APPLYING TO COLLEGE
INTRODUCTION
Applying to college is a process ... a process that needs to be approached step-by-step over a span of time of about fifteen months, between February of your Junior year and May of your Senior year of high school.
Applying to college is definitely a process that you can
do and do well. If you look at it all at once, it can seem overwhelming. While
it is a challenge and it has to be approached in a careful and organized way,
in the end it will be well worth the effort. And in the meantime you will learn a lot about yourself, your strengths,
and your abilities.
This web page will give you a way to look at the college
application process one step at a time. It will help you to understand what you
should be doing and when to do it. If you stick to this schedule, read and
follow the directions of the colleges that you apply to carefully, and stay
organized, the process will work for you.
In the college application process, there is not always
one absolute best way of approaching things. Because of this, sometimes what we
tell you is our opinion while others might give you different advice. So look at your options and use your best
judgment.
And very important, throughout these months, continue to do your best in your high school classes. This is what colleges care about most. Also continue with a few extracurricular activities, and you may want to do some volunteer work in your school or community.
Throughout, we will be telling you about the importance of being organized. An invaluable tool for helping you stay organized is a calendar. Keep a calendar with all of the important dates on it such as; SAT and ACT registration deadlines, SAT and ACT test dates, college application deadlines, and financial aid deadlines. Leave this calendar out where parents can see it too, and ask them to remind you every once in a while about what needs to be done and when you need to do it.
Click here to get a copy of the COLLEGE PLANNING TIMELINE (To view file, you need Acrobat Reader.)
Here is an overview of the major steps in the process. As you can see, many steps overlap with one another -
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||||||||
| Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May |
| Make a college list, research colleges, and visit | |||||||||||||||
| Take SAT/ACTs | More SAT/ACTs if needed | ||||||||||||||
| Narrow list of colleges | |||||||||||||||
| Get applications | |||||||||||||||
| Fill out applications | |||||||||||||||
| CSS PROFILE | |||||||||||||||
| Send applications to colleges | |||||||||||||||
| Complete FAFSA | |||||||||||||||
| Wait for responses | |||||||||||||||
| Choose/respond by May 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May |
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||||||||
These time frames are general suggestions. Pay close attention to specific deadlines for testing, applications, and financial aid.
MAKE A COLLEGE LIST, RESEARCH COLLEGES, AND VISIT (Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June Junior year, Summer, Sept., Oct., Nov. Senior year)
TAKE SATs/ACTs (Register in Feb. or March and April and take in March or May and June Junior year, Oct., Nov., Dec. Senior year)
NARROW THE LIST OF COLLEGES (Summer, Sept., Oct., Nov. Senior year)
GET APPLICATION MATERIALS FROM COLLEGES (Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. Senior year)
FILL OUT APPLICATIONS (Oct., Nov., Dec. Senior year)
Register for and send the CSS PROFILE form (Oct., Nov., Dec. Senior year)
SEND APPLICATIONS, ETC. (Nov., Dec. Senior year. Many colleges have later deadlines)
Mail FAFSA (Jan. Senior year)
WAIT FOR COLLEGE RESPONSES (Jan. - Apr. Senior year) (AND MAIL the FAFSA financial aid form in Jan.)
RESPOND TO THE COLLEGES (May 1st or stated deadline)
Now let's go through each of these steps in more detail -
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||
| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November |
| Make a college list, research colleges, and visit | |||||||||
Make an early appointment to meet with your counselor. Let him or her know about your interest in college and your interest in getting started. Most of the searching and researching is up to you, but he or she can be a great support and resource throughout the process.
Attend all information nights that are sponsored by the Counseling Department. They are an excellent opportunity to acquire a lot of good information in a short amount of time.
Make an appointment in the Career Center. Appointments with Juniors begin the first day of second semester. Senior appointments are usually in the fall, though Seniors are welcome to make appointments anytime during the year.
Email or call the colleges that you are sure or fairly sure that you will apply to for information. They may send you viewbooks, catalogs, videos, and other information. You will need to contact them again in September and October for new information and applications. This is also a good time to VISIT some colleges. Colleges in other parts of the country that you are interested in may have information sessions in the area. If they do, attend these and let them know who you are.
