1) lay a good foundation

it’s never too early to start being strategic about getting into a good college. in fact, high school years are ideal for putting on the foundational stones. make sure you are doing well in all of your classes. sign up for extra tutoring on any subjects that are challenging for you. having good grades in high school is one of the best ways to ensure your acceptance into a top college later on. high school is also the time to pick up new hobbies or take on volunteering projects to boost your resume. think of what interests you and reflects your personality – is it digging into html coding, running a volunteer program that does beach clean-ups or learning korean? pick one or two extracurricular hobbies that demonstrate that you are a goal-oriented, high-energy person who is interested in life beyond the home couch.

2) start early

college applications consist of many things: high school transcripts, a personal essay, sat or act scores, recommendation letters, a financial plan and the like. check your dream university’s website to find out what is needed, as each institution has its own requirements. make a checklist of everything you will need as early as a year before the deadline. take both the sat and act tests just in case, and complete them as early as possible: this way you can still retake them if you are not happy with your scores. start collecting your documents at least six months before the due date so that you don’t have to cut any corners or pay for express mail deliveries. applying to colleges is expensive enough even with extra fedex charges. your personal essay should be finished about two months before the due date – thus you will have time to make any necessary changes before sending it off.

3) write a truthful essay

don’t worry about needing to sound smart in your personal essay or using high-brow words that are not in your usual vocabulary – this will make you seem pretentious. instead, tell your life story in your own everyday language. it’s always a good idea to start the essay with an anecdote to draw the reader in and to finish the essay by briefly coming back to that first scene again. make sure to show, not tell: instead of saying, “it was an exciting day,” you could explain that you first tried cliff jumping followed by paragliding. instead of noting that you were sad, you could explain that tears ran down your cheeks for 10 minutes. try to be concrete in your writing rather than relying on abstractions.

4) mind your grammar

nothing gets your application disqualified quicker than having glaring typos in it. make sure you fill out the paperwork in a stress-free situation, with an online dictionary handy. while writing your essay, double-check the proper spelling of difficult words. make sure not to mix up words like “their, they’re and there,” or “your and you’re.” after writing your personal essay, have a few family members or friends read it over. if they give you constructive criticism, don’t be offended – take note of the suggestions and make changes accordingly. sometimes we are blind to our own mistakes.

5) mail everything early

send off your college applications at least a month before they are actually due. this gives the post office enough time to get your important papers delivered on time, even if there are unexpected delays. the last thing you want to stress out about is your carefully crafted application not making it to the school before the deadline. take copies of all the documents before sending out the originals: you will want to have backup options, should anything get lost along the way.

about the author: mirva lempiäinen is a us-educated freelance journalist from finland. after calling new york city home for years, she now resides on the french-caribbean island of guadeloupe. she is a regular blogger for schoolapply.com, a site that connects international students with top universities abroad.

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one dilemma that nearly every college student will face is whether or not to live with a roommate. let’s face it, there are quite a few benefits to living alone. it means more privacy, more control over personal space, and the ability to avoid the experience of a bad roommate.

but with tuition price tags continuing to skyrocket, many students are opting to forego the comforts of living alone to cut back on expenses. though it may be less than ideal for some, the savings earned from living with a roommate throughout college may have a bigger impact on students’ financial futures than they might expect. here’s a look at exactly just how valuable a college roommate can be.

methodology

for this article, we first collected costs of both private and shared dorm rooms across more than 200 college campuses with the highest undergraduate enrollments. we then found average costs of both one bedroom and two bedroom off-campus apartments in those same cities.

the scenarios included in this article are built on several assumptions:

• we assume the student graduates from college in 4 years
• we assume the student spends the first two years of college living in an on-campus dorm and last two years living in an off-campus apartment
• while living in an off-campus apartment, we assume the student has signed a 12-month lease for each of the last two years of college
• we assume that in the instance the student lives with a roommate in a 2 bedroom, off-campus apartment, the lease is split 50:50, so the student is only paying half of the total rent

further detail on methodology and calculations are provided under each scenario below.

how much does living with a roommate in college save you?

living with a roommate can save renters up to $800 per month in some major cities. that’s just short of $10,000 in a year. but what about for college students who have the option to live on or off campus? we took a look at the average amount college students can save by living with a roommate during four years of college.

next, we took a look at the potential impact that savings like this could have on the financial future of college students.

what’s the value of living with a roommate in college?

we crunched the numbers and found that the money saved by having a roommate has a significant financial impact on students’ lives. due to rising costs of attending college, more students are taking out student loans to cover the expenses of their education, including the costs of housing. the latest stats show that 43.4 million americans currently have at least some student loans.

but regardless of how students are financing their education, $15,542 is a huge amount of savings. even a small percentage of that could have an enormous impact on their financial futures. here are a few examples.

in a savings account

with the budgets of college students being as tight as they are, it can be hard to set a little aside each month in a savings account. in fact, it turns out that saving is a habit that most americans struggle with, as 34% have nothing at all put away. but the earlier in life you get into the habit of saving, the better off you’ll be.

of those who are between the ages of 18 and 24 years old, 72% have less than $1,000 stashed away in savings. meaning when they leave college, they have almost virtually nothing to help them get started to find an apartment, invest in a professional wardrobe, and more.

