Financial Aid Application Time
As college application season is fully underway, it is important to learn about the primary financial aid applications and types of aid your student could receive. The two most common applications used by colleges across the US are the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE, and they need to be filed prior to each year the student plans on attending college. Both applications open on October 1, so prepare to get them started now.
As college application season is fully underway, it is important to learn about the primary financial aid applications and types of aid your student could receive. The two most common applications used by colleges across the US are the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE, and they need to be filed prior to each year the student plans on attending college. Both applications open on October 1, so prepare to get them started now.
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the standard form used by all schools to determine the amount of federal aid a student will receive. The FAFSA calculates the EFC (Expected Family Contribution), what the government considers a reasonable amount the family should be able to contribute to the student's educational costs whether or not a parent wants to contribute to their child's education. For the 2021-22 school year, you will file using prior-prior (2019) tax information. To make things simpler, use the integrated IRS Data Retrieval Tool which will pull your tax information to automatically fill out a lot of the form for you.
The CSS Profile (College Scholarship Search Profile) is used by around 150 colleges, primarily private, to determine eligibility for non-federal funding aka institutional aid. It is filed through the College Board online. This application uses prior and prior-prior tax year information. So if you are applying for 2021-22, you will use 2019 and 2020 information. Not sure if your college uses the CSS Profile? Check out the list of schools here and check directly with the colleges.
It is important to know that the earlier you file the CSS Profile and FAFSA, the more funding you may receive as some grants are given on a first come, first serve basis. Also, each state and college has their own deadline for when you need to file, and these often fall around the time the college applications are due. Start early and aim to have your financial aid applications complete two weeks before your student's first admission application deadline. You can actually submit them before you finish your college applications. If you are about to make a large purchase or make any significant payments, you should make them before updating your bank balance information. Other than that, do not delay completing your financial aid applications.
The CSS Profile digs a little deeper into your family's financials than the FAFSA. Some key differences are that it includes home equity of primary dwelling, family farms, value of small businesses, and for some schools, the non-custodial and/or stepparent income and cash value of life insurance policies. Before you begin, it is helpful to gather the materials you will need to complete the applications:
An FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically (you can apply for this special username and password online via https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm and the student and the custodial parent will need separate IDs. The student needs to get their ID first.)
A College Board account to complete a CSS Profile – the student and custodial parent will share the login, if a non-custodial parent needs to fill out a separate application, you will receive notification after adding your schools to the list
Social Security Numbers
Federal Income Tax Returns, W-2s, and other records of income earned
Bank statements and records of investments
Mortgage statement
Records of untaxed income such as child support and interest income
List of schools student is applying to
Ensure that the information you have entered is accurate and complete to prevent any delays in the processing of your application. Make sure you have added any schools to which you are applying to the FAFSA and CSS Profile applications so that they receive the information. Filing the FAFSA is free, but the CSS Profile costs $25 for the application and first school and $16 for any additional. If you need to add colleges to either application later, you can always log back in and do that.
If your family's financial situation has changed for the current year and the tax information you must use for the application does not properly reflect it, it is important that you contact each of the colleges and inform them of your current situation. Examples may include hurricane loss, death in the family, loss of job or illness. For any questions regarding each college's financial aid policy and types of aid awarded, take a look at their website and feel free to reach out to their office.
Thinking of skipping the financial aid applications? While the FAFSA is primarily used to determine federal funding, some schools also use it to determine the distribution of their own institutional aid if they do not require the CSS Profile. A few schools also use the forms to help determine Merit Aid. Even if you think you will not qualify for additional aid, if you want to get any of the federal loans you still need to complete the FAFSA. And if you skip applying for aid one year and need institutional aid from the school in the future, you may have trouble getting it.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Not sure of which parent should complete the FAFSA? https://studentaid.gov/resources/fafsa-parent-text
FAFSA Tips https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
CSS Profile Tips https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/css-profile
Tips to get your Essays Started
The college application essay has long been a valuable part of the admissions review process. Right behind academic performance which includes grades, rigor of curriculum and test scores, the essay(s) continue to be important. While this importance varies by the college you apply to, it is typically given more attention by private colleges. With many colleges becoming Test-Optional for the 2020-21 application cycle and beyond, the essay will most likely get more attention than in previous years.
The college application essay has long been a valuable part of the admissions review process. Right behind academic performance which includes grades, rigor of curriculum and test scores, the essay(s) continue to be important. While this importance varies by the college you apply to, it is typically given more attention by private colleges. With many colleges becoming Test-Optional for the 2020-21 application cycle and beyond, the essay will most likely get more attention than in previous years.
Some colleges simply require the common application personal statement, but many require supplemental essays tailored specifically to them as well. By now, almost all colleges have confirmed their supplemental essay topics, and the common application and coalition application prompts are out and ready to be tackled. Depending on your list of schools, you will most likely need to write more than one essay. So, if you have not gotten started by now, it is time! Here are my tips to kick off your personal statement:
Don't Focus on the Prompt – For the personal statement, think about YOUR story or something you really want to share and it will most likely fit. Don't forget there is always the Topic of Your Choice if what you end up choosing does not truly fit a prompt.