In addition, during February through May of your junior year, you need to register for SATs and/or ACTs. Register online or by mail well before the deadlines for these tests. Being early will keep you from having to run to the post office on the last day, having to pay a late fee, being bumped to another testing center, or missing out completely.
For more information on this part of the process, visit the College, the Resources, and the BUILDING YOUR COLLEGE LIST pages of this website.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | ||||||||
| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
| Take SAT/ACTs | More SAT/ACTs if needed | |||||||||
Most colleges require admissions tests as part of the application package. However, some colleges don't require any college admissions tests. These colleges include two-year community colleges. There are even some four-year colleges that don't require admissions tests, while others give you other options for meeting their testing requirements.
A good source of information about a college's testing requirements is THE COLLEGE BOARD'S COLLEGE HANDBOOK, which is in your counselor's office and the Career Center.
SATs and ACTs -
Depending on the region of the country, either the SAT or the ACT is the most popular college admissions test. But both are nationally recognized and most colleges will accept either one.
If you took the PLAN test sophomore year and you were satisfied with your results, then take the ACT. If you were not satisfied with your scores you may want to take the ACT and also try an SAT.
Likewise, if you took the PSAT Junior year and were satisfied with your scores then take the SAT. If you were not satisfied with your scores, try the ACT in addition to the SAT.
Some students do better on ACT than the SAT, some do similarly on both, and some do better on the SAT I. If you take both, check a Concordance table to compare your SAT and ACT scores, not the percentiles, when deciding which ones to send to colleges. Note that this chart is for the old SAT. Concordance data for the new SAT and ACT is not yet available. To use this chart, add your Critical Reading and Math scores together and ignore your Writing score.
How important are SATs and ACTs in getting into college? There is no one right answer to this question. Each college, and even different programs within a college, may put a different amount of emphasis on these scores. The scores are just one thing about you that the college wants to know. Take them seriously, but concentrate on doing well in all of your courses. The courses that you take and the grades that you get in them are what the colleges consider to be most important.
How many times should you take the SATs or ACTs? It's up to you, but we think that most students should take them twice. Some students who are pleased with their first scores only need to take them once. Students should never take them more than three times. The colleges that you send scores to will see the scores for all of the SATs that you take, but most will consider your best scores when making their admissions decisions. On the ACT, you can choose to send scores from only one test administration even if you have taken it more than once.
There are many ways to prepare to take the SATs and ACTs. On one side of the spectrum, you can do nothing. Walk into the test center on Saturday morning cold, having no idea what might be on the test, not knowing how quickly to answer the questions, and having no idea what the questions might look like. This approach is not recommended.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is the option of taking test-prep courses. Some of them can be expensive and time-consuming. This approach is not recommended if your PSAT or PLAN test scores seem to be strong or in line with your grades. This approach is definitely not recommended if the time dedicated to preparing for these tests takes away from getting the best grades possible in the courses that you are taking in high school.
In the middle of the spectrum, there are options such as
studying the free publications put out by the publishers of the SAT and ACT and
taking the practice tests included in these booklets at home under timed
conditions. Also in the middle of the spectrum are test-prep courses offered in
local community education programs and test prep books and study guides that
you can buy at your local bookstore. There are also computerized test prep
programs that you can buy and use on your home computer.
Your SAT or ACT scores are important. Be ready for the tests when you go into the room. Know what the questions will look like. Know the time constraints that you are under. Know guessing strategies on the SAT, such as when an educated guess might help your score and that a random guess could hurt it. Guessing strategies are not needed on the ACT, as you do not lose a fraction of a point for a wrong answer on the ACT.
Don't go in cold. But how prepared you want to be is up to you.
SAT: Subject Tests (formerly and sometimes still called SAT IIs) -
Most colleges in the country do not require SAT: Subject Tests to apply. Most colleges that want SAT: Subject Tests will want two. If even one college that you're applying to does require them, you will need to take them.
