Whether you’re already in the thick of things or just beginning your college process, save the graded high school papers you’ve received back from your teachers that you’re most proud of. Your written work can play a very important role in your college application process and beyond:
- Many test optional schools request or require you submit a graded assignment from high school. In addition, some colleges that require standardized tests also ask for writing samples with their application supplements. Be proactive and get into the habit of setting aside your best work now.
- If you’re currently involved in a special program like science research, you may choose to forward a copy of one of your best research papers to admissions or a department head along with your application. So, its a good idea to keep your work organized now so its accessible when you need it.
- When applying to a specific program, as a high school senior or as an enrolled student, samples of your work may be required.
- Many internship and work opportunities also request a writing sample. Until you have college level work to submit, you’ll want to know where that A+ paper of yours resides.
If you’re not already doing so, get in the habit of regularly backing up your work. In addition to saving your school work, start saving the many documents you’ll be creating throughout your college application process. You may need to write one or two essays for the Common App and possibly several more to meet individual school requirements. Applications for special programs and scholarships calls for even more essays. To that, add the supporting documents demonstrating your involvement in specific academic and/or extracurricular activities. Think about the countless hours you’ve dedicated to composing this material. You’ll write and re-write, and edit and then edit some more, then proof read until finally your work is ready to be submitted.
Imagine if your work was inadvertently lost. Things can go wrong with your computer….viruses, failed hard drives and even natural disasters can result in a loss of data. ALWAYS SAVE AND BACK UP YOUR WORK! It’s simple to do and there are so many ways – external hard drives, online storage solutions and USB flash drives just to name a few. Find a system that works for you and ALWAYS back up your school work and your application work as well.
BOUND TO ORGANIZE 