<p>I don't quite fully comprehend the admissions process. How do you actually apply to schools? Online? Is early action when you set your mind to just one school, and apply early? Is their any different types of actions? When can a junior take the SAT at the very latest if he/she wants to apply early?
I heard apply early is attractive?</p>
<p>Please can someone clarify this? Heavily appreciated to anyone helpful.</p>
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<p>Do a search on “early action” and “early decision” Some schools offer one or the other, many offer neither. Some offer “rolling admissions” as opposed to deadlines. </p>
<p>Something to also search is the “common application” which is an online app form accepted by most colleges. You should plan an appointment with your guidance counselor in the fall or attend your school’s application tutorial seminars if any are offered. Financial aid, testing, application processes – stuff that you and your family need to assemble should be discussed. Good luck to you.</p>
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<p>Google is your friend – in less than 5 seconds, you can google these terms yourself.</p>
<p>[Early</a> decision - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Decision]Early”>Early decision - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>As far as how late can you take the SAT – check individual school websites, since it can vary.</p>
<p>Applying ED can be advantageous in the admission process – but make sure you are absolutely sure that it is your first choice and that money if not an issue, your parents will pay the big bucks to send you. You are committed to attend. Many top schools (Harvard, UVa, etc) do not offer Early Decision.</p>
<p>We’ve helped you to help yourself. Now it’s time for you to take the ball and run with it. Good luck</p>
<p>It can be overwhelming at first, but trust me, it’ll get better.</p>
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<p>Depends. Smaller schools usually use the Common Application (<a href=“http://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx)%5B/url%5D”>http://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx)</a>, which is pretty convenient because then you can recycle essays. Check online to see what schools use the Common Application. Usually liberal arts colleges and other smaller schools use the Common App. Larger schools usually use their own application, which can be found on their websites. Submitting an application electronically or by mail is really up to you, but some schools waver application fees if you submit an application online. Online > mail.</p>
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<p>You are thinking of Early Decision, where you apply around October-December and are bound to go to the school if you are accepted. But there is also Early Action, where you merely apply early to the school and are not bound to it if you are accepted. I applied Early Action to two schools (Linfield College and Lewis & Clark College) and was accepted by January or so, which relieved a lot of stress. I also believe that applying Early Action gave me a better chance for scholarships, since the schools gave me some $$. You should check each school’s actions when applying. I applied to Wellesley College Early Evaluation, and I don’t believe that other colleges offer that means of applying.</p>
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That is really for you to decide, and depends on when the ED deadline is. I would say September or October are the latest.</p>
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Depends. With increasing competition, it shows that you are genuinely interested in the school, and most schools like to have a good yield rate so they do encourage students to apply early.</p>
<p>“I don’t quite fully comprehend the admissions process. How do you actually apply to schools?”</p>
<p>Okay, my post will be entirely spent on this question, and I hope that by the end you’ll understand how it all works.</p>
<p>Many colleges and universities use something called the Common Application, which is one single application that can be used at many schools. You can find the Common Application online and complete it online, or you can print out a copy and fill it in by hand. These are the major parts of the application: </p>
<p>Personal Data (name, address, easy stuff),
Educational Data (name of school, counselor, names of summer schools you’ve attended, etc.),
Test Information (list your test scores),
Family (parent address, siblings),
Academic Honors (list any honors, including AP scores),
Extracurricular, Personal, and Volunteer Activities
Work Experience
Short Answer (elaborate on one of your activities in a paragraph or so)
Personal Essay (answer one of their questions in a personal statement, or write your own question and answer it)
Additional Information (where you put additional info that you want colleges to know)
Teacher Recommendation Forms
Counselor Recommendation Form
Mid-Year Report</p>
<p>Other colleges and universities have their own application (for example, the University of Chicago, even though I heard that they’re going to switch back to the CommonApp this year), but these applications ask for basically the same information. </p>
<p>You could apply either online or on paper. I applied online (you go to [The</a> Common Application Online](<a href=“http://www.commonapp.org%5DThe”>http://www.commonapp.org) and register first), and I found it very easy, because after you fill in all the important information, you can just click ‘Submit’ and it will submit your application to all the schools you’re applying to. By the way, the teacher and counselor recommendations will be done on paper. You mail those separately to the colleges. Another benefit to applying online is that some schools, being environmentally aware, want you to apply online, and they say that if you apply online, you do not have to pay an application fee (many schools require a fee to apply). Carleton and Grinnell, for example, offer this option, and that saved me a good amount of money.</p>
<p>Be aware that some schools let you choose whether to use the Common Application or their own application.</p>
<p>About the application itself:</p>
