Due to early decision, early action, and early acceptance deadlines, Neuqua seniors are currently dealing with a lot of pressure. Unlike the pressure to decide to get apple juice or orange juice at lunch, this kind of pressure stems from life-altering decisions about the future. In a high school where the majority sees college as the next step after graduation, the application process currently ranks high in conversation topics.
A question all students have had to answer (or at least attempt to), is what to major in. If students know what it is that they want to study, it is easier to narrow down which schools to apply to. Wanting to stay in-state also tapers the choices. However, indecisiveness in both major and location causes the variety of universities to seem limitless.
Sometimes it is tempting to throw caution to the wind and apply anywhere and everywhere, and maybe decide where one’s interests lie after the acceptance letters arrive. Unfortunately, the sixty dollar average application fee stops this plan in its tracks.
However, with the help of a few college search engines and collegeboard.com’s handy matchmaking device that finds schools to fit any criteria, students should be able to find the recommended five to ten schools to apply to. The downside is that in applying to fewer colleges, students could be unwittingly missing opportunities, scholarships, and acceptance that other schools may have to offer them.
The solution to this debacle lies within the endless torrents of college email that juniors and seniors receive. In these emails, some colleges are offering beautiful things called free applications. These colleges include Drake University, Marquette University, and Tulane University.
Taking advantage of these free applications can only benefit the student who is not sure where to go. It is easy to plug in the same-old information on the online application, and most of the time there is not even a personal essay required.
By applying for free, students can stop application fees from amounting to hundreds of dollars. Hopefully, come early January, there should be a nice ego boost from receiving a plethora of acceptance letters. If the response is a little more negative, no money was wasted in the process.
Gwen Kestler, Editor-in-Chief
