The College Application Process

1. The College Application Process

2. What Are Colleges Looking For • Transcript (Challenging courses, Positive GPA trend, grades) • Rigor of Available Curriculum (Courses offered and courses taken) • Standardized Tests (SAT, SATII or ACT) • Personal Essay • Make it personal • Be creative • Have a teacher proofread • Letters of Recommendations (Usually two to three) • Special Skills/Talents/Activities • Musical, Artistic, Athlete • Community Service Volunteer • School Activities • School Data (School Profile) • Other (Diversity, Gender, Geographic) • Recalculated GPA – Colleges have their own process, so everyone is on an equal playing field.

3. Types of Admission • Early Decision (ED) – Students apply early in the fall of senior year and notification of acceptance or denial is usually sent by mid-December. If accepted, a student is required to sign a commitment-to-attend document, as well as withdraw all other applications. • Early Action/Early Notification – Similar to ED, except that the applicant is not committed to attend the college if accepted. • Notification Deadlines: Rolling Admissions – Admission decisions are made on a continuous basis and notification of acceptance is sent three-five weeks after receipt of completed application materials. Regular Admissions – Colleges have a specific deadline dates and colleges will notify a student by a certain date. Wait List – A response to the applicant indicating that their application was acceptable but the limit of accepted students has been reached; wait listed students may be admitted after May 1st, if space becomes available.

4. ●Develop a list of potential colleges: • Safe Schools – one that you know exceeds the admissions requirements (academic safety and financial safety • Target Schools – one that you know you meet admissions requirements, however they are competitive • Reach School – Highly competitive schools that you may or may not meet admissions requirements. • ●Check Admission Requirements and deadline dates • ●Visit colleges if you have done so already. If this is not • possible, use virtual tours

5. SAT/ACT • Request SAT scores be sent directly from college board and ACT scores from www.actstudent.org • Official score reports are required by most colleges (Score reports are $11.25) • If you are registered for the October or November 2013 SAT test, you can send for 4 free reports to you colleges at time of registration. • It is ok to send all your scores – colleges will take your best critical reading, math and writing scores • Don’t hold off applying until you receive your scores. You will indicate that you are taking either SAT/ACT on your application.

6. Subject Tests • May be required by many highly competitive colleges, make sure to check the admission requirements of each of the colleges you are interested in applying to. • Subject tests can be taken when the SAT is given, except for March. • Each subject test is an hour in length and a total of 3 can be taken on during one test date

7. The College Application • Submit applications electronically (preferred) • Follow directions and check requirements (many have supplemental forms that teacher and counselors need to complete) • Apply early!! • Common Application – https://commonapp.org • Over 400 college/universities participate • Applications (including transcripts and recommendations) will be sent to multiple colleges

8. Transcript Request • Sign on to your parent/student access via the district website (www.pburgsd.net) • Log into your account

9. ● Once logged in, click on “Forms” under the “Student Data” tab

10. ●Click on “Student Transcript Request” ●Check off the appropriate box(es) regarding the school (s) you are applying to ●Fill in the information for you colleges (Name, Address) ●Click Submit **DO NOT DELETE ANY SCHOOLS FROM YOUR LIST** **Allow 10 days for the processing of transcripts**

11. Letters of Recommendations • Please allow teachers and your counselor a few weeks to write your recommendation • Complete The Request for Teacher Recommendation Form when asking teachers(available in the guidance office and on the guidance website). • Submit an Activity Resume with the recommendation form (examples on the guidance website) • Make wise choices, a teacher who knows you well. Doesn’t need to be a class you received an “A” in. • Can also ask for a coach, advisor, or employer for one of the recommendations

12. Letters of Recommendations • You must also complete a Senior Questionnaire when requesting a recommendation from your counselor • If your are not applying through the Common Application, you must supply the teacher and the counselor with a stamped envelope(s) addressed to the college(s) and attach any necessary supplemental forms **Please check to make sure you have the correct admissions address for your colleges**

13. Upcoming Events • College Mini Fairs: • October 10, 2013 at 1:00 pm in Cafeteria 149-159 (Please see your counselor by October 8th if you are interested in attending) • October 22, 2013 at 7:00 pm in Cafeteria • PHS Financial Aid Seminar - October 15, 2013 at 7:00 pm in the high school Auditorium