<p>This is probably a stupid question but I can't seem to find how it works anywhere... My top choice college has admissions, but I have a pretty decent chance of getting in. But in case I don't get in, I'll need a few safety schools. My question is, if those safety schools are all open admission, won't I basically be enrolling in those schools just by applying? What if I'm accepted to my first choice, how do I turn the others down? No one has ever explained the process to me.. I'm afraid that if I don't "apply" to the open admissions safety schools when I apply to my first choice, by the time I see that I don't get in (if that happens) it'll be too late to enroll in the safety schools? I'm sure this is a general knowledge thing (applying to more than one school, chosing one, etc.) and I probably sound silly by having to ask, but I'm homeschooled so I don't have a counselor and have to figure it out on my own. Once I get all my responses after applying, how do I go about turning down the ones I don't want, especially if I'm automatically accepted through open admissions? Although of course being admitted doesn't mean I'm enrolled... but still, information on the process will help me alot! And when do people typically start applying to colleges?</p>
<p>A few simple points:</p>
<p>1 - Start applying for college in the Spring of your junior year. Being home-schooled might be a bit different, but apply more than a year before you intend to enroll. This takes stress off, and increases chances of getting into your first choice. Colleges like early applications!</p>
<p>2 - Apply to two or three solid schools with real admissions, not “open admission.” You only need one open admission as a safety school.</p>
<p>3 - Each school will tell you their rules about turning them down. Many will drop you automatically if you do not enroll by a certain date. Some will drop you if you do not make a financial deposit by a certain date. Each school is a bit different, but none are mysterious. At some point it becomes obvious what you need to do.</p>
<p>You don’t start applying spring of your junior year… generally applications are not even available until late summer/early fall of your senior year. However, if you need to take standardized tests (like the SAT or ACT), you should do that during the equivalent of your junior year.</p>
<p>You can look at the website of each college for information on how to apply and when they accept applications. You are fairly late already for this year if it is your senior year, but some schools are still taking applications.</p>
<p>Just because a college accepts you does not mean you need to attend. Most students apply to at least a few schools at the same time, then once they know where they are accepted they decide where to attend. It is pretty typical for you to have to commit to some college by May 1 (although some will encourage you to commit earlier if you want a better choice in housing). </p>
<p>When a college accepts you, they usually send a package of material, and a postcard telling them if you intend to enroll or not is included. You can just mark the postcard once you have made up your mind for sure, and mail them all (usually by May 1). You can also just email the admissions office at a college and let them know your decision if you want to do that instead.</p>
<p>If you need to apply for need-based financial aid, you need to look at each school’s website on how to do that. They also might have information on merit scholarships (not based on financial need), and you should read that section as well to see if any seem like a possibility for you and if you need to do anything extra. If you are applying for next fall, you should get going on this part of your applications right away. At a lot of schools those who apply for aid early are more likely to get more of their need met.</p>
<p>if we can be helpful to you with any other questions, just ask.</p>
<p>You should selected 2 schools that you like, are sure of getting in, and can afford (to know that, look for the Net Price Calculator on EACH website - each college calculates differently so you have to run the NPC on each website). Those would be your safety schools. Typically, at least one of those will be an in-state public college. Often the application is available late August.
BEFORE then, you’d need to have taken the SAT or the ACT, typically twice, once Spring of Junior Year and once Fall of Junior year (if you don’t have money, you can request a fee waiver). Some colleges also request SAT Subjects, which are typically taken in May or June of the Junior year, when the subjects are still fresh in your mind.
Find a guidebook like Fiske Guide to the colleges or Insider’s Guide to the College or The Princeton Review’ best colleges, and stick post its on colleges that you can see yourself at.
Then, make a list with 3-5 “matches”, that is, schools where your SAT/ACT scores, GPA, and, if relevant (ie, Top 100 Liberal Arts Colleges and very to highly selective schools plus honors colleges) EC’s, are above the median and below or up to the top 25%.
Finally, if you feel like it, add one (or more) colleges that sound fabulous but odds aren’t good you will get in even if it’s not impossible. Typically, your scores are around the school’s average but above the bottom 25%.
You do all this between October and January, then in January you fill out the FAFSA and CSS Profile, then you wait.
Between March and April (earlier for your state schools with rolling admissions), you will receive admission decisions. You don’t do anything with them until you have received most of them and, most importantly, your financial aid awards. You must compare your awards, costs out of pocket (including loans - financial aid = grants and scholarships; then you have work study; and that’s what you compare for costs.)
This is a list of colleges that meet 100% need (typically, very to highly selective colleges with very generous financial aid offers): <a href=“Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students”>Colleges with Need-Blind Admission for U.S. Students;
Go to the Financial Aid forum and look at the sticky threads about automatic and competitive scholarships.
Once you’ve considered all factors you contact your chosen college and make a deposit. Then you indicate to the other schools that you’ve decided not to attend. That’s it.</p>
<p>I have one caveat to all of this - Sometimes your dorm preference can come into play and in many schools you may have to apply very early to get your choice. I suggest that if this is a consideration at the schools you are interested in, that you call the admissions office in late June, early July between your Junior and Senior year and find out what date you can apply. Most housing is dependent on admissions, so the earlier the better from that stand point. </p>
<p>If you don’t know if your choice dorm will be difficult to get into, you can ask the admissions office at that time. My son applied to 4 schools and in two of them, housing was something that was important to him (One had numerous dorms without air conditioning and he did not want that, the other had a dorm he really wanted, but so do most of the applying freshmen at this large state school).</p>