The College Application Process


Obtaining Applications

When you have chosen the colleges to which you want to apply, obtain the appropriate applications in the CIC. You can also telephone or e-mail the Director of Admissions at those colleges for application forms.

Before you send in a college application, review the admission requirements of that particular college and decide if you are a likely candidate. Check with your counselor for further information and opinions.

Many colleges recommend that you send in your application early in your senior year. Watch the deadlines for specific colleges as well as for particular programs within a university. The college catalog will usually state what the deadline is. Many colleges require a non-refundable fee to be sent with the application. In most colleges, dormitory space is reserved for you when your application is accepted. Some colleges, however, have a separate application for housing, and it is your responsibility to be certain that you have filled out all forms completely. If you have questions, your counselor will be glad to help you.

If you wish to apply for scholarship/financial aid, ask that a scholarship/financial aid application be sent at the same time as the application for admission. If you write a separate letter at any time regarding financial aid, write to the Director of Financial Aid.

Completing The Application

  • First, photocopy the application.
  • Read application directions and questions carefully.
  • If there are questions you do not understand or answers you do not know, consult with your counselor.
  • Use a pencil to complete the photo-copied version of the application.
  • Complete the original application with a pen or typewriter. Be neat. Use white-out to make corrections.
  • Many colleges have their applications available on-line and will accept electronic submissions. If you apply via the internet, you must notify your counselor. Be certain to print a copy for yourself and your counselor.  Remember that the counselors need two weeks to process the transcript.
  • Information you will need:
    • number of students in your graduating class
    • your rank in class
    • date of graduation
    • your Social Security number
  • When the application has been completed, review it and make a photocopy of it for your records before turning it in to your counselor.

Some colleges require the application, letters of recommendation, transcript, and counselor's report to be sent in one envelope from the counselor's office.  Other colleges require that a student submit Part I of the application before sending Part II that includes a transcript request.  Be certain to give your counselor all necessary forms two weeks in advance of the deadline and include a pre-addressed envelope.

Transcripts

When you receive your application from the college, you may also receive a Secondary School Report Form.  Give this form to your counselor with your application. Be certain your name and address, as well as the name of the college, are on the form.  For the University of Cincinnati, be certain to indicate the college within the university to which you are applying. The registrar will mail the completed transcript to the college.

REMEMBER – Only transcripts sent from the counselors' office directly to the college are official.

College Essays

Most selective colleges require an essay as part of the application. As competition to selective colleges has increased, admissions committees rely on the essay to evaluate an applicant's "intangibles" or personal qualities that are not revealed by academic performance or test scores.

While an applicant will not usually be admitted to a school on the basis of an essay alone, a lively, absorbing, well-written essay can set an applicant apart from others with comparable credentials.

For your study, the CIC has several books offering excellent advice about the process of writing a college application essay.  Most books stress the following points:

BE YOURSELF.  The purpose of the essay is to communicate a sense of who you are. The essay should be sincere and personal.

WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT.  A good topic is one you want to write about, not one you think you should write about.

REWRITE, REWRITE, REWRITE.  Write the first draft of your essay several weeks before filing the application. Take time to revise the essay. Seek brainstorming help and critique from your English teacher or from CIC staff persons or volunteers.

PROOFREAD YOUR COPY.  Rid the essay of typing errors and grammatical faults.

Recommendations

Your counselor completes your school recommendation form.  Do not take any of the transcript or recommendation forms to the principal.  Make certain you have turned in both your autobiography and the completed senior questionnaire because your counselor uses the details you provide to know you better and to write an appropriate recommendation.

Colleges also require letters of recommendation from teachers and friends who know you well. Some colleges place the responsibility on you to request recommendations.  Others ask you for names of references so they may write to the persons for the recommendation.  In either case, before providing the name of any teacher or friend as a reference, ask permission to do so.  At the same time, furnish him or her with a stamped, addressed envelope and personal resume.

www.commonapp.org