College Application Information
(Colored forms below are available to be picked up in the Counseling Center)
(Colored forms below are available to be picked up in the Counseling Center)
Your step-by-step guide to the college admission process–written specifically for college-bound students like you by the admission team at Russell Sage College.
Please click here to access an online version of this booklet.
ACT Navigator helps students’ families build support around their high schooler. Navigator is a seasonal timeline that helps parents keep track of the important milestones students should be meeting in spring, summer, winter, and fall of their junior and senior years. Keep informed and on track with Navigator!
College Bound Citizens – Made Ready for College Site
As your students and their families begin exploring all the information available, they can start right here. This site provides valuable information to get them started and to ensure they understand all that goes into making such an important decision. We have even included some short videos to make learning fun.
Citizens Sessions™ - Ready to Get Answers virtual financial literacy series
Each month we offer different topics with rotating dates to make it more accessible for both students and their families so they can attend together. Anyone interested can enter here to learn more, or to register for one or more sessions.
It’s time for students and their families to complete the FAFSA®. We know this can be a confusing process and there's likely a lot of questions.
These two resources can help. They were built to provide students with FAFSA information as quickly as possible:
FAFSA 101: Your Financial Aid FAQs Answered Every year, high school grads walk away from billions in federal grant money because they don’t fill out the FAFSA. Share this FAFSA explainer to be sure your students don’t miss out.
9 Key Things to Know About Applying for Federal Student Aid A simple breakdown of the most important information students need to know about applying for federal student aid.
Don't forget our college prep checklist tool, the College Planning Calendar, for seniors and their parents. Each month, you can receive reminder emails and customizable to-do lists to keep on track throughout the entire college planning process.
As college-bound seniors start their applications, it can be overwhelming for students to navigate all the steps of the college planning process. These simple resources are designed to be shared with students and parents to help answer some common questions during this phase:
Senior Year College Prep Checklist – A shareable one-pager for students and parents to help them prioritize tasks each month from September through next summer.
7 Ways to Make your College Essay Stand Out – Help their essays stand out with this resource that offers smart, actionable advice on how to craft and polish a great admissions essay.
We hope these resources help you during one of the busiest times of the school year.
Choosing the right college essay prompt can be paralyzing for students, but everything’s easier with a checklist. Share our College Essay Writing Checklist with your students so they know all the important steps to writing a great essay.
We’ll guide students through each step of the essay writing process, from brainstorming to drafting to revising to finally submitting their essays.
We hope our entire Admission 101 series gives you the tools you need to keep your college search on schedule.
Creative College Essay Ideas to Make Your Application Stand Out
Strong Personal Statements blog series
We encourage students to review our Strong Personal Statements blog series, where we showcase essays from enrolled students from the previous year. We are planning for this year's blog series to launch by mid-September.
As your students look ahead to the upcoming year, our College Planning Guide is a great starting place to approach the college search and application process. It offers application tip videos, examples of successful essays with feedback from our admissions committee on why they worked, and opportunities to connect with current Hopkins students.
We also understand the path to college looks different for every student. For students who identify as first-generation students and students with DACA or undocumented status, we encourage them to visit our resource pages if they’re interested in specific guidance.
Advice on the College Application
Enjoy tips on navigating the college application from academics and essays to interviews and activities.
Narrowing Down Your List Curriculum and Majors
To help you compare schools during your search To help you narrow down schools that fit your academic interests
Download Guide > Download Guide
Requirements and Deadlines Extracurriculars and Activities
To help you keep requirements and deadlines organized To help you prepare for the activity sections of your applications
Download Guide > Download Guide >
To provide insight and support from our side of the desk, we created a College Search 101 YouTube series this spring! This series of informative videos stars our own Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Shannon Cron and Assistant Dean of Admissions Jordan Castillo. They are fun, insightful, and cast a broad look at the college search and application process — and they're not St. Olaf-specific!