August 1st - when the applications begin

It was August 1st. The Common Application was open. I remember sitting at my laptop that day, thinking, "it can't be that hard". I mean really, how many students fill this out? If that many people can do it, I can too! Right? I sure hope so.

"The Common Application is a not-for-profit membership organization that, since its founding over 35 years ago, has been committed to providing reliable services that promote equity, access, and integrity in the college application process. We serve students, member institutions, and secondary schools by providing applications that students and school officials may submit to any of our nearly 500 members. Membership is open to colleges and universities that promote access by evaluating students using a holistic selection process." (The Common App Misson)



So, now that the App was open, I knew that I needed to apply to the colleges I liked. I narrowed it down to several, and selected them on the Common App - including Arcadia University, Elizabethtown College, Scranton University, University of Delaware, University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, and West Chester University. Some applications were free, and some had a fee, but I knew it had to be done.As I continued each application, I narrowed down my choices, deleting some applications until I got to my top three that I knew were right for me.

Arcadia University

• Medium-sized: 2,211 undergrads
• 4 year college
• Private University
• Metropolitan Philadelphia 
• Residential campus
• Offers certificate, bachelor's master's and doctoral degrees
• $35,620 tuition;72% of financial need met
• 11:1 student-faculty ratio
• 68% female, 32% male
• Highly ranked Study Abroad program
• Sociology major
• Very involved in community service
• I loved the location, the size, the campus, the community service opportunities, study abroad, and more.
• I didn't like the male-female ratio, the communal bathrooms, hearing it was a 'ghost town' on the weekend, and there not being a Social Work major

Elizabethtown University

• Medium-sized: 2,356 undergrads
• 4 year college
• Private liberal arts college
• Suburban setting in Pennsylvania
• Residential campus
• Offers ceriticate, associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees
• $36,550 tuition; 83% of financial need met
• 12:1 student-faculty ration
• 66% female, 34% male
• Accredited Social Work major
• I loved the size of the school, the CKI club, the Social Work major, and more
• I didn't like the location (I wanted to be closer to Philadelphia) and that there probably wasn't much to do around

University of Delaware

• Large-sized: 17,120 undergrads
• 4 year college
• Public University
• Large town in Delaware 
• Residential campus
• Offers associate, bachelor's master's, and doctoral degrees
• $28,772 tuition; 75% of financial need met
• 13:1 student-faculty ratio
• 59% female, 41% male
• Very school spirited
• Football games
• I loved the campus's reputation for being so pretty, the CKI club, knowing people on campus, the location, and the school-spirit
• I didn't like the larger size, the reputation for being a party school, or the little applications that get accepted. 

Statistics found on The College Board

The application process wasn't that bad, and writing an essay about my inspiration - my grandmother - gave me that extra boost to keep going. I submitted my application within a day or so, and my letters of recommendation were in in no time. I was so lucky to have so many teachers that cared about me and who wrote such meaningful letters.

Now that the colleges were picked, all that was left was... to wait. The hardest part of all.