My College Application Experience: Adiba’s Story
The college application process can be one of the most daunting things a high schooler can go through. To me, it felt like everything I had done in high school had built up to the moment where I would actually start my application and submit it. Coming from an immigrant household and being first generation, college was the expectation from my parents. For some people, this also means being on your own through the whole process. They may not know where to start or if they are doing anything right.
I was grateful enough to have an amazing college advising and counseling team in my high school and also be a part of a college ready program for low income minority students all throughout high school. They had supported me every step of the way, starting from my freshmen year. When the second semester of junior year had begun, college was all I heard from my program and my high school. My program had provided me with free SAT prep from the Princeton Review. I understand that this is something that not everyone is able to afford or have the opportunity to take part in. If it was not for my program, I would have struggled to afford the books and tests. I encourage those who are in this position to seek out opportunities in your high school and your communities for test prep resources. While it is not an integral part of Barnard’s holistic admissions process and a lot of other schools are test optional, I encourage students to do the best they can on these exams with the resources available to them so they are not limiting themselves in choices and decisions.
In addition to SAT prep, my program had my peers and I brainstorm ideas for a personal statement. In some ways, writing your personal statement is harder than taking a three hour exam. I remember not knowing where to start. How was I supposed to write my entire life story and prove that I am worthy enough to be accepted to the top colleges in the country in 650 words or less? I was told that the personal statement portion was important in bringing your application to life and show college admissions officers an authentic version of yourself. I ended up doing three versions of a personal statement before submitting my final one. It was excessive but I say this to tell you all that it is a process. When it comes to writing, it cannot be done in one go, especially when it is about you. Your personal statement will often push you to be vulnerable to a group of strangers but as long as you have supportive people around you, it will get easier after the first couple drafts.
The last portion of the application I would like to touch on is deciding on what schools to apply to. I highly encourage you all to start early researching college and if you can, visit colleges. Many colleges offer high school students fly-in programs before applying to the school and it can really help you figure out what type of environment you see yourself in. Visiting schools can also help you write your supplements and add a personal touch to show colleges you are interested. By the time I was applying to colleges, I knew that I wanted to go to a small liberal arts school away from the city but not completely rural. When I visited Barnard, I immediately fell in love with it. Even though it was in the middle of New York, it did not feel like it and being at Barnard feels like I go to school in a college town in a lot of ways. Barnard also had the small school environment I knew I wanted. These tours allowed me to add specific details to my supplements when I made the decision to apply ED to Barnard.
You may feel like your last semester of your junior year and first semester of your senior year will consist of having to juggle high school while transitioning to a brand new chapter of your life. Take it one step at a one and get ahead of the game. This will help you not feel as overwhelmed when deadlines for college come about. This process comes with a lot of major decision making but you will get through it and be on the other side of things.
Good luck! You got this!
-Adiba Hussain