<p>Pretty much all of it is straightforward and simple. On Personal Data, just list your address, phone number, easy stuff. Same with Educational Data, Test Information, Family, Academic Honors (AP scores go here, and if you want you can put down any AP exams you’re thinking of taking as a senior), Extracurricular, Personal, and Volunteer Activities, Work Experience, and Short Answer. Those are all pretty easy. The only real concern is that the activities part isn’t convenient on the common app, because you might do an activity that colleges might not know about just from the name. Because of that, I recommend that you make a table on Microsoft Word and basically copy the table for activities on the application, but include room for a short description of what you do (not just the name of the activity).</p>
<p>A lot of people are concerned about the Personal Essay. I recommend that you read 100 Successful College Application Essays.</p>
<p>Teacher and counselor recommendations should be printed out and given to your teachers and counselors to fill out. Ask them nicely, and give them plenty of time to work on them. I think a lot of students, myself included, don’t know how busy many teachers really are. Give them stamped, addressed envelopes, so that they can mail the recommendation letters.</p>
<p>Some schools have supplements to the application. They’re kind of annoying to keep track of, because some schools have them and some don’t. When you register on [The</a> Common Application Online](<a href=“http://www.commonapp.org%5DThe”>http://www.commonapp.org), and show that you’re going to apply to a certain school online, you’ll probably find the supplement online as well.</p>
<p>That’s basically all there is to the application.</p>
<p>There are also financial aid applications as well.</p>
<p>About Early Decision. Basically, the idea is that when you apply to colleges, there’s an option called Early Decision, which is when you apply early to your first-choice college. When you apply, you make an agreement that if you are accepted, you will attend, no matter what (unless the college really doesn’t give you enough aid). There are pros and cons to applying early. Here’s some advice:</p>
<p>Pros:
<p>Cons:
<p>Now, there’s more to Early Decision than this. First, some students (why, oh why do people do this), apply early because they think that it will increase their chances of getting in. For example, Wesleyan University is a highly selective school, but I think its Early Decision acceptance rate is like 40%. Some students think that means it’s easier to get in if you apply early, but that percentage is misleading, because generally the people who apply early are stronger applicants and because generally the people who apply early do so because Wesleyan is their first choice school. When you apply early, the admissions people get the message that, “Okay, this student is seriously wanting to attend our school. He/she even made an agreement to attend if he/she gets in.” That’s what Early Decision is about. So don’t be misled by the percentage, though applying early does send the message that it’s really your first choice school and that you really really want to go. That factors into the decision.</p>
<p>There are also things like Early Decision I and Early Decision II, which makes things twice as confusing. Under the Early Decision II option, students may take more time to reach their decision and may include their first-semester grades in their applications. The deadline for this is sometime in January. </p>
<p>There’s also Early Action, which is the same thing as Early Decision, except it’s nonbinding, meaning that if you get accepted Early Action (EA), you don’t have to attend that school. So in some ways EA is beneficial to ED, but you still get most of the cons of ED in EA.</p>
<p>Another note: Some schools don’t have EA/ED I/ED II. Largely that’s because many colleges and universities think that people are trying to use these programs in the wrong way, for example by applying ED because the acceptance rate is higher. There’s also an argument that these early acceptance options favor the wealthy, since if you get in early and get an okay amount of aid, you can afford to go, whereas some students who are less affluent shouldn’t apply ED because they aren’t able to compare financial aid packages, for example, what if the schools that you would have applied regular to gave you much more aid than your ED school? You wouldn’t know because you have to accept the ED school, and the other schools didn’t show how much they would give you, because you have to accept the ED offer. And because within two weeks or so of receiving the ED acceptance notice, you have to send a letter saying that your applications to those other schools have been canceled.</p>
<p>So that concludes what I have to say about Early Decision. Again, think carefully about this option, but if you get in Early and get a good amount of financial aid, you’ll have a much easier senior year.</p>
<p>Really appreciate your help. When you apply for Early Decision I, the colleges only see your grades from sophmore year? Not really comprehending this issue? I want them to see my grades from my Junior year, cause I know my Junior year will certainly help me boost my GPA, thus conveying dramatic improvement. </p>
<p>Also, does your friend know what he wants to be already? Or did he choose that school just because of the “prestigious” factor?</p>
<p>The due date for Early Decision I is usually some time in November, so colleges will see all your grades past junior year. Most colleges ask to see your transcript.</p>
<p>I think my friend chose Columbia because he really liked the Core curriculum, but I guess its economics program is really good too. He told me that he was planning on doing economics stuff at Columbia, but he seems to have a wide variety of interests. He also really likes the fact that it’s in New York, but isn’t right in the middle of the city. Also, both his parents went to Columbia, and when he visited he said he really loved it and was glad that he got in Early Decision and is really excited about going. I’m sure prestige had something to do with it, but I think he mainly chose Columbia because he would do really well and would learn a lot there.</p>
<p>November for 09 correct? … Its its for 08, then they would even see you first semester junior grades..</p>
<p>I don’t really understand what you mean. Colleges will see first and second semester grades for junior year and everything before that if you apply earlly decision.</p>
<p>Basically colleges will see your whole Junior year grades?
sry for my miscomprehension.</p>
<p>Yes, when you apply to college, the colleges will see your whole freshman, sophomore, and junior year grades. </p>
<p>In the middle of senior year, you will send something called a Mid-Year Report, which has your first-semester senior year grades. Then, at the end of the senior year, you will send a final transcript, which has all your grades.</p>