Everything I Wish I Knew Before Applying to Colleges

May 27

May 27 Everything I Wish I Knew Before Applying to Colleges

Shannon O’Dwyer

This past fall I applied to 10 colleges: Ten schools which I barely looked into and found that they only sort of had my desired major. After having spent much of the beginning of my senior year scrambling to get in all of my applications, I ended up applying to half of the schools I initially intended. Despite getting accepted into all of the schools I applied to, I found that finding the right college for me was not as simple as it had been made out by movies, the media, and even Hamilton. These are the things that I wish I had known before applying.

The Basics

Oftentimes I hear students saying they’ve applied to 10 or 15, sometimes upwards of twenty-something schools. The fact of the matter is that you will only be attending one school, at least in your first year of university. That leads me to wonder: Why apply to so many?

High-achieving kids are pushed by their parents or themselves to apply to as many schools as possible, packing their schedules and increasing their stress levels for no good reason. This is typically seen by students who apply to Ivy League schools “just to see if they could get in.” Schools such as these with a less than 10% acceptance rate are frankly useless to apply to, especially since the price tag of attending is unrealistic for most middle-class families. Not only that, but even if you were to get in, you have now taken the spot of someone who may actually have the means/goal of attending an Ivy League even though you have no intention of attending.

Media and school have filled our heads with the belief that we should apply to any and all schools that we want to attend. But what if you don’t know what you want to do? That’s perfectly okay. Some of your options could be to take a gap year instead and figure that out.

Otherwise, if you plan to go to school undecided, pick a school with versatility in their majors. Most schools in the UW system have a ton of options for majors; this way, you can stay close to home if you need and you can still have options in terms of a major.

However, if you do know what you want to study, try to find that within the state. There are no rules saying you have to stay in the state, but if you are wanting to live somewhere warm or simply want to live out of state, the price will likely skyrocket. Instead, choose a school based on education by finding the schools that are best suited for your major.

Applications

So how many schools should you actually apply to and how do you know what the right schools for you are?

Apply to fewer

Studies show that you should apply to roughly 6 schools or fewer. Try to apply to one safety school (one that you are positive you will get accepted into). This could be a community school or something with a fairly high acceptance rate. These schools are great if you plan on getting some of your general education done first. Depending on the school, you could even live at home and save a ton of money.

Next would be one to two high-shooting schools. These don’t have to be Ivys, but maybe schools that you’d like to attend but may be a bit more expensive or out of reach.

Then finally, you have your desired schools, try to apply to two or three of these. These can be schools that have your major, or a wide range, and you have a pretty good chance of getting in and actually attending.

Tour

One of the things I wish I would have done differently was tour the schools I wanted to attend before applying. This can give you a great idea of what the school is really like and let you know whether or not you would actually want to go there. If you thought you liked the sound of the school, but find out you hate the campus, don’t apply.

Application Fees

Up until I started applying, I had no idea it cost money to actually apply to almost every school. Expensive schools can cost upwards of $100 just to apply. According to Common App, some of the application fees include: UW- Eau Claire ($25), University of Minnesota Twin Cities ($55), UW-Madison ($60), Purdue University ($65), and Harvard ($75). This is another reason why finding the right schools you want to attend is important when applying; add all of the application fees up and you could end up spending a couple hundred dollars.

Financials

One of the largest factors to consider when applying is the price tag of each school. Have a real conversation with your family if they are able to help fund your college attendance to figure out what schools you can afford.

Finances

As inflation continues to rise and everything comes with a price tag, attending college likely means leaving with debt and financial implications must be considered.

Out of State

Want to go out of state? According to GradLime the average cost to go out of state is about $15,000 more than in-state rates. That’s just the tuition; college comes with additional costs such as room and board, meal plans, books, and more.

Scholarships

Finding scholarships can be a good way to lower the cost of tuition. However, the problem with scholarships is that they are often a lot of work for not a huge payoff. Most scholarships that are actually attainable are only about $1,000-$5,000. Often, these are not transferable each year, meaning you’d have to apply for more each year. The big ticket scholarships (full-rides, $10,000+, etc.) are typically given by the school itself, often based on need or merit.

The key to scholarships is applying to ones that suit your strengths. If you are good at writing, find essay-based scholarships, or creative ones if you’re good at art. Likely, you will need to put in the work to gain these scholarships.

Additionally, you generally will not qualify for “need-based” scholarships (based on household income) if your family makes more than $130,000 a year. Focus on merit-based or competition scholarships instead as these may be more attainable. Also, if you have earned a few scholarships, try to avoid applying to more that ask you if you have any scholarships. This can lead to an unfortunate series of events where you become less likely to earn certain scholarships because you “already earned some.”

Scholarships can be a great way to reduce the cost of tuition, however they are not guaranteed based on the competition factor, and they might not significantly offset cost based on the amount given. That being said, it is always better to apply in hopes of achieving some scholarships than to lose an opportunity.

Loans

The infamous student loans are the death of current students' desire to attend their dream schools. Student loans are often unavoidable unless you attend an affordable school for your family. Federal loans are easily the best way to go and students are typically eligible for a small amount per year that is borrowed in the students name only and don't require a co-signer for parents to take out. Subsidized federal loans don't begin to accrue interest until after you graduate, which can save you thousands of dollars. If you are not eligible for those, you may be eligible for an unsubsidized federal loan, which does accrue interest right away, but the loan does not require repayment until after graduation. Private loans, on the other hand do require co-signers or must be taken out by parents only, are harder to qualify for and need to be paid back immediately after the money is borrowed. As inflation continues to skyrocket, private loan lenders can become predatory with staggering interest rates and have the potential to make your loan rates increase yearly despite making consistent down payments. Worse yet, after accruing thousands of dollars of student loan debt, there is no guarantee that you will obtain a job right out of college that will afford you the ability to make the monthly payments. Using a reliable co-signer who is willing to absorb the loan in the event you are unable to, as well as having a solid credit rating to be eligible for the lowest rates possible are all considerations when obtaining private student loan debt. Careful planning through other means of financial assistance or doing extensive research with private lenders is crucial when it comes to deciding on borrowing with student loans.

Final Thoughts

The college admissions process can be stressful, time consuming, and generally hard to manage. However, these tips can save you time, money, and the stress by going about your application process in a smart way. If you take into account when and where you apply as well as the financial implications these schools may have, you can easily gain higher education while minimizing the downfalls.