Useful Tips to Get Ready for College Admission Process in the US

As you would know already, the application process for the US Universities and college admissions starts at least two years prior to the academic year. One of the important reasons is the nature of the requirements for admission. For the US college admissions, the important requirements are:

• High School records


• Standardized test scores


• Creative essays


• Letters of Recommendation


• Financial aid

Let us see how we can prepare ourselves and be ready with above requirements well before the deadline for college application submission and the following processes.

We have already discussed about the initial steps in our blogs that were about doing  initial research to select University/colleges and the standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, and TOEFL & IELTS. In this article, you will find useful information about the admission essays and letters of recommendation required for University/college admissions.

Creative Essays

1. College admission essays can play a huge role in the admission process if more number of qualified applicants compete for limited number of seats in a specific college.


2. These essays, that can be written about your interest in a particular college, can help a student get admission in such scenarios. The essays are evaluated to identify the value of the student to the college community.


3. The essay should be written in a way to show your interest in the institution as well as a support to your application. The essay should not be written in such a way that it becomes a negative aspect while processing the application.





4. Some colleges give very high importance to the admission essays. They may check the essays first, even before checking the application form, high school records, and other documents.


5. In such college essays, you need not have to write about your accomplishments or your profile. You must use this opportunity to let the college know about you as a person and how would you be a difference maker to their academy. You can explain an important incident in your life that has influenced you in some way or about a person who has been your inspiration.


6. The essay should be of 250-500 word length. But, if you can deliver the right message, the word limit can be extended, say up to 600 words. Have a general essay and trim it before sending it to different colleges. For example, while answering the questions asked by the specific colleges. Remember to mention the right college name in the essay. Do not send a different college name to the college you applying for.

Recommendation letters

When you choose the person to write the recommendation letter for you, choose wisely. Ensure that the person knows you well – these people can be your teachers, counselors, mentors, etc.

Let them know about the requirements of the college that you apply for. Do not push them too hard, give enough space and time for them to work and write an analysis report about your classroom learning capabilities and communication skills which will provide true insight about you to the new institution that your are applying for. This may help you to secure admission in the college.

Also, let the teachers know more about you outside the classroom by providing a resume about you. Inform them about the application deadlines for them to prepare in advance.

If you are all set with all the necessary documents and test scores, go ahead and start applying for the colleges you wish to apply for.

But, wait a minute before that! Do you have enough funds to complete your education degree?

If not, you should be aware of the financial resources available to you to successfully complete your four-year under-graduation or a higher education program.

Financial Aid

The US Education Department has recently created an online financial aid toolkit to help the counselors of finance in the US higher education institutions and whoever involved in student financial aid counseling activities.

The department has also announced that the toolkit includes details about application process for financial aid and repayment of student loans with other related documents that can be downloaded. The toolkit is also said to contain information about professional development information.

This move is identified as one of the measures of the US government to make the college application process smoother for students.

In the next article, we will discuss about the financial aid available to you from the government and from other sources, necessary eligibility for you to avail these funds, application process, etc. in detail.

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