Junior and senior year of high school is filled with excitement about the future. There are many decisions to be made regarding life after high school. If a student is planning to go to college, it is important to begin thinking about the college admissions process early. After researching and selecting which colleges are of interest, the next step is to understand the registration requirements and timelines needed for admittance.
It is helpful to start by creating a checklist for all of the requirements for each selected school of interest. Begin the process during junior year of high school and stay on top of all the required steps to ensure that when it is time to submit the application, everything is on time and ready to be sent to the admissions office.
College admissions officers review each applicant’s academic records, which include:
- Grades/high school transcripts
- Academic awards
- Extracurricular activities
- Letters of recommendation
- SAT scores
- Common application (personal) essays
Regular admissions deadlines are typically due between January 1 and March 1-however, dates vary by school. In order to prepare to submit all of the requirements for each school’s application process deadline, it is recommended that students begin practicing to take the SAT/ACT during their junior year and begin drafting college application essays starting the summer after junior year. This is a great time to begin essays because senior year is often very busy, so getting started on admissions essays early will provide a head start as students begin the final year of high school.
Here are a few frequently asked questions about the college application process:
Q: What items are required for the college application?
A: Every college application has a list of requirements including:
- letters of recommendation
- a list of extracurricular activities
- high school transcripts
- SAT or ACT scores
- A personal or common application essay
Q: What is the best way to prepare to take the SAT?
A: Practice, practice and more practice. Students can often take the PSAT, which is the Preliminary SAT, prior to their junior year of high school. The PSAT will provide information about how a student might perform on the actual SAT, and serve as a tool to help you prepare. There are also SAT Prep books and courses where a student can learn test-taking strategies and gain hours of practice. For more helpful Test Prep information, check out this blog post from Team Tutor on practicing for the SAT/ACT. https://www.teamtutor.com/?s=SAT+PREP
Q: Why is an essay required for college admissions?
A: Colleges want to know more about you. They want to learn who the applicants are and what value they bring to the college. The essay is a student’s opportunity to showcase their personality, talents, life experiences and goals. A well-written essay, with 450 to 650 words, can have a positive influence on a student’s chances for acceptance to that college or university. Learn more about the essential elements of a well written college essay: https://www.teamtutor.com/key-components-of-a-successful-and-impactful-college-essay/
For everything you want to know about applying to college, check out the College Board’s Big Future blog: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/get-started
Working with Team Tutor’s team of experts will provide students with more detailed answers to all of these questions. Team Tutor offers a comprehensive, step-by-step program to assist students in taking the SAT and in writing their college application essay.
Team Tutor also offers a full range of academic tutoring, test prep, and study skills services-including executive functioning support- for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Call us today at 215-657-1981 or visit www.teamtutor.com.