WHAT ARE COLLEGES LOOKING FOR IN THEIR APPLICANTS?
- Good overall GPA and/or rank
- Good standardized test scores on the SAT and/or ACT
- Good balance of academics and extra-curricular activities
- History of success in advanced courses (Honors, Pre-AP, AP, OnRamps, Dual Credit)
- Participation in clubs, organizations, sports, and/or community service and volunteer work (holding down a steady part time job counts too!)
- Answer the essay questions on the applications even if they are said to be optional!
- Clean presence on social media – yes they check your social media!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADMISSIONS
NON-RESTRICTIVE APPLICATION PLANS:
Early Action – Students apply early and receive a decision well in advance of the institution’s regular response date. The commitment is nonbinding.
Regular Decision – Students submit an application by a specified date and receive a decision in a clearly stated period of time. The commitment is nonbinding.
Rolling Admission – Institutions review applications as they are submitted and render admission decisions throughout the admission cycle. The commitment is nonbinding.
RESTRICTIVE APPLICATION PLANS:
Early Decision – Students make a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they definitely will enroll. The application deadline and decision deadline occur early and the commitment is binding.
Restrictive Early Action – Students apply to an institution of preference and receive a decision early. They may be restricted from applying ED, EA, or REA to other institutions. If offered enrollment, they have until May 1 to confirm and the commitment is nonbinding.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLICATIONS
ITEMS NEEDED TO COMPLETE A COLLEGE APPLICATION
- High School Transcript: Students will be asked to enter their high school GPA and current or most recent courses in the Education section.
- List of Activities, Work, and Family Responsibilities: The Activities section will give students an opportunity to tell schools more about who they are and what they do outside the classroom, including things like family and work responsibilities. Each student will have the option to list up to 10 activities in this section.
- Test Scores and Dates from College Entrance Exams: The Testing section is where students enter their self-reported scores for any standardized tests that they have taken and wish to report to colleges. Students will be able to report on SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Test scores, among others, and they’ll be asked to provide a month, day, and year for each.
- Parent/Legal Guardian Information: Many colleges collect this information in the Family section for demographic purposes. Students will need to find out about their parents or guardians’ education history and occupational information.
- Academic Honors and Achievements: Students will be able to list any honors related to their academic achievements beginning with the ninth grade or international equivalent in the Education section.
- Recommenders: In the Recommenders and FERPA section, students invite a number of school officials to submit a recommendation on their behalf. Students are required to include their counselor as one of their recommenders. Teacher recommendation requirements vary among schools, but a student may need to provide email addresses for one to three teachers and supply information for any optional recommenders.
IT WILL BE HELPFUL FOR YOU TO CREATE A LIST OF ALL OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC HONORS, ACHIEVEMENTS, EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, JOBS, AND VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCES BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS. YOU CAN USE THE FOLLOWING TEMPLATE AS A STARTING PLACE FOR YOUR LIST.
WRITING THE APPLICATION ESSAY
- Answer the essay even if the application says that it is optional!
- Choose a topic that will highlight you
- Keep your focus narrow and personal – don’t try to cover too many topics
- Show, don’t tell – cite specific examples from your life to help get ideas across
- Use your own voice – don’t rely on phrases or ideas that other people have used many times before
- Ask a teacher or parent to proofread for errors before submitting
APPLY TEXAS ESSAY PROMPTS
- TOPIC A – Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?
- TOPIC B – Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.
- TOPIC C – You’ve got a ticket in your hand. Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?
COALITION ESSAY PROMPTS
- Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
- What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?
- Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?
- Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?
- What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?
- Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.
COMMON APP ESSAY PROMPTS
- Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
- Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
FEE WAIVER ELIGIBILITY
Students eligible for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program are also eligible for:
- Fee Waivers for both the SAT and ACT Tests
- College Admission Application Fee Waivers
- Fee reductions for AP tests
Parents MUST apply for the Federal Free/Reduced Lunch Program EACH year in order for their children to be eligible. Applications for fee waivers can be completed here – https://www.nacacnet.org/student/fee-waivers/.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
- Ask 3 adults that know you pretty well to write you a letter of recommendation for admission to college. This can be a teacher, coach, boss, school counselor, church minister, or mentor.
- Be sure to give them at least 2 weeks’ notice when you ask for the letter. Don’t ask for it and expect them to get it done overnight!
- When you ask someone for a letter of recommendation, provide this person with a personal resume of your accomplishments and achievements so that the person writing the letter can make it as personal as possible.
- Include your letters of recommendation with your college applications. Many web sites will allow you to upload additional attachments when you apply.
- If you are not able to upload a PDF letter of recommendation, provide the person writing the letter with a stamped envelope addressed to the destination it needs to get mailed to. That way once the letter is written it can be mailed directly to the place it needs to go to.
- Students can request a letter of recommendation from their counselor here – https://forms.office.com/r/jd2YV1z49E.
CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
- Many college admissions officers are now checking these accounts and have been known to reject applicants based on what is shown on their social media posts
- Go through all of your social media accounts and make sure you don’t have any questionable photos or status updates posted
- Make sure all of your accounts, posts, and photos are set to private and are not able to be seen by the public
- Change your settings so that if others tag you in a post or photo, you first have to approve the tag before it is posted
- Always be aware of how you act in public and around friends! You never know who may be taking pictures or recording your actions and how those actions could affect your future.
- Google yourself to see what all is out there.
- Use social media to highlight your strengths.