As soon as you enter high school, ironically, college becomes the most important part of your life. Good grades, involvement in school events, preparing for tests, community service, taking tests. These are all what high school students’ lives become revolved around: to get into a good college. 但到了申请的时候呢? 它究竟是如何工作的? 这个过程是如何进行的?

 

According to the Common App, the number of college applications has increased 4% since last year. The increased interest in going to college as well as the growing number of colleges opening up has created a tedious 和 difficult process. 大学申请的第一步从大三开始, 可以说是高中最重要的一年. It’s the year most focused on by colleges with regards to grades 和 活动 和 it’s when a bulk of the testing takes place. Even though most colleges have become test-optional, most students still take the test. In 2022, 1.相比之下，参加SAT考试的学生只有700万人.300万人参加了ACT考试.  然而，在考试开始之前，大三学生必须开始准备. 去年，美国学生的SAT平均成绩是1050分. 比2021年减少了10个百分点. SAT和ACT是很难的考试，应该准备好. Prep classes can be stressful 和 add even more work to a load that already seems unbearable. 实践问题, 实践测试, 学习和重新学习经验教训, 关注问题领域, 进行全身测试, prep classes are definitely a lot of work 和 sometimes seem like an unnecessary expense on students’ already challenging schedules. 然而, students who did take test prep classes scored an average of sixty points higher on their SATs than those who did not take a class. 

准备这些考试也意味着参加sat和Pre-ACT考试. 在Xaverian，学生们每年都要参加sat考试，大二的时候还要参加act前考试. 这些模拟测试模拟了真实测试的环境. 尽管这些测试通常被认为是不必要的，而且是一项麻烦的活动, 事实证明，参加这些测试有助于学生发现自己的问题所在. 

许多学生还多次参加这些考试. 练习和重复有助于提高学生的成绩. 学生们也可以选择把他们的sat成绩储存起来, 这意味着他们的英语和数学成绩都是最高的, 即使他们来自不同的测试, 然后把它们加在一起得到更高的分数. It’s advised that students take the test at least three times to raise their chances of getting a high score. 

下一个步骤是选择你的外围博彩平台. 建议学生申请10到12所外围博彩平台:三所安全的外围博彩平台, 4到5所目标外围博彩平台, 还有三个进入了外围博彩平台. Safe schools are schools that accept students with an SAT 和 GPA range lower than the applicants’. 目标外围博彩平台在学生的范围内，到达外围博彩平台在学生的范围之外. 

创建你的大学列表是极具挑战性和耗时的. 列出清单上每所外围博彩平台必须满足的要点是很重要的. 这可以包括距离、专业、俱乐部、运动和项目. It’s important to figure out what exactly you’re looking for in a school before beginning the search. There are lots of websites 和 search engines that help students find schools that fall within their SAT/ACT 和 GPA range while also providing the main points a specific student is looking for. 

申请外围博彩平台的下一步是一个乏味的步骤. 学生需要两封自选老师的推荐信. Students are encouraged to choose either a teacher who teaches a subject in line with their major of choice or a teacher from one of the four main subjects: math, 科学, 历史, 和英语. 老师和大学辅导员都得到了通知. 这两位老师随后被置于紧张状态, an app that allows your counselors 和 teachers to see your college list 和 help you apply, 他们的建议通过Naviance发送. 学生应该选择他们觉得与自己有某种联系的老师. Teachers could easily pick the student out 和 give a detailed 和 accurate portrayal of what it’s like to teach this student. 

学生还必须完成他们的个人简历、简历和大学论文. Brag sheets highlight the exceptional things students have done in their high school years that are not reflected in their application. 这包括社区服务, 领导角色, 工作, 和其他活动，否则将被排除在其应用程序之外. 简历描述了外围博彩平台内外的活动. 这包括俱乐部、运动队和工作. 简历更注重活动的列表, 而自吹自擂更注重学生自身. 

The college essay is extremely important in the application process 和 reveals a part of the applicant that isn’t shown through their application. 例如, if a student is really good with kids, their essay should somehow reflect that. 建议学生写的文章要有趣、有启发性. Many 英语 teachers suggest using metaphors or everyday occurrences that otherwise seem ordinary but expose a piece of the applicant's character — for example, 从外围博彩平台坐公交车回家或者遛狗. 

