The Mechanics of Applying to College
1. Each student completes two reviews with a counselor. The junior review takes place in spring of the junior year. The senior review takes place in September of the senior year. For a preview of the senior review, see the document College Application Process.
2. Make a list of colleges to which you intend to apply.
3. Go to the website for your chosen college and study the admissions requirements. Make a list because requirements differ greatly for different colleges. See the examples below for some of the differences. Request an admissions packet from the college. This can ususally be accomplished with an on-line request.
- Some colleges require letters of recommendation from two teachers but most do not require letters.
- Some colleges require a letter from your counselor, others do not.
- Some colleges have quick, "on-the-spot" on-line application forms, others use the "common application," and others have their own unique applications.
- Testing requirements (SAT, SAT II, ACT, etc.) vary among colleges.
4. Application deadlines vary from November 1 for early decision and early action applications to January 1 or 15 for regular applications.
- Early admissions programs are of two types: early decision (ED) and early action (EA). Both require submission of application materials by November 1 and deliver admissions decisions about mid December. A student can be admitted, rejected, or deferred. A deferred decision means that the student's application is considered again with the regular-admissions pool.
- The main difference between ED and EA is that ED (early decision) admissions are binding. This means that if a student is admitted under early decision, then he or she is obligated to accept the offer of admission. Obviously, ED application can be made to only one college. In contrast, EA (early action) admissions are non-binding. A student can know as early as December that he or she has an admissions offer, but can continue to consider other schools until the May 1 acceptance deadline.
- Some EA policies allow students to apply to multiple EA schools. However other EA programs are called single choice or restricted choice early action (SCEA or REA), meaning that only one early action application may be submitted. A list of about 300 colleges and whether they have ED, EA, or REA admissions programs can be seen at the Common Application website.
- Some colleges have rolling admissions, in which schools review and decide on applications as they are received, until all openings are filled. A list of almost 200 colleges with rolling admissions is available on the Princeton Review website.
4. Fill out the Fairview Student Profile/Resume.
- This form is useful for organizing activity and award information required on each application.
- It is also useful for those applications that require letters from teachers and from the counselor. This profile/resume form can serve as a summary of each student's activities and awards.
5. Request letters of recommendation from teachers if the college requires them. Guidelines and requirements for this process are detailed in the document Checklist for Letters of Recommendation from Teachers. Print out and read this checklist carefully. Here are some highlights:
- Colleges prefer that you have letters from teachers you have had for junior or senior core-level subjects. Sometimes colleges specify that one letter is to be from math/science and another from LA/Soc Sci. Read the application requirements carefully for each college under consideration. Some colleges allow extra letters. Some colleges forbid anything extra.
- Ask teachers early if they are willing to write for you and what their deadline requirements are. Some teachers set a limit on the number of letters written in a given year. Some teachers want materials prior to summer vacation between junior and senior year!
- Write a letter to the teacher asking for the letter. Include information about yourself as detailed in the Checklist document.
- One month prior to the due date of the first letter, submit a folder to the teacher with the recommendation forms from the colleges, pre-addressed and stamped envelopes for each college. List the colleges and due dates on the front of the folder. See the Checklist for details.
6. Request a letter of recommendation from your counselor if the college requires one. All the details for requesting such a letter are available in the document: Protocol for Requesting a Letter from your Counselor. Highlights of the requirements include:
- Complete responses to the Student Self-Assessment (12 short-essay questions), the Student Profile/Resume (see 4 above), and the Parent Brag Sheet (7 short-essay questions).
- Complete student portions of the forms from the college that the counselor will be required to fill out, often referred to as "Secondary School Report" (SSR).
- Assemble these documents along with the required pre-addressed, stamped envelopes, and transcript fees in a folder with a list of due dates on the outside.
- Turn in these materials to your counselor by the due date specified in the Protocol document. Typically the due date is one month or more prior to the letter due date. For January due dates, more lead time is necessary due to winter break.
- Allow ample time prior to the due dates to respond thoughtfully to the student self-assessment and parent-brag questions. This is the information that will assist the counselor in painting a picture of each student's distinguishing and unique qualities.
7. To apply to colleges in Colorado, CollegeInColorado.org has everything you need to complete online applications to more than 40 four-year and two-year colleges in Colorado.
- Click the College Opportunity Fund tab and sign up for the in-state tuition stipend for which all residents of Colorado are eligible. Do this even if your eventual enrollment is uncertain.
- Click the Apply tab and then follow the "Colorado Online Applications" link. If you do not already have a personal account at CollegeInColorado, you will be given the opportunity to set one up. Then, you will be able to fill out applications for each Colorado school you are applying to.
8. To apply to colleges outside of Colorado, you can download applications from college websites, or consider using the Common Application, accepted by more than 300 colleges and universities.
- The Common Application is a standarized application form that can be filled out once and then sent to as many schools as have agreed to accept it. The form can be filled out and submitted online or downloaded and mailed in.
- Often, the Common Application schools will require a "supplement" that is unique to the college. At the Common App website, there is a list of the 300 schools that accept the application, along with links to their supplemental materials, and an indication of their EA, ED, or REA admission options.
9. The college essay that accompanies the application can make or break an application. See the document, "Writing the College Essay," for sample topics, tips, and general advice. Other opportunities to write an open-ended response should not be slighted. For example, responses to a question about why you are choosing to apply to a particular college gives you an opportunity to show enthusiasm about specific attributes of the college as well as to reveal information about yourself.
10. Many schools will accept supplemental materials such as an art portfolio, a music recording, or a writing sample with the application.
- Read the requirements carefully -- mostly colleges want these materials only if they are of extremely high quality. The application supplement for these items usually specifies the exact format for the materials.
- The supplements are frequently submitted for evaluation to the academic department directly, rather than to the admissions office.
- Check the deadlines. A few schools require the supplemental materials one to two months prior to the admissions deadline.
11. Students need to specifically request that test scores and transcripts be sent to schools. This doesn't happen automatically.
- SAT, SAT Subject, and AP scores are all handled by www.collegeboard.com.
- Instructions for viewing and sending SAT reasoning test and subject test scores can be found here. If you listed colleges to receive scores when registering for the tests, scores will be sent automatically. Sending to additional colleges requires your action. When you send SAT scores, all scores from all administrations of the reasoning test as well as the subject tests are sent.
- Instructions for viewing and sending AP test scores can be found here. For AP tests, grade withholding and cancellation can be requested for individual test scores.
- ACT scores are handled by www.actstudent.org. Instructions for viewing and sending ACT scores can be found here. For ACT tests, students can request that only selected scores be sent, rather than all scores.
- IB test scores will be sent to colleges during the summer after senior year. Requests for these scores are made through the IB dept at Fairview during spring of the senior year.
12. Keep track of the application process and the outcomes at Fairview Family Connection by Naviance.
13. Generalized college application calendar
- See the testing page for testing schedules.
- Spring Junior Year
- Write a practice essay in your LA class.
- Speak to teachers about their willingness to write letters of recommendation.
- Summer after Junior Year
- For each college to which you intend to apply, find out what their specific application requirements are. Request admissions packets from each.
- Figure out why you think the particular school is a match for you.
- Fall Senior Year
- End September - for EA and ED, materials to counselor and teachers who are writing for you
- November 1 - typical EA and ED application deadline
- Mid November - for regular admission, materials to counselor and teachers who are writing for you
- January 1 - typical regular admission application deadline