“the biggest habit a college student can get into is saving a portion of his or her income,” said derek hagen of fireside financial, “saving is a powerful habit that will stick with you for life. your savings habits are a much bigger determinant of your future wealth than the returns on your investments. there are some guidelines out there, such as saving 10 or 15% of your income, but i feel that saving anything will start the process of becoming a saver. once you are a saver you will naturally want to save as much as you can”.

with that in mind, we took a look at what just 10% of the total average savings would mean for a college student.

in a rainy day fund

no matter how much we plan, unexpected events always seem to happen. and college students are not exempt from this; cars break down, emergency flights home are needed, and companies go through rounds of layoffs.

in these instances, it’s important to have some money set aside. but as with regular savings accounts, very few college students actually have money set aside to cover these unforeseen events.

a small portion of the above average savings, such as 5%, would be enough to get a small rainy day fund set up. in this case, a student could have $778 set aside to cover their next emergency without needing to max out a credit card.

for a down payment on a starter home

as students graduate from college and move on to the next stage in their lives, many are postponing buying a home. in fact, the median age for a first time homebuyer is 31 years old. and despite knowing that owning a home is a more financially sound decision than renting, most millennials don’t believe they can afford to take on a mortgage.

but even a small percentage of the average total savings from living with a roommate throughout college, such as 10%, could help soon-to-be graduates get a head start on saving up for a down payment on a starter home. for instance, in pittsburgh, $1,542 is 48% of the average down payment on a starter home. it’s 50% of an average down payment on a starter home in cleveland and 73% of an average down payment on a starter home in detroit.

in a retirement investment account

college students sometimes have a hard time understanding the need to start saving for retirement. after all, they haven’t even truly started their careers yet. why should they start planning for the end of them?

but those with the foresight to begin investing into a retirement investment account while still in school can take greater advantage of compound interest and have a little extra set aside for their golden years.

in student loan payments

while it might be nice to imagine college students setting aside their savings from living with a roommate, these scenarios are not necessarily realistic for most students. today, graduates from public universities have an average debt of $25,550 while graduates from private, nonprofit universities have an average debt of $32,200.

students who are using loans to finance their education should focus their attention on paying back their loans as quickly as possible and preventing interest from capitalizing. students can minimize the amount they need in loans in the first place by agreeing to live with a roommate throughout their college education. moreover, with an income, these savings can be used to begin paying back loans while students still attend classes.

for instance, here’s a look at how much a student who will have $39,967 in outstanding loans can have paid off by the time graduation comes around:

it turns out that a college roommate can be quite valuable. college students can save enough money to have a significant impact on their financial futures, as the savings are enough to make a dent in a savings account, an emergency fund, a down payment on a starter home, a retirement investment account, and perhaps most importantly, on student loan payments.

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what’s left? here’s no. 3:

myth 3: admissions officers will never know if a parent, tutor, teacher or college coach has “helped” a student with an essay. they won’t know if you plagiarized, either.

fact: there is a fine line between getting help and letting someone write part or all of your essay. while parents and others cannot always tell the difference, admissions officers know when someone other than a student writes a story. and they don’t like it. not one bit!

“if a student has an adult write it, the admissions committee can tell,” michigan state university’s director of admissions jim cotter.

many schools will automatically reject a student’s application, even if they merely suspect plagiarism. plagiarism is academic fraud and it can cause your application to be thrown out of consideration.

don’t try to recycle other people’s “winning” essays from previous years, some of which now are easily available on websites and in books. “i’ve read those books, too,” said amy jarich, assistant vice chancellor & director of undergraduate admissions at the university of california, berkeley. ”i know what you’re copying.”

stay tuned for myth no. 4

about the author: kim lifton is president of wow writing workshop, a strategic communications and content marketing company. wow students get into their top-choice colleges year after year.  let the national experts on the college essay guide you to your best story, and improve your chances of getting into the college of your dreams. want to find out how to find a great topic and make your essay good? watch this video, college essay crash course, the common app.

