​Writing a college application is probably the last thing you want to do when you’ve already written countless essays and studied an insane number of hours for standardized tests.  But fantastic applications make the job easier for the admissions officers, get you scholarship money, and force you not to slack off your senior year (oh, and did I mention getting you into college?).  That being said, here are a few things I found helpful when coming up with my application.

1. Keep a calendar of deadlines.  While this isn’t actually writing the application itself, printing out a calendar page for each month with all the deadlines separate from your normal planner will allow you to see all the application deadlines without mixing them with everything else on your calendar.  Hopefully, it’ll keep you from forgetting which essays you have to write and missing your application deadlines.  And include deadline reminders on the calendar a week or two in advance to plan your time more effectively.  Consider this your bonus tip. :)
2. Go through your planner/calendar to track what you’ve done over the past four years & write it down so you have a base to start brainstorming.  Having a concrete list to refer to is really helpful so you can go down the list and see which one best fits the prompt you’ve chosen (or the other way around).  
3. Understand the prompts and pick just one.  The Common App/Coalition App prompts may seem generic when you first read them.  But understanding the nuances of each one allows you to pick the one that gives you the best opportunity to showcase who you are. Once you start writing, actually answer the prompt and follow your main idea throughout the entire essay without changing halfway through.  This may seem basic, but it’s easy to get distracted throughout your essay and try to cover as much as you can because you’re afraid that admission officers won’t get to see the side if you that’s not in the essay.
4. Tell your story.  Why are you the only one who can write the application you’ve submitted?  There are hundreds of other students that have the same passion as you do, so use your essay to show who you are.  The essay is about you, and it’s the one place where you can stand out from the statistics and the one chance admission officers have to get to know you.  You’ve already worked hard to get the GPA & test scores you want, so use your essay to reflect your character, personality, and passion.
5. Have a narrow focus.  You are an incredible person, but it’s impossible to capture all aspects of who you are in less than 500 words.  Instead, focus on one thing and hone in on part of your personality/character that you want the admission officers to know about you.  Whether it’s dragon boating or pin collecting or volunteer work, choose to write about something that you care about.  You can’t do everything and do it all well, and you can’t try to be everything and do that well in your essay, either.
6. Show, don’t tell.  Stories, analogies, humor, and vivid details make your essay less generic and more personal and human.   Just make sure they all connect with your main idea.  
7. Go beyond surface level and remember your why.  What fires you up and sets your soul on fire, and how does that affect the way you see the world?   Why do you continue to do what you do?  If you’re writing about a specific event or situation, how did it shape who you are and your perspective on life?  After you write your essay, go through each phrase and line and check to make sure that each sentence helps to develop your why and the main idea you were trying to communicate.  
8. Start small!  Break down the essay process, whether it’s brainstorming or editing or actually sitting down to do the writing.  And celebrate your progress to stay motivated. 
9. Be succinct.  Don’t elaborate on a point more than you need to or fill your essay with fancy words to try and impress the admission officers.  Instead, write in your own voice and utilize your unique writing style in a concise manner, but also be professional.  Along the same lines, don’t ramble just to make your essay look longer - it’s distracting and boring to read through.
10. Grammar check.  It’s so overstated, but it’s absolutely true because it makes essays easier to read and shows the university that you care about the small details.  
11. Use a writing checklist.  My English teachers used to give me a 2-page writing checklist that we’d have to initial before we turned our papers in, and it covered everything from style to punctuation to checking transitions in paragraphs and the number of times we’d used passive verbs.  Having a comprehensive checklist will make sure that you don’t miss anything and that your essay flows (and that you’re not starting 7 sentences with the same word). 
12. Read your essay out loud and get feedback from other people who don’t know you well.  This helps you to pick out grammatical errors and understand your essay’s impression on someone like an admissions officer who isn’t familiar with your passions and personality.  Also get feedback from people who do know you - they’ll be able to tell if the essay truly reflects who you are as an individual. 
13. Bonus tip: recycle essays & tweak them for other scholarship competitions to save time.

Happy writing!  It can seem like torture at times, but remember that this is only a season and that you’re almost there!  

My advice to you
Hello! My name is Joanna He and I will be sharing some tips and tricks that might help you better prepare yourself for junior year. First off, I’d like to mention that what they say about junior year, is true. Yes, it will be your hardest year in highschool and yes it can be VERY stressful. There are multiple factors to junior year that you need to keep in mind and in fact, they all actually connect with one another.I’ve definitely learned a lot throughout my junior year, so these words of advice are actually based on my own personal experiences.

Scheduling
One key point that I have to mention is to NOT PILE SO MANY AP/IB CLASSES ONTO YOURSELF UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU CAN HANDLE IT!!! Trust me, I know this from personal experience. Last year, I thought that I could handle 4 AP classes, but in reality, it was way too overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I do know people that are fully capable of taking multiple AP classes and do perfectly fine. Just know what you can handle. Taking a lot of AP classes won’t mean anything if you don’t pass them, so make sure you’re aware of what to expect from each class.

