Twelfth grade is stressful. Most students have to apply for college, maintain their grades at school, and deal with tremendous pressure from both, especially from college applications. However, the college application process is still a valuable opportunity for students to learn important lessons along the way.

I applied to 22 universities in the US, two in Canada, four in the UK, all in for a geography major, and the Interdisciplinary Program of the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan.

Here are the six lessons I learned from my college applications:

Do things early

I started preparing for college applications early. I began taking TOEFL and SAT lessons in 9th grade, but most of my classmates did not do this until 10th grade. During 9th to 11th grade, I also started participating in a wide variety of extracurricular activities such as the Taiwan Geography Olympiad, volunteering, and Taipei Teen Tribune.

The reason I did it like this is so I could invest most of my summer vacation before 12th grade to figure out what universities to apply to and write admissions essays. This allowed me to finish applying to most of my universities before the end of 2021, pushing my progress ahead of most of my classmates.

Be patient

During the college application process, I had to slow myself down because it is a year-long process. Completing all of my admissions essays took me almost four months, and waiting for school decision results is mentally taxing. After receiving all these results next year, I have to give serious consideration to each of the schools I am accepted to before committing to a final one. Therefore, it is impossible for me to expect to complete the whole college application process within a few weeks or months.

Think before deciding

Over the summer, I researched schools that have strong departments of geography as that is the field I want to pursue. I also gave deep thought to whether these schools are in safe areas and comfortable weather. Furthermore, I studied the entry requirements and acceptance rates when choosing schools, especially for those that require higher GPAs or a certain number of Advanced Placement test scores.

Love yourself

When I first started college applications, I often stressed myself out because I compared my weaknesses to my classmates’ strengths. However, writing admissions essays was the light that pulled me out of stress.

I was very grateful to be able to write my admissions essays with a professional editor. She provided useful suggestions and helped me to reflect on my personality, experiences, and strengths. Moreover, she was very encouraging and was always there to help me when I was stuck on my essays. By the time I was done with my essays, I felt a huge sense of achievement, boosting my self-esteem. Therefore, I learned to value my strengths and stop demeaning myself.

Prepare for disappointment

When waiting for college decisions, I did not expect that all schools would accept me and pushed myself to be prepared for rejection letters. For example, I was recently rejected by the Interdisciplinary Program of NTHU, but I felt fine.

When I received that rejection letter, I thought of the happy moments when I found out I was accepted to five other schools. This way, I am ready to receive rejection letters from some of my other selected schools, especially those with high ranking and low acceptance rates of 10 to 30 percent.

Relax and enjoy the process

Initially, college applications intimidated me because there is a lot to do, including managing my GPA, taking required tests, researching schools, drafting admissions essays, and making a final decision before committing to one university. That said, college applications were not meant to be easy and fun, but it was my job to make it more enjoyable.

I attempted to break my college applications into many small steps. It turned out that I was more motivated when I reset my thoughts and smiled every time I was under pressure. I came to realize that the college applications process has not only helped me to get into universities but also to develop patience, accountability, and self-esteem. As a result, I have obtained confidence during this long-term journey.

Conclusion

College applications are arduous, but I have become comfortable with dealing with the stress from this process. They have taught me important lessons and helped me to develop as a person. Applying to colleges has been a valuable lifetime experience, and I have learned to enjoy it as well.