Advice from peers can be more powerful for students than anything adults can provide so I have asked recent high school graduates to provide advice for rising 12th graders, who will be applying to college.
Advice from peers for rising 12th Graders:
Rhea, Rice University, Class of 2025: The first few months until December will be hard but don’t let your foot off the gas pedal for one second! You have worked more than four years to get to this point so give it your all these last few crucial months.
Ryan, Yale University, Class of 2025: Over the next few months, a lot of your friends will be taking it easy. It’s hard to remain focused when everyone else is having fun 24/7, but you need to stay focused for a few more months. In the end, you’ll have regrets no matter what, so choose the ones you know you can live with. Additionally, work hard; play hard. Budget your time well so you don’t feel unfulfilled in your personal life, but don’t slack off. You need to work your hardest, but you also need to use your time wisely and enjoy your senior year, so you don’t burn out.
Campbell, Notre Dame University, Class of 2025: Stay on top of your seemingly never ending to do list!! It may seem overwhelming, but getting on top of all the big tasks you have to complete during summer and as the school year starts will make October a way less stressful month. Take breathers when necessary, though. Allow yourself time to clear your head or step away and do something relaxing, or you will never be able to produce your best work. Also make sure you are doing your research on the schools you are applying to so you end up exactly where you belong, and actually listen to Jill. She knows what she is talking about.
Aidan, Purdue University Honors College, Class of 2025: Pursue an interest and be outgoing within that interest. Email people who are better than you in this field, such as professors. People are often happy to talk to those who have the same interest as them.
Alexandra, Pomona College, Class of 2025: Much of the writing we learn in high school involves analyzing a piece of literature or supporting/disproving a point of view. However, the college admissions team is looking for a story, and they want to discover your characteristics and to witness your growth through that story. Tell them the narrative that is true to you rather than the one they want to hear; staying true to yourself creates the most beautiful essays!
Carl, Pitzer College, Class of 2025: Don’t procrastinate applications! Starting early ensures that you submit the best work you can as you’re not forced to write essays hours before application deadlines. You also get to enjoy more of your senior year!
Angelica, Duke University, Class of 2024: Don’t be afraid to apply to your dream school! As long as you have confidence in your abilities and try your best, you never know what could happen.
Katie, New York University, Class of 2024: College application and acceptance season was probably the most stressful time of highschool for me, even more than junior year. Not because of the sheer amount of essays to write (which is stressful on its own), but the stress of choosing a school and worrying about how other people will receive your choices. My biggest advice would be to be a true believer that everyone ends up where they are supposed to be. Even if you think people get into "better" schools, everyone belongs somewhere and in the end, when all the acceptances come, you don't care at all about who didn't want you, I promise. Everyone is worried about their own college choices too much to care about yours so remember this is your own personal journey and have fun with it!
Somya, Boston College, Class of 2024: Savor every moment of senior year. I would also say to not waste time applying to schools that you can't see yourself at and to make sure you don’t leave any room for regret when working on your apps.
Aman, University of Chicago, Class of 2024: Comparing yourself to others is probably the worst thing you can do for your mental health and academic success. The metric for comparison should always be Past You.
Alison, Vanderbilt University, Class of 2024: First and foremost, start your college applications as soon as possible. Also, time suddenly moves at lightning speed during senior year, so make sure to be present in every moment you have with your friends. In one short year, you will not be able to see each other every day.
Andrew, Pennsylvania State University, Class of 2024: This is going to be the most difficult year, but this is the closest time to being an independent adult in anyone’s life. Study for the ACT/SAT for at least two months. These tests do not exactly judge how smart someone is, but how well you can study and take a test in a pressure situation. Finish all college applications as soon as possible. It is difficult having to constantly write essays for schools but it will take off an incredible weight off of one for the second semester of senior year. And finally, enjoy the time left. Senior year flies by and appreciate every moment and memory made with friends and family. All of your work over the past 4 years comes to reality when you hear your name called at Graduation and you receive your diploma.
