Applications

=COLLEGE=

It's time to create our first wiki page: college. Your task is to find at least one relevant web source that fits one of the categories below. You will create an appropriate link and give a 1-2 sentence summary of the information, so future users will have an idea of the link before they use it. Use bullets to keep the space organized. This, along with the discussion above is due by Tuesday 9/23 and is worth 30 points (15 for the source, link and summary and 15 for your participation in the discussion) **__//The next person to alter any part of my directions will lose all credit//__**.

Instructions: After you click on 'Edit This Page', you are free to edit as you like.
 * To make a link to another web page, create a new bullet, and write your summary of the website in the appropriate category below. Highlight the word or phrase you want to make a link out of. Click on the 'Insert Link' button at the top of the page - it has a chain on it. Click the 'External Link' button and paste in the website URL in the space provided. Click 'OK', and you are good to go.
 * To include a Youtube video, first place the cursor at the spot on this page you want to video to be, then create a new bullet. Next, click on the 'Embed Widget' button at the top of the page - it looks like a TV set. Click on the word 'Video' on the left side, and then click the 'Youtube' button. In the space provided after that paste the code you copied from the Youtube page. Click 'save' and you are done.
 * To include a picture, first put your cursor where you want the picture to go, then create a new bullet. Click on the 'Insert Images and Files' button at the top of the page - it looks like a tree. Paste in the URL of the picture you want to use. Click 'Load' and then double click the picture to have it pasted in our wiki site.

Words of Advice from Seniors (In their own words)
"Make sure your application reflects your personality and originality. Colleges want to see that you are more than just a good student, and that you are someone with interesting ideas who will bring positive contributions to the classroom."


 * For those who have the time, I highly recommend starting your applications as soon as possible. I am not suggesting to rush through them, but the earlier you start, the better. It will only work to your benefit to get your essay completed, and the proper forms in before everyone else. I started my applications when they came out in the middle of the summer. Now it is the middle of september, and everything is in. All I have to do is sat back, relax, and enjoy the rest of my senior year.

The Application
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 * Websites**
 * I think the essay part of the application process is the hardest part. [|This website] has some great ideas and helpful brainstorming tips.
 * If anyone is having trouble narrowing down schools or finding the schools they like, look at [|this website]. It is helpful in pointing out some areas of college life and environment that students tend to look at when choosing their colleges.
 * While there is no doubt about it that the application process is very tedious and daunting, it is not a walk in the park after you hit the submit button! Picking the right college for you is very important. Hopefully [|this site] will help you understand what to look for when you are trying to choose the right school for you.
 * If you're looking for actual conversations and advice, instead of facts and statistics about college applications and admissions, go to [|CollegeConfidential]. Not only would you get to talk to students who are in the same boat as you, but you can hear firsthand the experiences of students who have already been accepted or have even graduated. You can find help with a multitude of topics -- college search and selection, admissions, essays, odds of being accepted to the school of your choice, financial aid, and even college life. It is undoubtedly a useful resource; check it out!
 * [|This website] by Peterson's walks you through every step of the college process, from start to finish, under three categories: Thinking about College (sub-categories: [|Discovering] and [|Preparing]), Choosing a College (sub-categories: [|Selecting], [|Applying], and [|Deciding]) and [|Paying] for College. I used it for the essay help, and it gives advice and examples for each part: [|Preparation], [|Question-Specific Strategies], [|Essay Structures], [|Style and Tone], [|Intros and Conclusions], and [|Editing and Revising].
 * How well do you really know the colleges you plan on applying to? I highly suggest registering with [|this site] . It has the inside scoop from current students at the college, along with any statistics you could possibly want to look up.
 * Selecting what colleges to apply to is often a daunting process. How do you decide if you want a big school or small school? City or Campus feel? [|This helpful website] lists factors one should consider while applying to college.
 * The college application process is a stressful one. Check out [|this website] in order to find very helpful information on how to fill out the application correctly. This is a great guideline.
 * This [|website] was targeted for parents, however, the site gives very helpful information on the application process. It gives tips for the general application process, writing your essay, teacher/guidance recommendations, college interviews, and many others. It even discusses financing for college.
 * This website provides useful information for tackling common essay questions. It gives examples of popular questions and suggests the best way to respond to each. It can be helpful for deciding what your going to write about, and how to produce a response that will get you noticed.
 * T[|this link] gives helpful hints for applying for financial aid. I'm sure all parents want to read this.
 * This is a link to the world-renowned [|U.S. News College Ranking] website. This site has a list of all the best colleges in the country ranked in a number of different ways. This can be very useful when it comes to choosing schools to apply to.
 * The first thing one should do before actually beginning to apply to college is check out [|the Common Application]. The Common App is an application that is uniform throughout many schools. Therefore, instead of filling out a bunch of different applications, you only have to do one basic app and then a bunch of small extra things called Supplements. Supplements range from additional essay topics to small extra tidbits about your life. This is a good place to start applying so you kill a bunch of birds with one stone.
 * Tips about writing a [|college essay].
 * Not sure where to apply or which college to choose? The [|Top Ten Rules for Selecting a College] is a nice quick way to learn how to decide if a college is right for you. Everyone should read and know these helpful tips.
 * Whether you're in the middle of the application process or just worried about how you're going to manage your time in college, stress can become a serious problem. I found a great website that provides tips and tricks for [|stress management] that can be really useful when applying to college or managing your work and time once you're in college.

