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 Application Process:Completing College Applications

 

  • Academic Information: SAT, ACT, GRE or Achievement Test scores. A great resource is the College Board.  This website explains information about the SAT and PSAT. To find out more about the ACT go to American College Testing Program.  For information about the GRE go to Graduate Record Examination. Also, check with the Testing Center at your local University or Community College who administers the tests.  The test results can be provided to any college you plan to attend.
  • Personal Profiles: Essays, Activities (Volunteer, Hobbies, Clubs/Organizations, etc). There are a lot of resources that will be good for you to purchase or check out from your library so you can learn how to write a great essay. Also, see tips below.
  • Letters of recommendation from professors, employers, and other people who can attest to your achievements and character and perhaps how you can benefits and contribute to the college you plan on attending
  • Evidence of your achievements and talents (awards, certificates, letters, pictures, etc.). Also, samples of your work. For instance, if you are a writer, then provide a sample of something you wrote.
  • College Interview: This is not always required. It may be informal or you may be asked to prepare a short presentation to give to one or several members of the faculty and/or staff. See below for tips.

Helpful Application Process Tips:

  • Pick up or request applications from Universities you would like to attend (many can be found on University websites)
  • Use a calendar to track deadline dates and apply early
  • Think about essay topics and/or how you will answer the Essay Question
  • Decide who your references will be, ask their permission before hand and give them plenty of time to write you a letter
  • Keep good records and copies of your applications and attached documents that you send out and note the date you send them
  • Review your current high school and college transcripts and make sure there have no errors
  • Complete your applications neatly and follow instructions
  • Have someone else proof read it for you
  • Verify that you are submitting all the required supporting documents and application fees
  • Follow-up in a couple of days to make sure they received it
  • If you are transferring into the University from a Community College or other institution, get your official transcripts to the University’s Registrar Office and request that they be evaluate for transfer credits. Do this the semester before you graduate. After you graduate, send in another official transcript with the remainder of your courses so they can also be evaluated. The transcript evaluators need plenty of time to evaluate transcripts and you want to know as soon as possible which credits will transfer.
  • Apply for Financial Aid as soon as possible after January 1 for the year you plan on attending a University. If you filed a FAFSA the year before and were awarded financial aid, you will receive a renewal reminder in January so you can reapply. See if the University you are going to attend requires any other type of information to determine whether or not you would qualify for financial aid. Some Universities may have their own financial aid application or use other means to verify or gather information about your family’s ability to pay for your education.

College Essay Tips:

  • Read the instructions and determine if you need to answer specific questions or write about a specific topic. Abide by word count limits.
  • If they don’t ask you to answer a specific question or write about a particular topic, then write about your educational, career and life goals and why you want to attend that particular University and college program.
  • The readers want to get to know you and why they should accept you as a student
  • if you can give an example of a personal experience to show evidence of your character or ability to benefit from or contribute to the University, then do so.
  • Try and tell a good story so the reader can visualize it in their head as they read the essay
  • Mention your personality characteristics
  • If you don’t have a GPA over 3.0 you should probably briefly explain why you don’t and how you are overcoming your academic challenges. For instance, did you work full-time and go to school full-time. Where you taking care of a sick parent? There are lots of reasons why you may not have excelled academically.
  • Are you transferring from another University? If so, why are you changing?
  • Your essay should be professional so don’t use slang
  • Each essay should be individualized and personal
  • Correct grammar and format errors
  • Your thoughts and words should be your own
  • Be concise in your statements
  • Have someone else proof read it and give you some feedback

Other Helpful Links:

Commonapp.org (Provides a standard common application for about 300 colleges.)

Heath Resource Center (On-Line Clearinghouse on Post-secondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities by George Washington University.  Check out the Links tab.)

College Interview Tips:

Interviews are not always required, but here are a few things to keep in mind if they are.

  • Be calm and relax
  • Answer their questions and if you don’t understand the question, ask them if the question can be rephrased
  • They just want to get to know you better and see how you handle yourself
  • They may ask you questions to see how you would hand a real life situation.  For example, "how would you handle it if you caught a fellow student cheating on an exam?"
  • It is best not to sound rehearsed so just talk from the heart
  • Be concise and don’t ramble
  • Give simple, clear explanations or tell a story
  • Tell them why you think they should admit you as a student
  • Tell them why you want to go to that University and how it fits with your goals and aspirations
  • Be polite and don’t interrupt
  • Ask intelligent questions
  • Focus on the University and the program and how you might contribute
  • Dress professionally
  • Take your portfolio if you have one. For instance, an art student may have a few paintings or a writer might have a story that was published.
  • Brush up on Job Interviewing skills area of this website as a college interview is much like a job interview!

Also, see books about college from Amazon!