college » Renaissance College Road Trip

Senior year is a busy and extremely important time in the college admissions process. This is your last chance to get the ACT5 and SAT scores you need6, and senior year is when you have to narrow down your college options to the handful of schools to which you’ll apply. You’ll need to get your college essay up to snuff, line up your letters of recommendation, and apply for financial aid. During the application process, you’ll need to keep active in extracurricular activities and maintain high grades.

August before Senior Year

* Register for the September ACT if appropriate (check ACT dates7).

* Come up with a preliminary list of colleges that includes reach8, match9 and safety10 schools.

* Explore the websites of the colleges that interest you to learn about admissions requirements.

* Check your senior year class schedule to make sure you’re taking the English, Math11, Social Science, Science, and Foreign Language12 classes you’ll need for your top-choice colleges.

* Look over the Common Application13 and begin thinking about potential topics for your personal essay14.

* Visit campuses15 and interview16 with college representatives if appropriate.

September

* Register for October or November SAT I and SAT II exams (check SAT dates17).

* Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss the colleges to which you’re thinking of applying.

* Request letters of recommendation18, especially if you are applying early.

* Continue to visit campuses and interview with college admissions representatives.

* Request applications from all the schools to which you might apply.

* Create a chart of deadlines. Pay particular attention to early decision, early action, and preferred application deadlines.

* If appropriate, register for the October ACT exam.

* Work on your college essays19.

* Try to assume a leadership position in an extracurricular activity.

* Keep your grades up.

October

* Take the SAT I, SAT II and/or ACT as appropriate.

* Continue to research schools to narrow your list20 to roughly 6 – 8 schools.

* Take advantage of college fairs and virtual tours.

* Complete your applications if you are applying early decision.

* Research financial aid and scholarships. Do your parents’ places of employment offer college scholarships for employee children?

* Get your college essay in shape. Get feedback on your writing from a guidance counselor and a teacher.

* Request your high school transcript and check it for accuracy.

* Keep track of all application components and deadlines: applications, test scores, letters of recommendation, and financial aid materials. An incomplete application will ruin your chances for admission.

November

* Register for the December SAT or ACT if appropriate.

* Take the November SAT if appropriate.

* Don’t let your grades slide. It’s easy to be distracted from school work when working on applications. Senior slump can be disastrous for your admissions chances.

* Make sure you’ve submitted all components of your applications if you are applying to colleges with November deadlines for early decision or preferred application.

* Put the final touches on your application essays, and get feedback on your essays from counselors and/or teachers.

* Continue to research scholarships.

December – January

* Complete your applications for regular admissions.

* Make sure you’ve had your test scores sent to all colleges that require them.

* Confirm that your letters of recommendation have been sent.

* Submit the FAFSA21 (Free Application for Financial Aid).

* If you are accepted to a school through early decision, be sure to follow directions carefully. Submit required forms, and notify the other schools to which you applied of your decision.

* Continue to focus on your grades and extracurricular involvement.

* Have midyear grades sent to colleges.

* Continue to keep track of all deadlines and application components.

* Continue to research scholarships. Apply for scholarships well in advance of deadlines.

February – March

* If you submitted the FAFSA, you should receive the Student Aid Report22 (SAR). Carefully look it over for accuracy. Errors can cost you thousands of dollars.

* Contact colleges that didn’t send you a confirmation receipt for your application.

* Don’t put off applying to schools with rolling admissions or late deadlines — the available spaces can fill up.

* Talk to your school about registering for AP exams.

* Keep your grades high. Colleges can revoke offers of admission if your grades take a nosedive senior year.

* Some acceptance letters may arrive. Compare financial aid offers and visit campus before making a decision.

* Don’t panic; many, many decisions are not mailed out until April.

* Continue applying for appropriate scholarships.

April

* Keep track of all acceptances, rejections, and waitlists.

* If waitlisted, learn more about waitlists23 and move ahead with other plans. You can always change your plans if you get off a waitlist.

* Keep your grades up.

* If you have ruled out any colleges that accepted you, notify them. This is a courtesy to other applicants, and it will help the colleges manage their waitlists and extend the correct number of acceptance letters.

* Go to accepted student open houses if offered.

* A couple circumstances may warrant an appeal of a college rejection24

May – June

* Avoid senioritis! An acceptance letter doesn’t mean you can stop working.

* Most schools have a deposit deadline of May 1st. Don’t be late! If needed, you may be able to request an extension.

* Prepare for and take any appropriate AP exams. Most colleges offer course credit for high AP scores; this gives you more academic options when you get to college.