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here’s another tip:

myth 2: your college entrance essay should sound sophisticated, like hemingway or a college professor.

if your essay does not sound like you, admissions pros will be unimpressed, and it might not help you. please don’t try to sound different from the person you are. hemingway is not applying to college; you are. you do not want you to sound like any famous author, or your favorite intellect.

fact: the college essay is your story, and it should be written using your words, and in your voice. you are 16 or 17, a high school senior, and you should sound like one. not your mom. not your dad. not your english teacher. not the writer down the street. and not me, the writing coach.

ditch the thesaurus, too. write your essay with the words and expressions you use in everyday conversations with your friends.

“i wish i saw more of a thoughtful voice of a 17-year-old,” said duke university dean of undergraduate admissions christoph guttentag. “by the time the application comes to us, many of them have gone through so many hands that the essays are sanitized.”

stay tuned for myth no. 3

about the author: kim lifton is president of wow writing workshop, a strategic communications and content marketing company. wow students get into their top-choice colleges year after year.  let the national experts on the college essay guide you to your best story, and improve your chances of getting into the college of your dreams. want to find out how to find a great topic and make your essay good? watch this video, college essay crash course, the common app.

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even if you were captain of the swim team, a member of the school chorus, and an honor roll student, it’s pretty likely that there’s something in your academic background that you consider a weakness. here’s how you can overcome those weaknesses and position yourself for success in the college application process.

start your planning early

the best way to address weaknesses in your academic and personal background is to avoid them. while this may sound impossible, if you create an action plan for yourself early in your high school career, you’ll be less likely to end up with deficits to surmount when it comes time to apply to college.

so, what’s the plan?

choose courses that are challenging, with context. use your own strengths and interests as a guide when selecting advanced courses.

• if you’re really interested in history, but less so in science, then choose to take an honors or ap course in american history or world history instead of chemistry. the higher your interest level, the easier it is to put in the extra time required for an advanced class.

structure the demands of your school work, extracurricular activities, and paid work to balance one another as best you can.

• a student who decides to play a spring sport, act in the end-of-year musical production, and take multiple ap classes is setting herself up for a major time crunch.being overscheduled and overwhelmed will lead to errors, which could become weaknesses on your application. when deciding what activities to participate in, consider staggering them with your other commitments, like school work or a job.

it’s ok to start wide with extracurricular activities, but don’t forget to narrow them down.

• i am frequently asked how many clubs and teams students should join to get into college. contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to participate in 15 different extracurricular activities to get into college. in fact, colleges are looking for an applicant who has gone deep into 1 or 2 activities, meaning that the student demonstrates her commitment to the activity by taking on increasing responsibility over time. in your first year of high school, it’s great to try out a number of different activities that pique your interest. by doing so, you’ll be able to find the activities that really spark your passion, which will shine through in your application and help you set yourself apart. but don’t forget to focus your time and efforts in the activities that really matter to you. in the end, you’ll win with quality over quantity.

test like a pro

testing is another area in which a little planning goes a long way.

instead of choosing which admissions test to sign up for based on your friends’ suggestions, start the testing process by taking practice tests for both the sat and act. you’ll find which test is better suited to your skills to increase the chances of a strong score.

don’t wait til the last minute to take your tests, i.e., your senior year. take your first sat/ act in the spring of your junior year if possible, and no later than the summer before your senior year. that way, if you’re not happy with your initial scores, you’ll have plenty of time to retake the test. if you start the process early and put in the time to prepare, you can avoid the conundrum of addressing a low score altogether.

if you plan to apply to the most competitive schools, you will likely need to take sat subject tests. research these requirements as soon as you start narrowing down your list of schools. it’s best to take sat subject tests as soon as you’ve finished the relevant coursework, even as early as your sophomore year. proper timing will ensure that you have the material fresh in your mind and won’t have a backlog of tests in your senior year.

use all the portions of your application to highlight your strengths

even with the best planning, most students approach the college application process with one or two gaps in their admissions package. first, remember that colleges are not looking for perfect applicants. the admissions officers are human too, and know that no one always lives up to his own expectations.

moreover, applicants don’t have to rely solely on their numbers to demonstrate their strengths and make the case for their acceptance. while it would be great if the common app were shorter and had fewer questions, the plus side to all those sections is that they give students plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and qualifications. here are some examples of common weaknesses and how to employ all the pieces of an application to counterbalance them.

i bombed geometry. how do i demonstrate to colleges that i have decent math skills?

