College Prep Handbook
· Completing your applications
· Transcripts
· Essay(s)
· Check your Trinity transcript for accuracy.
· Take/register for required tests (ACT/SAT) and send scores to colleges.
· Update your resume.
· Request letters of recommendation.
· Make copies of applications to use as practice sheets. Highlight important information!
· Keep on top of financial aid and scholarship application deadlines.
· Complete essays if required. Have someone proof read your essays.
· Comply with all application requirements and deadlines.
· Make copies of everything!
· Request official transcript(s) from your counselor.
· Mail your housing application and deposit.
· Find out when you will need to send transcripts for your college
concurrent/dual credit classes from Newman and WSU.
THE APPLICATION
Your college application needs to be a profile of yourself. Application forms and requirements vary from college to college, so be sure to approach each one with careful thought.
WHEN YOU FIRST RECEIVE THE APPLICATION FORM:
Make a couple of copies and store the original in a safe place. Practice filling out the copies and complete the original form only after you are satisfied with your final draft.
Read the instructions carefully, highlighting crucial points and deadlines.
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY:
Before beginning work on your application, decide how you wish to be perceived by the admission officer...as a phenomenal student, strong leader, first-rate athlete, talented musician, or as a compassionate service/volunteer. Showcase your accomplishments, distinctive characteristics, and the skills and qualities that make you distinctly you! Focus on letting your unique qualities shine through!
A few tips:
Don’t exaggerate or make something up.
Pay attention to the order you list your activities. List them according
to importance to you--not what you think may be the most
important to the college.
If you are uncertain how to answer a question, call the college for clarification.
Definitely consider including any optional items suggested. This gives admissions a personal “memory” and your “creative” side a chance to shine. Some applicants also send an outstanding example of their work: a music solo, great poem, photograph. BE SURE TO LABEL EACH ITEM WITH YOUR NAME AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
Use your complete name on your application and on everything else you send to the college. Don’t use nicknames or abbreviations.
Don’t be boring...give them a reason to remember you!
Explain proper names and acronyms (Example: will the admissions officer know that ________________is the school newspaper?)
Even though you will be including a resume, fill out all applicable sections of the application. Do not note “see attached”. Use your resume to define and further elaborate vague or confusing activities.
After completing a draft of your application, put it away for a couple of days and then come back to it. NEVER ACCEPT YOUR FIRST DRAFT AS A FINAL EFFORT! Review your application for typos, spelling errors, incomplete answers and ambiguities. Ask someone else to review your application and make suggestions.
When you’re satisfied with your final draft, complete your application in BLACK INK Remember: NEATNESS COUNTS!
SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION:
Copy your application and every other form you will be sending to the university.
Carefully re-check all instructions to make sure you have met all requirements. Don’t forget your application fees, essays, resume, transcript, scholarship applications, and any other required forms
Ask the college when they will need transcripts for your concurrent enrollment/college courses taken from Newman and WSU, etc. Do they need them now or after you graduate? Request forms are available in the counseling office. Schools often charge a fee for transcripts.
Call the college admission office in two weeks to confirm receipt of your application. You may also call if you have something important to add or ask.
If you decide to submit supplemental information, be sure to label it correctly.
WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH COLLEGES, TAKE NAMES:
Journal/anecdote every conversation with the colleges, also noting the date and time of the conversation. Record the name of those with whom you speak. Get to know someone in both the Admissions and Financial Aid Office (that someone should not be a student assistant or switchboard operator). This will prove vital when tracking down information (or misinformation). It will also give you better service when mistakes are made, applications lost, etc.
THE COMMON APPLICATION FORM:
Should you consider using the Common Application Form, a standard application form that is used by over 200 selective colleges? Once you have completed a Common Application, you need only to copy it and send it to any of the accepting schools to which you would like to apply.
Colleges guarantee that applicants receive the same consideration as applicants who use the institution’s individual application. Common application forms available in the counseling office, on disk and the internet.
NOW TRY TO SIT BACK AND RELAX!
Recommendations are letters written by individuals who know you well, respect you as an individual and who can testify to some of your deeper and less obvious qualities. Choose individuals who are familiar with your goals and will write about you in vivid detail. Teachers, guidance counselors, employers, pastors and coaches make good choices.
