Being a student isn’t easy. Whether you’re a senior at high school or college — whether you’re going through the process for the first time or returning to it after many years — chances are, you’ve experienced moments of confusion, anxiety, stress, and pressure.
It’s natural. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re not alone.
If there’s something I’ve learned from having experienced those things, it’s the importance of asking for help. And you’re already doing it: you’re here!
The first step to solving a problem is to understand it. To break it down into many parts. And that’s what we can do together. Here are the challenges of student life that I can help you with!
College applications
Applying for college is usually a tenuous process involving many steps. Done well, though, it can greatly boost your confidence and train you in skills that will serve you throughout your life.
Deciding where to apply
Easier said than done, am I right?
If only it were as easy as doing a Google search, finding the top universities in the world, and applying to the ones closest to you (or furthest, depending on how adventurous you are).
Nope: you’re going to have to consider not only your academic interests but also your finances, your long-term goals, and your previous academic/professional record.
Oh, and how likely you are to finish the application in time, because these things come with strict deadlines.
Filling in your application form
As soon as you register on your college application portal, you’ll receive a link on your email that allows you to begin the application. Click on that, open the portal, and you see several sections.
Some of them ask for straightforward information: who are you? How old are you? Where do you live? What course are you applying for?
Other sections ask you to upload formal documents: your certificates, academic transcripts, and so on. If you’re lucky, they’ll ask you for your CV. If not, they’ll ask you to manually enter the details of your education, employment, and extracurriculars into little boxes on the screen. Should this be the case, we advise you to immediately take deep breaths and drink a glass of water before you proceed.
Most colleges also require you to procure entirely new documents, just for the application process. These usually include the following:
- a personal statement — this will explain your motivations for applying for the university and why you are qualified to join.
- letters of recommendation — these need to be written by mentors (academic or professional) who have worked closely with you in the past.
- a proposal — usually for postgraduate, PhD, and postdoc positions, this is a document that describes the central questions, methodology, theoretical background, and potential impact of your proposed research.
- writing samples — these can be essays, excerpts from publications, etc.
For some PhD and postdoc positions, you may be encouraged by the university to contact your proposed supervisor(s) first. However, in most cases, you are left to finish your application all by yourself.
Applying for funding
This step may not be for everyone, but seeing how expensive it is becoming to go to university, especially if you’re going abroad, most people would benefit from institutional funding.
Sometimes, upon completing your university application, you will be automatically considered for university scholarships. This eligibility may depend on when you submit your application, so keep an eye out for funding deadlines!
Many sources of funding require their own applications. You should expect such an application to take as much time as applying to a university, and you may be asked to produce similar documents.
Erm. Not to scare you, but funding applications tend to be a lot more strict and competitive. So do your best, yeah?
How I can help: I can guide you through every step of the process detailed above. In particular, I can help you polish all your written work, ensuring that you submit an application that has deeply engaged with the university/funder in question.