Helpful essay tips
 * Articles/Blogs**
 * I think the essay part of the application process is the hardest part. This website has some great ideas and helpful brainstorming tips.
 * This is a great website about the [|do's and dont's] about writing a college essay.
 * Here is a [|good website] that gives you tips on how to write a good college essay.
 * [|This article] focuses solely on teacher recommendations: which teachers to ask, how to ask, when to ask, what colleges are looking for in a recommendation, etc. The article provides a lot of information and gives the reader a sense of just how important teacher recommendations are.


 * Podcasts/ Audio**
 * This [|NPR series]discusses many aspects of the college admissions process. There are 13 individual programs from writing your essays to issues with standardized tests. Because it is NPR, it is a highly reputable source and one worth looking at for inside information.

This video is a quick documentary asking college students what they wished they would have thought more about when applying to colleges. These students answer quite honestly and give us further details to think about.
 * Videos**
 * media type="youtube" key="ZLv81QWApy8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" height="349" width="425"


 * media type="youtube" key="S2ZmSVgkk5g&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" height="344" width="425"

A video about the college selection process with some good tips and pointers about choosing where you want to go to college.


 * RSS Feeds**

College Life

 * Websites**
 * This is a [|fantastic website] that has articles such as "I slept through a college test, What do I do?"
 * This website provides high school seniors and college freshman with valuable advice in a range of areas. Whether you're looking for some words of wisdom regarding work-load management, money concerns, or even the social aspect, [|collegetips.com] is a great resource.
 * Many students will lose hours of sleep worrying about college. [|This site] gives tips on how to get over the anxiety of a new school and gives links to many other sites that offer positive attitudes for students so they can gain confidence and tackle college.
 * Many students don't know how to adapt in college or what to do when they get there. This site is 25 tips about how to survive your freshman year and the years beyond that. [|Check it out!]
 * If you're nervous about making it into the coolest parties as a low freshman, [|College Party Tips] has all tips for you need so you can be scene at all the hot spots!
 * We're all concerned about making new friends at college. Go to [|this website] to look at commonly asked questions about starting new friendships and meeting people in college!
 * This is an awesome website that answers questions from what to pack to general college survival tips. It also gives an overview on the college is experience. http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_life/Check it out.
 * This [|website] has a good explanation of how to make your application stand out from the rest of the sea of applications.
 * This is a great site about the best college towns. The site has information on what to look for in a college town, the benefits of attending school in a good area, rankings of the best college towns and much more. For any questions pertaining to choosing a good college location, [|check this site out.]
 * At the moment we're all up to our eyeballs with applications. What will happen once we start getting into the colleges we've applied to? More stress. What are the principal differences between high school and college? Check out [|this link] to find out what we should prepare ourselves for upon entering our freshmen year of college.
 * This website will provide helpful hints to the application process as a whole. [|Application Help]
 * How do you know that the food your eating at college is sanitary? Here are some [|food safety tips], just in case.
 * List of [|top universities]
 * [|Forbes list]
 * Worried about freshman year and what the whole college experience will be like? Here are [|25 Tips to Take on College]. Enjoy!


 * Articles/Blogs**
 * [|CollegeBoard] offers many tips to achieving the perfect essay, ranging from the prewriting stage to editing and feedback. Hope you think it's helpful!
 * This article offers insight into all-too-common [|college freshman fears]. Personally, I can relate to many of the fears discussed and found this article to be reassuring. Whether you are worried about stress, roommates or anything else, you will find tips for everything here.
 * Confused about which college has the best [|study abroad] program? Skeptical about whether to even consider going out of the country? This articles dives into the pros and cons of international study. Hope it helps!
 * I'm sure no one is thinking about this now, with the academics in our minds. But what about [|the Freshman 15] ? Though it may sound like common sense, this website gives sound advice about how to avoid it and its causes. It also has crazy stories about student's Freshman 15. Some are kind of gross.
 * I found a really great article providing some [|survival tips] for making sure your college years are successful. (The tips are especially helpful for freshman year)


 * Podcasts**


 * Videos**


 * RSS Feeds**
 * rss url="http://www.thecollegeblog.com/?feed=rss2" link="true" number="4" date="true"