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The Secret Juice behind applying to universities during your high-school

 Should you apply during the 12th or in Gap Year? 



College application is a time-consuming and exhausting procedure for Nepali and international students. For domestic applicants, the admission process usually begins in ninth grade, when they have already been admitted to a college preparatory program. These are the schools whose main goal is to align their students with their ideal colleges. However, in our country, Nepal, most students do not consider applying until they are in or after the 12th grade. As a result, in terms of planning, we are well behind our domestic counterparts. 


Despite the fact domestic students are way ahead of us in the application process, International students are accessed only within their region, country,
or high school. 


Returning to the main subject, is it worthwhile to apply during 12th grade, or will it have an effect on my academics? There are only a few schools in Nepal where the majority of students apply during the 12th grade and receive excellent placements. Though it may seem to be possible, you must understand the context in which those students are learning. Since all of their peers expect to apply in the 12th grade, they begin preparing for college applications in the first semester of 11th grade; however, this is not the case for most other schools. There is rarely more than one student in a class willing to apply during 12th grade; however, a lack of resources or a comparable peer group forces the student to take a gap year to apply.


It is still possible to get into a good college in your 12th grade, but you must begin the process as soon as you complete your 11th grade. Normally, the process takes 12 - 18  months but it is still possible to finish the process within 9 months. Before actually elaborating the process let us look at some pros and cons of applying during 12th grade. 



Pros


  • If you get a placement, you will save one year.

  • You do not have to face any sort of family and relative pressure

  • You will be free from the pressure that comes with not having any surety about your college and it would help in your exams and academics

  • Save time = Save money

  • You would have your high school knowledge still on your brain and it would be easy to transform academic-wise.

  • Even if you do not get into your preferred or any universities, you do have an advantage over other gap year students: Mistakes you have made!


Cons


  • It would definitely affect your academics, especially the mid-term exams.

  • You won’t have any free time as you will either be busy with academics or in the application process

  • You get less time to prepare for Standardized test and it could affect your college placements

  • You will have less time to explore your interests which could affect the academic track you want to go on.

  •  You will not get time to spend with your family and friends before going abroad 

  • You will not be able to enjoy your final year of high-school

  • You will face a lot of problems while applying, especially from the sides of counselors and teachers as they will prioritize students in gap year before you. 



Applying in 12th grade


Note: This process is only feasible for students who at least are in the first or second months of his/her 12th grade. 


  • The first thing you should do is to make a list of colleges but it should not exceed 10. Although it may contradict many, I would suggest only applying to a college that would meet your needs. Applying to a merit-based full ride is not an option as it needs a lot of hard work and you do not have enough time. 

  • Start writing your essays, Make multiple drafts of a single essay. Try showing one single story in different ways. I will tell more about essays in another blog as it is one of the most important parts of your application. 

  • Ask for recommendations from teachers and counselors as soon as possible. 

  • If possible, give the SAT and TOEFL. Although many colleges have opted for a test-optional policy, most colleges will still want English Language proficiency tests. 

  • Early Decision may seem not possible but I strongly suggest applying to ED and EA. I strongly suggest to the students who have already thought about applying in a gap year to at least apply to one or two colleges in ED and EA. 

  • Connect with students outside of your school who are also applying in 12th grade, more precisely to ones who are applying to the same universities as yours.   

  • Do not forget about your academics as you should maintain a similar academic level as you have represented in your college application. 



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