The College Counseling department has been working nonstop since August to make sure all of this year’s seniors have their college applications ready by the time the first deadline at the University of Illinois hits next week. The department has hosted many events, such as their recent “complete your college application party,” at which seniors could enjoy complimentary pizza while they finished their applications with the help of  National College Adviser Jerry Pope, College Counselor Allegra Giulietti-Schmitt, guidance counselors and other staff members.

Niles North offers many programs for seniors who need some last-minute help in the few weeks before college application deadlines. For instance, “We have free test prep online [on Naviance], and we also have test prep made available for our seniors this year,”  Pope says.

Pope has ample advice for seniors. “Apply early. Colleges are doing a lot of research of now, they’re using consulting firms and pulling this data showing  that students who apply early and beat deadlines are the most interested and are most likely to commit to a school.” Procrastinating is just a  bad idea when it comes to your college apps.

“Every school should be your first choice,”  Pope says.

Even if you still have a year before you need to worry about deadlines, there are still things you can do to stay ahead of the game. At the Exploring College night this February: “We have one of our best speakers coming back,” Pope says. “Jim Cotter from Michigan State University, who is in such high demand as a speaker, will speak about large state universities.” Cotter will be joined by Ken Hanselment of Lawrence University and the dean of admissions at Oakton Community College to engage students in a discussion on the differences between public, private and community colleges.

“Oftentimes, students will be a little too honest and they’ll tell the University of Chicago ‘you’re my school’, and they’ll tell Northwestern ‘you’re my backup school,'” Pope says. “Nobody wants to be a backup school.” Seniors should be careful to convince every school they apply to that they are the number one school, even if they aren’t. “You never know how things will play out in terms of acceptances, financial aid, or scholarships.”

Financial Aid Night on Jan.  7 is an important event for seniors who are applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). One unique piece of advice from Pope: “Don’t rule out some of the more expensive private colleges, because they actually have the deeper pockets and tend to be more generous in terms of financial aid and scholarships.”

Pope also recommends signing up for some of the college rep visits at North “The big thing we want students to take advantage of is the college visit. That’s kind of money in the bank. These colleges are coming here to meet with our kids, its a chance for students to really promote themselves.”

Pope also has advice for the most popular application students fill out, the Common App. “Follow directions” and “when they give you an essay topic to write on, stay true to that prompt.” As dean of admissions, Pope recalls being unimpressed when he read an essay that veered off topic. It often led him to reject the application.

If you have any questions about the college process, or just need general advice or information, stop in at the College Counseling office. The staff can provide you with advice and materials to guide you through the whole nerve-wracking process.