• math skills are more than just academic; they’re meant to be practical. so, show off a way you have successfully applied your math abilities in real life. focus on your experience as the treasurer of an extracurricular group or spearheading a fundraiser to demonstrate your number sense. tell the story of how hard you worked to save money from your summer. see, you’ve already got a choice of subjects for your personal statement.

i’ve participated in a bunch of extracurricular activities, but i’ve never been the captain or president. how do i demonstrate leadership skills?

• don’t forget about the letters of recommendation. a teacher can describe the leadership you’ve shown in the classroom through the example you’ve set for your classmates.  a coach can talk about the critical role you played on a team by promoting the bond among your teammates. the best way to make sure your recommenders share this critical information to balance out your weakness is to tell them about your concerns in advance. and, when possible, choose recommenders who know you well and with whom you have a good relationship. by sharing this information with your recommender, you’ll have an ally in the application process.

my freshman year grades were weak, and bring down my gpa.

• college admissions officers know that it takes some students longer to adapt to life in high school, and that their first-year grades will reflect that rough transition. the good news is that colleges look very favorably on transcripts that demonstrate a positive upward trajectory over time. in other words, colleges like to see a student who has matured and improved over the course of her high school career. for students with this sort of transcript, applications become a question of strategy and game theory. if you’re certain that your 1^st semester senior year grades will boost your overall gpa, then you may want to bypass the early decision application deadline and wait until the regular decision deadline to submit an application with a higher gpa. conversely, applicants who have their hearts set on a reach school and who know that their gpas will remain static over senior may choose to apply during the early decision round to demonstrate their deep interest in and commitment to that college.

conclusion

the college application process is stressful enough without panicking over perceived weaknesses in your application. remember to stay true to yourself, and pursue what interests you most. with some planning and strategy, your true personality and strengths will shine through in your application, and you’ll be on your way.

about the author: jennie thoman is the director of admissions at  www.admitadvantage.com, a leading admissions consultancy, and www.admit.me, a free admissions social network with the goal of leveling the admissions playing field. jennie graduated with honors from harvard law school, where she was editor of the harvard civil rights-civil liberties law review. she received her bachelor of arts in english literature from princeton university.

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despite massive growth in computer science employment opportunities over the past decade, women are still highly underrepresented. in fact, according to a report from fortune, the number of female computing professionals has fallen by 35% since 1990. in 2013, women represented only 26% of all computer science professionals.

in an effort to turn this male-dominated field into a more gender-balanced industry, many changes have started to take place. to start, there’s been a push from organizations such as  girls who code and girls, inc. to encourage female students to become interested and involved in technology at an earlier age. and at the college level, universities have begun to tailor their computer science programs to be more inclusive. these efforts seem to be making a difference with the percentage of female students completing a computer science degree increasing by 76% over the past five years.

we took a look at the top-ranked u.s. universities for computer science that are also offering an inclusive environment for female students looking to enter into the industry.

methodology

for this ranking, we consulted a variety of authoritative resources including the national center for education statistics, u.s. news & world report, startclass, and payscale to create a list of what we believe to be the top computer science programs for women in the u.s. our report includes data points for each school including acceptance rate, tuition, popularity rank of the computer science program, the percentage of female students within the computer science program, graduation rate, and average starting salary.

top 20 programs

harvey mudd college

dartmouth college

harvard university

rice university

pennsylvania state

massachusetts institute of technology

college of william and mary

university of southern california

emory university

princeton university

georgetown university

columbia university

north carolina state university

university of notre dame

carnegie mellon university

cornell university

university of north carolina – charlotte

university of california – berkeley

university of pennsylvania

california institute of technology

top 45 programs

to see the full list of rankings, visit the studysoup blog.

scholarship opportunities for women in computer science

in an effort to continue increasing the number of women in computer science, both universities and outside organizations alike are raising scholarship funds geared specifically towards helping female stem students. these include:

women techmakers scholars program

sponsored by google, the women techmakers scholars program looks to create further gender equality within the computer science field. the scholarship program is divided into three regions:

• north america
• europe, the middle east, and africa
• asia pacific

in addition to the scholarship award, the program consists of a retreat and online community as opportunities to connect with fellow women in the field.

visit the scholarship site here.

society of women engineers golden gate high school scholarship program

the society of women engineers golden gate section (swe-ggs) offers several scholarship awards to female high school graduates in the bay area who are moving on to pursue degrees in engineering and computer science. last year alone, the organization awarded more than $18,000 in scholarship funds.

visit the scholarship site here.

women in defense horizons scholarship

the goal of the women in defense horizons scholarship is to encourage women to pursue careers in national security and defense. the award amount varies each year. aside from computer science, applicants can choose to pursue a further education and career in engineering, cyber security, international relations, political science, economics, security studies, military history, government relations, physics, math, business or law.

