Seniors and December Decisions

Seniors, if you submitted any college applications by way of an Early Action or Early Decision process, then you’ll likely have a response coming your way any day now (if you have not already heard back). Here’s what your responses from the colleges mean:

ADMIT-- Congratulations, you’ve been admitted! There are many factors that go into your admission, so pay attention to any communications they send (and check your emails!).

Admit with Preferred Choice of Major -- This means that you’ve been admitted with a spot in your first choice major and/or college of your choosing at the institution that houses the major.

Admit without Preferred Choice of Major -- This means that you’ve been admitted to the institution, just not with your first choice major. It’s possible at many institutions for you to apply for an internal transfer once you’re there (after having met specified criteria), but factors vary from institution to institution. Does the school offer a guaranteed qualification process (pre-major) once you’re there, or is the decision final?

Early Action vs. Early Decision -- If you applied to an institution that has an Early Action process, then your admission does not come with any strings attached. You’ll have until May 1 to accept their offer. Otherwise, if you applied via an Early Decision process and have been admitted, then you’re now required (per the contract you signed) to withdraw your application to other schools as you have committed to your Early Decision school. If you applied to a school that did not have an Early Action or Early Decision process, then you’re under no obligation here.

Scholarships -- Did your offer of admission come with an initial scholarship offer? Most schools operate on the “money talks” idea and want to make their initial offers known so as to reinforce their interest in you. That said, this may not be your final offer, and other opportunities might exist down the line for additional dollars (stay tuned for Spring updates!). Many schools will offer admitted applicants an opportunity to apply for additional consideration, especially for high-brow institutional programs. As well, you’ll likely receive a financial statement from the institution in the Spring, especially if you’ve submitted a FAFSA. The financial statement will tell the true tale for total cost of attendance.

Honors and other considerations -- Most schools do not necessarily offer admitted applicants a spot in their honors college, and although some do, it’s best practice to research whether they have a separate application process. Is there a financial benefit to the honors programs? Is there a higher consideration and more opportunities for research and learning? What are the classes like?

Housing -- You’ll receive housing information soon. Does the institution require that you live on-campus for a specified amount of time? Do you have a preferred residence hall? Though most schools will allow until May 1 for you to make a final decision to accept your offer of admission, it’s generally better to decide sooner rather than later when housing preferences are considered.

DEFER -- If you’ve been deferred in the decision process, then this is not a bad thing. Though you have not been admitted, your decision has been merely postponed for reconsideration in the January-March timeframe. Below are several factors to consider if you’ve been Deferred:

— The institution will likely need your mid-year grades, so be on the lookout for any communications that request a mid-year transcript. Be prepared to send immediately.

— If you’ve retaken the SAT/ACT, you’ll want to have the scores sent immediately. Some schools will even consider a February ACT. Otherwise, if you do not have any updated scores, then don’t worry here.

— If you’ve received any communications from the institution that ask if you would still like to be considered for admission in the Defer process, then respond immediately if you’re still interested. Some schools use this as a method to cull their process as some applicants will self-select themselves out of consideration for a variety of reasons.

— If you applied via the Early Decision process, then you’ve very likely been released from your commitment/obligation should you be admitted down the line. You’re likely completely free to consider other schools without restriction.

— When in doubt, stay in-contact with your admission representatives. They serve as the first line of contact, and if anything else, if they know that you’re still interested in their institution, then they can still serve as your advocate. Restate your interest and remain in regular contact (without pestering).

DENY -- Unfortunately, you have not been admitted. If this school is your first choice, then here’s what I recommend you do:

— Ask your admission rep if there is an appeal process. Some schools are willing to reconsider applicants for various reasons, so talk to your rep to learn the school’s process. Heads up: most schools have drastically different ideas for appeals.

— Ask your rep if there is a transfer admission opportunity. While non-traditional, many schools are very transfer friendly and would welcome an application a year down the line. Transfer opportunities open the side-door to the institution; while some students adamantly prefer to have a traditional “Freshman Experience,” others view the institution as a whole as being more important. That’s a judgement call that will vary from applicant to applicant.

