For ACP students, the college research and admission process is one of the most vital parts in their progression from the safety of high school to the ambiguity of the future. Often drilled into their minds from a young age, students have been taught to prepare for college by paying attention to their studies and participating in extracurricular activities in order to build the quality of their resume. They are told that the end to their high school career will come sooner than they might think, and the time to seriously consider colleges will arrive before they know it.Therefore, they keep this thought in mind and work toward the goals they have established. However, when senior year arrives and the future needs to be taken into consideration, a question becomes evident: what now?

The college admission process can be scary and unnerving, especially for students who are the first in their family to be attending college. I know I was really unsure on how to start my college search and what was needed to be done to properly complete a college application. At the beginning, I didn’t even understand where to go in order to find the admissions application for a university, nor did I know what types of additional materials were necessary to apply. Many students are currently in this situation where they are unaware of what the process of applying to college truly entails. Luckily, there are various opportunities currently being offered to help students who lack the knowledge and resources in college admissions.

One such opportunity is called the “Demystifying the College Admission Process”, which will occur on January 22nd at 6:30 p.m and will be held in the Chandler Center for the Arts. Duke University is teaming up with the Chandler Unified School District to provide information about what families should know if they are considering selective colleges as an option. This 60-minute seminar will discuss the admissions trends for colleges with low admission rates, what they search for in an application, how a college admission decision is made, and how to prepare students for this stage in their high school careers. Steve McLaughlin, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admissions from Duke University, will address various aspects of college admission and work with students to best understand each aspect of the college application process.

Stress is prevalent when it comes to applying for colleges. With completing essays, asking for letters of recommendations, and maintaining grades, it is understandable that students can overwhelmed. However, as long as students and their families take advantage of the many resources available to assist them, the college admission process will be easy to get through.

Remember to take a deep breath, search for help when needed, and take the advice of those who were in the same position as you before. We wish ACP students luck in preparing for college and completing applications.