College Application Process OverviewN.
B.
This overview includes references to a Red Folder and forms all of which will
be issued to all seniors during the first two weeks of school in August. This
is posted now for any students and parents who have questions while school is
not in session. Please click on a topic below. Exploration and PreparationDECIDING: CREATING YOUR FINAL LIST!APPLYING
Filling Out the
Forms
Application DeadlinesMISCELLANEOUS-
Artists, Actors, Musicians and Athletes WRAPPING UP THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Exploration and PreparationResources
for Research:
Guidance
Counselors
Faculty experience with postsecondary education
Guidance Resource Room books: catalogues and viewbooks from specific colleges;
The College Handbook, The College Finder, Rugg’s Recommendations,
The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, etc.
Choices search program on the Guidance computers and in the library
Multiple Internet sites, as listed on the handout CHECK THE NET
included in this folder
Recent Coe-Brown graduates’ college experiences Fall Events to Assist in the Process
Requirements of each school vary, and sometimes they vary for differing
majors at the same school. Once you have
narrowed down your college list, make sure to take all the tests required.
Most four-year colleges will require either the SAT Reasoning Test or the
ACT’s. Many will accept either. A few might accept
the ACT’s without the Writing segment. (If you take SAT’s the Writing will automatically
be included. However, many colleges are asking for that component.)
The most competitive colleges may also require SAT Subject tests, which
must be taken on a separate Saturday from the SAT Reasoning test, so once again:
plan
ahead!
Registration is either by paper form, available in the Guidance
Resource Room, or on the websites: www.collegeboard.com
or www.act.org.
Registration deadlines are on the websites and the forms and will
also be given to you in the monthly Senior Newsletters as well as on the
morning announcements! (No excuses.) For a penalty fee ($22 for 2007-08 in addition
to the $43 fee) you can usually register late for about a week after the deadline
for either test.
If applying Early Decision or to early deadline schools, the October
6th testing is about the last acceptable one possible.
If applying to highly competitive schools with December/January deadlines,
November and December testing dates are about the last possible ones.
If applying to less competitive, later deadline schools, the late
January test date may still be accepted.
Visiting
See
handouts in red folder.
Contact your top college choices. Visit. Tour. Attend information sessions.
(Often times for these events, as well as official Open Houses, are posted on
the college websites under the Prospective Students or Admissions section.) Interview
if possible, and definitely interview if required or even recommended!
Request applications.
Remember, to have an excused day for a college visit, you must
bring a note from a parent in advance, see your Guidance Counselor, and have
all your teachers sign off that you are totally caught up with the work in your
classes prior to your visit. PLAN AHEAD. The number of days excused is
limited, so make sure to choose wisely. You
may want to save some time for spring visits to schools at which you have been
accepted.
N.B. If you are contacting colleges through e-mail, please remember
to use all appropriate conventions of letter writing, with proper salutation,
capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, and closing. A hastily dashed off e-mail in the manner in
which you write to friends could doom your application from the outset. This will
be the first impression you give to the college! If you established your e-mail
account in 7th grade with a cutesy address that doesn’t really represent
you now, you might consider creating a free e-mail account for all your college
correspondence with a mature address. DECIDING: CREATING YOUR FINAL LIST!
Whittle down your initial list to 4 to 6 schools with a good balance of
entrance level difficulty. A good rule
of thumb is 1-2 Stretch/ Reach schools, 2-3 Targets, and 1-2 Safeties. Your counselor can help you with this, based
on your qualifications, what the school is looking for, and the past track record
of other Coe-Brown students who have applied. Keep in mind that the college admissions scene
is ever-changing, with some schools becoming increasingly competitive as the pool
of college applicants grows as it is right now. Definitely note that UNH has become far more competitive than it was four
or five years ago! This in turn means that both
Unless you are totally in love with just one school that you and your
counselor are certain you will get into, you will feel better in the spring
if you have some choice about where you can go.
A list of all Stretches can bring heartache in the uncertain world
of college admissions that is NOT totally predictable as certain factors vary
every year. Possible and Safety
schools which differ from your Reach schools only by being easier to get
into (i.e. they fit the same profile for size, location, offerings, philosophy,
etc.) will give you positive choices in the spring.
Make sure you also include some “financial safety” schools as well:
ones that you know you and your family will be able to afford.
Keep in mind: You can get an excellent education in many places- the
most important thing is the match between you and the school! APPLYING
Filling
Out the Forms Some frequently
used applications are available from the counselors in the Guidance Offices,
others are in the file cabinet in the Guidance Resource Room, and many are available
on-line, through the college websites or through
the Common Application (www.commonapp.org).
If you are using the latter, please be sure to check for several things:
1.
Are
there any supplemental forms required by your colleges?
2.
Which
Common App. forms does each college require beyond the application:
a.
