For many seniors, college applications are in progress with deadlines rapidly approaching. This article features advice for applicants from the Dos Pueblos High School counselors.
Choosing Colleges
Alyssa Hufschmid, a counselor at DPHS, said that it is essential to consider colleges from an individual perspective when deciding where to apply.
“I think a lot of people get stuck on a couple of popular schools that we hear about,” Hufschmid said. “But what’s going to make your experience is that it’s the right college for you. So not getting hung up on good and bad colleges. There’s no such thing. It’s just whether it’s a good place for you and a place where you can be successful.”
Hufschmid also emphasized the personal element of applying to colleges.
“You get to pick them,” Hufschmid said. “It’s not just them saying yes or no to you … [try] taking that stress out of it and feeling like it’s an exciting, personal thing that you’re doing.”
Natalie Douglas works in the DPHS College and Career Center and supports students with writing college applications. She said that she looks at the process as “matchmaking” instead of a competition.
“Every student is different,” Douglas explained. “Every college is unique and different in their needs. We’re not competing with each other for schools, we’re finding the best fit for us.”
SCOIR
SCOIR is a website and app that students can utilize while planning for college and future careers. DPHS counselor Susie Stone recommends that seniors update their college list there.
“That’s the best way [for students] to communicate to their counselor their schools, their deadlines, and … also to let teachers who are writing them letters of rec know,” Stone said.
Stone added that SCOIR is also a helpful tool for organization.
“I love it because in SCOIR, I can see exactly what’s happening and when they’ve applied,” Stone said. “SCOIR organizes their deadlines for them, and even provides, with each school, a checklist of things to do. So, I feel like they should start with SCOIR.”
Time Management and Organization
Douglas said that it is important to “work smarter, not harder” during the application process.
“My first tip is always to work on your college list, figure out what schools you want to apply to, what those schools need, and then go from there,” Douglas said. “Sometimes, students make the mistake of starting an essay, or getting letters of recommendation, but they’re only applying to UCs and Cal States that require neither of those.”
Hufschmid explained that students should be aware of college requirements before the deadlines.
“It’s really important that students know what their colleges are requiring, the application materials … especially letters of recommendation, because those require other people to be helping,” Hufschmid said. “If we find out about deadlines on the deadline … it’s tricky.”
Douglas said that the CommonApp can be a useful tool for organizing college information. It provides a “matrix” that outlines the requirements for each school and their deadlines.
University of California Personal Insight Questions
The Personal Insight Questions are opportunities for the students applying to University of California schools to demonstrate who they are beyond just the numbers.
“It shouldn’t be something that you’re just listing off of a resume,” Stone said. “It’s understanding who you are, what motivates you, the challenges that you’ve faced … that should be the goal in this.”
She went on to explain that the UCs utilize a specific process called “comprehensive review” to evaluate applications. During this process, specific areas are considered within applications. The Personal Insight Questions give students the opportunity to highlight these areas within their application.
“The fact is, the majority of colleges don’t do personal interviews,” Stone said. “The essay responses are essentially your chance to be interviewed, to share what you would share if you were actually talking to them.”
Hufschmid also emphasized the importance of personalizing the essays.
“They’re not meant to be an English Literature essay,” Hufschmid said. “They’re really meant to be about the student.”
Logistics
When filling out the CommonApp or UC application, it can be useful to have a transcript on hand.
“I think a lot of students will also do it off of Aeries, but I feel like the Aeries layout can be a little more challenging,” Stone said. “We have, as counselors, the opportunity to give that pretty PDF version … it’s much easier to read off of.”
The block schedule can also be tricky to navigate when applying to colleges.
Stone explained that a big mistake she sees is students selecting a quarter system because DPHS has four terms.
“Even though we’re on a block schedule, whenever the application will ask what kind of school calendar, it’s semesters,” Stone said. “It’s always semesters, because we’re getting two grades for most of our classes. That’s what a semester system does, it gives you two grades.”
Hufschmid said it’s helpful to have someone else review the academic sections on college applications.
“It seems like, every time I sit down with a student, we edit something, just because it’s all a little unclear,” Hufschmid said. “And so, just having somebody review to make sure that it’s accurate. The last thing we want is a student to not get admitted because of an error.”
If students are struggling with this part of the application process, their counselors are there to help.
“I feel like counselors can be really helpful to make sure students are entering their courses correctly,” Stone said. “That’s what we are here for. I don’t think students should ever feel like they are a bother, or that they’re coming in too much. What all the counselors in our row would say is that it’s a pity that we don’t get to spend as much time with our students before senior year.”
Santa Barbara City College
Douglas recommends that all DPHS students enroll and register for SBCC.
Douglas grew up in Bakersfield and attended Bakersfield City College for one year. She said this was perfect, because it helped her “grow up a bit” and figure out her plans for life.
“It’s such a great option for students, for those who aren’t quite ready to move away,” Douglas said. “Not all students need to do the four year college track. There are a lot of different options and routes.”
Local high school students also receive priority registration for SBCC classes, which can be competitive.
“I think sometimes students feel like if they go there, that means they failed,” Douglas said. “That’s just not true; … two to three years of education is huge.”
Other Resources
There are plenty of resources available for students at all times. On campus, counselors and the College and Career Center have resources for support.
Douglas said she works in the College and Career Center until 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and is always there for “drop ins.”
“If I’m in a meeting, we have our Cal-SOAP representatives, which are a really awesome group,” Douglas explained. “They’re college students that have been trained to help students fill out their application and their financial aid form, so I really look at them as an extension of myself.”
SBCC representatives also visit campus regularly.
“We have a great relationship with City College,” Hufschmid said. “So going to those workshops, they’re going to answer your questions in real time. They’re the experts.”
Online, there are several resources available for students to take advantage of. Most notably, there is the DPHS Counseling website, which has a section called “College and Financial Aid.” This provides information for SBCC, UCs, CSUs, and private or out-of-state colleges.
Mental Health
College applications often involve many emotions that can be difficult to manage for everyone involved.
“I think one big thing I’ve noticed with students is the comparison with each other,” Douglas said. “I have students coming in panicking because their friends have done all of these things, and they haven’t done any of that. But maybe the colleges that they’re applying to don’t need that.”
Ultimately, students should focus on finding the college that is right for them.
“The underlying reality of it is, we don’t need to get accepted to all the schools,” Stone said. “We just need the one, that’s going to be the right one. In the end, it’s all about finding the school where you can thrive.”
Nevertheless, managing feelings of rejection can be difficult. Douglas described the student body as filled with “awesome, high achieving” students who are “engaged and committed.” However, she worries that they’re not taking care of their mental health.
“As best as you can, try to take the personal out of it,” Douglas said. “It’s not that you weren’t good enough. It’s not that you’re a failure. It’s none of those things … and so really taking care of yourself and giving yourself some grace, and knowing that when you submit those applications, that’s all you can do. Whatever will be will be.”