A letter of recommendation from a teacher should be from a teacher who taught you in your junior or senior year. Teachers of core academic subjects and teachers in your career interests make the best choices.
Colleges often require recommendations from Guidance Counselors. Submit all requests for recommendations two weeks prior to due date.
A general rule of thumb: Send one more letter of recommendation than the number requested on the application-even if a college does not require one, encourage your child to request and send one.
To request a recommendation, make an appointment to meet with the teacher/counselor/employer of your choice. Remember that you are asking for a favor that may require a considerable amount of time. Take time to share anything special you’d like them to know about the college you are applying to or anything special about yourself.
After the teacher has agreed to write you a letter, give them your:
Resume
Instructions as to where you want the letter to go
Letters may be mailed separately or with your transcript
(provide a stamped, addressed envelope if it is to mailed
separately)
Allow as much time as possible for the teacher to write your letter. Give them a minimum of two weeks notice.
Don’t forget to write a thank you note!
Other than your transcript, the personal essay is perhaps the most important part of your application. This is your chance to let the admission officers who review your paperwork know the REAL you. The topic you choose, the style and flair of your writing, the substance and depth of your thoughts, and your point of view all reveal something special about you.
Your essay will be judged on its content, style, and presentation. You should begin early to work on your essay, allowing time for reflection and revision. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO PUT IT OFF--you don’t want to have to worry about the essay at the same time you are preparing for finals.
WHAT ARE ADMISSIONS COUNSELORS LOOKING FOR?
Originality, sensitivity, vitality, wit, a spark, “signs of a lively mind”, humor...and consistency between your activities and essay topic. THEY WANT TO DISCOVER THE REAL YOU!
YOUR TOPIC:
Some colleges designate the topic on which you are to write--others give you a choice of two or three topics and some let you select your own.
When deciding upon a topic, consider the following:
A major personal characteristic (curiosity, wit, patience) that may not be clear from your application. Make it the essays driving force...then pick an event to support it.
A struggle or unique experience, a deeply held social or political value or an intellectual interest is always appropriate.
Use your own experiences: put yourself in the starring role. Common, everyday experiences can become compelling essays. The impact an experience has had on you makes your essay distinctive.
Pick something close to your heart...bare your soul!
Stay away from “solve the world” topics (the social problem of the year, the “I want to help people”).
You want your topic to reveal your thought processes, your intellect, your deeply-held convictions, and your character. You probably won’t go wrong if you write about one of your main interests, a deep feeling, an important insight, one of your best qualities, something that you are passionate about, a major disappointment or satisfaction, or something which has had a significant effect upon you.
WRITING THE ESSAY:
Once you have chosen your topic, take some time to clarify your ideas and get your thoughts on paper. You may find the following “Essay Worksheet” helpful as you develop your ideas.
Helpful tips:
Use the first person when at all possible-write from a personal perspective.
Begin with a flourish...hook the reader !
Be concise: (KISS...keep it short and simple).
Be specific...organize your essay around a key theme.
Don’t “over-utilize ostentatiously pretentious language to delineate the thematic observations you are endeavoring to articulate.” Big words aren’t impressive; clear, direct style is.
CRITIQUING YOUR ESSAY:
Now, review your essay and fill in any gaps. Check the following:
Have you used correct grammar, spelling, syntax?
Are your examples as specific as possible? If you are telling about an event, will the reader feel as if he is “there?”
Have you written from the heart?
Are your ideas easy to follow? Are they clearly developed?
Do your statements flow?
Is your choice of words interesting and appropriate?
Will your essay brighten the day of the admission officer and make you memorable?
Type your essay unless instructed otherwise. If handwritten, use black ink. It is wise to put your essay aside 1-2 weeks and then re-read it. DO NOT ACCEPT YOUR FIRST DRAFT AS YOUR FINAL PRODUCT. You might also benefit from having someone else read your essay and give you some feedback.
COLLEGE ESSAY WORKSHEET
Name of college:________________________________
Essay topic or question: __________________________
Thoughts about the topic: _________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Possible approaches:_____________________________ ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Outline of introduction:___________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Outline of middle paragraphs:_____________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Conclusion:___________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
**Ask someone to read your outline for suggestions!