LOS ALAMITOS, CA — From Nov. 14 through Nov. 18, the College and Career Center is holding after-school help for students crafting applications for Cal State (CSU) and UC institutions. This includes help with essays and the process of sending applications to the desired schools of your choice.

Getting college application help is especially important right now, as the deadline for CSU and UC applications on Nov. 30 is fast approaching. By attending these meetings, all of your questions about the application process will be answered by Los Alamitos High School’s counselors and advisors. The help being offered includes assistance in making your student-written essays, needed for UC applications, look as appealing as possible to the school of your choice.

It is important to note that you do not need to schedule an appointment for this help, as multiple counselors will be there to assist any student who walks in. For any student who has not yet completed an application to a CSU or UC of their choice, it is all the more important to attend these meetings this week. The steps needed to complete the application online may be hard for anyone who has not used the application sites such as the one on the official California State University website. Starting or completing the process right now, with the help of the meeting’s counselors, may help you eliminate any technical problems as early as possible. This ultimately prevents any inconvenience when submitting the application as early as possible. Furthermore, there are other reasons as to why you should get help with the admissions process as soon as possible.

“[It’s] better to file earlier to avoid any issues with the application portals slowing down or even crashing with heavy usage on the 30th,” Marianne Schaeffer, Los Alamitos High School’s College and Career Counselor, said.

If college applications are filled out and submitted last minute, most likely due to last-minute technical difficulties, it is very likely that the servers will stall due to the massive influx of last-minute applications. This will ultimately result in a late submission that will tank your eligibility to your schools. This makes these meetings all the more important to anyone with questions about their desired school’s application process or anyone who has not started their applications at all. If either of these apply to you, please come to the meetings to create the most effective application possible.