Does the College Application Process Ever End?!

Monday morning I sat down with my college folder and thumbed through all its contents, going through a mental checklist of everything I was supposed to have in my folder. I looked over everything two (OK, maybe three times!) making sure nothing had dropped out or gone missing. I then proceeded to my College Adviser’s office (who also happens to be my IB counselor), ran inside and placed the folder at his desk. He slowly went through the file folder just as I had and made sure I had everything in my folder. When he told me good job and said I had everything in my folder, I couldn’t help but smile and do a little happy dance. The folder I had worked on for so many hours was finally complete and turned in.

Of course this isn’t anywhere near the end of the college application process, unfortunately.
Another great thing about the Common App website is that on the website you can find not only schools’ applications, but also their supplement, if they require one. So now that I have picked my schools, turned in my college folder, and almost completed all the little boxes for my common app, I now get to begin my supplements for all my schools! Exciting, I know…
For most schools, the supplement is simple and asks a few short questions such as “Why are you considering -insert school name here-?” or “What makes you think that -insert school name here- is a good match for you? What can you bring to the school?”. Whereas other schools have much more in-depth supplements that involve mini-essays and even a full blown essay. The point of these supplements is to add a more personal touch to your application. So rather than just viewing numbers and letters from teachers and your counselor, the supplements allow the schools to see you within the application, you get to give your application a personal touch!
So when it comes to supplements, be sure to put a lot of thought and effort into each one. Remember that a supplement can set you apart from all other applicants because this is the most personal and insightful part of the application for each school you intend on applying to.