Tips on Mistakes to Avoid When Tackling University Applications

1. 1. According to Charles Dickens, “procrastination is the thief of time.” My best advice to you is to not underestimate the amount of time it will take you to get your applications done – especially once the academic year begins and you have to juggle coursework with extracurricular activities. Most students start a Common Application account, take a look at it and leave it for later. That’s always a mistake!
   2. Think BEFORE you Write: Take a look at the full list of essays each university requires, have a list of characteristics or experiences you’d like to highlight in your applications for reference, and decide how this is best done with the essay prompts you have for this particular university. In other words, brainstorm and plan for every essay for a given university, before beginning the writing process. Make sure you come across as a well-rounded applicant by including something about your community service, your leadership/collaborative skills, and so on.
   3. Fill out the supplement and choose your intended major BEFORE you begin your essays. For one, you don’t want to write an essay about how you intend to major in x when the university does not offer that field.  Two, some universities have phantom essays which only appear after you choose which faculty or college you will be applying to.  Engineering majors might have one essay to tackle while Business majors might have a completely different essay to write.  You do not want these to suddenly appear the night before the deadline as you’re getting ready to press Submit.
   4. Avoid controversial or risky topics. These include politics and sex as well as the 3 D’s: Death, Divorce, and Depression. Produce a personal statement or essay that is upbeat, interesting, and insightful in order to engage the reader.
   5. When asked why you wish to attend X university, do not produce generic essays talking about small classes, professors that are accessible, the positive campus vibe, the weather, or state-of-the-art labs. Remember that specificity matters so do in-depth research and be original.
   6. Don’t rush your work before deadlines. A rushed job is often a poor job, and will likely be followed by regret about having made mistakes which might have been avoidable given more time. Plus, if you suddenly realize that you must enter information (such as your grade 9 marks) before you submit on Sunday (night of the deadline) but have no access to your school counselor to provide these to you before submitting, then you’re in trouble.
   7. Always remember that nothing worth having comes easy. You will have to make some sacrifices in order to have time to produce high quality applications and essays. That will likely entail less time with friends, on social media, watching Netflix, or playing videogames!

Most successful students begin their work early, keep a steady pace, get things done in advance of deadlines, and end up reaping the benefits of being organized and on top of tasks! Keep in mind that there is an end in sight and the tassel will be worth the hassle!