visit the scholarship site here.

michigan council of women in technology foundation

the michigan council of women in technology’s mission is to inspire women to enter the technology space within the state of michigan. the scholarship is awarded to members of the girls exploring together: information technology organization. other than its annual scholarship, the organization has created a robust community of fellow women in the industry to act as mentors and supporters.

visit the scholarship site here.

studysoup women in technology scholarship

as a company driven to help students succeed, we know that college is an important step along with many career paths, but it can be expensive. students can upload notes to studysoup to lighten their financial burden. however, we still felt like we could do more to give back to the future leaders of the world. we also believe that it is our responsibility to foster innovation in the field of technology and help underrepresented students break down barriers. therefore, we are offering a $2,000 women in technology scholarship to an outstanding female student who is planning a career in the field of computer science and/or computer programming.

visit the scholarship site here.

awc scholarship fund for women in computing

sponsored by the ann arbor chapter of the association for women in computing, this scholarship is open to female students pursuing a degree in computer science or a technology-related field. the goal of the organization is to increase the visibility of women working in tech-heavy fields.

visit the scholarship site here.

microsoft research women’s fellowship program

the microsoft women’s fellowship program was founded to provide opportunities to women working in research and technology. the award is given to a female graduate student enrolled in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, or bioinformatics.

visit the scholarship site here.

palantir women in technology scholarship

palantir’ scholarship is available to full-time undergraduate female computer science students. the organization awards up to $10,000 in scholarships to recipients each year. additionally, scholarship winners are given the opportunity to visit the palantir headquarters in palo alto for a full-day workshop alongside the company’s top female employees. select winners are also eligible to participate in an internship program.

visit the scholarship site here.

adobe research women in technology scholarship

in order to create even more innovative technologies, adobe is working to bring more gender diversity to the technology industry. it’s $10,000 women in technology scholarship is available to female undergraduate computer science students all over the world. the program also offers a free one-year subscription to creative cloud, access to an adobe research mentor, and an opportunity to interview for an internship within the company.

visit the scholarship site here.

buildium women in technology scholarship

buildium is offering a $2,500 scholarship each semester to women earning a stem degree in a u.s. or canadian university. the application requires applicants include a brief essay explaining which female tech leader most inspires them and why. applicants must also be in good standing with their university.

visit the scholarship site here.

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if you’re here, you’re probably looking to improve your writing. whether you’re crafting an admissions essay or preparing for a standardized test, such as the writing section of the act, improving your writing is a very worthy goal.

even if you’ve already studied all the necessary content and done practice writing tests, putting your knowledge to paper is not always a simple task.

but you don’t have to lose points due to difficulties communicating through the written word. remember that most standardized tests say that they are not marking your writing per se, but that they are looking for clarity of thought. this is because they know that good writing is impossible if you do not clearly understand what you are trying to say.

improving your writing is often as simple as improving your clarity. since writing and clarity go hand in hand, a reader can understand your ideas and arguments only if you’ve communicated them effectively on the page. by focusing on attaining correct, cohesive, and convincing writing—that is, the three cs of writing—you can achieve clarity and thus improve your writing.

be correct

writing errors inherently compromise clarity. grammar and spelling errors can negatively affect your writing, your clarity, and, ultimately, your score. graders work fast, and while you likely won’t lose marks for a few grammar mistakes, testers might find themselves concentrating more on errors than on the content.

therefore, revision is crucial. set aside some time to reduce the number and severity of errors in your writing. this includes catching spelling and grammar errors, reducing repetition, ensuring smooth transitions between thoughts, and more. if you find yourself struggling to grasp english mechanics, check out the student’s guide to grammar and punctuation.

ensuring clarity through correctness also involves attention to language. here, simplicity is key. simple sentences are better than long, convoluted ones. this is also true for vocabulary; don’t use a long word just for the sake of sounding smarter.

finally, pay attention to voice. for example, it’s generally best to use the active voice (e.g., “shakespeare wrote hamlet“) and avoid the passive voice (e.g., “hamlet was written by shakespeare”).

be cohesive

writing without good structure is often unclear and disjointed. therefore, any long or essay-style answers require a clear structure. the general structure of these is as follows: an introduction (with your thesis), a body (with your arguments and evidence), and then a conclusion (to sum up the main points).

on a larger scale, focus on splitting up your paragraphs logically by argument. be sure to use transitions throughout to present clear connections between each paragraph. on a smaller scale, mold each paragraph to follow the same clear structure as the full piece, in which the topic sentence acts as an introduction, the middle sentences as a body, and the final sentence as a conclusion.