* Have your final transcripts sent to colleges.

* Send thank you letters to everyone who helped you in the application process. Let your mentors and recommenders know the results of your college search.

* Keep on top of procuring student loans. Notify your college if you receive any scholarships.

* Graduate. Congratulations!

July – August after Senior Year

* Read all mailings from your college carefully. Often important registration and housing25 material is sent in the summer.

* Register for your classes as soon as possible. Classes often fill, and registration is usually on a first-come, first-served basis.

* If you get your housing assignment, take advantage of the summer to get to know your roommate (email, facebook, the phone, etc). Figure out who will bring what. You don’t need two TVs and two microwaves in your tiny room.

* Off to college! Visit Kelci Lynn, About.com’s expert on College Life26

This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/admissionstimeline/tp/12th-grade-timeline.htm

Links in this article:

1. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/admissionstimeline/tp/college-prep-junior-high.htm

2. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/admissionstimeline/tp/ninth-grade-college-prep.htm

3. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/admissionstimeline/tp/10th-Grade-College-Preparation.htm

4. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/admissionstimeline/tp/11th-grade-college-preparation.htm

5. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theact/f/goodactscore.htm

6. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/sat/f/goodsatscore.htm

7. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theact/a/ACT_Dates.htm

8. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/glossaryofkeyterms/g/reach_school.htm

9. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/glossaryofkeyterms/g/match_school.htm

10. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/glossaryofkeyterms/g/safety_school.htm

11. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/a/HighSchoolMath.htm

12. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/a/ForeignLanguage.htm

13. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/glossaryofkeyterms/g/CommonApp.htm

14. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/EssayPrompts.htm

15. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/choosingacollege/tp/8-Tips-for-a-Campus-Visit.htm

16. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

17. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/standardizedtests/a/SAT_Dates.htm

18. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/Letters-of-Recommendation.htm

19. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/essay_tips.htm

20. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/choosingacollege/f/HowManySchools.htm

21. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/payingforcollege/f/fafsa_info.htm

22. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/glossaryofkeyterms/g/SAR.htm

23. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/f/waitlist_faq.htm

24. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/f/appeal_reject.htm

25. http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegehousingfaq/College_Housing_FAQ.htm

26. http://collegelife.about.com/

The Common Application – Start Now!

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Aug 142009

It is not too early to create your profile for The Common Application and start on the application itself. Log on to www.commonapp.org and create a profile. Take a look at the 6 essay questions and get started on the essay that looks interesting to you know during the last couple of weeks of vacation. Have a family member, friend or mentor take a look and make editing suggestions!

Make the start of your senior year STRESSLESS and start now!

University of San Francisco

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Jul 272009

Darn It! I forgot Renny…

Flickr Video

University of San Francisco is a small, liberal arts school that has its core values rooted in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. The school is located in the heart of San Francisco, atop one of the many steep hills in San Francisco and has two campuses – Lone Mountain and the Main Campus. There are just under 5,000 undergraduates at the school and has 3,700 or so graduate and professional studies students. In total, there are around 8,700 students at USF. The student:faculty ratio is 14:1 and the average number of students in a core class is 28 (20 in majors). Students must take courses within a required Core Curriculum – 11 classes in 6 designated areas, a service learning course, cultural diversity and foreign language. Students meets these requirements in addition to satisfying requirements for their major and/or minor. The school has a renowned community service learning program, where students study issues and then work in the community to earn credit (i.e. Perhaps study health care as it homeless population and work in a shelter health clinic)– all USF students must take own of these class to graduate. A typical array of majors is available to students, as well as the opportunity to study abroad. The programs available to undergraduate students are College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing, and the School of Business and Management. There is also 4+3 Law Program and 5 year program in Computer Science and Teacher Preparation. Jesuits are known for their work around the globe and students are encouraged to go off campus and to travel around the world.

The school is explicit about student diversity and has a Diversity and Multicultural Recruitment and Retention Office that works with admissions and the student population. The ethnic makeup of the school is ranked in the top 20 of U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Fall 2008 Breakdown – White 39%, Asian-American 20%, Latino/Hispanic 15%, International 7%, African American 4%, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2%, Native American 1%, and Unidentified 11%. The school went so far as to publish its graduation rates for different students groups on the website, something I appreciated!

Admissions requirements are the Common Application. A selective college, the average GPA is 3.5 and the average combined SAT for admitted students is 1120 (ACT 25). Tuition-wise, costs are just under $45,000 and 67% of the student population receives financial aid.

