as possible! Do not be lazy and be on top of everything, because you will for sure regret it.
— Maddie Dawson
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Every college is going to tell you the same things—we have the best programs, we have the best campus, we have the best of everything. Also, things that one college point out as unique, like student groups and an honors program, are probably more typical than you think. It’s important to note the things that set different colleges apart. Do they try to hide bad things, like dorms? Are they willing to answer all questions? Are they willing to tell you some bad things about the school?
— Molly Gier
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With regard to practical things… Have a few names of colleges in your head during junior year because, most likely, that list will change! That way, you have time to realize what you truly want! Start visiting colleges! Senior year is really busy, so take advantage of the time you have now. Go on your colleges’ websites! Every college has different deadlines for everything! When looking up practical things like deadlines and requirements for application, thoroughly explore the college’s website. Sometimes the information is spread out on multiple web pages. I’ve found pertinent information on admissions pages, financial aid pages, and even FAQ’s. And motivational things… Don’t be ashamed of not knowing what to do. I was clueless! There’s always someone to help explain things—Mrs. Clark, a teacher, or any of us seniors! Don’t stress about money, the rest of the world will do that for you. Think about what you really want first, and worry about the rest later. Don’t go into it with a fear of the dollar sign, or else you may be preventing yourself from really great options that may work better for your situation. Don’t slack off, scholarships makes a big difference! Don’t go to a college just because your friends are—this is your journey.
— Nguyen Luong
Note: An important source to use is BigFuture , where you can narrow down your college choices based on preference.