Be YOU – The goal is to help admissions get to know you and pretending to be someone you are not or someone you think they want you to be is not helping anyone. This is your chance to share something about you that can not be found anywhere else in the application or something that is really significant to you.
Start EARLY – The essay topics are out, why not begin now? For many students, the idea of sitting down to write such an important essay (or maybe any essay at all) seems daunting. However, delaying it is not going to make it any better. Starting early not only gives you more opportunity to write a quality essay, it also gives you time to really consider what you want to share with admissions. Some students end up writing several entirely different essays before they arrive at ‘the one’ they are happy with, and that takes TIME.
Brainstorm – You may have an idea or two in mind when you take a quick glance at the prompts, but it is time to dig deeper. Doing some excellent brainstorming activities can be really helpful for coming up with a good focus for your essay. I highly recommend the exercises from Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy. His Essence Objects and Values exercises are great. If you are still drawing a blank, take a few days off and come back to it. But sometimes it takes actually sitting down and writing the first draft before you realize the essay topic will or won’t work. While it isn’t ideal, it is better to get rid of it before you spend too much time trying to make it into something it just can’t be.
Make it Personal and Entertaining – You want the readers to remember you after your essay and be able to connect you with YOUR story. You also want them to want to finish reading it. Give them details, use adjectives, don’t be repetitive, dig deep and you will be fine. Admissions readers get many essays on the same topic and sometimes on the most mundane subjects, but the way they were written turned them into something special. Ask anyone in admissions what their favorite essays were about and you may be surprised.
Get Feedback but not too Much - It is definitely a good idea to have someone read over your essay to check for grammatical errors and get an overall opinion. However, do not forget this is YOUR essay. Sometimes getting too many opinions ends up leaving you more confused than helped. Ask someone you trust for an honest opinion, triple check your grammar and be done!
Need some inspiration? There are many ‘successful’ essays out there for you to read. Take a look at a few of them and maybe it will spark an idea. Just remember, it is about YOU.
Resources:
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/college-essay-examples
https://essaysthatworked.com/colleges?opt-out=true
https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/
https://admissions.tufts.edu/apply/advice/past-essays/common-application-essays/
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=ZF4DErhsLvQ&feature=emb_logo
How to Research Colleges During a Pandemic
While much of this advice applies to researching schools any other time as well, it is particularly important for today’s students to understand the many ways they can learn about schools of interest outside of an official tour.
While much of this advice applies to researching schools any other time as well, it is particularly important for today’s students to understand the many ways they can learn about schools of interest outside of an official tour. Many students are building college lists without having the opportunity to visit the schools, but they are not taking the time to fully learn about them. It is vital that they understand the continued importance of educating themselves on their potential schools and use the tools available to them to learn what they can.
College Websites – The number one source of information would be the school itself. Many other websites copy the information from there or from other databases which are not always accurate. The first place to go should be the college’s website. Go beyond the basics of admissions requirements and quick FAQs. Really take the time to investigate academic programs of interest, activities and clubs, campus culture, career services, etc.
Virtual Information Session – As they have cancelled tours or limited visits, nearly every campus now offers virtual information sessions. They will give you a good overview of the school as well as an opportunity to ask questions. It is also a great way to demonstrate your interest in the school and show them you are doing your due diligence.
Virtual Tour – Many schools offer virtual tours via videos or interactive maps posted on their websites. If they do not, you may also find tours and videos of campus posted on YouTube or check out CampusReel for thousands of videos and tours directly from colleges and students.
Alumni or Current Student Connection – You can reach out to alumni or current students to get additional views of campus. While everyone has their own opinion, speaking to someone who recently graduated or is currently there will allow you to get an insider’s opinion and get some of your questions answered. You can use the various forms of social media to find them or reach out to the college and ask if they would be able to put you in touch with someone. It’s also a possibility someone you know already has a connection to grads or current students from your schools of interest, you just need to ask.
Virtual College Fair – Virtual college fairs allow you to attend several information sessions from various colleges all in one day. Sign up for them online, find the sessions where your potential schools are presenting and join in. Here are some upcoming fairs to check out:
NACAC is hosting four college fairs this Fall with more than 600 colleges and universities participating https://www.nacacfairs.org/attend/attend-virtual-college-fairs/students/
The Coalition is hosting a 2 day fair August 26-27 with more colleges and universities participating https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/august-virtual-college-fair
Private Tour – If you feel comfortable traveling and have the resources to get to campus, many schools are offering on-campus alternatives to the traditional tour and information session. This may include driving tours in which you use your own car and are given the audio and map to guide you or you are provided a live guide via Zoom. Some schools are also offering private in-person tours if you schedule them ahead of time. Check out their websites for more information. However keep in mind that the current campus situation is much different than usual with most students having online class and many social activities cancelled. If you want to get the true ‘vibe’ of the school, now is not the time.