University of California Santa Cruz

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Jul 272009

University of California Santa Cruz is the place my role model, Angela Y. Davis taught for years the person on FBI WANTED poster in my office!!!). UCSC is another school with a fabulous shoreline locale. I decided not to actually visit UC Santa Cruz’s campus (see the VIDEO) on the traditional tour. Instead, I decided to watch the school’s video to get a feel of how a school attempts to tell students what they are all about remotely. In a way, the different voices in the video are helpful. As with any tour, information, podcast or video, it the school putting its BEST foot forward. UCSC focuses on interdisciplinary study and students can choose from 60 majors within the schools of Engineering, Arts, Humanities, and Biological and Social Sciences. Examples are bioengineering, computer game design, and a Health Sciences program focused on qualifying for medical school that includes Spanish proficiency. NASA has a first-of-its-kind research program at the university as well.

Just over 15,000 undergraduates are enrolled (2% African American, 0.9% Native American, Asian/PI 21.5%, Chicano/Latino 17.7%, White 49.9% and 5.6% Unstated). UCSC has a residential college system similar to UCSD and makes a big school smaller. The admit rate for UCSC is 63.2% and the average high school GPA is 3.76, SAT 591/609/597 out of 2400. Students with GPAs under 3.0 have an admit rate of 6.8%.

Check out the school’s photo gallery – (http://admissions.ucsc.edu/see/photoGallery/index.cfm)

University of California Santa Cruz (see the VIDEO). I decided not to actually visit UC Santa Cruz’s campus. It is another school with a neat shoreline locale.

University of Southern California (USC)

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Jul 272009

Check out the “Tommy Cam” for Tuesday, July 21st. Can you find me?!!!

University of Southern California is located in the heart of Los Angeles and takes up over 230 acres of land. This is a large, private, liberal arts university. There are over 2,700 students entering in the fall of 2009 (7% African American, 14% Latino, 2% Native American/PI, 25% Asian/Asian American, 45% White and 6% International students); there are over 16,500 undergraduates and 15,700 graduate students. It goes without saying that USC is the home of the Trojans, BIG TIME football – “Fight On!” It goes without saying that USC has one of premier marching bands and the scholarships to go with it.

Most students enter the Letters, Arts & Sciences and Business programs (a fair number are undeclared when they enter – some 16%). Being in LA, the school touts access to terrific film, broadcasting and journalism programs – with great internships in the heart of it all.

Admissions-wise, the school has a 22% admit rate. The application process is: Optional Part I 10/15, Part II 12/15 (scholarship), and Part II (application) 1/10.The mean GPA for admitted students is 3.7 and mean SAT 1910-2200. Out-of-State students make up 39% of the 2009 freshman class.

Tuition is over $51,000. USC commits to meeting all of the EFC through merit scholarships (full, half and quarter tuition), university grants, state and federal aid, loans and work-study. About 24% of entering freshmen received merit scholarships and over 60% received FA.

University of California Santa Barbara

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Jul 272009

Somehow I forgot Renny! I think he snuck off to the beach…

University of California Santa Barbara is another in the CA university system. A mid-sized university, the school has 20,000 students. Like many of the California schools the campus has breath taking view of both the nearby mountains and the beaches famous for surfing. I think I’d hae been pretty distracted by all the fun in sun when I was an undergrad, the school has decent retention for freshmen! The campus is literally AT THE BEACH! A biking campus, there seemed to be bike paths to every location on and off campus. I saw one of the largest bike racks I’ve ever seen in my life! Cyclers have the right of way on the bike paths, so look lively as you are walking around. Students apply to the College of Creative Studies, College of Engineering, or College of Letters and Science. The College of Creative Studies allows students to participate in high level research and study in one of eight academic areas of their choosing. There are just over 330 students in the program and classes are taught at the seminar level and students have graduate student privileges. Within The College of Engineering students have five majors (chemical, computer, computer science, electrical and mechanical) to choose from and a 3+2 program that provides a M.S. in engineering. The College of Letters has 90 majors, including Art History, Biochemistry, Ecology and Evolution and Pharmacology. There are also a bunch of minors available.

