Components of a  College Application

The pieces of your college application add up to give admissions officers an idea of who you are. Not every college requires every one of these elements, but this list shows the most common requirements. Be sure to find out from your School Counselor which of these items you have to send to the college and which of these items your high school sends. 

APPLICATION FORMS:

To fill in all the sections of the actual college application form itself, you may have to dig up documents or get answers from your parents. Most students use online applications. There are also services such as The Common App (which we will discuss later in detail) that will allow you to complete one application and submit to several colleges. 

APPLICATION FEES:

College application fees vary, but generally, it costs $25 - $100 to apply to each college. Fees are nonrefundable, but many colleges do offer fee waivers to students who cannot afford to pay. If you think you may be eligible (Free or reduced lunch) for four fee waivers, please contact your School Counselor for further information. 

The fee or waiver must be submitted in order for your application to be complete.

YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT AND TEST SCORES:

The record of the classes that you have taken is one of the most important parts of your application. The Counseling Office will send your transcript, along with a school profile, directly to the colleges you are applying to. 

*In order to have your transcript sent, you must request all transcripts using SchooLinks. Your counselor has no other way to know where you need transcripts sent if you do not request it. 

In addition, if you are applying to a traditional 4-year college or university, they will most likely also want you to submit your SAT and/or ACT test scores. You will be required to send all test scores directly from the testing agency at collegeboard.org or actstudent.org     *fees may apply

Many colleges are moving to "test optional", which means that you are not required to submit your SAT/ACT scores.  You can make your own decision on if you want to send your scores or not. If you do send your test scores it will only help your changes rather than harm them. If you make the decision to NOT send your test scores, a college will not look at your application any different. Check each college for their test score requirements. 

FINAL TRANSCRIPT:

At the end of your senior year, the Guidance Office will also 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 of high school. You will let us know what college you’ve chosen by filling out the Senior Survey before Decision Day in May.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:

Letters of recommendation are a very important part of the college application process. They are a great way for others to highlight all of your positive traits, characteristics, strengths, and achievements. Before requesting letters of recommendation through SchooLinks, you must complete a Who Am I Packet and provide a copy to each teacher you request. Once a teacher has committed to writing a letter, you must make the request electronically through SchooLinks.

Below components are not required by every college

ESSAYS:

Your application essay is a chance for you to give admission officers a better idea of your character and strengths. Remember to proofread your essays carefully before submitting them. Essay writing will be explained in further detail in a following section of this guide. 

AUDITIONS AND PORTFOLIOS:

If you are applying to a music, theatre, or art program, colleges may want to see samples of your work. This means that you may need to audition or send in portfolios or videos showing your artistic ability as part of your application. The use of auditions and portfolios will be explained in further detail in a following section of this guide. 

INTERVIEWS:

More competitive schools may require that you participate in a one-on-one interview with the admissions department. This allows you to show how invested you are in attending that particular college and gives you a chance to make a personal connection with a university faculty member.  Interviewing will be explained in further detail in a following section of this guide.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR  

ESSAY WRITING AND PERSONAL STATEMENT

After completing a college application, what else is there to share with a college? Applications usually provide information about activities and your work history. The information that is provided by the application itself should not be included in your personal statement or essay. 

A personal statement gives a better understanding of who a student is beyond the constraints of the universal questions asked on most applications. 

Your essay or personal statement will be evaluated on content and writing style. This is also an additional opportunity for you to exhibit your writing skills. Your essay and personal statement should provide colleges with a more complete picture of who you are as an individual. What are your values, your attitudes, how do you see yourself? Do you have a particular passion for something? 

The Common App has specific prompts to respond to. Some colleges might require additional essays which would be outlined on the application.

Check with your English teacher for ways to approach your essay. The following are the 2023-2024 Common Application essay prompts. The Common App might change them for next year so only use this as informational and not a guarantee:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.

2. 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?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. 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? ization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging 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?

7. 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.

Remember that writing a quality piece of work does take time. You should treat the essay the same way you would treat a major English assignment. If you are putting forth effort, energy, and time into your essay, teachers are usually more than willing to assist you with any help that you may need. 

UNDERSTANDING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

AND ITS USE BY SELECTIVE INSTITUTIONS 

Highly Selective Colleges

Highly selective institutions will sometimes encourage or require an interview with an admissions officer or with an alumnus of the university. Students should view this as an opportunity to have a more intimate conversation with a representative of the college – it’s not an oral exam! Generally, for schools that make the interview optional, completing the interview is a sign of commitment and interest to the school. It is to the students’ advantage to complete the interview option.

The interview provides an opportunity to find out more about the school and to present yourself as a human being rather than just a name on an application. This is a unique opportunity to promote yourself.  

Interviewers might be admissions officers, alumni, or even current students. The interview could take place on or off campus. It is also important for prospective students to prepare and practice for an interview. Counselors can assist students with items such as:

• Researching the college

• Promptness

• Attire

• Manners

• Non-verbal communications

• Attitude/demeanor

• Handshake

• Eye contact 

• Thank you letters and follow up 

• Type of question(s) and how to ask 

Alternative Admission Programs

Many colleges strive to bring opportunities to EVERYONE, despite what their transcript or GPA shows. This is where alternate admission programs come into play for student who are not quite meeting general admission requirements in terms of GPA and/or SAT score. Sometimes these programs require a separate application, as well as a possible face-to-face or phone interview. The mission of these programs is to identify, recruit, admit as well as  assist students who show potential for succeeding in college despite limited preparation and resources. During the interview this would be the students' time to explain the reasons behind the lower GPA and to talk of their talent, motivation and promise to succeed. 

UNDERSTANDING THE USE OF

PORTFOLIOS IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION

Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Athletic programs, in particular, often use portfolios to see a collection of a students’ abilities during the application process. Music students provide a portfolio of their ability when they audition for admittance to conservatories. Frequently, athletes present a video of their athletic performance to various coaches hoping to find a place on a college team. 

Sometimes portfolios can help colleges get to know you better, because grades and test scores do not show or tell everything about you or your abilities. 

You can put together a quality portfolio and take it with you when you visit and/or interview with college admissions counselors. In addition to classes, course grades, test scores, projects, experiments, term papers, and awards, a portfolio helps colleges to better understand the following:

• What your skills and abilities are

• What you have accomplished

• What experiences you have had

• What is important to you 

• What effort and energy you put into things that are important to you 

• What goals you hope to fulfill 

• What you have done and are doing to assure that your transition from high school to college will be successful 

You are using your portfolio to convince colleges that there is little risk on their part to accept you as a student. This means that the college can be pretty confident that you will not only start college, but that you will also be successful and graduate. 

Your portfolio should show that you are actively involved in establishing goals and implementing ways to fulfill those goals.