College applications have come a long way. For most colleges, the only way to apply is to submit an online application. Below are common college applications students will use during the college admissions process. Common Application– Nearly 700 colleges and universities throughout the world accept the Common Application. Member colleges are diverse – there are public, private, large, small, religious, and secular institutions. Students can apply to multiple colleges using just one application. Cappex Application* – 125 colleges and universities accept the Cappex Application! And, there is no application fee! Universal College Application – 23 colleges and universities accept the Universal College Application. The majority of the institutions are located in the United States. Coalition Application for Access, Affordability, and Success – The Coalition for Access Affordability, and Success started accepting application during the 2016-2017 school year. Approximately 90 American institutions use the Coalition application. Common Black College Application – 49 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) accept the Common Black Application. Students can apply to any number of the 49 HBCUs for $35. Apply Texas – Students can use Apply Texas to apply to any Texas public university, as well as participating community and private colleges. CSU Mentor – All 23 California State University campuses accept the CSU Mentor application. University of California Application – All nine University of California campuses accept the UC Application. Apply SUNY – 52 of the 64 SUNY campuses accept the Apply SUNY application.
Check with the colleges you are considering to learn more about the specific admissions requirements and the application they will expect you to submit to be considered for admission. College Application Tips
If you’re applying to colleges, there are a few things you should do to ensure your college application stands out. It’s important to remember that during the assessment of college applications, admissions staff will look beyond just academic achievements. Colleges want to see that you’re a well-rounded student, and that means going beyond grades. You’ll need to show that you’re motivated and boast attributes like leadership, being philanthropic and passionate. In this article, we’ll go over a few ways to make your college application stand out. Clean Up Your Social Media The first task on your college application to-do list should be to head over to all of your social media accounts and ensure they match the image you’re portraying in your application. No admissions staffer wants to take a look over your web presence to find a series of inappropriate, negative photos or tweets. Once you’re happy that your social media accounts are as responsible and professional as possible, you should then prioritize showcasing the topics you highlighted in your application. Post photos, video or just a text post about volunteering efforts and other activities that you’d expect to see from an A-star student. Highlight Sustained Extracurricular Activities When we suggest extracurricular activities, we don’t mean one-offs. College admissions staff will be looking for sustained extracurricular activities or philanthropic efforts that lasted more than one week in one summer two years ago. If you’re a few years from heading off to college then use these years to sign up and take part in out-of-school activities – because you’ll be able to add these to your college application. Something to remember is that although you may have volunteered your time for a good cause and only did it once, it will be a negative on your college application. A one-time activity will make you look uncommitted and not passionate about extracurricular sports or volunteering, leaving a bad impression. Make it a priority to only include long-term activities and volunteering efforts. In Your Essay, Paint a Picture of Your Character Too many college application essays fail to stay on topic and ineffectively paint a picture of who applicants are. To really make an impact and keep your college application at the top of the list, you really need to highlight a moment in your life that transformed your character and changed your future path. It’s always great to have concrete points that the admissions staffers can understand, also. Lastly, don’t forget to point out a few reasons the college you’re applying to is at the top of your list. This will show the admissions team that you know what you’re applying for and you’re not simply handing out a copy-paste application. These reasons could include the college’s intern program, honors program or even the great student-teacher dynamic. Visit the Campus It’s one thing to say you love a college. It’s another to actually take the time to visit and spend time on campus. A great idea is to visit your college of choice and take a look around. Find some students and ask them a few questions, speak with professors and take a look at the on-campus amenities and buildings. Doing this will allow you to write in-depth about the time you spent on campus and will let the admissions staff know you’ve really visited. Apply as Early as Possible There’s one way to show how excited you are to apply and that’s by applying early with an entirely faultless college application. A great tip is to make sure your application is completely error-free, filled with as many relevant facts about yourself as possible and also shows your chosen college that you’ll be a great fit. Pair this with the fact that you’ve applied early and you’ll certainly stand out from the crowd.
What College Admission Option is Best for You?