一旦应用程序的写入部分完成, 学生们需要开始编制申请外围博彩平台的清单. 在研究外围博彩平台时, 学生在申请时需要考虑的只是学术方面的一小部分. 大小, 位置, 离家的距离, 社会氛围, 住房, 距离城镇和城市, 出国留学机会, 实习项目, 工作率, 毕业率, 和, 当然, 价格都是需要考虑的重要因素.

Once students have compiled a rough draft of their college list, campus visits 和 tours come next. Many students undervalue the campus of a college 和 believe that the campus doesn’t change the school. 然而, the campus does affect the lifestyle of students as well as the overall feeling of the school. 如果学生们想找一所外围博彩平台，在那里他们可以很容易地去餐馆, 商店, 以及其他校外活动, 他们需要找一所离城镇很近的外围博彩平台. 如果学生想要步行去上课或在校园里闲逛, 校园的风格和规模很重要. 参观外围博彩平台也可以帮助学生进一步塑造自己的理想外围博彩平台. 通过旅游, students can eliminate schools based on the general feel or layout of the campus 和 figure out what they’re looking for in a college. 

学生们还应该关注外围博彩平台的社会细节. Those who wish to go to a party school should make sure the colleges they apply to match their criteria. 这同样适用于那些喜欢安静外围博彩平台的学生. Many websites provide “grades” in areas such as partying 和 the general 社会氛围 of schools. 这也包括校园里的聚会空间, 生活情况, 以及校外商业的可及性. 

一旦学生们编好了清单，真正的申请就开始了. 学生的大学名单被放在通用应用程序中, 哪个是大学的主要申请门户. 然而, 一些大学要求申请人通过他们的个人门户网站申请, 这是另一件需要注意的事情吗. 一般来说，学生通过通用应用程序申请. Common App也与Naviance有关联, 老师和辅导员发送推荐信的应用程序, 成绩单, 以及外围博彩平台要求的其他事项. 

每所外围博彩平台的申请都有一套独特的问题. 几乎每所外围博彩平台都要求开学日期, 生活安排, 和 your decided major; entering schools undecided is always an option, 然而. 一些应用程序还需要补充. 通常, 这是一篇短文, 一般250字左右, 这符合向学院更多地介绍你自己的主题. 补充剂也可以是一系列的问题, 个人陈述, 或者其他能透露学生信息的信息. 一些外围博彩平台甚至提供了一个链接YouTube的空间, Instagram, 或TikTok账户，学生们认为这可以提高他们的申请效果. 

The Common App itself also requires students to fill out questions concerning their grades, 活动, 个人信息, 甚至是学生父母的教育. 它不要求补充资料，但允许学生将他们的在线资料链接起来. College essays, brag sheets, 和 resumes are all added to this portion of the application. Students are also required to fill out a contract that allows the school to send their 成绩单 to colleges. 

提交SAT成绩是学生申请的另一部分. SAT scores must be sent through College Board by the students themselves but can be sent earlier or later than the application itself. SAT成绩只能寄给学生SAT成绩范围内的外围博彩平台. 例如, 如果一个学生有1230, they shouldn’t send their scores to a college whose range is 1310-1400 but should send it to schools with a range of 1200-1300. 发送你的分数还需要向大学理事会支付14美元的费用. 对学生来说，确保他们提交的分数是正确的也很重要. 大学理事会的默认设置是发送所有分数, 但如果学生参加了多次考试，或者他们想要得高分, 重要的是要确保发送的是正确的分数. 

应用程序的最后一步非常简单. Your application gets put into PDF form which you then revise to ensure that your application through both the common app 和 the college’s individual application is correct. After, students are required to pay the application fee which can range from $50-$100. Fee waivers are afforded to students from certain areas with state schools as well as students who colleges have taken a special interest in. 最后, students must read 和 acknowledge that they have revised a list of agreements 和 the student signs at the bottom. 提交申请后，五彩纸屑从屏幕上飘落下来. 

学生们登录各自外围博彩平台的门户网站，等待消息. 这个过程看起来很艰难，很乏味，但由于它分散了一年半的时间, 需要完成的许多不同部分可以分散开来. 对于求职者来说，记住放松和休息是很重要的. 上大学很难，你必须努力，但这不是不可能的. 学生应该在截止日期前完成作业, ensure they afford themselves enough time to make sure they do a good job on their applications, 找时间做他们喜欢的事情. Life isn’t school 和 students need to remember to take time for themselves 和 relax.