Brittany Levy

You never know when an opportunity will come your way, which is why it is important to keep your resume up-to-date and ready-for-use at all times. In particular, though, it is important to have an impressive resume when you are applying to college or to a job.

Once you have completed your college essays and sent in your college applications, you sigh in relief that you are finished with the college process, but in some cases, you aren’t done yet! Some institutions require (or at least recommend) that its students be interviewed by an alumni or admissions officer. Sure, this may sound intimidating and scary, but if done correctly, a college interview can be a great way to humanize yourself and prove that you are more than just a number.

If you have begun the college application process, you have probably heard - and feared - the words “Common App” over and over again. But for those of you who haven’t already heard this about a million times, the Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that 625 colleges across the United States use for their applications. This application requires a “Common App Supplement” that will be sent to every school to which you apply. The 2016-2017 essay prompts are as follows:

If you research the rankings of the top universities in the United States, you may notice that every source has slight variations. This discrepancy comes as a result of the fact that there is no single university that is better than all of the others. Instead, there are universities that specialize in different fields and that are better for certain types of people.

This is America’s first university. This is the school that has produced more billionaire alumni than any other institution. This is Playboy Magazine’s 2014 choice for the top party school in the country. This is...the University of Pennsylvania.

With over 2000 four-year colleges in the United States, each with unique opportunities, resources, and course offerings, it seems that just about every student should be able to find the perfect university for his/her needs. However, there are several factors to consider when choosing a school, thereby rendering the college process a difficult one.

Eleventh Grade Spring

Tenth Grade Fall

You may begin to feel stressed out simply by hearing the term “college process,” but don’t worry. The journey of being accepted to your dream school becomes a bit less formidable once it is broken down into simpler steps. I’m certainly not proposing that you should begin studying for the SAT in kindergarten during nap time, but, generally speaking, the earlier you begin to conquer the daunting process, the better! Careful planning mixed with assiduous dedication forms a perfect recipe for a successful college process - here’s a timeline to make sure that you’re on track! By following these steps, I eventually achieved my dream of getting into the University of Pennsylvania.