You may be inundated with emails and regular mail from colleges inviting you to apply for admission. The college may also be trying to encourage you to apply early by waiving the application fee. There are multiple ways to apply to a college: early decision, early action, and regular decision. The different ways you can apply can be confusing for students. What do all of the options mean? And, are there advantages or disadvantages to choosing one option over another? How you apply to a college is up to you, but I hope to explain the options so you can make an educated decision on how you should apply to the colleges you are considering. Early Decision (ED) For many colleges that offer early decision, students must submit their application and materials (transcript, test scores, recommendations, etc.) in October or November. Students will typically receive their admission decision within a month of submitting their application. Students can only apply to one institution early decision, but can apply to other college’s regular decision. If the student is accepted to the institution early decision, they must withdraw their applications at all other colleges and commit to attending the institution. Frequently acceptance rates for early decision are higher than regular admission. However, this does not mean it is easier to get in. Many times, the students who apply early decision are students who are top students academically with stellar grades and test scores. Before applying early decision, students must make sure this is the college they want to attend because it is a binding contract. The student, parent/guardian, and the counselor all have to sign a form that says they agree to these terms when applying for Early Decision. The only way a student can decline the offer of admission is if the financial aid award offer is not enough to make it possible to attend the institution. And, this does not mean you can withdraw if you see the total and do not like it. Most of the colleges will prepare financial aid awards and will meet financial need based on the information provided on the FAFSA and possibly the CSS Profile. You might not like your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), but that is what the documents believe you can afford. While a college cannot force you to write the tuition check, your school will probably not release your transcript to any other college if you were accepted Early Decision because they also agreed to the terms of Early Decision. Schools do not like breaking the contract because if one of their students walks away from an Early Decision offer, it could affect future decisions for other students. If you are accepted, you cannot continue “shopping around” for colleges. Research the cost of attendance and financial aid options before applying and only apply early decision if you know you will be able to afford attendance. Early Action (EA) Just like early decision, early action allows students to apply early and get admissions decisions early. Early action applications are non-binding and students can apply to multiple colleges. Although students receive notification of their decisions early, they have until May 1 to choose the college they will attend. Apply early, get a decision early. You are free to continue applying to other colleges and can wait to make your final decision until May 1. This allows you to continue researching the colleges, visit again (if necessary), and compare financial aid award offers. Restrictive Early Action (REA) Just like regular early action, students will apply to a college early and receive the admissions decision early. Many restrictive early action colleges expect students to not apply to other early decision or early action colleges. However, students are able to apply regular decision at other colleges. Students applying restrictive early action still have until May 1 to decide which college they will attend. This allows students to compare admissions and financial aid offers from all colleges before making the final decision. Regular Decision The application deadline for regular decision is usually later than early action and early decision deadlines. This later date gives students longer to prepare their applications for admission. While some colleges give decisions quickly, many do not send regular decisions until mid to late March. Students will then have until May 1 to decide the college they will attend. Rolling Admission Colleges that offer rolling admission usually open their applications in the fall and continue accepting applications as space permits throughout the summer. While students can apply whenever they want, there are priority deadlines for financial aid and housing. Therefore, students should still apply to colleges offering rolling admission early to improve their chances of admission, financial aid and housing. Most colleges offering rolling admission typically send out admissions decisions within a few weeks of receiving the completed application. There are advantages and disadvantages to all ways of applying to college. Before making the decision, weigh these factors and choose the option that is best for you. The application and personal statements are very important in the decision process. Therefore, students should take their time with the application, no matter how they are applying. Lastly, if applying early decision, I highly recommend you connect with your school counselor or college counselor to discuss the option because early decision is not for everyone. Counselors may have a little more insight into the admissions process at the college you are applying and may be able to provide a little more information to help you make your decision to apply early decision or not.
College Rejections
Each year, hundreds of thousands of high schoolers dedicate everything to try to get into the colleges of their dreams. And, unfortunately, each year many of them worry about rejections. College admission is not what determines your future. Your future is determined by you – how hard you work and in how you carry yourself every day. While it is undeniable that going to a good college does give you a head start, it is not the end all of what your life will be. With the massive amounts of information available, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture: a good life. Recently, the selectivity of colleges have been at an all time high. College admission has gone into an unstoppable spiral where there are too many applicants, college acceptance rates lower, and students begin applying to more colleges. Now, some applicants apply to over 20 colleges. This is far too many because you should only apply to colleges you seriously want to attend. As this cycle keeps going, some colleges have a surplus of applicants. UCLA, for example, receives over 100,000 applicants a year and it has far less spots than that available for undergraduates. On the other hand, some colleges have opened their doors to everyone. There are some colleges that have a 100% acceptance rate, and many colleges (albeit not usually highly ranked) take nearly everyone. Community colleges are a viable option as they have lower tuition rates and can (in some areas) have guaranteed admission to universities. For example, if you live in California, UC Davis has a TAG program where they guarantee acceptance to community college students who meet a minimum GPA requirement. Programs like these can give you a second chance even if you made mistakes in high school. Does it any of it matter? Regardless of where you go, or if you even go to college, you can still achieve your goals! There are many students who do well in community college and go on to do great things, just as there are students who flunk out of the Ivy League. While you can do whatever you want to do with your life, there is still a definite correlation (and likely causation) between where you go and what you achieve. The real relationship between the college you go to and how your life plays out depends on a surprisingly simple relationship. It is exactly like projectile motion. Sure, the college you attend does impact the initial boost you have, but the effort put in to the rest of the journey is much more important. An Ivy League student who refuses to go to work on time would get fired anywhere, whereas a hardworking student who went to a lower ranking state school could thrive in the same job by working hard. If everyone based their value on the prestige of the college they went to, the vast majority of the people in this country would be worthless which obviously isn’t the case. More importantly, in the end we all die no matter how great our lives. Exactly how a rock always falls regardless of how hard you throw it. It would be silly to value our entire self worth based on the very beginning of the journey! Even if you faced rejection this year, brush it off and stand tall. You have value as an individual and every goal you had for the undergraduate years can still be accomplished through hard work and perseverance. Do you want a good job? A loving family? A long lasting impact? Recognition? Whatever it is, a college admissions officer cannot take it away from you, so don’t lose hope no matter what happens; things can always get better