Zoe, University of San Diego, Class of 2024: Get your essay done over the summer!!! That makes the application process so much easier because when that is done you can focus on your smaller supplementals and more tedious tasks. Work hard and stay focused, but also don’t forget to spend time with your friends because first semester can easily get eaten up by applications and it’s important to enjoy your last year with them. Lastly, do not compare yourself to other people. I applied to 14 schools and my best friend only applied to 1, so it is extremely important to remind yourself that everyone is going on a different path and if you are doing what YOU want to do then you will succeed.
Riley, University of South Carolina Honors College, Class of 2024: When you are looking at and applying to colleges, remember to think about your own “wants and needs.” Whether or not you want to go to a school is just as important as whether or not they “want” you! Although it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed by college acceptances and denials, keep in mind that whatever happens, you will end up in the place that you are supposed to be.
Erin, Tulane University Honors College, Class of 2024: Take initiative, don’t wait for someone to tell you start studying for the SAT/ACT or to start working on your college essays. Maximize what you get done during the summer (best time to take SAT/ACT in my opinion). Work hard and don’t get caught in the social college comparison trap, do what is best for you and your goals!
Joseph, Loyola Marymount University, Class of 2024: It is important that you finish the year strong, but most importantly, enjoy yourself. Once the first semester goes by it is almost like there is a snap of the fingers and then you are done with high school. Take every moment in during senior year, and don’t take it for granted. One day you will be graduating. This year my school was ended months early and I missed out on a lot of senior traditions. When it comes to the college process, it is important that you let others help you. It is too stressful to write a lot of essays on your own. Make sure they are edited many times by multiple people. Do not stress yourself out, the past three years have set you up to be successful wherever you are. If you do not have the best grades, don't let that discourage you. Try and have the best semester you can fall semester in order to strengthen your resume. Most importantly, have fun. This time next year you will be getting ready for college!
Megan, American University Honors College, Class of 2024: Take some time to think about what makes you happy and where you would like to see yourself for the next four years rather than focusing on where you think you should go because it looks good or because it's what your parents want for you. If something about a school interests you and they're coming to visit your school or town, go to the visit regardless of whether or not you think you want to apply. Always listen to your intuition.
Kyle, The Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, Class of 2024: When it comes to writing essays, make sure that you have three or four solid ideas to write about and get all those ideas down on paper. This is because from college to college the prompts shift very slightly, therefore you can edit a certain essay to fit that prompt instead of coming up with a brand new idea.
Alyssa, Southern Methodist University, Class of 2023: Get your Common App essay done over the summer! Listen to Jill when she says this is very important; when school starts, you will be busier than you think, and it’s important to finish your applications in a decent amount of time before the deadline (just don’t rush it, still do quality work) so that way you aren’t stressed about meeting the deadline on time and your quality of the essays doesn’t suffer.
Connor, University of Virginia, Class of 2023: Get everything done as early as you can. The longer you wait, the more you will struggle. Listen to Jill and never doubt her unless you have a clear reason to. College is not the end all be all, so don’t get caught up in the competition and where everyone else is going. Find a place that is good for YOU.
Emma, American University, Class of 2023: It’s not too late to get involved! Don’t get senioritis- it never works out in the end. Enjoy your last year of high school and minimal responsibilities.
Sarah, University of Arizona, Class of 2023: College apps are stressful, but everything ends up working out. When you are deciding where to go to college at the end of the year, follow your gut feeling. Don’t let the opinions of others interfere with your decision. Make the decision that is best for you.
Savannah, Tulane University Honors College, Class of 2023: Don’t try to pretend like you are someone you’re not in your college applications because then you might not end up at the school that is perfect for you. Finding the right fit is what is most important, so don’t give into the competitive conversations about who’s applying where and what schools other people are getting accepted into.
Ellie, University of San Francisco, Class of 2022: Really think about what you want in a college, look at size, location, majors, and extracurriculars, and apply to colleges that you feel would be the right fit. If you have the option, Early Action is always best and be sure to get all of your applications done early in the year so you don’t have to stress over deadlines.
