Higher Education: The College Application Process

• The College Application Process
  • College Applications
• Application Essays
  • Writing an Application Essay
• Campus Visits & Interviews
  • Campus Visits
  • Interviews

Read carefully! For each application note all deadlines and requirements for admission as well as whether they require supplemental information. Proofread all parts of your application (and, consider asking someone else to proofread your application. If you don't have anyone to ask, slowly read all parts of the application out loud -- remember, spoken language  and conversation may be different, or considered abridged, from written language). Submit your application as early as possible and keep a copy of the completed application.

College Applications - Vary by institution. No two (paper or online) application forms are the same. And, if you use a common application be prepared for some schools to ask you to submit their application (too) or provide supplemental information. For each application, note all deadlines and follow all directions. Be complete; fill out important dates and geographical data accurately. Be neat; consider typing or hand-writing a rough draft, the appearance of your application does make an impression.

• Contact your high school guidance counselor about your Secondary School Report. This report contains an official copy of your grades, also called an "Official Transcript," your rank in class (if applicable), your school's profile and written recommendations (about you).
• Send appropriate (Standardized) test scores directly to each college you are applying to, even if your scores are on your high school transcript.
• Ask for recommendation letters from 1-2 teachers (the number may vary by application). Choose teachers who know you well. If you are considering a degree in English, consider asking your English teacher for a recommendation letter.
• Your admissions packet should emphasize your strengths (and aptitudes) and show how they are integrated into your activities and achievements.
• Note your co-curricular activities, especially where you have excelled (ie: the lead role in a play or musical, athletic awards, editor in the school newspaper). List these activities in order or importance to you.

Consider calling a week or two after sending or submitting your application to make sure the college has it on file.

 Click on the link below to search the library's online catalog.

Universities and colleges -- United States -- Admission.

Colleges choice -- United States.

College applications    United States.

Writing an Application Essay - Some schools require a short essay or two, some require a long essay and some don't require an essay at all. The college preparation books listed in this guide suggest the "Less is more" approach, "Write it, edit it, review it, rewrite it" and, don't repeat your answers. Just remember while spelling, grammar, content and style count, this exercise is intended to show that you can organize your thoughts and present them concisely.

If a colleges requires additional supportive materials, use this opportunity to try to show why you are unique and how the college will benefit having you in its student body. Market yourself. Be creative (ie: provide them with a tape of your best musical performance, show them your photography portfolio, submit a copy of your published writings or an exceptionally graded paper as a writing sample). Emphasize your passions, preferences and strengths. Provide them with background information about yourself, your interests, ambitions, values and insights as well as your weaknesses, and energy. Illustrate the kind of person you are (or hope to become).

Campus Visits - Visit the campus during the semester to see how classes are run and students live. Call the office of admissions to sign up for a group tour or arrange an individual tour and, for some colleges, an interview.

See Barron's Profiles of American College for a list of 25 critical questions to ask during your campus visit and Peterson's Four-Year Colleges for examples of the kinds of questions that you might ask during your interview.

Interviews - This can be done on campus or sometimes in your hometown.

• To prepare: read through the college's webpage to avoid asking questions that are already clearly answered (ie: How many books are in your library? Or, how many students attend your college?). The goal is to distinguish yourself in a positive way from thousands of other applicants.
• Be honest; tell the interviewer that you are nervous. The person on the other side of the desk is also human and would like to put you at ease.
• Be yourself. Nobody's perfect; it's okay to admit to a flaw or two and show that you know yourself.
• Prepare some of your own questions for the interviewer. Participate, don't sit there passively waiting to be asked the next question.
  • Consider the interview as a conversation.  Barron's Profiles of American Colleges 2017 suggests that during the interview you: demonstrate interest, initiative, and maturity - guide the conversation and - obtain answers. Use genuine feelings to react to the answers you hear. If you are excited to hear about a certain program or activity, show it (also see "The Whys and Whats of College Visits" in Peterson's Four-Year Colleges, 2017 for examples of questions you might ask during your interview).
• Introduce your parents to the interviewer before the interview, then let them wait for you outside of the interview building.
• Practice interviewing at the colleges lowest on your preferred choices list first.
• Remember that even if you do not feel like it was a good interview there are other factors you should consider before making the final decision to attend (ie: institutional programs, students, services, and environment). Smile when you say 'Goodbye' and 'Thank you.' 

• Send a short typed or hand-written thank you note to your interviewer. Thank them for their time and mention anything important about yourself that you may have forgotten to say while at the interview.​