Just Complete the Application!
Many students wonder: What colleges should I apply to? Instead, Student Paths suggests to first practice the process by completing all the requirements for a Common Application without submitting it to a specific college.
This website is used by more than 500 colleges who will accept the online application. The immediate purpose of this task is to experience the college application process, so that the real process is much more efficient and effective at the right time.
Students in grades 9-11 should complete the application, but not submit it. In senior year, when you are ready to apply for a specific school, all the information may be updated, reviewed, and submitted to specific colleges.
This first opportunity with Common Application is to understand exactly what a college expects from an applicant. During this process, students may seek assistance from counselors, parents, teachers, and mentors to practice preparing the college application in full.
While Common App is used by many colleges, far more do not use it and countless other post-secondary options exist. For example, this website has instructions on how to apply to the University of California: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply-now.html, and this website explains how to apply for the U.S. Army: http://www.goarmy.com/learn.html.
After completing the Common Application, write a list below of websites for 5 other opportunities in life after high school that were not listed on the Common Application.