don’t forget to keep referring back to your thesis. each sentence should be related to it in some way, either in giving background information for the thesis, explaining your perspective on it, proving it, or summarizing it. be careful not to get sidetracked or lose focus. if you do, don’t be afraid to cut sentences or reframe your argument; your writing will benefit from this in the long run.

be convincing

your ideas will be unclear if they are not developed to explain your intended meaning or supported to back up your claims. accordingly, it’s not only important to practice the conventions of writing and the structure of your writing but also to practice developing the content of your writing. along with being correct and cohesive, you’ll have to be convincing to achieve good writing and thus good scores.

reinforcing your thesis with all the relevant evidence and examples you can conjure will allow you to be convincing, so place emphasis on giving concrete examples and evidence throughout. that is, reason your thoughts well and be convincing in your reasoning. a reader should never question your stance, so be sure to acknowledge counterarguments and address them appropriately when necessary. backing up your chosen argument in your writing will help sell it to the reader, and addressing counterarguments will help you remain convincing even if the answer is not necessarily black and white.

conclusion

while it’s true that standardized tests should grade your thoughts, knowledge, and practice, demonstrating the depth and breadth of these facets on paper requires good writing skills. concentrating on writing a correct, cohesive, and convincing essay—that is, practicing and executing the three cs of writing—is a good place to start to improve your writing and your writing scores.
 
jes gonzalez is a magician and a mechanic; that is to say, she creates pieces of writing from thin air to share as a writer, and she cleans up the rust and grease of other pieces of writing as an editor at scribendi.com. when jes isn’t conjuring or maintaining sentences, she’s devouring them, always hungry for more words. connect with scribendi on facebook or twitter today!

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are you about to become an employee but don’t yet have a degree? it’s a challenge — not to mention daunting if you haven’t even started college yet — but you can succeed.

a georgetown university’s study found that over 25 percent of students combined full-time employment with full-time college enrollment in 2015. for many students, it’s the only way to deal with tuition, fees, room and board. their total cost ranges from $18,943 in public colleges to $42,419 in private universities. unfortunately, even having a full-time job, a student won’t cover a loan debt of $30,100.

such financial stresses can be devastating but there are things you can learn that will help you both now and in the future. for example, you can develop an ability to plan and work within strict deadlines.

if you’ve faced a necessity to combine both full-time occupations make sure you know how to tackle it. ask yourself what goals you plan to achieve by the end of the year and what kpis will define their success.

here are some tips that can be useful for a working student.

1. use tools to plan and remember things.

be both a planner and executor. many people like to plan a lot and might get bored completing each task. a working student doesn’t have that luxury.

be both a planner and an executor. your memory may let you down so plan tasks so you don’t forget them. create a schedule and use professional tools to help you with time management. some of our suggestions are mobile apps so you can access them at any time place. there are hundreds of “to do” apps and tools to help conquer your bad planning habit. trello is also a great virtual planner. it’s simple structure allows you to see all your past, current, and future tasks. todoist is another task manager that includes motivating reminders to complete a task, even if you’ve missed the deadline. and it automatically synchronizes on all devices. lastly, evernote allows you to write down ideas that always slip out of your mind on the way to work.

2. prioritize and stay focused.

write a “10 important thing to do today” note at the beginning of each day, and mark what is a priority and what isn’t. use the hotel 5-start system (5 stars for urgent, 1 star for not-so-urgent) or exclamation marks to note what’s important. try not to scatter your focus. even if your due date has past (and you still need to complete the task), stay focused. learn how to take decisions and prioritize when all points in your to-do list seem equally important. if you feel like panicking begin with the required time for each task. then compare it with the priority signs and you’ll see what should be done first.

pro tip: keep your work and school to-do lists seperate. mixing them only weakens your concentration and lowers the quality of your performance.

3. find yourself a tutor for the weakest subjects.

you can’t be good at everything. thus, if you feel some subjects are difficult to master, you should consider hiring a professional tutor. it will save you lots of time and help you become more confident in lecture. for working students, skype lessons are the best alternative. you can have a lesson at any time comfortable for you and a teacher. one of the services you can use to seek for a tutor is preply. it has gathered native speakers of all languages in one place. as usually, the charge depends on credentials and experience of a tutor. apart from these criteria, pay attention to the people’s reviews and a set of skills your tutor obtains.

4. stop struggling with a work-study-life balance.

there are thousands of articles on the art of balancing. some bloggers recommend yoga and meditation, but that’s two extra hours of your day. our tip? stop struggling for balance and stick to the initial plan. balance and harmony are too elusive for a working student. when your efforts become useless, you may feel disappointed and frustrated.

