College Planning
Seniors: Recommended Timeline for College Application
Immediate steps that I recommend:
Please make sure that students and parents can log into Cialfo.
As a family, begin to have conversations about colleges and universities you desire to attend, the major you intend to pursue and any financial issues that must be considered.
US citizens, be prepared to complete the FAFSA form for financial aid in December 2023. Check with the college or university for their deadline.
Begin a spreadsheet of the admissions requirements for each school you intend on applying to and make sure those schools are in Cialfo.
Research and understand the tests and scores that universities require for admission, like SAT, ACT and English Leveling tests.
Students and parents can make an appointment with Mr. Cablish to discuss any college application concerns you may have. Mr. Cablish will schedule meetings with seniors at school on a regular basis.
Timeline and dates to consider:
By October 1st, create and complete your Common App Account if you plan on applying to several U.S. schools
By October 1st, You should talk to teachers about letters of recommendation. Once teachers have agreed to write a letter of recommendation for you, inform Mr. Cablish who your letter writers are and he will put their names into Cialfo.
By October 15th, you should have finalized any Early Decision and Early Action applications with Mr. Cablish. Many of those deadlines are November 1-15.
By November 1st. Your list of colleges you are applying to should be completed and in Cialfo.
For all applications, it is important that you are completing applications well before deadlines. Do not procrastinate and wait until the last minute. After you submit your application, the MAT Counseling Center staff need time to send the support documents through Cialfo. Some documents need more time if they are to be mailed to the universities.
If your application deadline falls within a holiday, like Christmas break, your application should be submitted well before the MAT holiday begins so the MAT Counseling Center staff have time to send application support documents before they go on holiday.
Grade level planning and checklists
Select the college planning sheet for your grade level. Parents and students can use these as guides to plan for college in the future. Be sure to talk with your high school counselor if you have any questions.
Website BigFuture-College-Planning-9th-10th-Graders.pdfWebsite BigFuture-College-Planning-Calendar-Juniors.pdfWebsite Big Future College Planning_ 12th Grade.pdfDifferent college applications
With Individual college applications, Common Application, Coalition applications, and others, it can be confusing as to which applications to do. It really depends upon the college or university you are applying to. Which application system do they use? For more information on the different types of applications click the link below.
For those student and parents who are fairly certain where they would like to apply, they may want to consider applying to colleges and universities that offer "Early Decision" and/or "Early Action" application decisions. These application deadlines are obviously earlier then the regular application deadlines. Students should choose wisely when applying this way. Click the link below for a College Board article explaining and comparing the two.