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My Story of Applying to the University of Denver

Miranda Smith 1 Stories

Friday October 27, 2017 , 2 min Read

First Steps & A Total Surprise

At the time of applying, I was sure of my expectations and knew what was going to happen next. Or at least I thought I knew. Of course, I would be asked about my grades, academic and professional background, and extracurricular activities. What surprised me, though, was that I was required to write a 250-word essay. Back then, I didn’t distinguish between Early Action and Early Decision. I faced many unclear moments and decisions. The good thing was that I set aside the application for several days before moving on. It helped me a lot!

The application process

Upon making a decision to apply, same as with all college applications, I had to choose between the Common App and the University of Denver’s (DU’s) personalized Pioneer App. I decided to go for the latter option which gave me an advantage of naming close people that attend or attended the DU before and giving more details regarding myself. I then had to choose between Early Action (a nonbinding early submission), Early Decision I or II (binding submission with the same deadline), or a Regular Decision (nonbinding with a later deadline). Not that straightforward, huh?

The most difficult application stages for me were the activities part and the essay itself. For some reason, I totally forgot what have I been doing for the last three years, so I had a hard time completing the application. I was fine afterwards, but there were a couple of stressful moments. I spent a huge amount of time writing an essay on a topic I was passionate about. At first, I couldn’t reach the required wordcount, but after some time, I had to work really hard to shorten the essay. Yeah, college applications are fun, aren’t they?

Concluding Thoughts

Surprisingly, the University of Denver does not demand a teacher’s recommendation letter. They do need, however, one from the counselor. It really simplifies the application process, to be honest. I submitted the application later during the school year so as to be able to get a recommendation letter from a teacher just in case. Meanwhile, I went through the DU’s website and studied all their facilities and possibilities. Yes, I am fully ready for the admission results!