Only 45 colleges in the US require SAT: Subject Tests. (At 18 of these, if an ACT score is submitted, Subject Tests may not be required.)
Most only require 2. Only 3 colleges want 3. One college "strongly recommends" but doesn't require 3.
Check out this web site to see which college require them and, if they do, how many? http://www.compassprep.com/admissions_req_subjects.aspx
You can take one, two, or three SAT: Subject Tests on a test date. You cannot take SAT: Reasoning Tests and SAT: Subject Tests on the same day.
For some colleges, if you take the ACT, you may not have to take SAT: Subject Tests. Again, carefully check the testing requirements for each college.
A good way to find out a particular college's requirements for SAT: Subject Tests is http://www.compassprep.com/admissions_req_subjects.aspx. You can also check the colleges' websites.
Talk to your math teacher or counselor about which level of math to take. Level II is more difficult than Level I.
Other colleges may want your SAT: Subject Tests scores "for placement purposes only," so, for example, they can place you in the right level of foreign language.
Also, check to see if there are different requirements depending on the Major or program that you're applying to. For example, an engineering program may want to see a physics or chemistry score.
If English is your second language, that is, if you spoke another language first and/or you speak another language at home, you may want to take the TOEFL. Definitely take the TOEFL if you have been in the United States five years or less.
For more information on college admissions testing, visit the Testing page of this website.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||
| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November |
| Narrow the list of colleges | |||||||||
Narrow your list of colleges to eight schools. In some cases students apply to more, and in other cases students apply to less. But eight is a good "ballpark" figure.
Make sure your list contains at least two "Likelies"; these are colleges that you are very likely or almost certain to be accepted to. Also make sure that your Likelies are schools that you would like to attend, and be sure that at least one of these is a financial safety, that is a college that you know you can afford.
For more information about determining the selectivity of a college and whether it is a Likely for you, please click here.
Also, choose a strong academic program for senior year.
And work to get good first and second quarter grades. Colleges will look at
these very closely.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||
| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November |
| Get application materials | |||||||||
Email or call the admissions offices of the colleges on your list requesting information. The materials to ask for are a viewbook, a catalog, an application, housing information, and financial aid information. If there is a particular program at a college that you are interested in, you should request information on that as well. If you are a member of a minority group, you should also ask for any information that they have about programs and events for minority students.
Some colleges won't send you a catalog right away; they may ask you to return a card requesting a catalog before they will send you one. Some of these schools may want a small fee to cover the printing and mailing costs. As an alternative, check the Career Center's extensive catalog collection to see if the catalogs are available there.
In the catalogs, read the courses offered and the
requirements for each Major that you are interested in. In addition, check out
the other course listings for the possibilities of a double Major or a Minor in
another area.
For financial aid, check which colleges want the CSS PROFILE form. CSS PROFILE registration information is available in the Career Center. For the ones that do require it, submit the CSS PROFILE online as soon as you have your final list.
College fairs and the NNHS School and College Nights are an efficient and effective way to learn about colleges and to pick up information. Attend these events, pick up information, and fill out cards to request more information. Also, talk with the representative of the college. He or she may be an alumni representative or an admissions person from the college. Either way, make a good impression, and ask good questions.
For more information on this part of the process, visit the Resources page of this website.
Visits and interviews -
Try to visit as many colleges that you are going to apply
to as you can. Call the school and tell them when you will be there, ask about
tours of the campus, and arrange an interview if this is required or
recommended by that college. When you visit, take a guided tour AND look around
on your own. If possible, introduce yourself to at least one admissions person.
As part of your tour, some colleges will provide an informational
meeting that will give you the opportunity to hear more about the school and
ask questions.
Some schools that are far away and you are unable to visit may hold information sessions in your area. Use this opportunity to learn about the college and let the college know that you're interested in it.
After the visit, you may want to send a follow-up "thank you" card or letter to the admissions office letting them know how much you liked their school and how much you appreciate their time and effort.
When checking out whether a college requires an interview, consider "recommended" to mean "required." If the interview at a school is optional, you should still go for it. You'll learn about the college and the college will know that you made the extra effort to learn about them.
