As the cold months begin to roll in, scholarship applications roll out, and college admission decisions are made. Some Norwalk seniors share their experience with applications and admission, and what it was like for them.
Jacob Gear said there were aspects in applications he wasn’t expecting.
“I think on the scholarship side what surprised me most was that it’s more than writing just one essay,” he said. “You really have to think about all the things you’ve done throughout high school.”
Gear said he plans to attend Dordt University to run track, play in the band, and major in the business field. Gear said that with essays, you really have to think before you write.
“You want to think about what you want to say about yourself, what you want to talk about yourself,” he said. “You want the reader to understand you on a personal level more than just what you’ve accomplished.”
Crenity Carmona plans to attend Buena Vista University next fall. Carmona said she had a pleasant application experience.
“For me, the application process went very smoothly for me,” she said. “I was able to get in and get everything done pretty quickly.”
Carmona said she was lucky enough to have people help her through the process.
“It definitely helped that I had people to help and mentor me with my college decision,” she said.
Carmona said it was important to dedicate time to fill out the applications.
“I always tried to free up some time to get my applications in,” she said. “I have a busy schedule, so I really needed to use my time efficiently.”
Brady Wilkening said he also had to make time for applications.
“On Sundays, I would just set up a two-three hour block to just work on scholarships and stuff,” he said.
Wilkening said he plans to attend an out-of-state school and major in business or finance. He said that it was a different experience for him when applying for admission and scholarships.
“There were a lot of deadlines you had to pay attention to and get the Common App filled out,” he said. “I wasn’t just applying to one school, so I had to do different things for each school I applied to.”
Wilkening said if he could do things differently, he would start earlier.
“A lot of the deadlines really snuck up on me, and it was hard to find time because I had practice and other schoolwork,” he said. “I had a lot more free time in the summer, where I could have knocked all this out and not feel stressed about deadlines.”
