One of the most exciting (and intimidating) aspects of one's high school career is starting the college application process. Many parents and students ask me questions about getting started, so I decided to focus on that as my blog post for the month of January.
January is the perfect time for juniors to start thinking about where they want to apply. Over the years, I have collected do's and don'ts from students who have gone through the process with the hope of helping others. I have synthesized that information into 4 simple steps on how to start "thinking" about college. 1. Find your College Fit- Creating your college list is often one of the most difficult tasks. What do you look for? How do you know where to start? Use the link to the Find Your College Fit! This short quiz makes you think about some college logistics, like school size learning environment, and cost, and matches you up with colleges that may be for you! 2. Narrowing Down Your List- Once you have your long list, it's time to start being realistic. Look at the admissions requirements for each school on your list and put it in a spreadsheet. Things you might include are GPA, Class Rank, SAT/ACT scores, Extra-curricular expectations, and cost. Here is an example of one you can use with Google Spreadsheets. Get your transcript and your test scores and start comparing. It is safe to choose one or two "reach" schools (schools that may have higher acceptance scores than your own), two or three "probable" schools (schools that have acceptances scores that match your own), and one or two "safe" schools (schools that have acceptance scores that are lower than your own). 3. Create an account in Common App and/or Coalition. These apps allow students to create and send college applications to various schools. Some schools have their own application services outside of Common App or Coalition. Select your schools and complete the information on the application. You can expect this to take a few hours of your time. 4. Create a Parchment Account. This free account sends your colleges your transcripts. Hopefully these simple steps will help you get started on your college journey! Stay tuned for the next post---how to make an academic resume.
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Mrs. LOI am a lover of English, Starbucks, and all things gifted!! My goal is to educate and empower gifted learners because they will be the leaders of the future. Archives
January 2019
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