As with all UC system schools, applicants must meet the criteria for the school. 60% of the criteria is based on “a-g requirements”, GPA and Exams and 40% looks at “academic promise” – extracurriculars, challenges and special circumstances, diversity of intellectual and social experience, and honors and awards. There is more criteria depending on which college a student applies to – Creative Studies, Engineering, or Letters and Science (check the links to learn more). Students must also submit a 1,000 word Personal Statement that answers two prompts – “Describe the world you come from…” and “Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment…”

Note: grades of B and above can be counted to satisfaction of the “a-g requirement”. When students get Cs they must report it to admissions, and Ds & Fs do not assist a student’s application. 49% of students who apply are admitted and the average GPA of admitted students is 3.93 – the average SAT 609/634/620 (out of 2400). The admit rate is 48.3% (1.8% with GPAs of 3.0 and below). Students can begin to apply online in November.

Out of state students make up 4% of the student population. Gender-wise Female 55% and Male 45%. Undergraduate ethnicity is: African American students 3%, Asian/PI 16.7%, Chicano/Latino 20% and White 51%. Students are assured housing their freshman year and most students live in the mile radius town named Isle Vista. 91% of students return their sophomore year.

Pomona College

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Jul 222009

Flickr Video

Pomona College is located in the desert of the Inland Valley of Southern California. The school is modeled on the New England Ivies, but the architecture is all California (an hour away from the Mojave Desert, LA, Pacific Ocean and the San Gabriel Mountains!). It is in a college town that might remind someone of Nothampton, MA (minus the winter!). This a small (1,500 students) private, liberal arts college which is considered a part of the Claremont College system (including Claremont-McKenna, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps). The school prides itself in personal touch with a student:faculty ratio of 8:1 and the average class size is 14. Our tour guide said it is the norm to get an email from a professor when you miss class. Additionally, all freshmen are assigned a Sponsor Group – a sophomore who essentially “looks out” for a group of new students this helps students settle in quickly and gain needed support right away. Students also can sign up to live in living and learning communities where dorm mates have common interests.

In addition to Sponsor Groups, Pomona takes pride in its extremely low freshman attrition rates – very students who enroll leave the school (95-100%). There are also offices focused on the retention of African-American, Latino/Chicano and 1^st Generation College students. This must contribute to Pomona having such a low graduation rate gap between White and African-American students. The class entering in 2008 is reported 8.7% African-American, 11.5% as Latino. The school is 50/50 male to female ratio.

Pomona is purely an undergraduate institution and professors teach all the classes, this includes freshman seminars. Freshmen must sign up for 1 of 24 “Critical Inquiry” seminars with 15 classmates. The school has General Education requirements and students are expected to be able to high level and original research upon graduation – Senior Thesis is a culminating piece of work. Students have take a “Breadth of Study Course” in each of 5 areas and demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language – beyond meeting requirements in their major. The school prides itself in students doing community service learning and field work. High percentages of Pomona students go on to graduate study and over 90% are admitted to graduate school on their first attempt.

Pomona is a highly selective college median SAT scores for admitted students are: CR 680-770, Math 680-760 and Writing 690-770. 53% of applicants receive scholarships and 19% are 1^st generation college students (23% of enrolled students are from the Northeast portion of the U.S.). Applications are evaluated based on 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grade courses. Students need to take the SAT I or ACT with writing, and two SAT IIs. Basically, admissions officers at Pomona are looking to see that a student has taken full advantage of the academic program available to him or her at their school (AP, Honors, Dual Enrollment, etc.). Minimally, 4 years of English and Math (to calculus), 3 years of language, 2 years each in laboratory and social science are expected. recommended. Additionally, a student’s character and community involvement are discerned through teacher/counselor recommendations and personal statements. Regular admissions has a deadline of the first week in January (www.pomona.edu/admissions). Students submit Common Application and Pomona supplement.

Pomona was ranked 5^th Best College Value by Kiplinger Magazine, 5^th by Hispanic Magazine and 7^th by The Blacks in Higher Education Journal. It is also ranked 1^st as per capita college endowment (which is great for overall financial resources and aid).

Tuition is over $46,000. Nearly $33,000 per student is the average financial aid award and the school just adopted a “no loan” program (www.pomona.edu/financialaid).

University California San Diego (UCSD)

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Jul 222009

UC San Diego is a part of the University of California system and one of the most popular of them. A number of its programs are ranked as one of the top ten by U.S. News and World Report; American Politics, Behavioral Neuroscience, Plasma Physics and Multi-media are some of those programs. UCSC also has nationally ranked graduate programs like Political Science, Theater & Dance and Economics. Students who apply to UCSD apply to one of six colleges, each of the colleges has its own educational philosophy and students are encouraged to make their decisions based on matching their own philosophies and interests with the three college that they list on their application (Roger Revelle, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren John Muir, Thurgood Marshall or the newest college that focuses on culture, art and technology – Sixth College). For example, Earl Warren (Governor of California and U.S. Supreme Court justice has the philosophy, “Toward a Life Balance” and balance personal responsibility and public. Students take a course in common, have access to the honors program, and can become involved internships that will prepare them for graduate study. Each college has different general education requirements. Students can declare any major, regardless of the college they end up residing in.

