The College Application Process

NOTE: To send your transcript to colleges, go to Parchment.com and log in as a student. Add your high school as Louisa (city is Mineral). Then, order your transcript to be sent to each college you're applying to. Your school counselor (NOT Ms. Tembe) can approve those to be sent electronically after you request them.

What's the college application process like?

Well, fancy that! You've come to the right place! This website and Ms. Tembe can give you all the deets on how to apply to college. In essence, you have two things you need to do: apply for admission and apply for financial aid.

Download a free COLLEGE PLANNING GUIDE here: https://tinyurl.com/collplanguide

Here are the steps, in order:

1. APPLY

• Pay application fee
• Write essay(s)

2. RECOMMENDATIONS

3. SEND INFO

• SAT/ACT scores, if needed
• Transcripts

4. APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID

5. Sometimes, PROVIDE A RESUME.

1. FIRST THINGS FIRST:

I'M THE REALEST.

Just kidding, it's the APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION:

• First, find the application. Most apps are submitted online nowadays, since most schools prefer this. You can contact the college and print one, if you would prefer (be sure to make a copy for yourself before you mail it off). To find an app, visit a college's website and head to their Admissions or Prospective Student section. Then, find the "Apply Now!" button. For each online app, you'll have a username and password that will allow you to save your progress and return to finish it later. Make sure you WRITE DOWN each username and password and keep it in a safe place. Be sure to review and submit each application before the deadline.
• Each application will likely require a personal statement, or essay. Search 'college essay tips' online to help you craft a piece that you can be proud of. The personal statement is usually the only piece of the application that showcases your individual personality, so make it good! Have someone else, preferably two people, read your essay(s) before you submit.

What's the deal with the COMMON APP?

The Common App is an online application portal used to apply to multiple schools at the same time. Over 400 schools use the Common App. If you are applying to more than one of those schools, one application can be created and it will be submitted to each of the schools you indicate. Once you select the schools you wish to apply to using the Common Application, you will be able to complete the Supplemental Information section for each college. The application itself -including student information, personal statement, and extracurricular activities -will be sent to ALL colleges listed. Some colleges will require additional essays and information, but the personal statement essay will be seen by each college; therefore, make sure that you are very careful not to write about a topic (or a specific school) that you do not wish for the other schools to see.

The Common Application can be found at www.commonapp.org

For a list of all colleges that use the Common App: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Members.aspx

In addition to the elements of the Common App completed by the student electronically, all counselor elements and teacher recommendations will be completed electronically as well. After speaking with counselors and teachers to request a transcript or letter of recommendation, you will have to input counselor/teacher email addresses in order for those individuals to be prompted to complete their portion of the application.

Unless you are eligible for a fee waiver, an application fee must be paid for each application that is submitted.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS

• Ask a teacher that likes you or another trusted adult to write recommendations for you. Make sure you ask with PLENTY of time for them to write it - at least one week, try for more than that! They will be much more likely to help you if you have given them lots of time to complete the task. The people that you choose to be your recommenders will complete the recommendation with a link from your college application portal. Be sure to let these people know before you write them down as being your recommender! Here is some advice on selecting recommenders:

1. Choose a teacher who really knows you—not just your GPA and what clubs you’re involved with.

2. Choose a teacher whose class you really enjoyed and excelled in. Admissions counselors want to know what students are like in the classroom. Are they engaged? Actively participating? These characteristics can contribute to a positive letter of recommendation.

3. Don’t ask a teacher for a recommendation if you slept in their class 3 out of 5 days of the week! They will either, a) say no, or b) not write a positive recommendation.

4. If the college asks for a letter from a community member, they really want to know what sorts of things you are doing to be actively involved in the community you live in. An individual that can discuss any community service you have completed could be a great person to write a letter of recommendation.

Counselor recommendations are required by some colleges to be considered for admission. If this is the case, make sure that counselors have advance notice to complete these items. They are required AND very time consuming for each of their students. Additionally, colleges may also require a form(s) called a Secondary School Report. Not all schools require this, so if you have any doubts about whether a school to which you're applying requires one, ask your school counselor or call the admissions office at that particular school. It is your responsibility to provide all of this information and form(s) to your school counselor.

The following LCHS counselors have a form that they ask for you to complete if a student needs them to complete a letter of recommendation from them for college purposes. They can be found below.

Todd Ryan: BRVGS Students

Allison Coleman/Jennifer Purcell: Last names A-D

Jessica Rabil: Last names E-K

Kristin Chapman: Last names L-R

Jerry Slaughter: Last names S-Z

3. SEND INFO

• You can submit your SAT/ACT scores online through the CollegeBoard website (www.collegeboard.org). You get four free 'sends,' and after that, you will have to pay $11 for each school to receive these scores.
• Colleges need to see your transcript. Let your counselor know which schools you've applied to so that they can send your transcripts when they become available. Since you must communicate with other people for this portion of each application, give at least TWO WEEKS NOTICE to your counselor. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that all of the required documents are submitted in a timely manner.
• For the 2017-2018 school year, you must order your transcript through Parchment.

4. APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID

• The fun part. Applying for financial aid can be stressful. First, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA for short). It's free and available online at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA opens October 1 this year, so you can get started early! For this application, you'll need your parents' tax information from 2016, your Social Security Number, and an FSA ID to sign in electronically. Both you and your parent need two different FSA IDs, and you can make those at fafsa.gov.
• Some schools require the CSS Profile, which is another application for financial aid, with more specific information requested. You have to pay for the CSS Profile, but if you have an SAT fee waiver, then you have a CSS Profile waiver too. It's that easy!
• And now, scholarships! Start looking for scholarships early, because they can make a huge difference in the amount of money that you pay for your education. Look for local scholarships, national scholarships, and scholarships that are available specifically to you based on your gender, race, interests, income, etc.

5. Sometimes, RESUME.

Resumes:

When you usually think about resumes, you may think of applying for jobs and showcasing all of your skills and past work experience in a way that makes you most employable. Many colleges will expect you to use a resume in a very similar away—to highlight your extracurricular, leadership, and/or any work experience that you may have. Colleges want to see what makes you stand out! A resume is where you get to highlight all of the clubs, athletic teams, and organizations that you have participated in, any awards that you have been given, and show the countless hours that you volunteered participating in various community service activities during high school! If it’s something that is important to you, don’t leave it off, BUT unless it is something that you have been involved with since a young age as well as now, limit the resume to your high school activities.

Colleges love to see leadership experience. Were you a captain of your football team or the president of Student Council Association? If so, tell them about it!

Colleges that require this information will be sure to indicate how you are to provide that information. It will sometimes be included in the application itself, but if they ask for an attachment, you can use the attached template as a starting point.