Online college application must-haves

You don't have to go crazy when filling-out your online college application. Read on for some tips and advice on how to stay sane.

• Transcripts
• Personal Statement
• Record of Extracurricular Activities
• Other information

Here are the strategies for each:

Transcripts

You need to have a copy of your transcript for filling out the academic records section of the college application. This is probably the easiest part of the process. That is, if you have a copy. In some schools, you may be able access your student records online. Having this copy is usually enough to fill-out all the questions that are required for this section of the application. Note that all schools require your official transcripts to be mailed to them from your school and that most of them allow you to submit them even after the deadline of the online college application has passed. So, you can still fill-out the online application even if you don't have your official transcripts.

When it's time to submit your official transcripts, you would need to request them from the Admissions and Records Office. If you went to several schools (.e.g transfer students or returning adult students) before applying to a four-year university, you might need to do this way ahead of time in case you encounter delays. However, all schools offer expedited transcript request processing for an additional fee. Some schools also offer the first three copies for free so you may only need to pay for the handling fee. Make sure you order an extra copy for your files so that you can have it handy whenever you need it.

From experience, the transcript request process usually takes longer than what the office personnel tells you. So, if they say one week, expect a delay of about a week or so. In addition, the mail does not usually go straight to the admissions office of the school you are applying to. Thus, they may not get your transcript right away even if it was mailed on time. In most cases, colleges base the date of submission on the post marked date on the envelope. Check your university's guidelines for submission if you are unsure.

Personal Statement or Admissions Essay

There are some areas of the online college application that you can rush through but the writing the personal statement is not one of them. If you have excellent writing skills and you have a clear idea of what to write in your personal statement, then this part may be relatively easy for you. However, most students have no experience in writing admissions essays. So, if you are one of these people, you may not want to write this at the last minute because you may need to find some extra help.

Because I did not know to write a personal statement, I researched any self-help resources that are available at my school. I did find a seminar that is hosted by a person who used to be a member of a university's admissions committee. She presented a few examples of personal statements that were written by people who got accepted to their university of choice. The examples gave me an idea of the dos and don'ts of writing the admissions essay. Check out my personal statement section for if you want more details on how I wrote my essay.

Having a great admissions essay does not happen overnight give yourself at least a month in order to have a final draft. Once you have this, all you need to do is copy it from the text document onto the designated space in the online application form. Make sure to check for formatting before you click 'submit application.'

Record of Extracurricular Activities

Most school transcripts will have a list of the organizations/clubs you have joined since attending that particular school. They usually keep a record of your volunteer hours as well. However, you need to write a description of the activities you have participated in while you were a club member. The best way to go about filling out this section is to keep a record of all your club activities as you participate in them. For example, I kept a small notebook wherein I list my extracurricular activities for each organization. This record had dates and description of each activity I participated in.

If you have good memory, you may not have to make a record since you will only need a brief description of each club's activities. Although if you have a lot of extracurricular activities and a long time will pass before you apply for college, filling out the online application will be easier since you have a record of everything you have done.

Other Information

By this time, you probably realized that in order to be calm while completing the college application, you would need to have all the necessary documents and information handy. Besides the three documents mentioned above, you will also be needing these:

• Parental Information - You will generally need this if you are still considered a dependent which is usually the case for freshman and transfer students. Once you ask your parents all the information you need from them, make sure to keep a record of it and keep it in a safe place. You may need this information at a later time when filling out school related forms. This saves you some time since you won't be bugging your parents about the same information all the time.
• Test Scores - you will need to list all test scores that apply to you. For example, if you're applying as a freshman, you will need SAT and ACT scores. On the other hand, students who received most of their education in a foreign country may need to take the TOEFL test.
• Record of Awards/Honors and Scholarships - Again, this information might be listed on your school transcript if they were given to you while you were enrolled at that particular institution. However, there are some awards and scholarships that are given by organizations besides your school so keep the notifications sent to you by that organization.
• Employment Information - Listing your employment experience may be fairly easy if you only had a few jobs before applying. However, keep a record just like you would with your extracurricular activities just to be on the safe side.

Good luck with you college application!