Kaitlyn, Oxford University, Class of 2021: Stick to your gut and be the truest version of yourself. Don’t be someone else to try and get a college acceptance.
Elyse, Barnard University, Class of 2022: As rising 12th graders now is the time, before all of the deadlines and pressure, to think about the experiences/people/classes/places/values that impacted and shaped you so that you can start to find your message. Then, when you apply, you can make the prompts work for you and your message rather than reshaping your message for the prompts. Your answers will come across as much more genuine and the readers get a more cohesive message.
Haley, The Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, Class of 2022: Do everything early. Study early for standardized tests, apply early to scholarships, stay on top of important deadlines during your junior year, create a college list, and think about ideas for your college essays. You will save yourself so much time, energy, and stress during senior year when you have all of those things already taken care of. It’s very distracting during the college application process when you have to worry about tasks you could have completed a year in advance.
Frances, University of Southern California, Class of 2022: To my lovely rising seniors, rally your effort for the beginning of the year during college application season. During second semester, when you’re really trying to maximize your time at high school and with your friends, you’ll be able to coast off of such a strong foundation. Listen to Jill; she knows best. Spend time with your friends. Spend time with your family. They’re the ones that have gotten you this far and will continue to support you later on.
Sarah, Tulane University, Altman Program, Class of 2022: You have a long year coming up, and it’s going to seem hard to balance school work, college applications, and all of the fun social things that senior year brings. My best advice is to get as much of your college applications (common app, supplemental prompts for schools, etc) as you can done over the summer. If you finish your common application essay over the summer, you will have much more time over the school year to ensure your supplemental prompts are as good as they can be and to apply for merit scholarships. Additionally, when I was working on all of my various essays for different schools, I found it very helpful to get super excited about the particular school I was writing essays for. I would watch YouTube videos about fun traditions or read student interviews about their classes. This helped my essays seem passionate and helped me find ideas to include in my essays about why I wanted to attend a certain school. Along the same boat, always write more than one draft of each essay. Your writing can ALWAYS be improved and nothing is perfect on the first try. And finally, make sure you take some time to enjoy your senior year and see your friends. You need some social time to stay sane, and you will certainly regret not making memories your last year of high school.
Hannah, American University, Class of 2020: This close to the end of high school, you are probably worried about the future. This is easier said than done: please don’t be. Finish your applications. Listen to Jill. The work you’ve done so far in high school already laid the groundwork, and you are going to wind up in a wonderful place. Stay positive and enjoy your last year because you deserve it.
Reid, Tulane University Honors College, Class of 2021: Try your hardest to appreciate your last year of high school. The second you start having a negative attitude is the second senioritis kicks in and high school is not fun anymore. This is your final year! Make it a fond memory.
Will, University of Southern California, Class of 2021: Plan ahead. Set your own deadlines and know that you will get the best results when you have time to brainstorm, revise, edit, and sometimes completely start over. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of your teacher recommendations. Choose teachers who know you on a personal level and will speak to who you are. Finally, visit the schools you apply to. Your preconceived idea of a school is often totally different than what the school is really like. Pay close attention to the types of students who go there and the feeling you get on campus.
Sienna, University of Puget Sound, Class of 2021: Keep studying! Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you can slack off with school. Colleges still look at your final grades. Apply early to college and stay organized. The more time you procrastinate on college essays, the less time you will have to think about them, write them, edit them, rethink them, rewrite them, and edit them again. Essays are the most important part of applications, and getting them done as soon as possible gives you time for revisions. Stay calm and enjoy your last year! This is your last year at home, with your family, and with your friends. Remember to spend time with them, have fun, and don't work yourself too hard.
Tyler, Lewis and Clark College, Class of 2021: The end is in sight, but it is still an upward battle. When weighing your options, it is most important to think about if the school fits you as an individual. Do not get caught up on the name or ranking of the college. I highly recommend visiting the schools you apply to because it is challenging to truly gauge if it is right for you until you see it in person.