5. eat, sleep and give yourself one full day of rest.

put your health and well-being above all your errands. these things mostly depend on what you eat and how well you rest. you cannot function efficiently without a balanced diet and at least 7 hours of sleep. when you choose between getting to bed or finishing your homework, always choose the former. there’s no point trying to do schoolwork when you’re sleepy and low on energy. you can finish the same task twice as fast in the morning with a clear mind and relaxed eyes. be attentive and listen to yourself working and studying full-time.

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staying motivated and finishing your applications on time is just as important in february or march as it is in november. see these five tips to staying on track with college applications!

1. create a calendar

compile your final application deadlines and work backwards from those dates. what needs to happen before the due date? set yourself a timeline for when you should be sending scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. make sure that you are budgeting enough time to complete supplemental essays and to fill out the application itself. your internal deadlines for these tasks should be set much earlier than the actual date. give yourself extra time in case emergencies come up!

2. prioritize your tasks

once you have your calendar set, prioritize your tasks based off of importance. time management for students is key. handle time-sensitive issues, such as sending test scores, first. for longer-term aspects, like writing your supplemental essays, make sure you’re budgeting enough time to include a few round of edits. even if essays don’t always seem like the first priority, they still take a lot of time. don’t leave them for the last minute!

3. set aside time every week for applications

if you can consistently set aside the same amount of time every day or every week to work on your applications, you will be much more productive. mark off a few hours to dedicate to your applications. you might have less work now that most schools’ deadlines have passed, but don’t underestimate the amount of energy these applications take! when you sit down to work, put away your phone, turn off the tv, and remove any other distractions. especially once the new school semester picks up after winter break, setting aside this time is key towards working efficiently and effectively.

4. review your work

always budget in time to review your work. especially with an extended timeline and the stress of the january 1st deadline behind you, your later applications should be as polished as possible. give yourself time to work through multiple edits of your essays. revisit your personal statement and double check everything on your common app. before you submit, look through some last minute college application tips and have a family member or a friend or a stranger (or all three) read through your application for grammar and typos.

5. prepare for your interviews

interviews are your chance to show a school the type of person, roommate, and classmate you will be on campus. a bad interview could stop the momentum of your application; an exceptionally good interview could be the tipping point into the acceptance pile. and while interviews typically will not make or break your application, you should still take this process seriously. factor in time for a practice session with a parent or older sibling, look put together at your interview, and show up on time.

don’t let later deadlines or later interviews affect your motivation! staying organized and on task is the key to keeping yourself on track to finishing your applications. once the rush of most regular deadlines is over, you have a great opportunity to reassess, organize, and focus.
 
hannah smith is a graduate of stanford university and an admissions expert at ingenius prep.

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the admission interview is about getting to know you as a person, not just a collection of test scores and extracurricular activities. of course, that sounds nice, but it doesn’t make interviews less nerve-wracking. as if applying for college wasn’t stressful enough, you’re supposed to sit down with a stranger and sell them on why you’re a good fit for their school too?! ugh.

but before you start panicking, think of admission interviews this way: they’re your chance to show colleges how excited you are to attend their school—and that can give your application a major boost. it’s like your secret weapon for getting admitted!

so if you want to rock your college admission interviews (and you probably do), follow this advice…

practice, practice, practice!

the more you practice, the easier your college interview will be. you can start by reading sample interview questions and writing some notes down. then say your answers aloud. if you want to level up, try practicing in front of a mirror and/or with a recording device. (oh, it’ll be awkward as hell, but it can also be super helpful!)

perhaps the best practice of all is with another person, especially someone with admission interview experience. that could be a parent or guidance counselor, or it could be an older sibling or friend who’s already had a college interview.

here are some common—and a few not so common—admission interview questions to practice with:

• the big one: why do you want to go to [insert college name here]? is it because the college is home to a professor you’re dying to learn from? a mind-blowing performance space? an entrepreneurial student body? a winning lacrosse team? really put some time, thought, and research into your answer for this question—for every school you’re interviewing with. show them why you’re a match made in education heaven.
• >how have you contributed to your high school/what will you contribute to this college? what have you done to make the world a better place, and how do you hope to do so in the future? that’s what you should draw on to answer this question.
• what are your academic interests? even if you don’t have a major picked out, you should be able to discuss the academic subjects you’re most passionate about—key word being “passionate.”
• what’s your favorite book and why? this question is about more than rattling off an impressive title and author; it’s a great opportunity to highlight both your personality and values through the book you pick.
• what’s your biggest weakness? this question is really about showing how you overcome those weaknesses. being willing to show vulnerability and a desire to grow and improve are clutch too.
• if you could be any crayon in the crayola 64 pack, which would you be and why? admission officers ask offbeat questions like this to get a sense of your creativity. there are no wrong answers, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box! (here are some tips for answering particularly tough interview questions.)
• how would you get a round peg through a square hole? similar to the “crayola” question above, brainteaser questions like this are trying to gauge your critical-thinking and analytical skills. so if you get asked one, take your time and be as thoughtful as possible in your response. again, there are no wrong answers, so just do your best.

