The College Application Guide I Wish I Had — Part 1: Before You Apply
How to strategize early, choose extracurriculars, create a college list, and more.
Hi! This is Maya Shih from the class of 2026. Since I just graduated, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share my tips and tricks on the college app process with the current Mariner community! This series of articles comes from my original Medium blog. The original posts are linked below if you’d like to read them in their original format, but they are also all available here on the Mariner Explorer website!
Looking back on my college application journey, I made my fair share of mistakes (and a few smart decisions). In hopes that you don’t make the same mistakes I did, I’m sharing everything I wish I knew before, during, and after applying to college (in the US).
Psst… check out the full series of articles on Medium:
Part 1: Before You Apply
Part 2: While You Apply
Part 3: After You Apply
Welcome to Part 1 of “The College Application Guide I Wish I Had,” a 3-part series of college app tips from a recent high school grad. In Part 1, I’m focusing on what to know before applying, so you can set yourself up for success from as early as 9th grade and all throughout high school. Follow these tips and your future self will thank you. 🙂
1. Keep a “cheat sheet” document.
As early as freshman year of high school, create a college app “cheat sheet” tracker. This is a running list of all your classes, awards, accomplishments, and extracurriculars. Don’t forget to include your time commitment to each extracurricular and the quantifiable impacts you made (more on this in Part 2). You can also add colleges or majors to research further, teachers to ask for letters of rec, and personality traits to highlight in your application. Update this document regularly throughout high school (perhaps every semester) so you can easily refer to it when completing your applications.
2. GPA matters.
Especially for UCs and prestigious schools, a competitive GPA is simply what gets you through the door. To have a good chance at admission, don’t neglect your grades throughout all four years of high school (yes, including senior year)! (Stay posted for my study tips article series!)
Choose your classes carefully, too. Colleges look at not just your grades but the rigor of classes you took compared to what was offered at your school. If offered, did you take advantage of honors and AP classes? Getting straight As in regular classes is not as impressive as getting Bs in several AP classes. Make sure not to overload yourself with difficult courses, though; consider your other commitments so you don’t burn out! Speaking of extracurriculars…
3. Quality over quantity in extracurriculars.
Choose your commitments wisely. Do extracurriculars because you are passionate about them and benefit from the experience. Don’t do an extracurricular solely because you think it will impress a college.
It’s much more impactful to have 2–3 extracurriculars that you have devoted a lot of time to (and hopefully have a leadership role in) versus 10 that you have shallowly participated in. The more you lean into your actual interests, the stronger and more genuine your application will be. It’s not worth committing to an activity if you ultimately won’t be able to write about it or reflect on what you learned from it.
4. Know your priorities.
But how do I know what I’m looking for in a college?
You might not, at first. To start, consider major factors like academics, financial fit, location, learning environment, and campus life. Some prioritize academics over everything; others can’t live without good food or sunny weather (like me). I suggest making a list of “need to haves” (your top priorities/dealbreakers) and “nice to haves” (more trivial or idealistic desires) in your ideal college. I highly recommend creating a college research spreadsheet to compare colleges in relation to your “need to have” and “nice to have” factors.
My priorities changed as I learned more about each college. I didn’t think diversity would be a dealbreaker, but after visiting a college and seeing maybe one Asian person there, I changed my mind. And that’s okay! Your priorities might change, but having them all listed somewhere will help as you decide where to apply (and later, where to attend).
5. Visit schools
Visiting colleges is a great way to clarify your priorities. Take advantage of in-person campus tours (ideally on a weekday when classes are in session), and remember to schedule well in advance. Don’t forget to explore, go into buildings, and talk to students and professors at the school. Ask them questions and get a sense of what life is really like there.
Take notes on both the facts and your immediate impression after the tour. Sometimes you’ll have a gut feeling that a school is — or isn’t — the place for you. Don’t underestimate the importance of “vibe.” A college can look perfect on paper, but if you can’t see yourself living there, it’s probably not the best fit.
If possible, visit a few drastically different colleges during the summer before junior year: big vs. small school, city vs. suburbs, etc. Simple exposure to different types of schools will help you understand your priorities and preferences. Then in the summer before senior year (or during senior year), after you have built a more specific college list, visit more schools you are interested in.
6. Create a balanced (and realistic) college list
Make sure to build a balanced college list. Even if you’re only interested in going to an Ivy League school, you still need a mix of safety, target, and reach schools. Don’t apply to all reaches!
There is no perfect number, but the recommendation is:
- 2–3 safety schools
- 4–5 target schools
- 2–3 reach schools (or more, if you are extra ambitious)
When considering schools, keep an open mind and give every school a fair chance. Don’t automatically discount a school because it’s a safety or because it’s less prestigious. Prestige is overrated; most employers don’t care where you go to college, as long as you have the degree, experience, and skills they’re looking for.
Only apply to schools you would actually go to! This seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many students apply to schools they have no intention of attending. In my case, I applied to 14 colleges without doing enough research, and later realized I had no interest in attending several of them. One of my biggest regrets with college apps was wasting valuable time and energy applying to those schools. Bottom line: work smarter, not harder!
I know classmates who applied to over 20 schools, but remember there are several risks to applying to tons of schools. First, there’s a risk of burnout because it’s a ton of work on your plate in addition to academics and extracurriculars. Second, you will have to pay a large amount of application fees (unless you get the fee waived!). Third, there’s a mental headache associated with keeping track of so many different deadlines, letters of rec, essays, etc.
Lastly, research and campus tours only get you so far in your college search. To get a more realistic look into a school, reach out to connections who attend (or recently graduated from) a school you’re interested in. Ask immediate friends and family, but use your full network (second or third degree connections). Request to call or meet up in person (on campus, if possible) and ask questions about the specific school and your priorities.
7. Plan ahead; apply early!
Before starting your applications, know how much work you have to do. How many essays will you have to write? How many letters of rec do you need? Is it worth studying for a standardized test, or do the schools on your list not require it?
Starting early also gives you the advantage of choosing which schools to apply to Early Action (non-binding) or Early Decision (binding = if accepted, you must attend). Students typically apply Early Decision to their #1 choice, and/or Early Action to their top choices. Plan to complete your essays and other materials before the early deadlines for the schools you are applying to EA or ED.
Applying early can increase your chances of admission, and getting acceptances back early can take the pressure off for the rest of the year! You may not even need to worry about finishing the application for any other schools.
This is why it’s crucial to start working on your application early! (That’s tip #1 of Part 2 of this series!)
Thanks for reading! Here’s a quick recap:
- Keep a “cheat sheet” document.
- GPA matters.
- Quality over quantity in extracurriculars.
- Know your priorities.
- Visit schools.
- Create a balanced (and realistic) college list.
- Plan ahead; apply early!
I hope these tips help take some of the stress out of the college app process. If you’re a junior or senior in the middle of applying, check out Part 2 of the series, which covers the application itself. If you know someone who could benefit from this series, feel free to share it.
Whether you’re a couple of years away from applying, or in the midst of it, I wish you the best of luck! You got this!
P.S. Feel free to reach out to me at mayomaya3737@gmail.com if you have questions or would like further advice!
