Critical Dates October – College Knowledge and Application Month (MN Department of Education) 1 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) goes live for 2017-18 4-5 NACAC National College Fair at Minneapolis Convention Center 6 LD/ADHD College and Postsecondary Fair at Groves Academy 8 NACAC Performing and Visual Arts College Fair at Concordia University 18 Parent/Teacher Conferences help session) 20-21 No School – time to visit campuses and work on applications 22 ACT Test Date (Register by September 16, late by September 30) November 1-15 Early Admissions deadlines for many schools 3-4 No School – End of Quarter 5 SAT Test Date (Register by October 7, late by October 27) 23-25 Thanksgiving Break- visit campuses and/or work on applications! December 3 SAT Test Date (Register by November 3, late by November 22) 10 ACT Test Date (Register by November 4, late by November 18) 19-30 Winter Break January 12-15 College Application Check 21 SAT Test Date (Register by December 21, late by January 10) 23-24 No School – End of Quarter February 11 ACT Test Date (Register by January 13, late by January 20) 1 Aid Priority Deadline for many schools 11 SAT Test Date (Register February 10, late by February 28) 31 No School – End of Quarter Sept-Dec: College application and essay Jan-Mar: Financial aid, FAFSA & scholarships Apr-May: College decision and postsecondary planning April – Most colleges reply to students who have submitted complete applications 1-9 Spring Break 8 ACT Test Date (Register by 3, late by March 17) May 1 National Candidate’s Reply Date (students let colleges know if attending or not) 21 Senior Exit Survey Completion June 12 The FAIR School Commencement/Graduation (Location TBD) Trial
College Admissions Process There are a number of different types of admissions processes to be aware of when identifying your applica- tion deadlines. Generally, early admissions processes (EA, ED, or REA described below), may be advisable to students with a clear top-choice college. Admittance rates during early admissions cycles vary by college, so be sure to speak with your counselor early in your senior year if you are considering an early admissions deadline. Non-Restrictive Application Processes (Students are not restricted from applying to other institutions and have until May 1 to consider their options and confirm enrollment) Restrictive Application Processes (Students are responsible for determining and following restrictions specified by each institution) Process Title Regular Decision Rolling Admission Early Action (EA) Early Decision (ED) Restrictive Early Action (REA) Process Description Students submit an application by a specified date and re- an admis- sions decision in a clearly stated period of time. Institutions review applica- tions as they are submitted and make admis- sions decisions throughout the admissions cycle. Students early and re- ceive a decision well in advance of the institu- tion’s regular response date. Students make a commitment to a first- choice institution, where, if ad- mitted, they are committed to enrolling. The application deadline and decision dead- line occur early. Students apply to an institution they prefer and receive a deci- sion early. They may be restrict- ed from apply- ing ED or EA or REA to other institutions. If offered enroll- ment, they have until May 1 to confirm. Student Commitment Non-binding Non-binding Non- binding Binding Non-Binding Examples of Colleges with the Process Nearly all colleges, sometimes in addition to EA or ED Augsburg, St. Thomas, Concordia, and many community colleges Hamline, University of CO- Boulder, DePaul Carleton, St. Olaf, Macalester Yale, Stanford Adapted from NACAC’s Definitions of Admissions Options. Two Things to Note: If a deadline is listed as “priority”, we strongly recommend that you submit your application on or before the priority date. 2. Binding commitments in ED acceptances require additional paperwork and signatures to ensure students and parents understand and agree to the specifications of the application.
College Application: Breakdown of Parts of the Application College applications often require many different parts.: (1) main application form, (2) additional documents and application fees, and (3) the supplements to the main application. Investigate which parts of an application each of the colleges you apply to will require. Give yourself time to create, gather, or request each required part before the college application deadline arrives. 1. Main Application Form • Ask for things like your full legal name, parent information, education history and plans, etc. • Takes less time to complete than the secondary application parts like essays, resume/activity lists. • Many colleges may require you to create an application account to view and begin their application. Tips for Success 1. Spelling, punctuation, appropriate capitalization all matter! Type/write carefully and double check each answer before moving on and again before you submit your completed application. 2. Copy, or save an electronic copy of your finished application before submitting it online or mail- ing it to the college. 3. Use this handbook’s page with FAIR Information (page 3) to fill in the corresponding questions on your applications. 4. Applications may ask for things like parent’s employer, parent’s of education attained, a list of high school classes you’ve taken or activities you’ve participated in. Once you gather this information for one application (or if you’ve gathered some of these things in order to complete your Senior Coun- selor Questionnaire on Naviance), keep a copy of those notes handy for future college applications and scholarship applications during your senior year. 5. Be on the lookout for checkboxes on your application forms to be considered for financial aid and/or honors programs at the college. Some colleges will automatically consider all applicants for admission for financial aid or honors programs, some colleges will provide a checkbox that needs to be checked off for applicants to be considered for financial aid or honors programs, and some colleges will have other applications for financial aid/honors programs that are completely separate from admissions applications. 2. Additional Documents and Application Fees • Each college on your list may require a different assortment of additional documents. For instance, some colleges may not require ACT or SAT test scores at all or may accept unofficial ACT or SAT scores. • Community colleges typically don’t require ACT or SAT test scores for admission. Almost all colleges require an official high school transcript. Double-check the requirements for each college on your list.
Submitting Your College Applications What’s Next ? Possible Outcomes of Applications What It What Your Next Should be and Could Be Accepted The college has given you an offer of admission. • Unless otherwise stated by the college, you have until May 1st to accept or deny the offer of admission • If you haven’t visited the college campus, try to do so before deciding to accept an offer of admission • Consider the financial aid package the college is offering • Make note of any enrollment deposits or hous- ing deadlines that you may want to meet prior to May 1st if this is your top college Denied Admission You were not offered admission at the college. • Denied applications are almost always final (very rarely student appeals to denied admis- sion are successful, speak to your counselor if you believe you need to appeal an admissions decision) Waitlisted Neither accepted nor rejected; the college is waiting to decide whether or not to you a spot in the freshmen class. • If you were waitlisted at a top college choice, inquire as to the number of students on the waiting list, any rankings on the waiting list, when you could expect to be notified of a de- cision, and if financial aid and housing will be available for you at that time • Meet with your counselor to determine a wait- list plan, which is likely to include accepting another college you have been accepted to Deferred Application Cycles Only) Neither accepted nor rejected; the college is waiting either to see your work (i.e. to see your 2nd quarter grades) or waiting to see what the general pool of applicants like before making a decision to offer you admission or not. • Contact your admissions officer to ask about how the college uses the deferred list and what you can do to boost your chances • Be sure to inform the college of any awards, honors, or high grades you’ve received since sending your initial application • Meet with your counselor to determine a de- ferred list plan, which is likely to include ap- plying to a college that is likely to be a safety school for you, if you haven’t already done so Withdrawn/ Incomplete Your application was missing one or more preventing the college from making an admissions decision. • If you’re interested in the college, submit any missing pieces ASAP • If you’re no longer interested in the college, inform the college that you are withdrawing your application