Seniors, as you begin to tackle your college applications
there are some common questions that come up.
For the next few weeks we will try to answer as many of those as
possible. If you don’t see your
questions answered here, please stop by the counseling office and talk to your
counselor. Also, don’t forget that
October 19th through October 23rd we will be in the
library during 7th period to answer questions, narrow your college
search, or assist with your applications.
There will also be an online workshops hosted by the UC
schools to help you through the UC Application.
There will be two workshops, October 13th at 3:30 pm or
November 18th at 3:30 pm.
If you are applying to a CSU school, you will apply online
at csumentor.edu. This handbook will answer a lot of your questions about the
CSU application:
If your school is
not
a UC or Cal State school, you will want to check the college’s website to see
how they want you to apply.
If you are
applying to a private university or an East Coast school there is a good chance
they are using the Common Application.
This is also an online application that can be found at
www.commonapp.org.
As you apply to schools you are going to be introduced to
some new vocabulary. Let’s review a few
of these terms:
Regular Decision:
This is most common option to choose while completing the Common
App. You will apply before the deadline
and receive notification of your acceptance by March or April. You will have time to look at the financial
aid packages that come in and make your decision by May 1st.
Early Decision: If students chose the Early Decision
application their application will be due in early November, usually November 1st. If students choose this option they will be
given a decision in early December. You can only apply to one school Early
Decision. Usually you will pick this
option if this is the school that you have researched well and it is your very
top choice. With Early Decision, if you
are accepted you are committed to attend that school. The positive is that you will know by Winter
Break what school you are attending and the acceptance rate for Early Decision
is about fifty percent higher than regular decision. One downside is if you don’t accepted then
you have very little time to apply to other schools. Also, you would be accepting admission without
knowing the financial aid package you will receive. If you at all worried about financial aid,
this is not a good option for you.
Early Action: This is similar to Early Decision. You apply by November 1st and you
hear back by early December. However,
with option you do not have to accept the offer of admission. Also, you can apply to more than one school
Early Action. With this option you are
telling schools that it is your top choice, but you have the freedom to wait
until March and see what your financial aid options will be.
Single Choice Early Action:
Some schools like Harvard and Yale offer this option. This is similar to Early Action with the
exception that you can only apply to one school as Early Action. You can still apply to other schools as
regular decision.
**Some schools have their own rules regarding Early Decision
and Early Action. If you are considering
these choices make sure to check the website for each school before applying.
What is FERPA? The Common App and some scholarships will ask you
to waive your FERPA rights. FERPA stands
for the The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Basically this act says that you have a right
to review your academic records. As you
ask counselors and teachers to write you letters of recommendation, these
letters become a part of your academic record, if you are accepted to a college. By waiving your rights, you are saying that
you won’t look at the letters of recommendations. In general, you will want to waive your
rights. Here is why: admission officers want teachers and
counselors to be as honest and candid as possible when writing about you. If
you haven’t waived your rights, some schools will not consider the letters of
recommendation because they don’t feel the recommenders were free to say how
they really feel.
In general, you
shouldn’t be worried about what your recommenders are going to write about
you. If you have any concerns, don’t ask
for a letter of recommendation from that person! Your teachers and counselors obviously don’t
want to be a stumbling block on your road to college; they want to support you
in your efforts. You can help yourself
by making sure to ask for letters of recommendation at least two weeks before
they are due and returning any materials that they ask for by their due
dates. If you have any questions about
this, please stop by and visit with your counselor.