A Secondary School Report that your
counselor will fill out?
b.
Teacher
Evaluations? How many?
c.
A
Mid-year report form?
d.
Will
you need the Arts, Athletic, or Early Decision forms?
3.
Does
your particular college want all forms
to be submitted either in paper or electronically,
or will it accept a combination of both? The point of the Common Application is to
save time for you and your reference writers. You only need to complete one copy that can then be copied and used
as many times as needed! Some frequently used applications are available from the counselors in the Guidance Offices, others are in the file cabinet in the Guidance Resource Room, and many are available on-line, through the college websites or through the Common Application (www.commonapp.org). If you are using the latter, please be sure to check for several things:
When you are filling out applications, please use the yellow sheet of Important Information for Filling Out College Applications from your red folder (also posted on the Coe-Brown web site under Guidance) to complete as many blanks as possible. Applying on Line: Even if you are applying on line, there are still elements of the application which will need to be submitted by Coe-Brown, and we need to be kept informed of this in order to do the best job for you. Furthermore, be sure to have someone proof-read your application before you let it go into cyberspace. You want to present yourself at your best, and it's sometimes harder to see your own errors on the computer than on hard copy. Please
take note: State school applications (Keene, Plymouth) need to have your parent's
signature notarized in order for you to qualify for the cheaper, instate tuition.
Your parent must sign in the presence of the notary or justice of the peace, not
in advance. Please factor this into the time needed to complete your application. Application
Deadlines
Watch your deadlines!! Plan
ahead. Make a chart (or use the one in the red
folder) for both application and financial aid deadlines for all your schools,
and then keep on top of them! Early Decision deadlines for highly competitive schools
are early in November. If you qualify for special academically-based scholarships
(based on GPA and SAT scores) from Certain schools in other parts of the country also have
earlier deadlines; for instance, the Even if your schools have later or rolling deadlines, do
not be lulled into delaying your application. There are several perils: #1
The next year’s class might fill up before the stated deadline. #2 The financial
aid available might be distributed before you are considered. #3 You might not
hear back from the school before the common May 1st reply date (see
below) or before the local scholarship deadlines.
How many? This is entirely dependent upon the desires of the schools
to which you are applying. In general,
it is unnecessary to submit any more than required and perhaps inadvisable to
submit more than one extra unless you have really divergent parts of your life
which need to be addressed to put your application in the best light. (Schools
are limited in the time they have to read each application!)
Whom do I ask? Select teachers, advisors, or coaches who know your
best traits and talents. Ask the
person if he or she feels s/he can write you a good reference which will give
an unknown reader positive insight into you. Some schools will specify which teachers
(math, English, etc.) must write for you. It is also good to ask teachers who
have had you recently.
Reference requests must be made in a timely manner with plenty
of advanced warning (c. two weeks at least) and a completed Senior Questionnaire
(lavender) and College Resume (created according to gray sheet) for your
guidance counselor or a Student Reference Request form (pink) for your
teacher, advisor, or coach. We can do our
best job for you only if you give us time. If
you decide later not to apply, it is polite to inform a potential reference writer
so he or she will not have expended the effort in vain.
Do not wait until you have finished your part of the application
to bring the reference part to your counselor or teachers.
The whole process of soliciting input from teachers and writing a good
reference for you may take up to two weeks. The
bottom line is: Respect the busyness of your writers. You are probably not the only person for whom
they need to write.
After submitting your requests, stay in contact with teachers and
your counselor, reminding them politely of your upcoming due date and informing
them of any changes in your plans. TranscriptsRequest these through your guidance counselor using the peach Coe-Brown College Application Mailing and Counselor Reference Request Form. N.B. The blue sheets tallying which of your achievements and activities are to be recorded on your transcript are due to Mrs. Wolf in September. If you do not submit yours, your transcript may go out to schools without anything filled in regarding honors and activities- the whole corner will be blank! It is wise to review your own transcript once before it is first sent out. Later in the year, make sure to have Mrs. Wolf add any new honors or activities you might have acquired after you submitted the blue sheet in to her in September. Check the topics requested by all of your schools before you start writing. Some may overlap so
that with wise choices you can reduce the number you need to write. Take advantage of any and all offers to proof read
for you (English teacher, counselor, parent), but make sure that the essay truly
represents your ideas and voice. Further
ideas on this are available through Guidance and through your English teachers
if needed. There is also advice at www.collegeboard.com
and at www.princetonreview.com.
Financial Aid Night for parents will be held this
year in November, date to be announced. Please see separate handout (Paying for College- Considerations
for Students) for greater detail on this topic or the posting at the Coe-Brown
website: Financial Aid Information for College Applicants. Yes, you do apply for financial aid before
you know whether or not you’ve been accepted. IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG, YOU MAY MISS OUT ON YOUR
INSTITUTION’S BEST MONEY. Make sure to meet all priority deadlines for
financial aid. If your family needs help determining how much a college
may ask your family to pay towards your education, do the EFC (Estimated Family
Contribution) calculator at www.finaid.org.
