College
Application
Process
Common
College Application - Link to the Common Application page
where
you can fill out one application for many schools. Please note
that
most all schools have a supplemental page and there is a link from the
Common Appliation web site to obtain the supplements.
www.schoolsintheusa.com The "Schools in the USA" website
has information that you will find very useful. Please look at it
to see how it can help you with everything from college planning to
dorm life.
CollegeAnswer.Com - Sallie Mae's new website for College
planning. A wonderful site that is very user friendly.
Colleges all over
the
United States - ACT's College Planning Site
All About
College
- Everything you would want to know about college. College
search,
financial information, admission links, etc.
Common
Application
- Fill out one application to send to over 200 colleges and
universities
across the country.
Online
College
Fair - Close to 200 online college fairs from universities across
the
country.
Campus Tours
- Virtual Tours of College Campuses
General
College
Terms to Know for College Planning
In
addition to the
definitions below, click
here, for a wonderful glossary of terms you need to become familiar
with. Look here if you are at a loss for what a term means.
Early
Action:
(EA, Interim Decision)
Early
Action plans are non-binding
plans that allow a student to
apply
to a college early in her senior year and receive an admissions
decision in advance of regular notification dates. This plan is for a
student who is fairly confident that she would attend this school if
admitted, but is not willing to “bind” herself to this decision. Under
this plan, a student can apply to several colleges and compare offers
of admissions and financial aid packages. (It is college dependent as
to whether or not you can apply to other EA or ED plans at the same
time.)
Early
Decision:
This
is a binding decision.
You allow in your senior year
and
recieve an admission decision in advanceof regular notification
dates. This plan is for a student is 100% sure that she would
attend this school if admitted. She may still apply to other
Early Action schools, yet once admitted to the Early Decision school,
the early admission applications must be retracted.
Rolling
Admissions:
Many
schools offer rolling
admission plans. Under this admission
plan,
a student applies to the college and is usually notified of a decision
within 6-8 weeks after the completed application has been filed. This
is a non-binding program. Because rolling admissions plans get more
competitive as the class space fills up, students are encouraged to
apply to rolling admissions plans as soon as they know that they will
be applying to that institution.
Regular
admission:
Regular
admission programs have a
set deadline and a set
response date.
These dates vary from college to college, but are usually in January
and February with a response date in early April. Regular admission
allows a student to apply to several colleges and share interim and
first-semester grades as well as a complete profile of fall testing.
This admission plan is most advisable if a student wants to present a
complete picture and take her time deciding which college is the best
match for her particular interests and abilities.
Need
Blind Admission:
This term refers to the fact that the admissions office
does not contact the financial aid and scholarship office when making
an admission decision. The students' financial ability is not
taken into consideration. The phrase schools have told us on our
college visits translates to "if we accept your daughter for admission,
she is one of the best and brightest and we are going to make it
possible for her to attend our university regardless of
fianances." It is important to remember that the schools often
use the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC - please see our financial
aid page for definition) to calculate what you as a family will
contribute. The total financial aid package will consists of
everything you are eligible for from grants, scholarships, and
loans. Remember to check to see if your school requires the CSS
Profile as well as the FAFSA.