Advice from the Class of 2019 to the Class of 2020
Posted by Harper Orr on 9/1/2019
Dear Miramonte Class of 2020,
With the talk of college applications in full bloom, I thought it might be a great time to give some advice from what I learned over the last year. Throughout my junior and senior years, my older friends never hesitated to give me advice on the college application process. At the time, I ignored most of it. Now, after a year of watching triumphs and heartbreaks, I have similar advice. I know that the college process can seem daunting, but I hope that with some advice from past seniors, you can avoid some of the stress that the college application process brings.
The college process as a whole brings on a lot of different emotions. At times, you can feel hopeless, but by the end, hopefully, you will finish feeling triumphant. When I was applying to college last year, I made the mistake of falling in love with one school. I was so enamored by it that I applied early. When I got deferred, I felt like I would never find the right college for me. I lacked the perspective that I have now. Looking back, it wasn’t a school where I would have thrived. My new perspective has helped reinforce my belief that everyone ends up where they are meant to be. Over the last year, some of my friends faced the worst rejection they had ever felt. Now, they are all at college, and could not be happier with the final result. My biggest advice to seniors is to keep an open mind to different or unexpected possibilities. If you do your best to not get stuck on one college, you will eliminate a lot of stress from the whole process.
If you don’t take my advice, hopefully, some advice from other graduates from the Class of 2019 will help make your college process easier!
❋ Get applications done by Thanksgiving because I saw many friends stress over it during Winter Break. - Declan Brady
❋ Find a college that accommodates what you’re looking for, not one that seems easy to go to or prestigious. And when you do find that place, apply using your interests as the main point. - Malcolm Tom
❋ Don’t be stressed, and don’t compare yourself to others! - Ethan Yen
❋ Write essay outlines during the summer. Research various college policies on AP credit. Take virtual or real tours of campuses. It’s the simple things; stuff that I was too lazy to do at the time. - Alexander Chen
❋ Make a list of dates that you need to have stuff done by and work backwards from there because that would have reduced a lot of stress for me. - Emily Huston
❋ If you don't get into your ED school, don't panic and apply to too many safety schools. You have to trust the process; you'll end up where you're meant to end up. - Maya Harrison
❋ Be productive and get your essays done quickly. Don't compare where you're applying to the schools that your friends are applying to. - Anna Wong
