Senior Testimonial and Advice for the College Application Process, Part 1


     Hello everyone, I have decided to mix-it-up a little bit and have you hear directly from Xavier seniors about their experience throughout the college application and admissions process. The first student to share his story and give feedback and tips is senior, Krist Sokoli. I will continue to add blog posts from other seniors this week and next, so continue to check back to get inside information from those who just went through the process this year. Enjoy!

1.  What was your experience like through the college search and application process?
a.       My college search and application experience was pretty laid back partially due to me starting my research and work during junior year. I had made sure to ask a lot of the seniors where they were applying to and why they had chosen those schools. I also made sure to ask what they thought about other schools. I found that most of the answers were honest and that no one was trying to “sell” a school to me like an open- house tour guide would. I then made a shortlist and made sure to run it through my family. 
      
      I was lucky enough to attend Mr. Korfmacher’s summer program which allowed me to knock out my first draft and requirements list quickly. This was really helpful especially during the early action application process.

2.      Are there any tips you can offer students just beginning this process?
a.       I would definitely advise talking to your parents about a possible career path or major. Knowing that I wanted to go into a medical program really helped me shorten my shortlist as I eliminated schools that did not offer the programs I was looking for.

3.      Did anything surprise you while searching for colleges and applying?
a.       What surprised me during the process were the application fees and the fee waivers. Most colleges require a fee to be paid before applying to them. At this point of my application process, I was not checking my email because I was just receiving spam mail from colleges. But, in the midst of the spam, I did find some emails from my top choice colleges that contained fee waivers. Fee waivers saved me a ton of money and encouraged me to apply to some of my current top choice schools.

4.      What was your timeline like? Would you encourage students to follow this or do it differently?
a.       My college process started during the first half of my junior year. I spent a lot of time asking the seniors questions about their colleges and their majors. I then started my application process that summer through Mr. K’s summer program, which really helped me kick start the tedious essay and resume. I started and finished my Common App as soon as possible when senior year started and I made sure to finalize my application list. I planned on visiting schools, but I held back until I received my acceptances. I wanted to make sure that I was applying to schools based on the quality of the programs. After receiving my acceptances, I then toured some of the colleges on non-open house days so that I could get a real feel of what the school’s environment would be.
I think it would have been a better idea for me to check out and visit some of the schools before applying. Campus and campus life make a big difference in the decision process and I definitely would not have applied to some of the schools that I did if I had seen them beforehand.

5.      Things to watch out for?
a.       Accelerated programs! Some schools offer accelerated graduation programs, such as Saint John’s University. An example of this would be Saint John’s 6-year Pharmaceutical PhD program. This program and many of the other accelerated programs offered require a totally different application and many new requirements and supplements.  

6.      Advice?
a.       Converse with your parents, seniors, and counselors. You never know what program or college you may discover that could offer you the better bang for your buck and the degree that you are looking for. 

b.      Start as early as possible. Senior year at Xavier is just as hard as junior year and you will get a lot of homework. The last thing any student wants to another essay deadline to worry about. Finishing my essay in the summer really eliminated the stress from the application 

Thank you for reading Krist's tips about the college process, and stay tuned next week for another Xavier senior's journey through the admissions process. Take care, and as always, happy searching!

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

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