For more information on visits and interviews, visit the College page of this website.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | ||||||||
| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
| Fill out applications | ||||||||||
| CSS PROFILE | ||||||||||
During this step in the process it is important to organize and stay organized. Write all of the deadlines for all of the schools that you are applying to on your college application calendar, and plan to send applications well before these deadlines.
In addition to the calendar, keep a folder for each college with each college's own requirements and deadlines in it. In each folder have; the college's address and telephone number, the application deadline, the required tests and when you requested to have scores sent, whether an interview is required, whether teacher and/or counselor recommendations are required and if they are, when you gave the forms to your counselor and teachers, when you requested that transcripts be sent, financial aid requirements and deadlines, and other requirements and deadlines.
Read the applications thoroughly and follow directions
carefully.
If you plan to apply to a college under either an Early Decision or Early Action plan, then this will be your earliest deadline. Know the college's policies on Early Decision and Early Action. The crucial thing to consider is that Early Decision is a binding agreement. That means if you are accepted you must withdraw all other applications and attend that college.
Put a lot of thought into your Early Decision application if you decide to go this route. Make sure it is your top choice school and make sure that you have visited and thoroughly researched the school. Applying Early Decision may, in some cases, increase your chances of getting into a certain school, but don't apply for this reason alone. Apply Early Decision because the college is your first choice and you will go if you are accepted.
Some of the other colleges that you are applying to may
have early application deadlines such as many of the California public colleges.
If a college mentions a "Priority Deadline" and a "Regular Deadline" consider the "Priority Deadline" to be the absolute deadline.
Read carefully and follow all of the colleges' directions for applying for financial aid. Fill out all of the forms that they ask you to and send them in before the deadlines. Some schools will want you to fill out the CSS PROFILE form and all will want you to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. Some colleges have their own financial form and want this in addition to the FAFSA.
Make sure that everything that you send to a college is
neat and complete
There are other alternatives to filling out the college's own paper application. Some colleges accept the Common Application, and an online version of the Common Application is also available. Using the Common Application allows you to fill out one application and then photocopy that application and send it to all of the other colleges that you are applying to that accept the Common Application. This may save you a lot of time and effort during this step in the application process.
Check the directions on the Common Application carefully
because each college may have requirements that are specific to that college,
such as the number of essays required, also each college will have its own
deadline.
Colleges that accept the Common Application have entered
into an agreement that they will view it equally to their own institutional
application. Some people may suggest not using the Common Application because
they think it will not be viewed equally by the college. It is ultimately your
decision to use or not use the Common Application. We believe in taking the
Common Application schools at their word.
If you do use the Common Application it is still crucial that you write to the colleges for information and visit them. Colleges like to know that you have made contact with them before you file an application. Use the Common Application as a shortcut in this step of the process, but don't leave out other important parts of the application process.
There are other options to the college's paper applications such as online applications put out by the college, and other online application options are available from private companies. You may want to check out these other options and see if one is good for you.
Some colleges require one or more essays as part of their application. For many students the essay is the most feared part of the application and leads to the most procrastination. Do not fear or put off writing your essay. Use it to your advantage. This is your opportunity to let schools know more about you, things that don't come across in other parts of the application. Write it yourself, but have someone check it over for you.
Some colleges want teacher recommendations as part of the application. If you're applying to colleges that do, organize them early, and give them to teachers that you have carefully chosen well before the deadlines. Have the "Student" section of the forms filled out and give them to your teachers with stamped envelopes that are already addressed to the colleges. There may be a section on the teacher recommendation forms that asks you whether you want to waive your right to see the recommendation. It is your right by law to see them, but we suggest that you always waive this right.
There may be other things that the colleges want you to include as part of your application. For example, if you are applying as a Music Major, they may want you to send a tape or a musical score that you have written. Some will want in-person auditions. If you are applying as an art student, the college may require a portfolio. Start saving your best artwork now, and be sure to send the colleges exactly what they ask for such as slides of your artwork.
