The Admissions Process

Once you select a college, university, vocational or technical school, you must apply to be admitted. On your admissions application, supply complete and accurate information. Failure to do so will delay your admittance or, in some cases, keep you from being admitted. Here's some basic information to know to complete the admissions process.

Academic Calendar

Standard or Regular Admission

For Grade 12 Students: The complete admissions application must be submitted by a set date during your final year. Although most college application submission dates fall between November 30 and March 15, you should call each college to which you are applying to find out what individual submission dates are. Acceptance notification usually takes place in the spring. If you have been accepted you must notify the college of intent by May 1.

Early Admission Program

For Grade 12 Students: Outstanding academic achievers are sometimes admitted in early admissions programs, so be sure to contact individual schools for details on their early admissions programs.

Admissions Checklist

Requirements may vary but here are a few things you may need to provide when you apply for college. The completed application usually includes:

An application form and fee
A counselor/secondary school report form from the college counselor , The form for this is supplied by the college.
A transcript sent directly from your high school
Standardized test scores (Sent directly from College Board and/or ACT)
Letters of recommendation from one or two teachers
Extracurricular activities resume (if required);
A school profile (Sent with your transcript)
Foreign Student Financial Aid Form and Certification of Finances Form

The Application

You probably will need to complete and submit a different application for each school you are considering attending. Before you do that, check with the schools' admission offices to see if they accept electronic applications. Some schools use electronic application systems that allow you to submit a single application to multiple colleges and universities in print or electronic format. Check with the schools on your list for more information.

Most college applications will ask you for the following types of information:

Personal data
Family information
Educational experience
Test scores
Academic experience
Awards and honors
Extracurricular activities (including school, religious, civic, and volunteer)
Work experience
Written essay
Recommendations from teachers and counselor
High school transcript

Some Tips

In addition, some schools may require a personal or telephone interview. Keep in mind the following when filling out your application:

Read through the application before you start writing answers down.
Note any deadlines, and give yourself plenty of time to meet them.
Answers ALL questions. Don't leave anything blank.
Follow directions.
Type or print your answers.
Be neat. Presentation is important.
Include supporting materials (letters of recommendation, outstanding examples of your work or interests)
Make a copy, in case it gets misplaced.
Sign it.
Include a check for the processing fee, if required.
Practice writing the essay before putting the final version on the application.
Fine tune your essay. Don't ramble.
Have someone else review your draft essay.
Be yourself in your essay.
Don't exaggerate your achievements or abilities.
Proofread your application. Better yet, ask a parent or a friend to proofread it too.
For more information, review the academic preparation and standardized tests sections.

The Common Application

The Common Application is, as the name implies, a uniform application that is accepted at over 275 colleges across the country. Some of its benefits and drawbacks are outlined below:

To Students	To Admission Committees
Only one essay	Encourage more applicants to apply
Time savings	Simplified process also leads to more applicants
Send more applications with less effort	Less individuality among applicants

The Common Application versus the College's Own Application

Some colleges and universities offer the option of using the common application or the school's specific application. Officially, the schools do not have a preference for their own form and essays over the common application. In fact, the colleges must sign a form promising not to give preference to the applicants who complete the school-specific application.
Unofficially, there is indeed a slight bias towards the candidates who complete the school-specific applications and answer the more customized essay questions. In short, this applicant often appears to be more sincere about the college . For information about common application visit at www.commonapp.org

Application Timeline

11TH GRADE/JUNIOR YEAR

Meet with your educational consultant to discuss your college curriculum, college entrance exams and college selection. You should:

Continue to review the high school curriculum needed to satisfy the requirements of the colleges you are interested in attending.
Review with your high school teacher your transcripts, academic awards, extra curricular activities, volunteer hours and any leadership roles. Work together to make sure that the information within your file is complete and correct.
Sign up for ACT and/or SAT prep courses if you think you need extra help in getting the best test scores possible. Some high schools offer this service or can recommend test preparation centers.
Take one or more assessment test: ACT and/or SAT.
Start researching grants, scholarships and other financial aid options.
Explore college majors.
Work with your educational consultant to narrow down your list of preferred colleges. Determine which are most difficult to get accepted into, which are easiest and which are in the middle. We recommend you select 3-6 colleges, with 1 or 2 of the most difficult, 1 or 2 of the easiest and 1 and 2 of the middle choices. This will be a good list of colleges to which you should apply.
Read the mail that colleges send to you. You can find useful information such as application deadlines or scholarship offers. Share the information with your parents and your educational consultant.
Maintain good grades and study habits.
Begin to prepare a resume, audition tapes, art portfolios and essays if required by the colleges of your choice.

