One of the first steps of applying to college is beginning to think about which colleges might be the right schools to apply to. There are thousands of colleges and universities in the United States, and deciding where to apply might seem like an overwhelming task. Schools vary in location, size, majors and activities offered on campus, academic rigor, and admissions selectivity. Below you will find helpful information on how to find the right options for you and build a list of schools to apply to.
Students can save colleges and universities to their “Colleges I’m Thinking About” list in Naviance. This is a helpful tool that can be used to keep track of information about each school while they are exploring different options. Students can add new schools they hear about or delete schools they are no longer interested in at any time.
“Super Match”, “College Match”, and “Advanced College Search” in the Colleges Tab are all useful tools that students can use to search for colleges by location, size, academic majors offered, and more.
Naviance has a feature called “Game Plan” that all students can complete that will help them start thinking about general questions such as what size of school they could see themselves attending and how far from home they are willing to travel to go to school. It can be found under the “About Me” tab then by clicking on “Postsecondary Plans”.
There are multiple ways that we suggest that students start researching information about specific colleges. In this day and age, almost all information is online, and we first recommend looking at “College Profiles” in Naviance. Each college in Naviance has a profile page that contains quick facts, information about admissions, a list of majors, and a list of extracurricular and athletic options offered at that school. Naviance also has “scattergrams” that can be used to compare the student with other students from our school that have applied to the institution in the past as compared to their GPA and test scores (SAT and/or ACT). The other best place to go for information is directly to each college’s website as well.
As much information as you can find online, once you start narrowing down your list of schools there is nothing better than visiting a campus in-person if at all possible. Each college has a different vibe and culture that is best understood when on campus. Different types of visits may include private tours or open houses, and we always recommend making your appointment ahead so that school’s know you are coming and have a record of your visit. Visits can be planned for weekends and during breaks from school, but if necessary students get two excused absences junior year and two excused absences senior year for college visits as long as documentation is provided to the Attendance Office.
It is important to remember that you are not in this alone. Counselors meet with students in groups and then individually junior year and then again in groups and individually senior year. If there are questions that you have before or after those meetings, please feel free to reach out directly to your counselor
The cost of paying for college is certainly a daunting topic. The financial aid process begins October 1st of your senior year when the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) becomes available. At this point you should be aware of the schools you would like to apply to. Some schools may also require completion of the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA, so be aware of this requirement.
In order to help students and families navigate the world of Financial Aid, we host a Financial Aid Night in early October. A representative from NJ’s HESAA (Higher Education Student Assistance Authority) speaks to our families about completing the FAFSA form and all the different types of Financial Aid that is available to our students.
FAFSA: Direct link to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
FAFSA completion or waiver is a NJ high school graduation requirement
CSS Profile: Direct link to this additional and more detailed financial aid application required by some institutions
NJFAMS: Direct link to create an account and track your state aid when applying to NJ Colleges/Universities
HESAA: Direct link to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, our state’s agency whose mission is to provide students and families with financial and informational resources to pursue education beyond high school
Sallie Mae: Direct link to this reputable student loan company
High schools across the country vary widely in their academic curricula and grading practices. As a result, college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT are used to provide a common standard to measure students’ readiness for college-level work. All colleges accept both the SAT and the ACT so students are allowed to take either or both tests and send their scores to the colleges they are applying to. Additionally, students can take the SAT and the ACT tests multiple times. College admissions offices do not prefer one test over the other.
The SAT is composed of three main sections - Math, Evidence-Based Reading, and Writing. There is an optional 50-minute essay, and total testing time with the essay is 3 hours and 50 minutes.
The ACT is composed of four main sections - Math, English, Reading, and Science. There is an optional 40-minute essay, and total testing time with the essay is 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Students who would like to consider receiving disability services on the college level have many resources available to them. It is important to note that admission criteria is not altered for students seeking services. The student must self disclose the need for services and provide necessary documentation. Students can work with their counselor to search for disability friendly schools.
Students who are interested in pursuing participation in Division 1 or 2 college athletics must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center during their junior year. Once registered, students must contact their school counselor to inform them so a transcript can be uploaded. Student athletes must qualify through their high school transcript and SAT/ ACT scores. Students should familiarize themselves with the criteria by accessing the website listed below. Remember to work closely with your coach on your future athletic goals as well.
The college essay is an opportunity for students to share their interests, personality and other unique information about themselves with the college admissions office. The goal of a well written essay is to show who you are beyond the transcript which could include an experience you learned from or perhaps a significant event in your life. Below are some links with helpful tips and examples when writing your college essay.
The student resume is a helpful way to organize a student’s activities and involvement throughout the high school years. It serves to highlight the diversified participation by the student both in and out of school in numerous areas. Some areas that may be included on a resume are athletic involvement, work experience, school clubs/activities and volunteer experience. Students can create a professional looking resume in Naviance
This is what a sample resume from Naviance looks like: Sample