Demystifying the College Admissions Process: A Guide for High School Students

At first, college applications might seem intimidating. You need to gather all these documents, send personalized letters, and show college admission staff that you’re the right one. However, by creating a plan of action, you’ll be able to streamline the entire process without missing anything. In this guide, we’ll explain what you need to know about the admission process. We’ll also list the required documents and explain how to avoid common errors.

College Application Deadlines

When applying to college, you have several deadlines at your disposal. Ideally, you should contact your favorite destination as soon as possible and try to get a spot.

Early Decision

Students commonly use early decision deadlines to contact their favorite colleges and show high interest. For example, if you’re applying to an Ivy League school, these spots tend to fill up rather quickly, which is an early decision and your best bet for getting in. It’s worth mentioning that these applications are binding. In other words, if you get accepted, you’ll have to go with the school you applied to. Certain schools have the second early decision term, which is a bit later but works similarly to the first early decision term.

Early Action

Early action lasts from November to December. However, keep in mind that some schools limit their early action deadline to October 15th. Similar to early decision, this type of deadliness allows you to apply before anyone else, but if you get accepted, it won’t be binding.

Regular Decision

The standard decision is on January 1st. If you choose this deadline, you’ll be contacted by the school during mid or late March or early April. The majority of students prefer regular decisions as it allows them to juggle between several programs and select the best one.

How to Write a College Application Essay?

College essays are a prerequisite for most schools. It is a type of extended cover letter that shows your scholastic intentions. It’s worth mentioning that your essay shouldn’t be too long, and you have to focus on providing succinct information. If you’re looking to create a Common App essay, you shouldn’t go above 700 words. On the other hand, essays for the Coalition Application site can go from 500 to 650 words. If a school asks for an additional essay, they’re probably looking for a personal statement of around 200-300 words. With your essay, you’re able to share a personal story. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to talk about your scholastic accolades; some students got into amazing schools by simply sharing the challenges they’ve encountered in their daily lives. Covering ordinary topics is usually the best as it provides an insight into a student’s persona.

Documents You Need to Provide

Aside from the essay, you’ll have to provide all sorts of documents and transcripts to the admissions office. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Personal Info

First and foremost, you’ll need to provide some basic information about yourself and your family. Mention the school you went to, and share your contact data.

• High School Transcript

If you don’t finish high school, you can’t enroll in college, so it makes sense that you provide a transcript.

 Among others, these transcripts consist of your high school grades, which is vital for making the selection.

To avoid potential manipulations, most offices prefer that schools send them transcripts instead of students. More and more schools nowadays use online services such as SENDedu to streamline transcript delivery.  

• Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation sometimes make or break college applications. Getting a go-ahead from a renowned researcher will play a major role in your case. Most schools ask applicants to send two or three letters from their counselors, teachers, or anyone else they worked with from academia.

These letters of recommendation are not only important for assessing students’ scholastic prowess. Teachers can attest to students’ inquisitive minds, incredible discipline, and strength of character. A rule of thumb is to send recommenders your resume so they know what you’ve done during your high school days.

• Test Scores

Schools also need your ACT and SAT scores to assess your current knowledge. As with transcripts, you’re not the one sending these documents. Instead, testing companies will forward test scores directly to schools of your choice.

It’s worth noting that different schools have different methodologies when it comes to these tests. For example, certain colleges are test-optional, which means they don’t necessarily need your test results but will take them into consideration if you decide to send them.

Getting high scores on these test results is vital for scholarships. The required score for admission varies from school to school, so it wouldn’t be bad to check the past generation’s scores to determine how much you’ll need to get accepted.

• Extracurricular Activities

Many students completely disregard extracurricular activities, believing they don’t have any sway over officers. They think that good SAT and ACT scores coupled with transcripts are enough to get them to the best schools in the country. However, as you’ll soon realize, this can’t be farther from the truth.

Extracurricular activities can tell a lot about your persona and interests. For certain colleges, such as journalism, it is a positive thing if you were a part of the high school’s journalist club. Similarly, colleges with great sports teams will give an advantage to students who have shown excellent athletic potential. When talking about your extracurricular activities, try to provide as many details as possible. Mention awards and competitions you’ve won, as well as the lessons you’ve gained from the experience. Create a link between your desired program and your past activities, showing how your past experiences would help you in future education.

Last Thoughts

After reading this ultimate guide, you should have a much better understanding of the college admission process in the US. Alternatively, you can pay for college consulting services that will help you find your path.