Soaring Eagles
October 23, 2017
Understanding College Admissions
CollegeBoard, the creators of the SAT, have a wealth of information to assist students as they prepare for their transition to college. This information includes understanding college admissions.
Colleges in the U.S. may offer one or more of the following options when applying: early decision (ED), early action (EA), regular decision (RD), and/or rolling admissions (RA). The first three options have set deadlines, while rolling admissions offers a range of time within which a student must apply.
Early decision plans are binding — a student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college.
ED applicants
- Apply early (usually in November) to first-choice college.
- Receive an admission decision from the college well in advance of the usual notification date (usually by December).
- Agree to attend the college if accepted and offered a financial aid package that is considered adequate by the family.
- Apply to only one college early decision.
- Apply to other colleges under regular admission plans.
- Withdraw all other applications if accepted by ED.
- Send a nonrefundable deposit well in advance of May 1.
EA applicants
- Apply early.
- Receive an admission decision early in the admission cycle (usually in January or February).
- Consider acceptance offer; do not have to commit upon receipt.
- Apply to other colleges under regular admission plans.
- Give the college a decision no later than the May 1 national response date.
RD applicants
This is the regular decision process. It’s the way that most applicants apply and the deadlines will vary from institution to institution. There will be separate financial aid application deadlines and requirements of which you must be aware, but in general the process is pretty straightforward.
You’ll receive a letter of acceptance or denial, and if you’re accepted, then you will also receive an award letter that details any financial aid you’re eligible to receive.
You’re required to make your final college choice by May 1.
RA applicants
Read the attached article for more information.
Common and Coalition Applications
The Common App
In 1975, a small grouping of private colleges, possessing both overlapping admissions requirements and applicant pools, forged an agreement to develop a common application form that could be Xeroxed and submitted to all schools within the cohort. By the mid-1990s, the movement began to spread to more and more institutions and soon the Common Application migrated online, started to include public schools, and switched from being volunteer-run to an incorporated non-profit. Growth has continued throughout the 21st century, as the number of participating schools has more than doubled in the past decade leading to its present number of member schools—702 institutions. Out of these, roughly one-third will only accept the Common App.
The original intention of the Common App remains its intention still today. It is a tool that helps to streamline the process of applying to multiple schools, allowing students to enter their demographics, educational history, test score data, activities, and essay just one time, saving applicants valuable time and headaches.
The Coalition App
The Coalition is a collection of colleges and universities that all meet a series of criteria demonstrating that they graduate a high percentage of their students within six years and have a strong track record of meeting applicants’ financial needs.
In order to promote increased access, the Coalition App is designed to engage students in the college process earlier in their high school careers. It also aims to make the application more holistic. Students are given a digital “locker” in which they can enclose writing samples, multimedia artifacts that represent their unique passions or talents, and are encouraged to connect with mentors of all varieties (counselors, community members, admissions counselors) to seek out advice as early as in 9th grade.
The Coalition’s numbers rise each month, and the total number of schools presently totals 116.
Understanding Student Loans
1. Research job availability in your chosen field, before selecting your major.
2. Research your expected salary in your future career, find an affordable school, and borrow realistically.
3. Consider all types of financial aid carefully.
4. Educate yourself on the many loan options available before borrowing.
5. Inconsistent or untimely loan repayment could affect your future.
As a key component to this campaign, the My Smart Borrowing debt tool allows borrowers to plug in their potential career choice and school choice to determine the cost of their education and factor whether they’ll be able to afford to repay their loans at their expected salary. Explore the My Smart Borrowing tool for more information on "smart borrowing".
The Next Level (T.N.L.)
T.N.L. is an organization dedicated to assisting students with researching, completing, and submitting scholarship applications. In partnership with the federal TRIO program (Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Service), T.N.L. also assists students with applying for admission(s) to institutions of higher learning and completing the free application for federal student aid (fafsa). T.N.L. meets every Tuesday from 2:15 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. in the WHS Media Center, Lab 104; seniors, juniors, and sophomores are encouraged to participate. Please see Sonia Clark-Rosier, Associate Dean of Student Services, for additional information.
Scholarship Search Engines
Students interested in receiving the latest information about scholarship opportunities should register with the following websites:
- fastweb.com
- collegeboard.com
- cappex.com
- unigo.com
- petersons.com
- chegg.com
- niche.com
- collegenet.com
- scholarshipmonkey.com
- scholarships.com
- scholarshipamerica.org