"Applications to many schools are due in October of senior year for Early Decision or Early Action or in December of their senior year for Regular Decision."
Navigating the process of researching and applying to colleges, including college essays, standardized tests, and interviews.
Understanding the Application Process: This involves knowing about the different components of a college application, such as transcripts, standardized test scores, essays, letters of recommendation, and extracurricular activities, and how they are evaluated by colleges.
Choosing a College: This includes researching and evaluating different colleges based on factors such as academic programs, campus culture, location, size, cost, and opportunities for student involvement.
Financial Aid: This involves understanding the different types of financial aid available, such as scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs, and how to apply for them.
Standardized Testing: This includes learning about the different standardized tests used in college admissions, such as the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests, and how to best prepare for them.
Writing a Strong Application Essay: This involves learning how to write a compelling and well-crafted application essay that showcases your unique personality, experiences, and goals.
Extracurricular Activities: This includes understanding the importance of extracurricular activities in the college admissions process and how to choose and participate in activities that demonstrate leadership, community involvement, and passion.
Building Strong Relationships with Teachers and Counselors: This involves learning how to establish and maintain strong relationships with your high school teachers and guidance counselors, who can provide valuable letters of recommendation and guidance throughout the college application process.
Planning and Managing Time: This includes developing effective time management skills and strategies that will help you balance your academic, extracurricular, and personal commitments while preparing for college.
Developing a Well-Rounded Application: This involves learning how to develop a well-rounded application that showcases your academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, personal qualities, and goals, which can help you stand out in the admissions process.
Researching and Applying for Scholarships: This includes researching and identifying potential scholarship opportunities and learning how to submit competitive scholarship applications that highlight your achievements and goals.
Regular Decision: The most common type of admission process where students apply by the college's deadline and receive the decision by the college's decision deadline.
Early Action: A nonbinding admission process where students apply early and receive the decision early but are allowed to wait until the Regular Decision deadline to accept the offer.
Early Decision: A binding admission process where students apply early and commit to attend the college if they are admitted.
Rolling Admissions: An admission process where students can apply anytime within a given time frame, and decisions are made as applications are received.
Prioritized Admission: Students who meet specific academic criteria, in general, get admitted to the college. This type of admissions process is used mainly by community colleges.
Transfer Admission: A process where students who have attended another college or university may transfer to the college or university.
Test-Optional Admission: Students are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores in this admission process.
International Admission: The process of admitting international students into colleges and universities.
Graduate Admissions: The process of admitting students to higher-level programs such as Masters or Doctoral programs.
Open Admission: A policy where colleges accept any student that has a high school diploma or equivalent.
"For those who intend to attend college immediately after high school, the college search usually begins in the eleventh grade with most activity taking place during the twelfth grade."
"The timeline may vary depending on the universities, some having an earlier deadline due to the fact that the admissions process may weigh in more on transcripts."
"Students at top high schools may often begin the process during their tenth grade or earlier."
"Millions of high school students apply to college each year, with approximately 4.23 million in the high school graduating age group in 2018–19."
"An estimated 3.68 million high school graduates (3.33 million and 0.35 million coming from public and private schools respectively) in 2018-19."
"The number of high school graduates is projected to rise to 3.89 million in 2025–26 before falling to 3.71 million in 2027–28."
"The number of first-time freshmen in post-secondary fall enrollment was 2.90 million in 2019."
"Divided between 4-year colleges (1.29 million attending public institutions and 0.59 million attending private) and 2-year colleges (approximately 0.95 million public; 0.05 million private)."
"The number of first-time freshmen is expected to continue increasing, reaching 2.96 million in 2028."
"Students can apply to multiple schools and file separate applications to each school."
"Recent developments such as electronic filing via the Common Application, now used by about 800 schools and handling 25 million applications, have facilitated an increase in the number of applications per student."
"Around 80 percent of applications were submitted online in 2009."
"About a quarter of applicants apply to seven or more schools."
"Paying an average of $40 per application."
"Most undergraduate institutions admit students to the entire college as 'undeclared' undergraduates and not to a particular department or major."
"As a general rule, admissions to two-year colleges or community colleges are more simple, often requiring only a high school transcript and in some cases, minimum test score."
"Recent trends in college admissions include increased numbers of applications, increased interest by students in foreign countries in applying to American universities, more students applying by an early method, applications submitted by Internet-based methods, increased use of consultants, guidebooks, and rankings, and increased use by colleges of waitlists."
"These trends have made college admissions a very competitive process."
"Admission to U.S. colleges in the aggregate level has become more competitive, however, most colleges admit a majority of those who apply."