College Application Process

Early Action

Early action is the process of applying to the college(s) of one’s choice at an early deadline. By applying within a college’s early action deadline, students have a higher chance of being accepted into the institution of their choice while being informed of the decision earlier. This can also provide more opportunities to receive school-specific scholarships. Although most colleges have early action as an option, some do not, so it is a good idea to check with the institution before applying.

Early Decision

Early decision is a binding contract created with only one college. If accepted by this means, an applicant must withdrawal all other submissions, and is legally obliged to pay the first year’s tuition—not dependent on attendance. Due to these restraints, counselors do not recommend early decision, although it is another way to boost the chance of acceptance. Deadlines for many early decision programs are very near, so any students interested are advised to manage their time well.

Regular Decision

Regular decision is usually the last date students can apply to colleges in order to be admitted. The only other acceptance to this would be “last-op decisions,” which allows students to apply during the summer months. This deadline does have some setbacks as most colleges accept 90 percent of students that apply early as compared to ten percent from regular decision. This deadline also weakens a student’s chance of receiving scholarships from the institution, as most are given to early action applicants.

Naviance

Naviance is one of the main resources for students when applying to college. Here, students can filter through and access thousands of schools, and organize colleges they are interested in. Students can also access colleges they are applying to, what colleges they want to request transcripts for, and much more. Naviance can be used for uploading resumes and registering for college visits within the school. Students should visit their Naviance accounts to view these features and begin their college journey.

SAT scores

SAT scores play a role in the 32 factors colleges look for, including resumes, letters of recommendation, and well written essays. Be sure to create an account and sign up for the SAT on the College Board website. The SAT is graded out of 1600 points, try to aim for the average range of the desired college. Naviance has information about what colleges want regarding the essay portion, and if all past SAT scores or the highest SAT score needs to be sent. Sending scores costs twelve dollars per college, unless a student has a fee waiver. Look for the orange box that says, “send available scores” located at the top of the SAT score or the white box that states, “send scores when available.”