WAITLIST -- You have not been admitted, but merely placed on a list that the institution might open should spots in the freshman class become available. Waitlist offers are not typical at this point in the process. I’ll have more information about this in the Spring.

I’ve heard back from many seniors thus far, and there seem to be an unusually high number of Defer decisions this year. Don’t be too discouraged if you’ve been Deferred; many of you have applied to very high-brow institutions, so this is not atypical. Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions or need advice/consultations to guide through the process. I am readily available to help this upcoming Spring to help navigate the financial, program, and admission pieces. We’ll help you find the right fit! Otherwise, I hope that all of you have a blessed holiday season and that you are rested for the last semester of K-12. It’ll be over before you know it!

Top 5 Things that Juniors Should Be Doing in November

Students and parents, now that the first semester has reached beyond the midpoint and PSAT/NMSQT has passed, it’s a good time to begin considering what Juniors should be doing so as to begin preparations for the college application process.  It will be here sooner than you might realize, and time flies fast!

Fortunately, if you’re lost or just beginning the process, you’re not behind.  That said, now would be a good time to “turn on the switch,” so to speak, in an effort to stay informed and ahead of the game.

1. Register for the SAT and/or ACT. A good, general rule of thumb is for students to begin taking the SAT and/or ACT the spring of their junior year. The timing of such can depend on a few different factors:

   a. Prior testing history

   b. Academic performance

   c. Athletic recruitment

   — ***Some students who are more academically advanced should consider taking standardized exams in the Fall as opposed to the Spring, so as to obtain a better indication for long-term scoring.***

   — It’s suggested that students do a modest but limited amount of preparation going in to their first SAT/ACT so as to establish familiarity with standardized exams. Since students won’t specifically know how they’ll perform as they take their first, I suggest that students and parents not spend significant money on test prep or test tutoring at this point. Once a score report is obtained, the test prep agencies and tutors can utilize the information to perhaps tailor a course of action to maximize time efficiency based on each section of the SAT or ACT; this could also perhaps save parents a significant amount of money.

   
   — Students are likely to perform better on one of the standardized exams. It’s recommended that both are taken at least once so that a concordance comparison for re-examination can be examined. Focus on re-taking whichever is higher from that point forward; most colleges do not specify a preference between the ACT or SAT.

   2. Utilize free test preparation resources. I highly suggest that students link their College Board accounts with wonderful resources like Khan Academy, which is a free online test prep resource that diagnoses SAT scores and offers daily test prep. Khan Academy can also familiarize a new test-taker with the SAT and in the very least, it can be an eye-opener for students going into their first exam.

   3. Begin having discussions about school preferences. Many considerations will go into choosing a college, so consider the following factors to initiate the conversations:

   a. Public vs Private schools

   b. In-State vs Out-of-State schools

   c. Urban campus or College town?

   d. WILL MONEY BE A DECIDING FACTOR?

   4. Utilize Junior year to begin making college visits (if you have not already been making them). Here are some tips for setting up college visits:

   a. If you don’t have a specific list of interest schools to visit, then start locally. The DFW area has quite a number of terrific colleges and universities; whether a student is interested in them or not, visiting some of them will at the very least serve as a comparison and example for the college campus “feel.”

   b. Almost every college makes visiting the university admissions office very easy to find. When in doubt, do simple internet searches under the college’s name and add “visit” to it. You’ll likely be led to a page that will list when the admission office will have an official visit times/dates and how to officially register for them.

   c. Keep in-mind that colleges often track “demonstrated interest,” so visiting through the official process helps the college remove any doubt as to whether or not you're truly interested should you submit an application down the line.
   

   5. Keep up the academic performance or establish a positive grade trend. Junior year is what I call the “perfect storm” year, as it’s the first year that most high school students will have more rigorous courses available (AP, etc.), and it’s the last year that colleges will see on a transcript when applications are submitted during Senior year.

   a. Colleges take grade trends into consideration. If a student had lackluster performance earlier in their high school tenure, then the Junior year can help a student improve. It’s generally better to end higher and on a positive grade trend than the reverse.

   b. Be thinking about Senior courses. I’ll have more information about this topic later in the Winter-Spring.

