Julia Noorani graduated from Milken in 2023.

Applying to college is already a difficult task, but in recent years, there have been multiple changes that have made the process significantly more competitive and time-consuming. Although Milken has a great team of college counselors, there are certain things that I wish I had done differently to maximize my chances of getting into the college of my choice, while utilizing all the amazing resources that Milken has to offer.

The college process really creeps up on you. I did not feel the pressure of preparing to apply to colleges until the end of my first semester senior year. As the eldest sibling, I feel as though I wasn’t really prepared for the grueling process of college applications, and I think it would have been really helpful to have some advice to go off of through high school. I am not alone in feeling lost, especially due to not having parents who experienced the process with an older sibling. 

Many Milken students are the first generation of students to attend university or pursue an undergraduate degree in the U.S., making this process feel very foreign to what their parents described. While some students are able to seek advice from their parents about their applications, other students find themselves having to guide their parents through the process as they try to figure it out for themselves. Being a first generation applicant can feel overwhelming, especially as an older sibling. Many Milken student’ parents came to America for further opportunities, which has instilled a sense of obligation and responsibility for their children to make the most of those opportunities . 

Even for people who have parents who went to college in the U.S. or have older siblings this time can still feel turbulent and confusing, which is why I created this list divided by my advice for each year of your time at Milken: 

JULIA’S ADVICE FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS:

FRESHMAN YEAR

Don’t worry about the little things, but make good habits

• If you miss one assignment because you were too tired to get it done, that’s fine, but make sure not to make it a habit.

Do the extracurriculars that are interesting to you

• Be deliberate in choosing what you want to do in your free time, but also explore new things. Start finding activities that could potentially become something you participate in all four years of high school.

Get your sports credit out of the way

• Health and Personal Fitness count for two of the four credits, so that leaves two more to complete. I completed one credit by doing swim team my freshman year and then quarantine happened in my sophomore year. I procrastinated finishing the requirement until the first semester of senior year. It was very stressful to have the responsibility of going to volleyball practice everyday, while I was writing all of my supplements for college, so I would recommend completing your P.E. credits as soon as possible.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

Continue exploring new things, but also continue to pursue the activities you enjoyed freshman year

• Colleges like to see a continuation of a certain activity and an increase in participation in said activity

Increase the rigor of your classes

• Colleges love to see an upward trend in you grades, so if you didn’t do very well freshman year, this is your opportunity to show improvement.

JUNIOR YEAR

Try to tour a big school, medium school, and small school as soon as possible 

• The earlier you figure out what type of schools you are interested in the easier it will be to build your college list, a list of colleges you plan to apply to. My friend really struggled with her college research because she only went on her first tours at the end of junior year. 
• Even if you do not want to go to college in California, touring schools that are close to home and easy to access are a good way to get this done within the first couple months of the year. 

Focus on your grades, and do your best to keep them up.

• Many of your classes will have seniors in them who will be stressing about their first semester grades. Don’t let that get to you. What matters is the final semester grade so if you struggle a bit at the start of the course don’t worry. 
• Lishma is your best friend. If you know you have a teacher whose lishma is always full then email them. Get help if you find yourself struggling. 

Stick with your extracurriculars 

• Unlike what many people think you do not have to do a little of everything. You do not need to be good at everything but find the things you are really good at and use them to get those leadership opportunities. 

If you are planning on doing standardized testing, try your best to get it finished during the summer before senior year 

• If you leave it for later the stress of getting scores back can weigh on you during senior year. 
• If you struggle with standardized testing and know it’s not for you then do not stress. Very few schools still require a test score so just look over those schools to see if they are options for you and make that choice of whether you want to try and prepare for a test. 
• When preparing, take as many practice tests as possible since that will get you feeling the most ready and help you realize where you need to focus on studying.

Start brainstorming about what you want your common application essay to be about

• This is probably my biggest piece of advice for juniors. It is so important to have a good essay written, and honestly, it’s good to get it out of the way so that you can focus on writing supplemental essays during the fall. 
• Go to the college workshop. This will be an option for all juniors and they will start offering dates for in the second semester. This is a huge opportunity which allows you to write your personal statement and get it reviewed by admissions officers.

Make your one-on-one or family meetings with your college counselor as soon as possible and do the assignments 

• The assignments may be long and seem pointless at first but they are extremely helpful with brainstorming for supplementals and your personal statement. Take them seriously and turn them in on time. 
• Get your one on one meeting with your college counselor scheduled as soon as possible. There will be a line to get a meeting but you want to be in that line because the sooner the meeting happens the sooner you can start your college list. 

Do something over the summer before senior year 

• You need to show that you did something productive over the summer before senior year. 
  • Take an internship. During career day at the start of the year you may find people asking for interns or giving out their contact information for future internships. Take advantage of the alumni. 
  • Get a job whether it’s at a daycare or a starbucks show you can hold a job and be a part of the workforce. 
  • Many universities offer pre-college programs, an amazing opportunity to get to know the campus, the academic opportunities and overall “vibes” of a school. This can be somewhere close to home or somewhere far but if this is your desire start preparing your application in January because the applications are due March-April. 

Don’t worry too much

• The first semester of the year just focus on your grades and extracurriculars because college counseling will give you assignments and help you set goals. I was able to just go with the flow and feel very calm. 
• At the end of first semester you need to start making choices for yourself and setting your own goals so make sure to do that as soon as possible so you do not find yourself lost. As long as you have a goal in mind then you know what you need to do. 

SENIOR YEAR

Keep your grades up. 

• You don’t want to feel as though your mid-year report is what will cause your application to be rejected. First semester really matters since you need to show continued rigor. 
• Put in the effort and do not allow senioritis to get to you. 

Write your supplemental essays in time. 

• Don’t procrastinate. Get them done in time. The November 1st deadline is the deadline for a lot of scholarships and specific programs so make sure you are ready to submit if that’s your date. If you miss the Regular Decision deadline then you missed the deadline. There are no extensions.  
• Have at least two people check for grammar and spelling since different people will notice or miss different things.
• Let people read the essays and give you advice. It is good to get perspective from other people besides your parents. Ask them to tell you what message and values they got out of it. 
• Some schools make their supplemental essays “optional”, but there is no reason not to submit an answer. When deciding which supplements you want to write, the more information you can provide a school, the less they have to investigate/infer about you. They are giving you another place to show different parts of yourself, and that way, you can control their perception of you.

Relax a little bit. Whatever happens, happens, and no matter where you end up, it will all work out. 

• Don’t let school admissions ruin friendships or relationships. Your best friend could be accepted for your dream school, and there is nothing you can do about it. Before decision season, you must change your mindset from jealousy to acceptance of whatever outcome you receive. Delegitimizing why another student was admitted into a college is completely inappropriate and unhealthy.  
• You will find somewhere that makes you happy in the end but take care of yourself in the process. This is a super emotional turbulent stressful experience so take care of yourself.  
• Eat your favorite food when you submit your application. Celebrate the moments you have control over because you cannot control if they accept you.

No matter where you end up, you are in charge of your success

• The school you go to doesn’t define whether or not you will be successful; plenty of successful people started at community college, and plenty of people who attended prestigious schools had talent that never materialized. While some schools have better alumni relations or study abroad, every college is amazing, and your success will materialize if you put the work in. 
• Ultimately, there are so many things one can do to try and guarantee admission to a certain school, but the process is not an exact science, which can be a cause of great anxiety for many. But don’t let that anxiety deter you from trying your best and understanding that wherever you end up is where you are meant to be, and if it’s not, you can always transfer.