Click on Calculators on the first page, and then click on Expected Family
Contribution and Financial Aid Calculator. Forms It is your responsibility
to know which financial aid forms your colleges are requiring. The Guidance Offices will have:
1)
The
CSS Profile information available by mid-fall. Only certain private colleges
require this form, but it MUST be submitted if they do, or your financial aid
offers will be withheld until you complete it. It is a two-step process that now
must be done on-line. Do not postpone it
until the last minute, since this form often requires collecting information not
readily at your fingertips. It will usually require a non-custodial parent to
complete one as well. This is the form that can be done with an early application.
(Available on line at www.collegeboard.com.)
2)
The
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) available in late November.
It cannot be filed until after January 1st; however, you can file in
advance for your pin numbers for doing this on-line. (Available on line at www.pin.ed.gov
.) Institutional
forms, if required, are created by the individual
colleges and provided by them. Please keep copies of anything you
submit for financial aid, especially all IRS forms. Any or all of these could
be requested by Financial Aid offices at a later date. Each school has its own timeline
and required forms. You are responsible for knowing about these for each
place to which you apply. ** Meet the Priority Deadline for your school, or
you may miss out on the best possible financial aid package. This deadline might
be as soon as very early January. (The rule of thumb: the earlier your application
was due, the earlier the financial aid deadline will be.) Furthermore, if you
have not received a Financial Aid package from your school by the time local scholarship
applications are due, you may miss out on some opportunities. ** If you or your parents do not have all of your financial
information together in time for a deadline, it is of utmost importance to estimate
it and send it anyway. Colleges deal with this all the time. There is time
later to file a corrected version. Scholarships It is the responsibility of the student to mail out all
scholarship applications and keep up with the deadlines. Exceptions to this would
be cases in which the application directions specify that references or transcripts
come directly from the school or those applications which can be left in our offices
to be delivered to local groups. If you
need references, please request them two weeks in advance, just as for college.
In addition, there are some If merit scholarship money (based on talents and
ability, rather than need) will be important to you, be sure to meet with your
counselor to ascertain which schools might have such aid available to you. In general, if you are a student with stronger
qualifications than the bulk of the student body at a particular school, then
the school might offer merit money to you in order to entice you to attend! Artists, Actors,
and Musicians You may be required to audition
or send in a portfolio as part of your application. Be sure to find this out well in advance so
that you can make the appropriate arrangements.
Athletes If you are hoping to play a sport in college, you may need
to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. For more information go to www.ncaa.org,
click on Academics and Athletes, then on Eligibility
and Recruiting and from there to Eligibility,
or go directly to www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.
WRAPPING UP THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS Please
let us know when you’ve been accepted at a school so that we can have accurate
records and you can be recognized (or not, if you desire) at Friday morning assembly
and on the Coe-Brown website. Financial Aid packages may be presented in varying
manners. If you need further help in order to compare “apples to apples”, guidance
counselors can assist you with this. Some
schools will reconsider their offers if you have new data to offer or if
you think they have not accurately understood your financial situation.
Call to make an appointment to talk with a financial aid officer.
Finally, don’t neglect to return any paperwork necessary to accept a
package! May 1st is an almost universally accepted
“reply date” for colleges. (In fact,
do not be bullied by a college into replying earlier than this if you do not wish
to: consult your counselor about any pressure you are receiving to do so.) Make
sure that you reply, with your deposit, in plenty of time to secure your place.
If you will be receiving substantial
financial aid and the deposit amount is a burden, sometimes a school is willing
to reduce the amount expected. It is also polite to let schools you will not be attending
know so that they can make decisions about their waiting lists. Don’t burn bridges… if your current choice of
school turns out not to be all you hope, you could find yourself wanting to transfer
to one of these others in a year! Deferring Admission- If you have been accepted to
a school, but your plans have changed and you would like to wait to start until
second semester next year or even a year later, you can talk with the Admissions
Office and request a “deferral”. Many schools
will do this for you. Keep up your grades until the very end! Admission
acceptances are virtually always contingent upon successful completion of the
senior year. We are asked to send your
final transcript to whichever college you will be attending. Schools can reduce
merit aid previously offered if your final grades are bad. And yes, we have
had students rejected on the basis of poor 3rd or 4th quarter
grades, so DO NOT SLACK! HELP!!! Any time you are feeling overwhelmed, do not
hesitate to come talk to your guidance counselor. Some families are very knowledgeable about this
complex process and others may need much more support. Unless you come ask for it, we may not know
what you need. If we seem to be busy with others or off in classes occasionally,
be sure to leave us a note and make an appointment! |
