Greetings from sunny Southern California! My name is Jessica Frey (informally referred shmoop.pro to as J Frey) and I am a Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at USC. I was raised in Hollister, a tiny farm city in Northern California which includes no affiliation whatsoever with the clothes store. I attended a big public senior high school with over 3,000 students and somehow found my way to USC to learn theater. My hope is that through sharing my experiences that are own I can give you some advice and help you feel at ease when you approach the faculty admission process.

Many of you readers will be deciding on college before long, and I also wish to be sure you know this really is planning to be all about you. It may feel a little weird and selfish for those of you whom are constantly placing other’s needs before your own personal. But in order you belong and feel happy, you do need to make the college search process all about yourself for you to make an informed college list and end up at a place where.

I do not know I was in high school I made a lot of my decisions based on what other people were doing and thinking about you, but when. It’s cool to wear red pants now? Okay, maybe I will go get that pair I ended up being eyeing during the mall weekend that is last. All the other kids within my class are applying to College XYZ? Maybe We should too. My counselor claims I’d be good at engineering since I like my calculus course? I wonder though I have NO IDEA what being an engineer is all about if I should apply to engineering, even. They certainly were all real thoughts I had since well as many others throughout that anxious and stressful autumn semester of senior year.

You let your own thoughts and ideas navigate your choices while it is very easy (and sometimes a good thing) for outside influences to shape your decisions, the college process should be one where. Here are three fundamental principles I think every highschool student should retain in mind they are going to apply to college while they decide where:

Focus on facts rather than opinions. Many individuals form viewpoints about different universities and colleges, but you should really give attention to your own personal thoughts associated with the educational schools as well as the information you see as you study the colleges that interest you. It is important because they offer something that you want in your undergraduate experience- not just because other people you know are fans of the school, or because of its well-known reputation that you are interested in a college.

Think about what you want in an university experience, and apply to schools accordingly. It is now time to help you think about just what a college campus should have in order for you to be a pleased and thriving pupil. Do you want to attend school in a large city or even a college town that is rural? Would you like to study abroad in a country that is particular? What sort of activities do you want to pursue outside the classroom? Do you want to have the ability to the office closely with your professors? If you find a school you’ve never ever heard of nonetheless it has anything you’re searching for, include it to the list! It doesn’t matter if nobody from your family or school ever knew about the faculty prior to your discovery. Maybe it’s a place where you will have a college experience that is enjoyable.

Benefit from the search process! The procedure of fabricating your university list could be a daunting task, but it is also an enjoyable experience. This is the opportunity to learn as much as you can about the many colleges that are amazing universities across the nation. This is the time and energy to explore the wide array of options and look closely during the colleges you are considering.

I actually don’t write this web site to inform you shouldn’t listen to your parents, counselors, or peers. You might have wonderful resources at your disposal that offer great advice and understanding. Counselors find out about a number of colleges and may also be able to inform you more about the ones that meet your criteria. Your parents will be in a position to help determine which schools will be within reach financially. You just have to make sure their advice also aligns with that which you want in an university experience.

That being said, we did buy and totally rocked the pants that are red. We’ll acknowledge that I used to a college I had no intention of attending simply to see if I could get in. I did get into the college, but during the end of the time that didn’t matter. It didn’t make me feel better about myself and it was quite seriously a waste of the time and money. But i did so follow my heart and became a theater major in the place of an engineer, and I also’m so happy I did. More on that later on.