What WiE Did Senior Year of High School to Prepare for College Applications

The college application and decision process can be daunting, and it can be hard to know where to start. Check out what some of our Women in Engineering students were doing during their senior year of high school to prepare. 

Lily Brodzinski – Current Senior in Chemical Engineering, High School Graduating Class of 2021

When Fall of my senior year of high school came around, I was finishing gathering information for my Common Application. In my junior year of high school, I pushed myself to write and edit my personal essay (back when that was required by more colleges) so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it over the summer leading into my last year of high school. One thing that I did that I would recommend was creating a “junior resume” of sorts. I started to compile a list of the community involvements, leadership experiences, and group work exercises that I had completed and could write extensively about. With this list, I expanded on my specific roles in the experiences and what I gained from each experience. This detailed list was helpful as it could be used for part of the Common Application and broke down the work into a less daunting task.

I also met with my counselor, a lot, in Fall to talk about which colleges I was applying for and to give updates about my progress on the Common Application. My counselor was a great resource for understanding the work I had to do to complete the Application as well as what I could expect after I turned in my applications. But most importantly, I tried to dedicate a lot of my time to enjoy it by seeing my friends (as much as I could in 2020), continuing with my club and sport involvements, and spending time with my family. Senior year goes very quickly, and as exciting it is to look at your future, be sure to enjoy the moment as well!

Gabi Layman – Current Junior in Biomedical Engineering, High School Graduating Class of 2022

As the fall semester of my senior year of high school approached, I did a lot to prepare for college applications. The first big thing I had to do was get together a list of schools that I was applying to. Being from in-state with an interest in engineering, Purdue was easily at the top of my list. I also looked out of state as well, doing lots of research and taking college tours when and where I could. When I was applying, not every school was on the CommonApp, so I had to figure out which schools I could use the CommonApp for and which required their own application. I organized all of my information in a spreadsheet, listing not just the school and their application style, but also programs that I was interested in or features that I liked/disliked at a specific school, whether they were test optional, what the application deadlines were, and so on. This helped me gather all of my information and thoughts all in one place, making me feel a little less overwhelmed while going through this big, sometimes scary, process.


Once I knew where I was applying, the next thing I did was work on my applications! The majority of the schools that I applied to used the CommonApp, so I focused on that for the most part. My high school held a CommonApp workshop, where they showed us all of the important features and how to fill in some specific information, as well as some tips and tricks. Another benefit of this was the feedback that we were able to get on our personal essays. When we signed up for the workshop, we were required to submit a personal essay so that the English teachers could read over them and provide feedback for improvements. Overall, this workshop gave me a good idea of what I needed to complete for my applications and how I could improve my essay.


The college application process can be scary, but I found it helpful to write out my feelings about every school, good and bad. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but getting organized and talking it out with someone can make it feel more manageable.

Madison Meunier - Current Sophomore in Chemical Engineering, High School Graduating Class of 2023

When I started my senior year of high school the main thing on my mind was applying to colleges. I was enrolled in difficult classes that year, but I made sure my priority was getting my applications in early to schools I knew I would love. Before starting any applications though, I had to narrow down my list of schools. First, I decided that I would not apply in-state because I wanted to experience something different than Colorado, where I lived my entire life. Then, based on climate, I decided what regions I would look into more, and found engineering schools in those areas. What helped me narrow down my list of schools the most was looking into each school’s student life and deciding if it was a good fit for me. I wanted a school that had clubs and sports that interested me and supported women in engineering through student organizations.


When I had my final list of schools, I looked into all of their early application deadlines and their required essays. I made sure to space out when I would write all of these essays to make sure I would not be overwhelmed closer to the deadlines, while still making time for my senior year classes. Writing the essays became repetitive and stressful after a while, but I made sure each one was written to the best of my ability because I knew they would have a big impact on whether or not I was accepted. During this time, it was very helpful to get an opinion from my parents and a teacher on almost every essay I wrote and make improvements based on their comments.


Based on my experience with college applications, the best advice I can give is to start applying early and make sure you would be happy at every college to which you apply.

Natalie Anderson – Current Sophomore in Industrial Engineering, High School Graduating Class of 2023

At the start of senior year, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to major in – I was theoretically thinking of engineering, but this was very up in the air and I hadn’t begun to narrow down a discipline. I also didn’t have a solid idea of where I wanted to apply, so I studied for and took the SAT on the chance that I would need it for a school that didn’t prefer/accept the ACT. I had toured a couple of local schools junior year, but I visited several more for in-depth tours during the fall of senior year. For the majority of my prospective colleges, I wanted to apply by the November 1st deadline for honors, scholarship, and/or early action consideration. I applied to several schools that had not initially been on my radar due to merit scholarship offerings and, in combination with the regular Common App writing and completion process, this ended up being fairly time consuming. In particular, local and state schools that I had initially thought would be quick and easy to apply to ended up taking longer than I had imagined as specific programs and scholarships required essays and more in-depth applications. I would definitely recommend getting started on the early application process as soon as you can – the high school workload is lighter at the beginning of the year, you won’t have your first semester grades regardless of when you submit for a November deadline, and it’ll offer you a break between the first application round and regular decision if you end up submitting application(s) for that. Give yourself plenty of time, try not to stress about things outside of your control, and enjoy your last year of high school!

Grace Fuller – Current Freshman in FYE program, High School Graduating Class of 2024

When the fall of my senior year began, I had a lot going on. With sports and school, it was hard to take time out of my day to spend on college applications. However, I made a promise to myself that I would spend one day every weekend to either gather information or finalize my college application. This helped me stay organized and not have to feel stressed as much before the deadline came. I also had my older sisters look over my application and even one of my teachers. Getting feedback from my peers really helped me form a solid presentation of what I had to offer to colleges. Also, try to take a look at specific programs or projects that the colleges offer for students. The application process is meant for you to figure out which colleges you are interested in but also which ones you think you will feel most comfortable with. It's also ok if you do not know which major you want to go into yet. Purdue has given me the chance to learn about the many different engineering programs and they will soon help me choose which engineering I will go into next year.


The college application process can be intimidating especially if you hear about what your friends are putting on their application. It is important not to compare yourself to others during this time because the colleges want to see the real you. Focus on putting your goals, interests, and opinions on application. At the end of the day, you should be proud of how much you have accomplished and make sure to cherish the last few months of your senior year!

Lily Brodzinski ChE '25, Gabi Layman BME '26, Madison Meunier ChE '27, Natalie Anderson IE '27, Grace Fuller FYE '28

Recruitment Project Committee

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