Navigating College Applications: Advice from a College Advisor and First-Gen Graduate

By Ready WA Storyteller Nahomi S. N.

Balancing coursework and college applications can make senior year feel overwhelming. To help simplify the process, this article breaks down key college questions through two distinct lenses: a high school career advisor and a recent graduate who just went through it.

As a first-generation, low-income student, navigating admissions was entirely new territory for my family. I relied heavily on my school’s career advisors, who helped me evaluate everything from financial aid packages to long-term career support.

Knowing that not every student has direct access to regular college counseling, I brought in College & Career Readiness Advisor Marilyn Melgoza.

My Take: I first realized how overwhelming the process was when I didn’t understand everything. At first, I thought once I submitted my Common App, I was done! But after that came the financial aspect, which I had no idea how to navigate. I didn’t know exactly how to calculate my total cost of attendance or what type of financial aid my family and I could expect to see.

Finding the Right Fit

Students often wonder how to find colleges that can interest them or fit best. Marilyn points out there is no such thing as a “perfect college” for someone, but there are extremely important questions to ask yourself while looking for options, such as:

• Majors & Programs: Does the college offer the major or programs I’m interested in?
• Location & Setting: Do I want to be in an urban, suburban, or rural setting? How far from home do I want to be?
• Campus Size: Would I prefer a large university or a smaller college?
• Support Services: What academic, career, and personal support services are available?
• Identity & Community: Does the school have communities and resources that will support me as a first-generation student, student of color, LGBTQ+ student, or another part of my identity?
• Cost: Most importantly, what will it cost? Is college affordable for me and my family?

Focusing on options centered around your life and future can really set you up for success by helping you apply to schools that will allow you to be happy in your search.

My Take: The perspective that mattered most when I applied to colleges was: Can I fit into this school? Will it be good for me socially? Am I interested in their clubs? I also looked closely at how many opportunities they had for undergraduate students and strong support for first-gen students. When I realized that many of my top choices had strong Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP), I was set on those, because I knew I would not only be supported academically, but also socially understood by different counselors around me. I just wanted a place where I knew I could be supported.

Q&A with Marilyn Melgoza, College & Career Specialist

Q: How should I approach researching colleges based on my interests?

Marilyn Melgoza: Start by identifying the career or areas of study that interest you, and then work backward to find colleges that offer those programs.

Here at Walla Walla High School, we use SchooLinks, which allows students to search for colleges based on majors and programs. That can be a great starting point.

I also recommend attending college and career fairs, talking with college admissions representatives, visiting campuses when possible, and researching the programs each school offers. And remember, you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself! As College & Career Advisors, we can help you explore your interests, find programs that connect to your goals, and get you connected with the right people and resources.

My Take: I discovered my interests through my extracurriculars, but I was able to research on SchooLinks to explore colleges and their programs. Outside of that, I did a lot of online research by simply Googling schools and reading different student perspectives. Using the internet to find colleges that best matched my field of interest helped me narrow down schools, but what made the biggest difference was talking about all of this with my career advisor to see where I fit best. Don’t be afraid to use the resources around you and make connections!

Q: What are honors programs, and how do they work?

Marilyn Melgoza: Honors programs are special academic programs within a higher ed institution that give students opportunities to take more challenging or specialized courses and participate in additional academic experiences.

Depending on the college, honors students may have access to things like smaller classes, special seminars, priority registration, research opportunities, mentorship, special housing, or additional scholarships.

Each college structures its honors program differently, so it is important to research what the program actually offers. Some schools automatically consider students for their honors program when they apply, while others require a separate application.

Q: What are the best ways to determine my final out-of-pocket cost for college?

Marilyn Melgoza: One of the most important things to remember is that the sticker price is not necessarily what you will actually pay.

We have created a spreadsheet that students and families can use to help estimate their college costs. Start with the school’s total cost of attendance, which generally includes tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses.

I like to separate the costs into direct and indirect costs:

• Direct costs are the expenses you pay directly to the college, such as tuition, required fees, and usually housing and a meal plan.
• Indirect costs are expenses you will have as a student but typically pay to other people or businesses, such as transportation, books, and personal expenses.

Then look at the financial aid and scholarships you have received. Subtract grants and scholarships from your costs first. If you are considering work-study or loans, look at those separately because they work differently from grants and scholarships.

The goal is to figure out: How much will my family and I actually need to pay or borrow? Comparing that number across colleges can give you a much clearer picture of what is financially realistic.

My Take: My understanding of direct and indirect costs used to be very vague, because I understood the basic definitions, but not to the extent I needed to. Looking at different financial aid award letters was very stressful. Understanding the difference between direct costs (tuition) and indirect costs (books, travel) completely changed how I viewed each award letter, especially when evaluating in-state versus out-of-state tuition. The cost spreadsheet Marilyn mentions was a lifesaver, and it was so useful for seeing what my family and I would actually owe.

Q: How do I narrow down an essay topic that best showcases who I am?

Marilyn Melgoza: For the Common App, you have several essay prompts to choose from, but I don’t think students should get too caught up in trying to find the “perfect” prompt or the most impressive story. Instead, start with your experiences.

Think about a moment, experience, challenge, relationship, or interest that has shaped you. It doesn’t have to be the biggest or most dramatic thing that has ever happened to you. Sometimes a seemingly ordinary experience can tell an incredible story if you use it to show the reader who you are, how you think, and what you have learned.

My biggest advice is: just start writing. Don’t worry about making the first draft perfect. Get your story down first. As you write, you may discover what the real story is and what you want the reader to understand about you.

My Take: I personally chose my essay topic by writing about a struggle. At first, I wanted to write something basic, but when I had one of my teachers read it, she called it basic! That made me realize I had already written previous pieces about things I was genuinely passionate about. Drawing inspiration from my past writing helped me find my direction. I focused on one specific theme and showed my challenges in education. It didn’t immediately click for me until I focused on something I was deeply passionate about. My advice: just write about something you like and care about, because so many great ideas stem from just that.