As the college application season winds down, we’ve managed to collect some timeless advice from our former Sentinel Sun co-editors-in-chief who’ve lived through the US application process! Faith (Brown University ‘27) and Titus (Princeton University ‘27) are currently in their first year of college.
Can you share a valuable tip for navigating the college admissions process?
T: You’ve probably already heard this before, but my advice is to do what you’re passionate about. Throughout high school, I explored so many different things—from creative writing to math contests to entrepreneurship—and through this exploration I was able to find something that I could continue to pursue and improve at. Also, don’t just do things because you have to, because everyone else is doing it, or just to pad your resume. For all the volunteering that I did, I did it because I truly cared. For example, I volunteered with our community during our cultural event; there I was not only able to help the community but also explore my own culture as a result.
How did you handle college rejection, and do you have any advice for others facing a similar situation?
F: To be honest, I’m not great with handling rejection, and I definitely suffered a bit during last year’s application cycle. In hindsight though, rejection is just part of the process, so definitely try not to let that bother you too much! I’d encourage current seniors to remember that rejection doesn’t mean that you’re incapable; students are rejected for a number of reasons. Maybe your application persona didn’t fit the college’s character, maybe the admissions officer didn’t like your interpretation of the short essay prompts. With the sheer amount of applications that schools get, it’s only natural that you’re going to face rejection–even if you're super academically competitive!
Balancing extracurricular activities and academics can be challenging in high school. What strategies did you use to manage both effectively?
T: I found that making a list of things that I had to complete on a specific day to be super helpful; I’m not the most organized, productive person so having a list to keep track of what needs to be done makes it so I eventually get everything done. To add to this, even though I didn’t do this until my last year of high school, blocking out and visualizing your day also helps make sure you stay on track.
F: Yep! I’m a little less organized, but I swear by a to-do list in my Notes app! My advice is also to do things immediately, instead of procrastinating on it. This will prevent your to-do list from becoming cluttered with miscellaneous little tasks. Now, this is obviously easier said than done, and I also struggle with this, but the sooner you can adopt a proactive stance on completing tasks, the better! As a general rule, I like to limit my to-do list to 5 things, which forces me to complete tasks before they pile up.
Reflecting on your high school experience, do you have a significant regret or something you wish you had done differently before entering college?
T: I regret not really enjoying high school until senior year; I think I was really focused on my academics and my hobbies outside of school and so there's a lot that I missed out on. Go make new friends, try new things, go to all the school events even if you think they might be boring!
F: Yep, I 100% agree. Specifically, I regret not appreciating Vancouver more. Having travelled around a bit in the States this year, I can definitely confirm that Vancouver is, by far, the best city I’ve ever visited–even despite our gas prices. It’s a beautiful city that excels in every aspect, and there’s so much good food, culture, nature, recreation, etc. There’s so much to this city that I still haven’t explored, and I really wish I took more time to do that before leaving for college. It’s a shame that it took me 18 years to realize how much of a gem Vancouver is, and I miss delicious Vancouver tap water every day.
What insights can you provide about the experience at Ivy League schools, particularly regarding academics, college life, and leadership opportunities?
F: In terms of academics, it’s tough. College is definitely a step above high school in terms of academics, but I think that Sentinel’s academic rigour prepared us well! But be prepared to try your absolute hardest in college if you want good grades–this means no more procrastinating! Absolutely do not put off studying for your exams until the last minute (I learned this the hard way), especially because college exams can be worth up to 30% of your final grades sometimes. Also, apart from setting good study habits, I can’t stress the importance of setting good habits in general. Make sure you’re drinking enough water, eating enough fruits, and getting enough sleep, even when your parents aren’t there to remind you. The freshman flu is serious! One last thing: don’t take 9 AM classes. Even if you think you’re a morning person, you’ll regret it.
In terms of college life, it’s as fun as you make it. I think for a lot of us, college is our first opportunity to really become independent, and I see this as a chance for self-discovery and trying new things. You’re going to be exposed to so many new people in college, and that means a lot of potential new friends! I would also strongly recommend taking advantage of your college’s resources, so for example, attending school events and joining clubs. You never know when you’ll discover a new hobby, or meet like-minded people. For example, I love going to the therapy dog visits that my school organizes, and I actually met one of my now best friends while petting all the cute dogs and taking pictures with them!
T: I agree with everything Faith said. There are so many club and extracurricular opportunities on campus but leadership opportunities are definitely competitive. Additionally, time management, in my opinion, is much more difficult: I tried to get involved in a variety of different opportunities, similar to what I had done at Sentinel, but it was much more difficult to do so; the leap in academic rigour, the unfamiliarity of college life, and the freedom you’re given—in terms of outside of class time—made it difficult.
Something I struggled with the most at first, was having a roommate. I’ve been used to having my own room my whole life, so sharing a room meant less privacy, having to keep my space tidy, and adjusting to someone else’s habits and lifestyle. There are many things that I did with my roommate that helped me navigate this adjustment: clear communication, setting boundaries, creating a roommate agreement (though this was required for our school, it definitely helped), being open-minded and flexible, and finally, finding common ground if there’s a disagreement.
Thanks so much to our Sentinel Sun alumni, Titus and Faith, for taking the time to speak with us! We hope that Sentinel students can take advantage of this advice for future college application cycles!
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