The “Tritons” are a Division II school with 23 collegiate teams. UCSD is located on a beautiful campus overlooking the city of San Diego. Freshman housing is guaranteed and off-campus housing can be right on the beach! Lots of students go surfing in their free time.

William Stiles, an admissions officer at UCSD felt that the intimacy of the six colleges is a factor that contributes to the higher retention rate of African-American and Latino students at UCSD, because are more closely supported and advised through the system.

Even so, there are only 1.5% African-American Students, 12.2% Latino/Chicano and American students (additionally there are 48.6% Asian, 26.7% White and less than 1% Native American – 12% Undeclared). Some of the low numbers of African-American and Latino students are attributed to the admissions standards (considered very competitive) and the reality of education in urban centers in this country. UCSD uses a point system for admissions and evaluates applicants’ 10^th and 11^th grade years for admission (https://doorways.cop.edu/list). Students must meet minimum requirements (3.4 GPA in “a-g requirements”, ACT plus Writing or SAT I AND 2 SAT II tests in two different areas). Admissions Criteria – 77% of the criteria is based on gpa and exams, and 23% of the criteria examines a student’s education environment, family income, 1^st generation status, leadership and special talents, volunteer/community service, education prep program participation and special circumstances or personal challenges. For out of state applicants (3% of population), AP BUT NOT honors courses contribute to a student’s application. 37.3 % of applicants are admitted and the mean weighted GPA is 4.06 (admit rate is lower for students with lower GPAs – less than 1% for students whose GPAs are lower than 3.0). Another contributing factor to school’s high retention rate has to be that STUDENTS ARE ALREADY PERFORMING WELL ACADEMICALLY IN HIGH SCHOOL!!! It appears that students have a higher rate of acceptance when they transfer from CA community colleges (establish residency) at 95%! Students submit their own grades and the application period is November 1-30.

Tuition for out-of-state applicants is $20,608 more than the $23,760 for CA residents. 50% of admitted students receive financial aid, but many grants are
CA state based. Applications are submitted January 2 – March 2.

University of San Diego

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Jul 222009

I ended up at University of San Diego as a result of a glitch of sorts…On my list of schools with a small graduation rate gap is University of California San Diego, but somehow I didn’t realize that I’d connected with University of San Diego’s registration website and signed on for the tour. I plugged the coordinates into my GPS driving computer and there I was! This highlights for me how tricky negotiating the college visit/tour process is. Luckily, I made it to the University of California San Diego’s campus for a later information session (I did forgo the 90 minute walking tour once I got to UC San Diego).

I have to say, the campus has the MOST amazing views I’ve ever seen on a college campus. Up on a hill, you can see for miles (San Diego beaches or mountains every way you look).

University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic University that is a liberal arts college. The school has graduate law, business, and nursing school associated with it as well. There are nearly 5,000 undergraduates and just about 1,500 graduate students on campus. The school is clear that it provides a “values based” education, students take two religion courses amongst the general education requirements. Students also seem to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in and formulate service-learning activities (students also study abroad and go on missions in ways that are connected with their college education). Recently USD was named one of several “Colleges with a Conscience” by Princeton Review.

Areas of study include Environmental Studies, International Relations, Marine Science, Political Science and Mechanical Engineering among others. The school is small and has a 15:1 Student to Faculty ratio and the school emphasizes that classes are taught by professors versus graduate students. Students might be admitted to the Honors Program where they take two upper-level courses each semester and finish with a major piece of research. Diversity-wise the ethnic breakdown is repprted as Asian students10%, African American 2%, Latino 15%, Native American 1%, White63% and Unreported 6%.

Tuition and fees are just over $36,000. Financial Aid is available and there are a number of merit scholarships available that focus on academic excellence and support underrepresented groups.

Older Entries

Renaissance College Road Trip

Class of 2010 Media Blitz!!!

Seniors – A Good Timeline to Check Out (and follow…)

The Common Application – Start Now!

University of San Francisco

University of California Santa Cruz

University of Southern California (USC)

University of California Santa Barbara

Pomona College

University California San Diego (UCSD)

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