The College Bound Organizer

The Ultimate Guide to Successful College Applications (College Applications, College Admissions, and College Planning Book)

Anna Costaras, Gail Liss

• Publisher: TMA Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781118414408
• eBook ISBN: 9781633536845
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Education General

College Applications, College Admissions, and College Planning Guide

"UsingThe College Bound Organizeris one way to help you stay focused on what is really important." — Edward B. Fiske, bestselling author of Fiske Guide to Colleges

#1 Best Seller in College Guides

The College Bound Organizeris your step-by-step comprehensive college planning guide to organize every step of the college application process from college search through college admission.

College admissions is tougher than ever. Over 20 million people in the U.S. try to get into college each year. Each of these students applies to many schools—5, 10, perhaps as many as 20—and each of those applications has a daunting number of T's to cross and I's to dot. With standardized test taking and school visits, the college application essay to write and forms to fill out, there is so much to do. Applying to college is intimidating and overwhelming for both teenagers and parents.

College bound? The challenge is to be well informed, prepared, focused and organized throughout the multi-step college search and admission process. Your solution is The College Bound Organizer, the ultimate guide you effectively navigate this complicated and stressful process.

The College Bound Organizerhelps you:

• Understand what admission officers are looking for in an applicant
• Prevent common mistakes students make on applications
• Build a personal profile
• Plan an individualized testing schedule
• Research colleges to identify good fit schools
• Develop a balanced list of schools
• Secure letters of recommendation
• Complete and submit applications accurately and on time
• Develop your college application essay
• Apply for financial aid and scholarships
• Ace interviews
• Sort and manage application results
• Make a final decision

If you have found books such as Teens' Guide to College & Career Planning, College Essay Essentials, or College Admission helpful, you are going to love The College Bound Organizer.

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED:
FACT FINDING

When applying to college you will be required to provide facts about yourself, your family and your high school, repeatedly. You’ll be asked for this information countless times when registering for tests, completing your applications and applying for financial aid and scholarships. Easy access to this information will help you avoid endless aggravation. Having this information organized in one place will also minimize the chance that you’ll make mistakes on your applications.

Start with the Student’s Personal Information worksheet provided in this chapter. Colleges use social security numbers to identify students. So, if you don’t already have a social security number, apply for one now. Jot down your number on this worksheet and then store your card in a safe place. Set up an email account to use exclusively for your college search and application process and record this on the worksheet as well. Colleges will be communicating with you via email and having a separate account makes it less likely that you’ll miss an important notice in your inbox. The schools you apply to will send you many important announcements to help you complete your applications. Get into the habit of checking your email at least once a day.

“It’s a fine idea to have an email address that’s just for college applications, but if you do, check that email. I see hundreds of high school seniors missing opportunities because they’re not in the regular email habit.”

— JONATHAN BURDICK, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, University of Rochester

“Think about what your email address may or may not say about you.”

—ALISON ALMASIAN, Director of Admissions, St. Lawrence University

Next, if you have not already done so, sign up for standardized tests by registering with College Board for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, and with ACT. Note your usernames and passwords for easy reference on the worksheet.

 

Most students apply to college by using the Common Application and/or individual school applications. The Common App is a single, uniform application accepted by approximately 700 colleges and universities. The Common App allows you to create one application which you can submit to multiple participating schools, either online or by mail. Create an account for the Common App and record your username and password on the same worksheet. In addition, you will create accounts for each school to which you apply. Jot down these usernames and passwords on the worksheet as well.

“One way to stay organized is to keep a list of the schools you applied to next to your computer with each school’s username and password. The username and password always vary based on school, and it is best to be able to easily access this information. Students often become frustrated when they forget this information, and that only delays this process.”

—REBECCA GOTTESMAN, Assistant Principal, Locust Valley High School, Locust Valley, New York

Students applying for financial aid and merit scholarships will be required to complete financial aid forms called FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. Record the user names, passwords and PINs you create for these accounts on this worksheet.

You’ll need to gather information from your family members about their education history to complete your applications. Store all of the information and facts about your parents and your siblings on the Family Education Information worksheet.

Details about your high school should be noted on the High School Information worksheet. You’ll need to know your high school’s SAT and ACT codes, which can be found on the testing websites, in order to register for your standardized tests. Use this worksheet to write down your high school contact information, as it will be required when you complete the Common App. This same information is also needed for schools that only accept their own applications. Spare yourself repeated searches by looking all this up once and recording it in the designated space.

CHAPTER 2

A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR
HIGH SCHOOL YEARS:
WHO ARE YOU?

College admissions reps work very hard to put together each year’s incoming class. The goal of the admissions office is to build a qualified, well-rounded first year class. Your goal is to find a college that meets your needs and matches your profile. Colleges generally look at applicants from several angles to determine whether they’re a good fit. Your academic performance and test scores are the starting point for admissions, but there’s so much more that will be considered. Think about the ...

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Getting Started: Fact Finding
• Student’s Personal Information
• Family Education Information
• High School Information
• Chapter 2: A Snapshot of Your High School Years: Who Are You?
• Clubs & Extracurricular Activities
• Sports
• Community Service
• Awards
• Competitions
• Work Experience
• Summer Experiences
• Letters of Recommendation
• Chapter 3: Testing A to Z: Track Your Scores
• Standardized Test Schedule
• Test Prep Resources
• Standardized Test Scores
• Chapter 4: Researching Schools: Getting Acquainted
• School Search
• On-Campus Meetings
• Admissions/Alumni Interviews
• Correspondence Journal
• Chapter 5: Define Your Choices: You’re Ready to Apply!
• Application Checklist
• Chapter 6: Paying The Bills: Show Me The Money!
• First Things First
• Financial Aid Worksheet
• Scholarship Log
• Comparing Aid Packages
• Chapter 7: The Home Stretch: You’re Almost Done!
• Am I In?
• Should I / Shouldn’t I?
• Chapter 8: The Interviews
• Acknowledgments
• Author Bios