College Application

Process.

Think about schools to which you would like to apply and narrow your choices down to three or four.  If you choose to apply to a selective school (such as U of M or MSU), have a backup school to apply to as well.  Applications should be submitted online directly to the colleges.  Transcripts and ACT/SAT scores are also sent online at your request.  Check application deadlines carefully and get your application in early.  We hope to see all of your applications completed, processed, and sent to schools before November 1st.  
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Steps to applying to college

​Step 1: Locate and Complete College Applications ONLINE. Note any deadlines or early action dates. It is a suggested goal to complete college applications by October 31st. Make sure to SUBMIT the application once you have completed all parts and double check for accuracy. Once the college receives any information from you, they will create a file for your materials. Colleges wait to receive all of the application requirements before they will read your application. It is the students' responsibility to make sure that all required materials are received.
Step 2: Request a transcript be sent to your college(s). You make the request online at www.parchment.com
Step 3: Send your ACT/SAT score(s),if needed, to any college you are applying if you haven't already done so. This can take several weeks to process. The recommendation is to do this ASAP. www.actstudent.org or www.collegeboard.org
Step 4: Track your applications, transcript and tests scores to make sure they were received by the college.

Letters of Recommendation

  • First, determine if a recommendation letter is required to go with your application.  Not all schools require or want these letters.  Therefore, not every student will need to secure a letter of recommendation. 
  • The purpose of letters is to help colleges to obtain information about you that does not appear on the transcripts or anywhere else in your application. 
  • Make sure to give the person writing your letter a copy of your resume and fill out your senior profile sheet if you need your counselor to write one. 
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Who to ask for a letter
Some general guidelines on whom to ask: 
  • Ask no more than 1 or 2 teachers for a letter.
  • Ask a teacher you had your junior year or have currently (one that already knows you well).
  • Ask a math or science teacher if you are planning on majoring in pre-med, engineering, science, math, etc.  Business majors may want to consider asking a math teacher also.
  • For all other majors, including undecided, ask a teacher who knows you well academically and who can answer the following questions:
         -What distinguishes you from other                       students?
         -What kind of learner are you?
         -Did you do any special projects that were            noteworthy?
         -Were you prepared and did you actively              participate in class?
         -Did you go above and beyond what was              required of you?
         -What did you add to the classroom on a              day-to-day basis?

College Essays

1. Write about something that's important to you​.
It could be an experience, a person, a book—anything that has had an impact on your life. 

2. Don't just recount—reflect! 
Anyone can write about how they won the big game or the summer they spent in Rome. When recalling these events, you need to give more than the play-by-play or itinerary. Describe what you learned from the experience and how it changed you.

3. Being funny is tough.
A student who can make an admissions officer laugh never gets lost in the shuffle. But beware. What you think is funny and what an adult working in a college thinks is funny are probably different. We caution against one-liners, limericks and anything off–color.

4. Start early and write several drafts.
Set it aside for a few days and read it again. Put yourself in the shoes of an admissions officer: Is the essay interesting? Do the ideas flow logically? Does it reveal something about the applicant? Is it written in the applicant’s own voice?

5. No repeats.
What you write in your application essay or personal statement should not contradict any other part of your application–nor should it repeat it. This isn't the place to list your awards or discuss your grades or test scores.

6. Answer the question being asked.
Don't reuse an answer to a similar question from another application.

7. Have at least one other person edit your essay.
A teacher or college counselor is your best resource. And before you send it off, check, check again, and then triple check to make sure your essay is free of spelling or grammar errors.
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