Applying to colleges can be daunting enough but to do it without a guidance counselor seems almost impossible!! This entire process can be simplified into an easier approach if you stick to these tips.
Tip 1: Visit University Websites - at least the ones that you know about.
- Look for its academic requirements which will have to be met. These may include the scores of your English proficiency tests, your school transcripts, your SAT scores and your letter of recommendation.
- Ask a teacher who has been educating you on the subject you wish to take up as your major. This will reflect your personality, attitude, and intuitiveness in the class.
- Look at the courses offered by these universities [especially the ones that interest you] and the specific requirements of those courses. This can help you choose your further subjects and meet their requirements.
- Find out more about their on-campus activities and job opportunities for students, which would interest you.
Tip 2: Create an Excel sheet to record each requirement of different universities that you are applying to.
- Organizing your work is the key! In the excel sheet make a list including the requirements of each university you choose to apply to, for instance, application deadlines, scholarships available, test scores, etc.
- Keep updating this excel sheet after every task you complete. It’ll help you ease through the entire process with minimum stress.
Tip 3: Talk to People about their university experiences.
- Get in touch with alumni, current students or even the admissions officer at the university itself. They can answer any question you might have regarding living abroad, the education, the coursework or even the campus lifestyle of the current students there.
- They can also help you through your application process which will help you negate the unnecessary errors that might affect your application.
- Yocket discussions and group chats are communities of great people who might guide you from the start of your application process until the visa and pre-departure.
Tip 4: Google It! Google is your bible.
- Learn about the scholarships available for the universities you applied to. They can help in relieving your financial burdens.
- Education loans are yet another option for financing your education abroad.
- Get to know the living costs in the city where the university is located and plan ahead to cover these costs [getting on-campus jobs, internships or starting to save up from the day you step in a foreign country. ].
- Finding cheap and accessible living arrangements is also a vital part of the process after you are accepted by the university you applied to.
Tip 5: Attend relevant University Events in India.
- Yocket organizes several of these events, which help students who plan to study abroad for their undergraduate. You can also keep watching our webinars to get further knowledge about how to apply to colleges if your school does not have a guidance counselor.
- Representatives from universities give seminars, which give students a deeper insight into education at the university.
- EdUSA & other such organizations also have webinars on a regular basis about different aspects of the application process, you should attend those too.
Last but not the least to say is that MAKE SURE YOU ARE MEETING THE DEADLINES! Can’t stress this enough!