There may be other things that you want to include as part of your application. There are some things that are fine to send and others that you should not send. You may want to send tapes or CDs of your musical performance, and newspaper or magazine articles that you have written or have been written about you. It is fine to include an extra personal reference of someone that knows about some of your accomplishments outside of school, such as a minister, priest, or rabbi if you have been actively involved in your church or synagogue, or someone at a volunteer agency where you have put in a lot of time and effort.
Don't send references from people who don't know you well, even if they are someone who is well known. Also don't send anything that might appear like a gimmick.
For more information on filling out applications, visit the College and the Resources, pages of this website.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||||||
| Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | October | November | December | January | February | March |
| Send applications to colleges | |||||||||||||
The parts of the application that must be sent are:
The application
Your Senior Packet, which includes your high school
transcript
Official test scores
Teacher recommendations, if required
And it doesn't matter which of these arrives first or in what order they arrive as long as everything gets to the college before the deadline. The first time something arrives, the college begins a file for you. When additional pieces of information arrive, they add it to the file.
Send applications well before the deadlines and only send applications
that are neat and complete.
As mentioned earlier, you should consider "Priority Deadlines" to be absolute deadlines.
To send your transcripts, make sure that you know Newton North's procedure for sending transcripts. And put in your requests early.
Most colleges want you to send them official SAT or ACT scores. This means that the scores have to go directly from the testing company to the colleges. You need to tell the testing companies where you want your scores sent, so follow their instructions and keep track of where you are sending your scores
Keep track of what you have sent and need to send. Stay organized using the application calendar and the college folders that we have talked about.
Also in December, have the FAFSA financial aid form ready to go but don't mail it before January 1st.
For more information on sending application materials to colleges, visit the Senior Packet and Resources pages of this website.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | ||||||||||||
| Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | January | February | March | April |
| Wait for responses | ||||||||||||||
| FAFSA | ||||||||||||||
Mail your FAFSA or complete online as soon after January 1st as you can.
Check that mid-year school reports, which include your first semester grades, are sent to colleges.
If you applied to a college under an Early Decision Plan
you will hear whether you are accepted, denied admission, or deferred. Being
deferred means that your application will be considered along with the other
applications submitted under the regular admissions deadline. You may still be
offered admission to this college, but you must apply to the other colleges that
were on your short list. Follow this same procedure if you are deferred under
an Early Action Plan.
If you are admitted Early Decision, remember that you must
let other colleges that you applied to know that you would not be coming and
withdraw your application to these schools.
If you applied early under the Rolling admissions plan and hear that you are accepted, follow the college's procedure to let them know that you would like to have until the Common Reply Date of May 1st to let them know of your final decision.
In February, call all of the financial aid offices at the
colleges that you applied to, and check that a complete financial aid
application is on file at each one.
You will receive many of your responses from colleges in early
to mid-April. Look at the colleges that have accepted you and the financial aid
packages that you have been offered, and make your decision on which college to
attend. A visit may help you make up your mind. Many colleges plan events for
accepted students in April.
What if you have been wait listed at one of your top choice colleges? Click here for a few suggestions that can help.
| Junior Year | Summer | Senior Year | |||||||||||||
| Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May |
| Choose, respond, and deposit by May 1st | |||||||||||||||
Respond to the colleges by May 1st. This date is known as
the Common Reply Date.
It is also very important to let the colleges that
accepted you but you will not be attending know that you are not accepting
their offers of admission. Let them know about your decision as soon as
possible. They considered your application carefully and they need to know if
they can offer your space in the class to another deserving student.
Send a deposit to the college that accepted you and you want to attend. This will hold your space in their freshman class. Send a deposit to only one college.
CONCLUSION
We've given you a lot of information here, but keep in mind that you have many months to get this all done. Take it one step at a time, get organized and stay organized. Keep track of deadlines and get everything in well before the deadlines. When everything is sent in, relax and wait for the replies.
Be sure to keep your grades up because colleges will want to see your final grades for senior year. It doesn't happen often, but if a student lets his or her grades slide, the college can take back its offer of admission.
Good luck and remember, your Counselor and the Career Center Counselors are there to help.