Your College Application Process: A Preview of College Life

The college application season is almost over. If you’ve made it this far, you are one giant step closer to college success.

The college application process can be a bear. It is also an excellent preview of things to come. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), nearly 17.9 million undergraduate students are enrolled in U.S. colleges each year, many of whom navigate the challenging application process to get there.

Finding the right school that suits your academic and personal goals can take a huge amount of time and commitment. A 2023 survey by EAB (the Education Advisory Board provides research, consulting, and technology solutions to educational institutions) found that students spend an average of 10-20 hours per application between researching schools, completing forms, and writing essays. Choosing where to apply and ultimately where to attend involves weighing financial, academic, and social factors, which can be stressful.

Filling out forms, obtaining recommendation letters, and meeting deadlines requires organizational skills and good time management. Writing personal statements and supplemental essays demands reflection, creativity, and effective communication, which can be challenging, especially under time pressure. According to the Common App, more than one million students use their platform annually, submitting an average of 5.7 applications per student. These are all skills and challenges you will face in college, no matter where you go or how good your grades are.

You’ve had to manage the process independently to some degree. How did it go? How many people prompted you? Were you able to balance your current classes, the college app process, and all your other commitments? Where were your strengths? Where were your gaps? Answer these questions honestly. This is important, actionable data.

Reflecting truthfully about the process will give you a good indication of the types and amounts of supports you might need in college, especially during your first year.

If you needed a lot of support in this process—if Mom was constantly hounding you to finish your essay or get your recommendation letters—consider how this need will translate to college. Will you still need such nudges in college? If so, you are not alone; according to a report by the American College Health Association, over 70% of college students report high levels of stress, and many rely on external supports to stay on track. But in college, you will be the one responsible for putting those supports in place.

Ask yourself, “What supports will I need to have in place to make my first year in college go the way I want it to go?” Your answer cannot be Mom or Dad calling and waking you up every morning or managing your academic deadlines. This reflection will help you start to flesh out the systems you will need to thrive in college—whether that’s regular meetings with a collegiate learning specialist or an academic advisor, using a planner or app to track deadlines, or building a support network of peers and mentors.

By analyzing how you managed the college application process, you can begin to prepare for what’s next with clarity and confidence. And we’re here to help you secure the support you’ll need on your way to college success.