College Planning: Some Places To Start
College admission requires organization and research, but the reward for doing it seriously is having the four best years of your life. Some aspects, like the senior essay that can become the application essay, are already built into School One’s curriculum. However, there is a lot to do that isn’t. You have your parents, your advisor, your teachers and the Asst. Head to help you with these tasks, but we’re all busy people, so it is up to you to keep yourself on the front burner and to ask for help. This is an attempt to take you through key steps in a chronological order. A website with nicer graphics and more info is http://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/college-admissions-guide/
Students who plan to attend four year colleges should take at least the following in high school: four years of English, three years of math, completing at least Algebra II, three years of science including at least two of lab science, three years of history with four required by some colleges and at least three years of language. (Some schools accept two years, but it’s not impressive.) Many four-year schools will accept students with disabilities without foreign language if they obtain a waiver.
Students who plan to attend art school also have requirements, and the main one is developing a portfolio. The art teachers are the experts on this, but it is not something they can help a student throw together three weeks before it is needed. This should be a process that begins as soon as you realize that you are interested in art school and definitely by your junior year. You should be taking art classes like Drawing that are designed for students who aspire to art school. Check with the art teachers and especially Kristen about courses. RISD has serious academic requirements as well.
Beginning a program of regular community service at something you really love is an excellent way to address college admissions as early as possible, preferably beginning when you’re a freshman. Colleges are interested in service that is continuous and impassioned and that demonstrates leadership. College admissions offices will largely ignore lots of one-time service experiences.
The Department of Education now has a FAFSA4caster to help parents of high school students figure out whether they are likely to be eligible for college financial aid before (or during) their senior years. If you would like to try this tool, just go to FederalStudentAid.ed.gov and go to the FAFSA4caster. A Spanish language version of this tool is also available.
JUNIOR YEAR: It is vital that any junior who is serious about four year colleges take the PSAT in October of his/her junior year. This exam is pressure-free and will familiarize you with this type of testing. It will indicate whether some sort of study is necessary for a reasonable score on the SAT. A great score will qualify you for the Merit Scholarship program. If you qualify for an accommodation and think it would be helpful, see the Special Education Coordinator the spring before the exam. It takes months to complete the paperwork and review for PSAT or SAT accommodations. Students will have free preparation from Khan Academy for the PSAT/SAT on the College Board site.
In the fall of your JUNIOR YEAR, I can help you to begin compiling a list of colleges. Factors that should be considered include location, climate, size of school, focus of school, diversity, school mission, programs (including internships and study abroad), cost, quality of academics or areas of special interest and possibility of acceptance. Most but not all of our students tend to do better at smaller colleges. Your list should include at least one school at which you WILL be accepted and that you wouldn’t mind attending. A safety school is only useful if you are willing to attend! The list should also include a couple of schools that you like better than the first one but that are a bit more competitive. These should be schools at which you still have a better than 50-50 chance of acceptance. These would be the schools you are most likely to attend, so they should be chosen with care. Beyond that, you may select many schools that you love but are more competitive. The number of REACH schools is usually limited by money and the time the applications take, but we have had students apply to as many as twelve of these. If they are highly competitive, that’s not a bad idea, as the chance of getting into many of these schools if you deserve to is less than 1 in 10. Once the list exists, keep track on the College Application Checklist. You are encouraged to make an appointment with me (Cary) so that I can generate a list of appropriate schools to research.
Be aware that college acceptance at the more competitive schools is fairly random for students who do strong applications. (Students who do weak applications don’t get accepted.) Over 95% of the applications these schools receive are from students who deserve to attend, but they can only accept about 5-15%. Around 85-90% get rejected through no fault of their own. In thinking about applying, therefore, it’s important to stand out in a positive way. Students should plan ahead to demonstrate LEADERSHIP, PASSION, COMPASSION FOR OTHERS, TALENTS, CREATIVITY, SENSE OF HUMOR, A STRONG SENSE OF SELF and ABILITY TO WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY WITH OTHERS. If grades are roughly equal, these are the things that matter but only if they can be demonstrated to college admissions officers through interviews with admissions officers (not alumni), letters of recommendation, evidence of service activities and the essay.
You should be thinking about recommendations. If you choose teachers to write recommendations early, it’s a good idea to take a lot of classes with them and to excel in their classes including doing work on time every time. That includes your advisor, whose letter will be the most important.
Three crucial items come up in the second half of the junior year. The first is taking the SATS or ACTs and possibly Subject Tests. Students who are serious about applying to four-year colleges as seniors MUST take the SATs in the spring of their junior years. May is the best time as it’s not too hot. This will give you SAT scores to work with by the end of junior year instead of months into senior year. Colleges accept an alternative to the SAT called the ACT. It is more subject-based than the SAT. Statistics show that 1/3 of students do better on the SAT, 1/3 do better on the ACT and for 1/3, there’s no difference. To see what it’s like, go to www.petersons.com/college-search/free-act-practice-test.aspx. Students applying to very competitive schools have to take Subject Tests, and you should be checking into this as soon as you know you will be applying to such schools. Some schools are asking for 2 Subject Tests and others want 3, and most don’t require them. It makes sense to take Subject Tests right after finishing a class. For instance, if you take U.S. history in tenth grade, you might want to take that exam (if it’s a strong subject) at the end of tenth grade before you forget the material. These can’t be taken the same day as the SATs, so it’s suggested that the Subject Tests be taken in June. Students must submit a photo when registering. For free SAT prep help, go www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat, which is free and the best place to prep. for the new SAT.
