
The full time had come. My bachelor’s degree ended up being newly in hand, and I also decided to accept the job that is first was being offered ( it had been the Great Recession and the fear of unemployment was very real). Thankfully, using highschool seniors as they navigated the college application process turned out to be a fit that is great me! I discovered many things working at a high school (did you know there’s an app that calculates the likelihood you are going to get a snow day?!), and each fall was a course in how difficult it really is to become a 12th grader.
Senior is tough year! You’re in your most difficult classes up to now, you’re dealing with more obligations, you’re hitting a milestone virtually every week…and then we ask you to college. 12th grade may never be effortless, however you can simply make it less hard. Though each pupil’s college process is unique, there are a small number of behaviors/mind sets that I have experienced cause unneeded anxiety time and time again. Some call them the Four Horseman of the Appocalypse that is common by some i am talking about me), but they’re all avoidable knowing how to recognize the signs!
Focusing too much on that which you can’t change.
Would you keep worrying about that C you’ve got in freshman English? Are you regretting your final decision to quit the track team? Many students spend their senior fall concentrating on the past, and it drains their time and energy like Snapchat drains my phone battery pack. As opposed to stressing about things you can’t change, take your time writing a well thought out essay, striving for great senior year grades, and putting together the most readily useful application you can. Think upward and forward!
Ignoring the advice of your elders.
Would you nod whenever your counselor speaks then instantly wipe the conversation from your own memory? Do you reject your parents’ guidance like it’s your job? I am shocked…really, I Will Be. Keep in mind that, as they might not constantly be ‘hip and with it,’ the adults in your life could offer important insight into your application process (and even help you identify your strengths which means you can better highlight them). Ignoring their advice can cut you removed from some pretty information that is valuable so why not take all of the help it is possible to get?
Dropping in love.
No, I’m not referring to the lab partner you’ve possessed a crush on for years (if you should certainly just tell them currently)! I am discussing the head-over-heels feeling students sometimes get for one university on their list. There’s a difference between having a very first choice and being so fixated for a school which you can’t even fathom going elsewhere. It’s called the faculty process for a reason—no one knows exactly how it shall end! Though I sincerely hope you might be admitted to your top choice (and obviously I hope your top choice is USC), I strongly encourage you to help keep an open mind and find a number of institutions you’ll love to go to.
Avoidance.
Are you currently leaving things to your minute that is last? shmoop.pro Are you currently putting off looking up what supplementary essays you will need to create? Are you reading this post on January 14th? You are procrastinating! Despite what you may tell your self, no one works best under stress (trust me…this is a ‘do as I state, not as I do’ situation). Numerous drafts would be the key to a good essay, and making significant progress before the eleventh hour is the actual only real defense against a sloppy application. You have got enough on your plate senior year. If you don’t yet have a plan for how you are going to finish each of your essays, supplements, applications, etc. make one! That you don’t desire to rush (or worse, forget something) in this method. So stop reading this weblog and get to work—I know you can do it!
Student Highlight: USC Student Body President, Edwin Saucedo
Hey All,
It’s Natalie Guevara and I’m excited to start working with our web log. While picking out subject ideas, I looked at common questions we have from potential pupils and one of my favorites is obviously: exactly what’s it want to be described as a student at USC? And although I’m an alumna of the college and had my very own great experiences…I really want you to hear from current students with a bigger range of majors/involvement/background/etc. So rather than hear about all the things that are cool have to say (many of you get enough of that), I’ll find current students to let you know about their experiences. For our first installment, we have Edwin Saucedo, the pupil Body President for the Undergraduate scholar Government. He’s originally from South Gate, CA and is set to graduate this coming May 2017. Here is what he’d to say:
Four years back, I found myself where many of you may be right now: frustrated with my personal statement and tired of looking for the college that is perfect. It was hard enough trying to navigate college applications when neither of my parents spoke English or had pursued degree themselves. The stress of finding the place that is best to invest the following four years was extremely overwhelming.
As I think back at my college application process the first thing I have to say is, everything worked out much better than i possibly could have ever expected. I never thought I would end up at USC when I applied to college. I grew up in Southern Gate, CA where just 6% for the population that is total a college degree. It’s obvious, I never imagined I would find myself being the pupil Body President my senior year here. The four years in between my year that is senior of college and senior year of college have induced an amount of lessons, experiences, and friendships we never expected. However, the combination of all of the these unexpected life outcomes has indeed led me to where I am today.
Being Student Body President at perhaps one of the most prestigious universities into the country can be an job that is intimidating. It isn’t easy trying to express nearly 19,000 students who come from over 100 different countries, are of all different races, and have really diverse backgrounds that are economic. However, it really is also a really rewarding opportunity. Every i get to go into our student government office and ask myself: how can I make this university a better place for all students day? That is our goal in student government, to create the most effective undergraduate experience, and that’s why I decided to run for this position last springtime.
I invest at least twenty hours each week listening to students’ experiences, asking them exactly how I could be of any service, and connecting them to the appropriate channels on this campus. On the other part of things, we advocate on their behalf to administration in efforts to create better campus policies, address any issues, and plan for the future of our campus. My favorite part however is taking the details we discovered from both students and administrators and coming up with unique solutions to addressing these problems.
In student government we pride ourselves in being innovators and creative thinkers. We challenge each other’s ideas and provides suggestions about improvements. During the end of the we come up with proposals on how to address each and every issue day. It is through these creative proposals that we’ve been able to get our students uber that is free from 7pm to 2 am and have actually gotten a regular farmers market on campus. But our work doesn’t end there. Over the span of the 12 months our pupil government puts on over 300 events that are free our students. These range between intimate conversations about our education system to bringing speakers like Laverne Cox or music artists like Diplo for all of our students to take pleasure from.
We shape the experience that is undergraduate give students the ability to explore perspectives beyond their own; because that is what university is about. Irrespective of yourself and be challenged by others whether you go to USC or choose elsewhere as your new home, dare to challenge. As President I always encounter students perspectives that differ from my own, they’re not right or wrong but different, and that is okay.
You will end up, but instead what you will do once you get there as you approach the last months of the college application process don’t worry as much about where. College is time and energy to explore and find your passion. I came across my passion within student government and working towards increasing USC for current and students that are future. For you, that passion may lie in another activity. Regardless, enjoy your final months of high school and get prepared to embark in a journey that is new of unique and exciting experiences. Good luck on applying to college and that we always Fight On if you ever get disillusioned, remember that what makes Trojans strong is!