By DR. STEPHEN JONES

Springfield, Pa. - Annually, over 10 million high school students begin the process of applying to colleges around the country. The first year of high school is the starting place for a successful college application. Some students think that they can wait until their junior year to get focused. Colleges want to read about students who have consistently devoted themselves to academic excellence, leadership, and personal growth. All these factors combined contribute to the development of a well-rounded student and college application. A student who is a leader in all aspects of their life will have an application that is attractive to many colleges.

Today applying to several colleges is much easier than it was in the past. Colleges once mailed hundreds of applications to students and then students would gather lots of documents to mail with each application. Sometimes things got lost and some applications were not accepted. Today a student can submit several applications with the click of a button. You can find the colleges that you want on the Common Application website at http://www.CommonApplication.org.

There is also Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Common Application at https://commonblackcollegeapp.com/. You pay one fee and your application is sent to every HBCU.

One way to be a successful college bound student is getting to know all your teachers while in high school. Believe it or not, they've all gone to colleges and some have attended HBCUs all over the country. The HBCUs are interested in admitting some of the most talented students in the country too. They are using the same standards as other colleges that admit students because they want them to graduate. They are looking for students who've been the leader of their high school's student government, volunteered in the community, tutored others, served as captain of a sports team or traveled around the globe. Students who have challenged themselves in high school to earn the best grades possible are equally being considered.

Remember to form good relationships with your high school teachers because the college admission staff wants to read good recommendation letters. Request a recommendation from a teacher who has spent time with you inside and outside of the classroom. You must be diligently involved in class discussions and in giving oral presentations. That way, teachers will get to know you. You should build a reputation in your class as a student who is always helping and caring about others. You could regularly visit a senior citizen's home to encourage the residents and staff by doing something like arts and crafts with them. The college admissions process is a time of gathering of information that will tell your story to the college admission staff.High school students don't need to feel that preparing a college application is too challenging. You can get plenty of help from your school counselor. Don't wait until the last minute to complete your college application. You can do a better job on the application by starting early and you won't feel rushed to complete it. Also, make sure that you are applying to colleges early in the senior year. At that time, you can always update the application when you get more grades or remember something that you did not include in your electronic application. Keep positive and expect good results when you apply to colleges. You have something tremendous to contribute to the world and attending and graduating from college is a great way to start.

Dr. Stephen Jones The author of three books: “Seven Secrets of How to Study”, the “Ultimate Scholarship Guide” and the “Parent's Ultimate Education Guide” at http://www.DrStephenJones.net.