|
|
| October |
| o Duke University @ Pasadena Hilton October 12 4:00 pm |
| o Duke University @ Tiger Woods Learning Center Monday October 13 7:30 pm |
|
November |
| o The deadline to register for
the December SAT® test date is November
5. |
| o The deadline to register for the December
ACT® test date is November 7. |
| o If any schools on your target
list offer Early Action/Early Decision, consider
the option and complete any paperwork. |
| o UC/CSU college application deadline
is November 30. |
|
December |
|
o Some early admission decisions
are available, so check with any schools to
which you submitted an application. |
|
o The SAT is administered
on December 6. |
|
o The ACT is administered
on December 13. |
|
o Making Financial Aid Count,
6:30 pm in the auditorium |
|
o Complete and mail college
applications with January 1 deadlines. |
|
o Prepare for the FAFSA, because
it will be available January 1. |
|
January
2009 |
| o File the FAFSA as soon after January 2 as
possible. |
| o Registration deadline for the February ACT
test date is January 6. |
| o FAFSA Line-by-Line, 6:30 pm in the auditorium |
| COLLEGE
PLANNING TERMS |
Common application and Universal
application
Form that allows a student to submit one application
to many different schools. Both are available
online: http://www.commonapp.com and http://www.universalcollegeapp.com.
Some schools also require supplemental forms.
|
Early decision.
A binding agreement between you and the school.
You apply early, and if admitted, are bound
to attend the school. The application deadline
occurs early and the admission decision is delivered
early.
|
Rolling admissions.
A process in which a school reviews applications
and makes decisions on them throughout the year.
|
Early action.
You can apply to an early action school and
receive your admission response early. The decision
is usually non-binding, but you may agree to
forgo applying to other early action/early decision
institutions. When conditions apply it is sometimes
called Restrictive Early Action.
|
Open admissions.
An admission decision, usually made by public
junior and community colleges, without regard
to your academic performance.
|
Transcript.
The official record of your educational achievements,
provided by your high school.
|
Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA).
The key to unlocking student financial aid,
it should be completed and submitted as soon
after January 2 as possible. The form and supporting
information can be found at http://www.fafsa.gov.
|
| You can find glossaries of college and financial
aid terms on several websites, including:
Finaid.org: http://www.finaid.org/questions/glossary.phtml
College Confidential: http://tinyurl.com/4vfskn
FastWeb: http://tinyurl.com/545n5f
|
| MAKING
THE MOST OF COLLEGE VISITS |
College visits allow you to "try on"
potential colleges. For juniors, early visits
can be the starting point for a list of potential
schools. Seniors can use visits to pare their
list down.
Wherever you are in the process, ask lots of
questions. Here are a few suggestions:
|
| o What activities and services are available
to help first-year students adjust academically
and socially? |
o What are the total costs of attending this
school? Be sure the response includes additional
fees, books, room and board, etc.
And be sure to factor in any travel costs.
|
| o What types of financial aid does this school
offer and how do I apply for it? |
| o Who does the majority of the teaching-graduate
assistants or professors? |
| You can find a list of other questions at
http://www.actstudent.org/college/visit.html.
Also, the National Survey on Student Engagement
offers a college visit pocket guide at http://www.nsse.iub.edu/html/pocket_guide_intro.cfm,
which you can download and print. It's available
in English and Spanish. |
| And don't forget to take good notes. You can
easily become confused if visiting several colleges.
It might be helpful to take along a camera or
camcorder to help capture the feel of each campus. |
| INEXPENSIVE
TEST PREP TOOLS |
The ACT is a curriculum-based test, so it
covers what you learn in school. To take full
advantage of your education, ACT recommends
that you take the test in the spring of your
junior year.
This way, you'll have time to re-take the test,
if you choose, before college application deadlines. |
Free test prep aids are available at http://www.actstudent.org.
Sample questions are on the site along with
Preparing for the ACT, a free booklet with a
complete practice test, scoring key, writing
prompt and sample essays. The ACT registration
packet, available from the counseling office,
also contains the booklet.
|
| ACT Online Prep, the only test prep program
developed exclusively by ACT test development
professionals, is only $19.95 for a one-year
subscription. The Real ACT Prep Guide, a book
featuring retired test questions, test-taking
strategies, and optional writing test overview,
is just $25. Both Online Prep and the Guide
are available at http://www.actstudent.org. |
| NARROWING
DOWN COLLEGE OPTIONS |
| Finding a college that "fits" means
taking into account majors, study abroad programs,
internship opportunities, career placement success
rates, and much more. Compiling data from many
different schools can be challenging if you're
relying on marketing materials or information
received during a campus visit. |
| One easy way to get a snapshot of a potential
school is to review its Common Data Set. These
uniform reporting documents, which are provided
by many four-year colleges and universities,
contain a wealth of information, including admission
rates, financial aid sources, high school course
requirements and recommendations, and more. |
| Here's a sampling of the information you'll
find on a Common Data Set form: |
| o The relative importance placed on various
factors in an application review. |
| o Freshman class profiles showing average
GPA, ACT scores and class rank, allowing you
to see your relative chances of being admitted. |
| o Tuition, room and board costs, as well as
estimated expenses (books, transportation and
others). |
| o How financial aid is determined (using federal
methodology, an institutional methodology or
both), and how much and what kinds of financial
aid (loans, scholarships, need-based, merit-based)
are awarded. |
| These forms quickly tell students whether
or not the school fits with their graduation
goals, skills and ability to afford a school.
To locate, type "Common Data Set"
into the search function on each school's website. |
| TEST
DATE REMINDER |
| An optional Writing Test is available in addition
to the multiple- choice achievement test. Go
to http://www.actstudent.org/writing to learn
more about the Writing Test, including the colleges
that require it. |
| Test-day tips, a list of what to bring and
approved calculators for use on the Math Test
are listed on the site, too. For all your questions
about the ACT test, visit http://www.actstudent.org. |
