My head was spinning and my mind was racing as I walked out of the office, through the lobby, and to the car. While I had been given bad news before, this bad news hit me particularly hard. I was entering senior year, a 3 year letterman, a Scholar Athlete Reward recipient and I would never play under the Friday night lights again. For six years, I had loved football: the teamwork, brotherhood, and competition of the sport. I enjoyed putting...

Sprinting as fast as I could with my team depending on me, ten yards away, five yards away and POP. I got up from making a vicious tackle with an excruciating pain in my shoulder. In the heat of battle of the Friday night lights I didn’t think too much of it; only to discover a year later that I needed to go under the knife for surgery on my right shoulder. Situations like this are more prevalent than...

If I were fortunate enough to lead a one-year volunteer project I would elect to dedicate time to help some of the heroes of our country: the military. I would assemble a team of Appalachian students who would volunteer at military hospitals in the region such as the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville. Our goal would be to provide whatever support is needed, treating members of our military with the compassion, benevolence, and the respect they deserve. For...

Certain people and events resolutely influence your life and make you who you are. There are two primary factors that make a person who they are: nature and nurture. Nature is an individual’s family history and genetics, while nurture is someone’s environment, education, and upbringing. I am grateful for both my influence from nature and nurture, because I know it has made me who I am today. I have grown up in a big family with a lot...

I had to write atleast 3 essays and around 4 or 5 personal statements. It is important to get a good idea on paper and then worry about editing it and making it an amazing essay. My essays were inspired by my own life which definitely made them easier to write. The colleges want to get to know you just as much as they care about how good the writing is. If you have an emotional or life changing story, find a way...

I chose my school because not only was it the best fit for my major, it just felt right when I visited. It is extremely important to visit each school before you decide. You will never know if you truly like it or...

Having a student resume while visiting schools set me apart. While visiting each school I made sure to find an admissions officer and give him my student resume. Not only did he then know who I was,...

Start your application process early. The earlier you start the better. I started my applications in the summer, which made my life so much easier. Because I finished my applications before...

I used a private company that helped me with my college admission process and it was very beneficial. They gave me a lot of knowledge and helped me with multiple things along they way. This company not only helped me research possible schools...

I chose schools to apply to based on price, my intended major, and the realistic chance of me getting in. When looking at schools I would say that finding a school that is strong in your major should be the number one priority. If...