here are 13 more helpful college interview questions to practice with.

write down your talking points in advance

you’ll be expected to talk about your strengths and accomplishments during your interviews. and you want to have some specific ideas and anecdotes in the back of your mind on interview day.

make a list of five to 10 personality traits you want to highlight in your interview; for example, are you particularly determined, empathetic, creative? then try to come up with a few specific examples from your life that illustrate those traits. these interview talking points can get you started:

• your proudest moment
• your favorite memories
• your biggest challenges
• times you overcame adversity
• people you admire
• new experiences you want to have in college

maybe you showed great determination by spearheading a high school cleanup club. or you demonstrated your empathy by knitting scarves and hats for deployed soldiers. or you spent weeks painting a creative picture that now hangs in your high school guidance office. these are the things the admission committee wants to hear about.

do your homework

during the interview admission folks are trying to figure out if you’re a good fit for their school—and you can’t show you’re a good fit unless you know what the school is all about. do your research to get a sense of what the college values, its mission statement, its strengths, and its weaknesses. try to make connections between those things and your own interests, goals, and experiences.

you should also find out the logistics of the admission interview itself. will your interview be one-on-one with an admission rep or alumnus? will you be in a small group? how long should it last? gather as much info about the interview as you can so you go in feeling prepared.

develop a calming routine

this is the kind of life hack you can use way after your college interviews. the gist is to develop a calming routine around something you look forward to and do regularly. maybe it’s seeing your best friend on the weekend or going to baseball practice. before you head out to those activities, do the exact some routine every time: for example, you might take a shower, stretch for two minutes, listen to your favorite song, and eat an apple. then, the next time you have to do something stressful (like an interview), go through your same calming routine, as if you were about to do that thing you enjoy. it will trick your brain, and it works like magic.

dress appropriately

two words: business casual. if you’re not sure what that means, there are oodles of outfit guides online (i like this infographic from purdue university’s career center). but, in general, we’re talking dress pants, sweaters, button-down shirts, nice shoes, etc. no jeans, no graphic t-shirts, no sneakers, and no ripped or stained clothing. if you’re going to be touring the campus or just walking around a lot before or after your interview, you may want to pack a change of clothes.

speak thoughtfully

that means taking your time (remember, we’re prone to rushing when we’re nervous!) and trying to eliminate “umms,” “ahs,” and “likes” from your speech. it’s also okay to pause for a few seconds to collect your thoughts; in fact, it shows just how thoughtful you are!

ask insightful questions

at the end of your admission interview, you will almost certainly hear this: “do you have any questions for me?” do not say “no” to this question! after doing the research mentioned above, you should be able to come up with three to five meaningful questions for your admission interviewer. (pro tip: write your questions down on paper, just in case your phone dies.) for example, “what does student-faculty mentoring look like here?” or “what kinds of students are happiest here?”

but, whatever you do, don’t ask basic questions you could easily answer with a google search. your interviewer will not appreciate hearing “how much is tuition?” trust.

the most important admission interview advice of all…

be yourself. sure, it’s cliché, but it’s also your best bet and a good mantra. after all, you’ve been you your whole life—so you’re ready for whatever the interviewer throws at you!

bonus: rapid-fire interview tips!

• take a deep breath before you go in.
• make eye contact.
• have a firm (but not crushing) handshake.
• strike a tone that’s friendly but professional.
• if it’s your first interview, it’s okay to say so.
• bring paper copies of your résumé, transcript, and test scores, just in case.
• say thank you when you’re done and send a thank-you e-mail later on.
• chew gum if you’re nervous. (no, seriously, it helps.)
• don’t forget to spit your gum out before your interview.

jessica tomer is the editor-in-chief for collegexpress, a free college and scholarship search site designed to guide students through the entire college journey—admission, financial aid, majors, campus visits, you name it. she is an education advocate, storyteller, and grammar nerd. like many of her fellow emerson college alumni, jessica is a news junkie and bookworm. you can get in touch with her on twitter: @collegexpress or @jessicatomer.

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