12TH GRADE/SENIOR YEAR

You are busier than ever- studying, working, volunteering and hanging out with your friends. It's your last year of high school. Even with all of that, it's still not too late to get serious about planning for college. Here's what to do next:

Ask your parents to attend a financial aid meeting with you. Discuss financial aid options such as scholarships and grants.
Meet with your parents and your educational consultant to review your academic records. Make sure the courses you've taken up to this point, and are taking this year will satisfy the admission requirements of the college(s) you're interested in attending.
Ask teachers for letters of recommendation. Get extra signed copies in case you need to send to additional colleges.
Complete your essays, resume, audition tapes, art portfolios, etc. Also, send thank you notes to teachers, counselors and others that supported you in reaching your college goal.
Decide on your college major. Some scholarships are for specific fields of study, like accounting or business or teaching.
Apply for admission to the college(s) of your choice. We recommend that you work with your high school counselor to select 3-6 colleges. Choose 1 or 2 that you consider the most difficult to get accepted into, 1 or 2 of the easiest and 1 or 2 middle choices. Be sure that you submit and that the college(s) has received all required documentation before the application deadline.
If you're submitting your admission applications online, you can also release your high school transcript to the college at the same time.
Research and apply for financial aid such as scholarships, grants and loans. Pay close attention to deadlines!
After January 15, file a Foreign Student Financial Application (FSFA) - Your parents' and your taxes should be prepared before you apply.
Know your deadlines! Keep track of them by calendar so that you don't forget. You could miss a great opportunity to get financial aid or early/regular admission if you miss the required deadline(s). Also, pay particular attention to deadlines for refunds/cancellations. If you change your mind about the college you want to attend, you'll want to be able to get a refund on any early payments that may have been made (things like dorm room or housing deposits).
Once you have been accepted to the college(s) of your choice, pat yourself on the back for a job well done!
Talk with your parents and the college's financial aid office about the cost of attendance and review your financial aid options, based on award letters received from your college(s), for grants, scholarships, work-study programs and loans. Determine your college budget and decide what financial aid to accept.
Talk about payment plans and any deposits (dorm room) that must be paid before you start college. Calendar the dates and amounts so that you and your parents can keep t rack of upcoming expenses.
Develop a long-range budget to pay for college.
Schedule an appointment with your doctor for required immunizations and physicals.
Verify insurance coverage with your college's Student Health Services.
Participate in freshman orientation programs that occur before the college year begins. The programs are a great way to become familiar with the campus and to meet other new students before college starts.

COMMON ADMISSION DECISION DEFINITIONS YOU WILL WANT TO KNOW

Early Decision

Requires you to commit to a college or university at the time of application that, if admitted, you will enroll. You should apply under an Early Decision plan only if you know that you can make a well-reasoned, first-choice decision. Upon admission the institution will require a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1. You may apply to other colleges but may have only one Early Decision application pending at any time. Colleges will respond to requests for financial aid at or near the time admission is offered. If admitted, you must enroll unless your financial aid award is inadequate.

Early Action

Permits you to apply to a college or university of your choice and receive a decision early in the senior year, well in advance of the normal spring response dates. Though you will hear early regarding your admission, you are not committed to attend and you may apply to other colleges. If you are applying for financial aid, you will follow the aid application deadlines set by the institution. You are not required to make a commitment before May 1, but you are encouraged to do so as soon as a final choice is made.

Regular Decision

A plan in which institutions review most of their applications before notifying the majority of candidates of their admission. In this process, colleges set a deadline for completing applications and will respond to completed applications by a specified date. If you are applying for financial aid, you will follow aid application deadlines set by the school. You may apply to other colleges. You will not be required to make a decision regarding enrolling before May 1.

Rolling Admission

This is the term used by colleges which do not wait for a specific date to notify all their applicants, but rather send their decisions upon receipt and review of all credentials. These colleges have a specific, clear-cut set of standards for admission, usually involving a formula which takes into account GPA, SAT and class rank. If the student meets the standard, he or she is admitted immediately; if not, the student is usually deferred until further senior grades and/or SAT scores are available. Students who are clearly inadmissible are usually denied early on. The catalogue will tell you whether the college uses the rolling admission plan or has a common notification date. If a college uses rolling admission, it is obviously to your advantage to apply early, since it becomes harder and harder to get in as more and more freshmen are admitted and the class begins to fill up. It is not uncommon for colleges on rolling admission to become more selective as the year progresses and fewer spaces are available.

Wait List

A term used by institutions to describe a process in which they may initially delay offering or denying you admission. Rather, the institution extends to you the possibility of admission in the future. Colleges offer admission to wait list candidates if insufficient numbers of regularly admitted candidates accept their offers of admission. Please refer to the Statement of Student's Rights and Responsibilities for the rights which you are assured if placed on a wait list.

Admission Process