myUsearch blog

When someone says “valedictorian,” you probably think of somebody who has it all together.  But just because they have a great grade point and worked their tail off during the last four years, doesn’t mean they know everything about the admissions process.  As a former valedictorian, I can tell you that I made a ton of mistakes while applying to college.  I thought I had it all together, but I could not have been more wrong.  Here are three dumb mistakes I made that you will hopefully avoid:

• Two words: Safety school

If you’ve ever seen the movie Orange County, you know what I’m talking about.  You need a safety school, no matter what your grades, desires or thoughts are about where you’re going.  A safety school is a school you are almost positive you can get in to.  Here’s a book explaining more about the college admissions process: 

For most people, this means applying to a public school in your home state that is required to accept a certain percentage of in-state students.  Just do it, no matter how smart or qualified you think you are.  I applied to my safety the night before the online application was due.  It was where I ended up.  

• Keep Your Options Open

Unless you are 99.9% sure that’s where you’ll attend, keep all your options open.  Apply to a variety of schools where you could potentially see yourself, can honestly afford to pay for, and have a moderate to good chance of getting in.  The Princeton Review’s 3-Step process of choosing, narrowing and selecting schools is a great place to start. In reality, I couldn’t afford six out of the seven schools I applied to.  Since I’d ruled out more realistic schools based on my own ideals and preferences, I was left with few choices when the decisions came in and the scholarship money didn’t. 

• Be Realistic 

College isn’t the end all, be all of your existence.  It also costs real money that someone will have to pay.  Think about what you really want out of the next four years of your life and research more than just school rankings. Finally, be honest about where you can see yourself. If you’re very close to your family, maybe a school across the country isn’t your best option, even if it’s a big name.  If these suggestions sound basic, it’s because they are.  But remember, even someone who seems like they have it all figured out, can still make dumb mistakes.