1. Write thoughtful essays: Admissions officers want to know you. They can look at your transcript, but that doesn’t tell them who you are as a person. Colleges want to create a cohort of passionate, diverse, and interesting students; essays allow admissions officers to understand you as a person.

2. Don’t procrastinate on the application: Applying to college is a lot of work. You need to write countless essays, fill out information about your family that you probably don’t know, and navigate College Board’s intricate website in order to send your SAT/ACT scores. Try to get as much of this work done before school starts as possible – you’ll thank yourself later.

3. Ask for recommendation letters from teachers who know you personally: Not only do recommendation letters help admissions officers get to know you, they also get a look into you as a student. It is crucial that you pick a teacher with whom you have a good relationship. You want your recommendation letters to be individualized to you and your skills as a learner.

4. Send your scores early: College board recommends that you send your SAT/ACT scores two weeks ahead of time, but as the major deadlines approach and every senior across America is sending their scores at the same time, sometimes the website gets backed up and it takes longer than two weeks. If you know where you are going to apply, send your scores early.

5. Don’t stress: Don’t worry about getting into your reach school. Don’t worry about what your friends say to you. Almost everybody loves the college that they end up attending, and if for some reason you are not one of these people, you can transfer!

6. Get involved in activities that you enjoy and are passionate about: Colleges want to see that you follow your passion. If you are really into theatre, take theatre courses and be in the play. If you love science, join Science Olympiad. Colleges don’t look for students that participate in every single club the school has to offer. They would rather see that you are the leader of a few clubs that you are really interested in.