   I’ll have more information for Juniors down the line, but this should hopefully help Junior parents and students understand what they should be doing as of late Fall. There’s plenty of time to accomplish goals and to stay ahead of the game, but it’s best to jump on the train! Of course, contact me should you have any questions or if you’d like to inquire about an underclass consultation. We’ll go from there!

Top 5 Things Seniors Should Be Doing in October

Now that senior year is well under way, many seniors are in the midst of submitting applications, requesting recommendation letters and transcripts, making college visits, and filling out various forms so as to complete their criteria for next year. Some seniors are further along than others, so if you’ve already applied to your destination school and have already been accepted, then more power to you; enjoy your senior year and work hard to maintain performance. Otherwise, below is a list of things that everyone else needs to be doing this time of year, and some of these still apply to those who’ve already made their college choice.

1. Narrow your list and submit applications. By now, if you have not already narrowed down your list for application destinations, you’ll want to do so very soon. Some colleges have Early Action/Early Decision deadlines for admission or for specific majors on campus, and it’s best to have an awareness so as to stay ahead of the game.

-- November 1 is a typical application deadline for many colleges, especially if the institution offers an Early Action or Early Decision process.
-- a few schools might have an October 15 deadline for their early process, so pay attention to detail.

-- Some schools require that your application AND documentation materials be submitted by this date. Ensure that your applicant schools require all documents be received/postmarked/timestamped by the deadline or that they can accept information afterwards.

2. Review your ACT and/or SAT situation. If you’re applying to a school by their Early Action/Decision deadline (Nov. 1), then you’ll want to have all of your scores submitted by the various October test dates. Many schools will accept a score update sent after the application deadline, but the availability of such an opportunity will depend upon your individual schools.
-- Do your application destination schools superscore the ACT or SAT? If so, then send all scores for each.
-- Consider re-testing should you continue to see score improvement and your destination schools accept updates post-application.

3. Utilize October to establish contact with your preferred schools. If you have not already done so, October would be a good time to establish rapport with the admissions personnel at your destination schools.
-- Many schools have admission counselors located in the area that are eager to meet with prospective applicants. They might also have some influence in the “committee” decision process when applications are considered, and they want to know who they can best advocate.
-- If interviews are offered, initiate contact with the rep and move forward with the process. Interviews are typically more of a “get to know you” session and are typically lax and informal.
-- Maintaining visibility in the process is highly important.

4. If your preferred school is hosting an event or program in the area, attend it! Many schools will offer a regional dinner, partner program, college-specific function, or some sort of meet-and-greet than accomplishes two things:
1. they help prospective students affirm information or interest in school programs.
2. they help colleges prospectively track interest (demonstrated interest is a crucial aspect of admission for some schools).
When in-doubt, be sure to have visited the school and taken the time to have officially ‘trackable’ activity; it shows that you’ve done homework and that you’re interested enough to have taken the time to get to know the school.
Though many schools do not utilize “demonstrated interest” as part of the admission consideration process, it’s a good idea to appear interested regardless of the school policy.

5. Manage your time wisely. College applications can seem daunting, so do a little at a time, and commit to doing something each day.
Be sure all necessary documents have been requested (transcripts, recommendation letters, SAT/ACT scores, etc.). It’s your responsibility to keep up with the whereabouts of your information documentation and completion.
Consider essays and short answer requirements for each application destination.
Know deadlines.
Know deadlines again.
Know deadlines a third time.
Have all required information requested and submitted by the listed deadlines.
Know deadlines again.
You really should know deadlines.
Have you thought about deadlines? They’re important.
What are deadlines again?
Know deadlines….yet again.

It’s important to know that not all schools have deadlines that are fast approaching; the Regular Admission deadlines and/or Rolling Admission policies of many schools extend beyond November 1, but if your preferred schools offer anything Early or have hard and fast deadline, then you’ll be glad you paid attention to detail. As always, contact me should you seek more detailed guidance as determined by your individual situation, and I’ll be glad to help!