Choosing which college to go to is an important step to starting your future career. This being said, your college application should be given a lot of thought and consideration.
The first step to choosing a university is deciding what your tentative major will be. To know this, you have to determine your strengths. If you are skilled in English, you might consider studying literature. If you think you were made for management, you may want to think about studying economics or business management. Don’t underestimate the importance of choosing what to study. Not all universities’ departments are created equally. Therefore, it is wise to choose colleges that have strong departments in your areas of interest.
After determining your potential major, select which universities to apply to. You can do this after some online research. Additionally, this will help you to gauge what the student culture is like at any given university.
Once you settle on academic areas with your universities and colleges of interest, the daunting task of writing application essays awaits. Most students find this task difficult because they are absolutely clueless on what to include. Generally, universities require applicants to answer a question or a series of questions that are designed to reveal a student’s rationale and intent for applying. While you are writing the application essay, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Answer the questions directly and to the point. Due to sheer application volume, screeners sometimes just browse through applications. If your application essay is full of fillers, chances are they won’t pay attention. Brevity is key. Answer straight with only pertinent information.
- Write flawlessly. This means that your application essay should be free of any grammatical errors. Remember that awkward grammatical errors decrease the credibility of your application, not to mention being embarrassing.
- Be honest. Answer questions as truthfully as possible. Avoid including filler information if it’s not true. Don’t try to be overly impressive because screeners know when you are just putting on a show.
Once your application essay has been accepted, then comes the interview. Remember to wear reasonable clothes. Don’t dress garishly, as this might offend the interviewer’s sensibilities. Always maintain eye contact, especially while answering questions, and be polite. Preserve a level of respect toward the interviewer at all times and answer their questions truthfully. Lastly, don’t let nervousness get the better of you. Be confident!
The same tips go for MBA applications. But understand that the screening process for graduate programs is usually stricter. If you are applying for a reputable MBA program, you need to showcase all the qualifications you have attained during your undergraduate studies. If you are at this level, you should already know how to conduct yourself in interviews. Again, be confident and never let nervousness get the best of you.
