When you graduate from high school, the next step in your education and in your life is to try to get into college. There is a long application process that you have to go through; colleges are not like high schools in that they do not take just anyone. You have to apply and get in, whether you want to go to Harvard, UAB, Michigan, or any other college. If you are denied, you cannot sign up for classes or continue your education, so doing everything in your power to make sure that you get in is the best thing that you can do for your future.

The first tip that can help you is that you should never apply to just one college. No matter how good you think the chances are that you will get in, you never know what is going to happen. It is best to apply for about five different schools. Even if the one that you want to go to the most does not take you, a different school might. Try to find schools that all fit your criteria. You will find that, though it may not be your dream school, there are many options out there.

Next, you should make sure to send your ACT or SAT scores – different colleges require different test scores – to your favorite schools. After you take the tests, you can send the results to a few schools for free. In many ways, these tests are more important to the admissions department than your GPA. They have no way of knowing how hard your classes were in high school. They know exactly how hard those tests are. This gives them a better measuring stick to see if they should let you in or if they should save that spot for someone else.

Finally, make sure that you apply as early as you can. Do not wait until the last minute, or you may accidentally miss the deadline. The schools are going to fill up with new freshman quickly. After some of them have been offered places in the university, those offers cannot be taken back, even if a more qualified person decides to apply. You could lose out to someone that you would have beaten for the spot if you just wait too long to apply and that other person gets their application turned in before you.