The second crucial thing is to visit colleges in the spring of your junior year. Our March and April vacations are perfect times because most colleges are in session. It is far more valuable to visit colleges when they are in session than over the summer. Sit in on classes and talk to students who aren’t paid by the Admissions Office (i.e., tour guides). You can go alone, with parents or with friends. Admissions offices often will arrange on-campus overnight stays for visitors.
Item three is beginning the senior essay in the second half of the junior year. There will be an initial deadline in April of the junior year, and if the essay is done by the time senior year begins, so is the hardest part of most college applications. Think about how to stand out positively to the colleges to which you will be applying when choosing the topic. Teachers are more than willing to help you brainstorm about this, and we have two current books with advice about college essays that might also help. You can also find more current articles under Essays in the College Articles area on the Wiki.
SENIOR YEAR: If you have been organized up to this point, senior year doesn’t have to be awful in terms of college applications. If you have finished both of the comps., Friday afternoons AFTER P.E. can be the time to get the applications done quickly and efficiently. If the test scores are in and the college list is together, you’re ready to go. If not, these things must be done immediately, but everything is going to be rushed. Knowing when things are due will be vital.
1. Check into the Common Application, which allows you to do one application for many colleges. It’s good for most colleges except some art schools. It is available to begin on August 1 each year, but if you begin earlier, you can renew that material on your account after August 1. Your advisor and I are happy to assist with this; it’s much easier than you think.
2. Have applications proof read. This is crucial. We will proof applications and essays if you give us lead time. Once they are perfect, very carefully and neatly copy them onto the real application forms. No application should be sent in without being proof read.
3. Place all deadlines on the College Application Checklist, and mark off things as they get accomplished. Keep this in a place where both you and your advisor can check it frequently.
4. Check essay requirements. For art schools with different topics, we will accept these topics for your senior essay if you let us know in time.
5. Inform the Office Manager that you will need transcripts. She will need time and a written list of schools with their addresses. Give her the deadlines, but also give her a couple of weeks before deadlines.
6. Create a list of your activities. These should include community service, extra-curriculars and artistic endeavors. Your advisor should get a copy. This will help both of you when doing the application and recommendation so that key items aren’t forgotten. Leadership roles should be stressed on this list. Give a copy to any recommender for better recommendations.
7. Give teachers plenty of time for recommendations. The student should give each teacher writing a recommendation an addressed, stamped envelope for each school at least a month ahead of any deadline unless the Common App. is being used, in which case students should have the Common App. invite the recommender a month in advance.
8. Have test scores sent by ETS or ACT if you want them considered or they’re required. Most colleges want official notification. Sending our copy or putting your scores on the Common App. isn’t acceptable and will delay the process unless the school specifically tells you this is okay. With Score Choice, students can send some test dates’ scores and not others. Discuss this strategy with Cary before signing up for the SAT if you have questions.
9. Get applications in early. It is now verified that it’s held against you if your application comes in within the two weeks before the deadline!
10. Financial Aid: Parents who need help with their forms should go to the College Planning Center at the Warwick Mall, which is staffed by experts in FAFSA forms. It’s free.
Good Resources: Books: We have many books that are very useful. Here are some of the best:
The Fiske Guide To Getting Into The Right College: Clear, simple advice with references to other sources. It contains the One Hour College Finder, which breaks colleges up into lists like Elite Private Universities, Small College Bargains and Excellent Small Colleges and then has a paragraph about each to help you figure out which merit further research. A very good place to start.
Looking Beyond The Ivy League: Lots of good advice for a student who is willing to do some reading about choosing colleges and succeeding in the application process. It also has a chapter called A Few Favorites and Two Hundred Worth Going To, which again contains lists of schools that have different strengths, including a list for late bloomers, a School One specialty.
Colleges That Change Lives: It’s by the same author, and it’s more of a college guide to less known but good schools. It has about forty including many School One favorites. This is an excellent book for a student who wants to go to college but has no idea where.
The Fiske Guide To Colleges: I feel this is the best college guide in terms of its accuracy and depth, but it only covers about 300 colleges. If you supplement it with Colleges That Change Lives, you have very good coverage. Use this once you have come up with school names to research. I trust Fiske.
Interactive College Search Websites: www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org, www.unigo.com, www.collegeprowler.com, http://www.collegesolved.com (all 4 highly recommended), www.youtube.com/user/possibilityu (intro to college search), www.college-insight.org, http://collegenavigator.ed.gov, www.college.gov, www.CollegeWeekLive.com (online college fair), www.collegeview.com, www.petersons.com, www.search4careercolleges.com (vocational schools), www.princetonreview.com/college/research/advsearch/match.asp, www.nationalcollegesearch.net/, and www.gocollege.com. www.youniversitytv.com provides video tours of campuses. http://collegeappmap.org/applist.html (clearinghouse of good college sites), www.waytogoRI.org is great for SAT prep., college & scholarship search, resumes and job search. Go to http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/rhode-island/ for RI online college options.