The Essentials of your College Application

Depending on how you look at approach it, applying for college can be a daunting process to be dreaded, or a fairly straightforward task to be checked off your to do list. We're of the opinion that it should tend much more towards the latter of these options. After all, what more do you really need to do besides collect your transcript, report your standardized test scores, secure a recommendation or two, perhaps write a personal essay, and, of course, pay those annoying application fees. It's really that simple, although there are some important things to look out for along the way. Read on for our advice on optimizing your college application process and saving yourself a lot of needless worry.

Apply Online if You Can
If you can apply online, do so. Not only will it probably speed your application along, it will prevent any number of things that go wrong when paper gets involved. Worried about your application getting lost in the mail or improperly filed by human handlers? If you apply online, you can watch your application's status in real time and contact the school if errors occur. Moreover, it's the eco-friendly application option: If you can save a tree or two in your quest for high knowledge, why not?

Use Social Networks and the Web to Comparison Shop
The web is also a great place to research the schools you're interested in. Don't just limit yourself to official websites on the dot edu domain -- seek out blogging students, alumni and professors from the schools you are interested in. Most times, you'll find that they're more than happy to answer your questions and provide you with advice and assistance.

Always Check Availability
The majority of schools won't be particularly up front -- either on their websites or in their literature -- about how many spaces are available for any given course of study. It's up to you to make them spit out this information. We suggest picking up the phone and talking with the appropriate academic department, or, failing that, a higher-level school administrator that you can convince to give you an honest assessment as to what you're up against. Why waste time and pay application fees for a program that may already be full or give you only one shot in one hundred of successfully gaining entrance? Empower yourself and find out the score.

Stay Out in Front of Your Transcript Delivery Process
If you're serious about applying to a certain college, it can't help to go ahead and have your high school send along your transcripts -- whether you finally decide to apply or not. Often times, this process can be initiated online. If you live near a school that you're interested in, you can even deliver your high school transcripts by hand.