Applying to College

A college application is part of the competitive college admissions system. Admissions departments usually require students to complete an application for admission that generally consists of academic records, personal essays, letters of recommendation, and a list of extracurricular activities. Most schools require the SAT or ACT. Deadlines for admission applications are established and published by each college or university.

The Application

During your Senior year you will submit applications to perhaps 6-8 universities. Most private colleges use the Common Application, where you complete one application and send it to many schools at once. Most state universities use their own applications, which you complete on their website. For all of these applications you can save your work and log out, and submit the application another day. Most students work on the applications for several months before submitting.
The application is your *one* chance to convince the admissions committee that you belong at their school. It doesn't matter what you've done for four years, if your application doesn't show it, or if your application has errors, your admissions chances are decreased. Proofread your apps carefully and ask at least one other person to look over them as well. Put your best foot forward!

The Anatomy of the College Application

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The pieces of your college application add up to give admission officers an idea of who you are. Not every college requires every one of these elements — for example, some colleges don’t ask for admission test scores — but this list shows the most common requirements.

Application Forms

Application Fees

To fill in all the blanks on the application form itself, you may have to dig up documents or get answers from your parents. Most students use online applications, but paper applications are usually available too. There are also services that let you complete one application online and submit it to several colleges.

College application fees vary, but generally it costs from $35 to $50 to apply to each college. Fees are nonrefundable. Many colleges offer fee waivers (that is, they don’t require the fee) to students who can’t afford to pay. If you need application fee waivers, speak with your college counselor or principal.

High School Transcripts

The record of the classes you’ve taken and your grades is one of the most important parts of your application. Your high school should send your transcript, along with a school profile, directly to the colleges you are applying to. Be sure to check the transcript for errors before it’s sent.

Final Transcript

At the end of your senior year, your high school will send a final transcript to the college you’ve decided to attend. This shows your college what classes you took and whether you kept your grades up during your last year in high school.

Admissions Test Scores

Some colleges require or recommend that you send scores from tests such as the SAT or ACT. Colleges accept scores only from the testing organizations themselves. Visit the testing organization's website for more information.

Letters of Recommendation

Many colleges require letters of recommendation from teachers or other adults who know you well. Ask your references well in advance of the deadlines to write you a recommendation. You may want to give them a short written summary of your achievements to help them write about you.

Essays

Your essays are a chance for you to give admission officers a better idea of your character and strengths. Remember to proofread your essays carefully before you send them in.

Auditions and Portfolios

If you’re applying to music, art or theater programs, the colleges may want to see samples of your work. This means you may need to audition or send portfolios or videos showing your artistic ability as part of your application.

Interviews

It’s a good idea to ask for an interview, even if it’s not required. It shows you’re serious and gives you a chance to connect with someone in the admission office. Even if a college is far away, you may be able to interview with a local alumnus.

The Timeline

During the summer before your Senior year you should write as many of your admissions essays as you can. The Common Application goes live on August 1st, so you should have that fully completed before school starts. Some colleges will start to post their new applications during July and August; nearly all colleges will have their new applications live during September.

Beware: before you begin any application, always check the dates very carefully to be sure you are not working on last year's application, or you will lose all of your work when the new app goes live.
Plan to submit your applications September through November, and try to be finished before Thanksgiving. Watch deadlines carefully, and consider applying for Early Action or Early Decision.

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