SAT help or help in general
This category, in general, is one that I struggled with the most. When you are a junior, there are 2 things that are very important. Number 1: Maintain a good GPA and number 2: Getting a good SAT/ACT score. Different people study in different ways. There are some people who start prepping for these exams as early as their freshman year. But, there are also people, like me, who don’t start until about half way through their junior year. ( I do not recommend this haha.. It didn’t turn out well and is now haunting me) Regardless on whichever method that you choose, I HIGHLY recommend getting that extra help if you need it. When people tell you to study for the SAT, they tell you to take multiple practice tests but what they don’t tell you is that the SAT is not material based, it’s knowing HOW the test is structured. A lot of students find it more beneficial to study by themselves with a practice book. However, for me, I preferred having someone who was experienced in taking the SAT help me. Every time my mom asked if I needed an SAT tutor, I said no, simply because I didn’t want to look dumb in front of my friends or looked like I needed the extra help. As my junior year was coming to an end, I started to realize that I have not started studying, my score stayed the same and I was applying to colleges soon. That’s when it hit me that I needed to get help. My mom and I did some research on a couple of different places that I could go to and found one that had everything I needed. Ever since I finally reached out and got the extra help that I needed, I started to see some progress. I took a practice test and noticed that my score increased by 200 points!! If you think that you need help on the SAT or just your classes in general, reach out and get the help that you need!! Ultimately, this is your future you are building so don’t feel ashamed if you need a little extra help than your friends.

Above everything make sure you sleep!!!
Whether you are completing an assignment you put off or simply lost track of time doing homework, always make time for you to sleep! Sleeping is especially beneficial to students as sleep helps restore energy that we can use the next day. A good night's sleep also helps your body to fight off common infections by releasing key hormones while you sleep. Some tips and tricks I have to help achieve a good night’s sleep is to practice your time management, try to avoid having all nighters, don’t take naps during the day, and don't leave all of your assignments for the weekend to complete them all. Most of these things that I just listed I’m guilty of haha. BUT, I don’t want you guys to ruin your sleep schedules. Sleep is important!!! I hope this helps you guys! Junior year will be the toughest year yet for most people and you will feel like giving up at times but just remember that even if you fail, as long as you gave it your all, that’s truly what matters the most. Good luck! You’ll do great sweetie! :)))




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Junior year is going to be your hardest year in some shape or form. Mentally, physically, emotionally, even schedule wise it will be your most challenging year yet. Junior year is the last year colleges look at for admissions, everything you've done up until this point, slack or shine, has come to one big battle royale of a year. However, as much as academics are important this year, its just as important to make sure you do some cathartic activities as well. If all you do is academics, you will pull yourself apart faster than a lvl 5 hurricane would tear a palm tree out the very ground its rooted in. What do I mean by cathartic? Do something you've always wanted to, workout, draw, make a video, go to a theme park, do something other than school when the stress is at an all time high. Of course hold your academics above all else, but make sure you take care of yourself too!

Future
Start looking into your future, I know it's scary at times, especially if you're not sure what you want to do yet, but just start looking. You must look before you find. College, careers, artistry, travel, whatever the case, start thinking now, start planning, because if you start later you're already at least a year behind where this lightning fast world expect you to be.

SAT and/or ACT
Take it as many times as possible. Prepare for it now other than later. Ask your counselor (or maybe a counselor) if you're eligible for free SAT or ACT tests.

Academia
Take all your classes seriously, whether it be IB, AP, Honors, Regular or Intensive, be resourceful and smart. Work smart not hard.

Extracurriculars
If you haven't already, join a club or sport! This can be one of your cathartic things and it can also give you that push towards an interest or a little extra kick you need for college. Clubs are a great way to meet people and help you be resourceful.

Finally
Calm down! Stop taking everything so seriously and enjoy high school! You’ve only got 4 short years to take it all in. Life will be stressful at times, but the best thing we can do is try our best and learn from the mistakes we make! Go out and make a name for yourself! Stay strong, you’re gonna do beautifully.

Junior year, a frightening year for some and an exciting year for others. Junior year is one of the most crucial years where your academics should be taken seriously, as college begin to look at you. So here’s some tips to help you rising juniors take on junior year. 

Plan everything out, as far as a month ahead. Try to figure out what next month is going to look like, whether it’s family events, birthdays, or big projects. Having everything set out in front of you helps you have an outlook as to where your focus should be for upcoming events. Knowing what’s coming up for you helps you not stress out because you already know what’s going to happen and trust me, stress comes around a lot during junior year. 

Learn to balance academics and school with relaxation. Yes, it’s important to focus on academics and making sure you pass classes. But going out with some friends every once in a while helps relieve stress that’s put on your body from school. I’m not saying go out every week or study everyday, but just have a general sense of when you need to study and when you need to spend time with friends to help relieve stress. 

Lastly, enjoy junior year! As scary as the word, “junior year” sounds for some, it’ll be a great time. You’re almost done with high school, which is horrible for some people to know but it helps to know you’re almost there. Go out and have fun, explore new things that you’ve never done. School is important, but let it take over your life, so don’t forget to have fun!
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