Social Media – You can easily learn more about the student culture and various organizations on campus by investigating them on social media. Check out the clubs, etc. on Instagram for example to see what they are involved in and what kind of culture they are ‘presenting’.
Hopefully by Spring traditional campus tours will be more of an option. But in the meantime, do what you can to learn about your potential schools online and through family and friends. Outside of the pandemic, it is often not possible for all students to visit every campus they are interested in due to financial and/or time restraints. Do not rely solely on the opinions of others and do not expect your family or counselor to do all of the research for you. It is up to you to make an informed decision for YOUR future. There are a lot of valuable resources out there if you take the time to use them.
College Planning for Juniors
If you have not already begun, it is time to get started! Juniors who begin planning for college now will give themselves a few extra months to prepare quality applications and find better fit schools.
If you have not already begun, it is time to get started! Juniors who begin planning for college now will give themselves a few extra months to prepare quality applications and find better fit schools. Unfortunately, many students delay planning until the summer before senior year and end up squeezing months of work into just a few weeks before they submit their applications which are often sub-par. Here are a few things to work on over the next few months to help you prepare to apply for college before you begin senior year.
COLLEGE SEARCH
Begin researching colleges online and thinking about the qualities you want your future school to have. Often, students do not know what they want until they actually set foot on a few campuses. Planning now allows you plenty of time to do some visits this Spring while the semester is in full swing and you can get a feel for student life on campus. Use your breaks and weekends to do some campus visits. If you can not visit, do your best to research online and connect with past or current students to get more information.
RESUME BUILDING
Take the time to truly write down everything you have done throughout high school. Include activities both in- and outside of school as well as jobs, hobbies and awards. Write quality descriptions of the activities and your role in the organizations. Doing this now will give you a better picture of what may be missing. While it is not a good idea to suddenly add lots of new activities or clubs, you still have time to increase your involvement in what you currently do and add things which complement it. Writing your resume now will also make the process of completing your application later much simpler.
TESTING
If you begin preparing now, you have months to prepare for the Spring and Summer SAT and/or ACT test dates. You should allow yourself 4-6 weeks to prepare for the tests and by taking them earlier, you will have time to get your scores, work on your areas of weakness and retake them before you have to submit your applications. Also, taking these tests early will give you an idea of where you stand and what level of schools you should consider your targets, safeties and reaches. Students who end up taking their tests in the Fall of senior year face the added stress of having to worry about getting the new scores added to their applications and making sure they arrive in time to be considered.
ESSAYS
The Common Application recently announced that their essay prompts for the 2020-21 application year will remain unchanged from the past year. This means you have plenty of time to brainstorm and write your best essay. Schools which require other essays may not announce them until later in the summer, but you can get this one out of the way early and often times it can be re-used for schools which do not use the Common Application. Take the time to write several drafts and review for grammar and content improvements.
CAREER EXPLORATION
A very important part of college planning is figuring out what you want to study. While you may change your mind several times throughout the next few years, you can do some exploration now to get on the right path. Organize job shadows, internships and/or summer exploration programs to help you dig a little deeper into potential careers and college majors. Do not be afraid to ask family and connections for help with organizing these opportunities. Even if it is only for a few hours or days, that may be all that’s needed to help you eliminate or solidify your interest in something.
2020 Resolutions for High School Students
Many 15 and 16 year olds are not thinking about their college plans for 2 -3 years down the road, and it seems a bit unfair that they should have to. However, that is what the process has become and it is in their best interest to start early. Here are three 2020 resolutions for high school students considering college.
Many 15 and 16 year olds are not thinking about their college plans for 2 -3 years down the road, and it seems a bit unfair that they should have to. However, that is what the process has become and it is in their best interest to start early. Here are three 2020 resolutions for high school students considering college.
Sophomores – Spend time researching college and career options
By now, many students have had a broad discussion of college plans with their parents and/or high school counselor. What they probably haven't done is actually sit down and do some self-reflection and research. What are their potential career and college major interests? What type of college do they envision for themselves? What are the requirements for admission to those colleges? While they may not have the answer to these questions right now, it will only help to begin thinking about them. They should make it a goal to spend time doing research now while they still have time to adjust their high school path, visit schools, prep for tests, and set up job shadowing and classes to help them with their admission and final decision. That small amount of time they spend over the next year has the potential to make a BIG difference.
Juniors – Establish college application timeline and goals NOW
High school juniors should establish a rough timeline for college applications. Although they may not have their 'list' narrowed down to the final few schools, it is not too early to establish personal deadlines for preparing application materials. The key is to set those deadlines early - take the potential college deadlines and move them back by 6-8 weeks. There could be future changes in admissions deadlines, a lot of unexpected delays, added requirements and other bumps along the college application road, and it is better to be done early than to risk an incomplete application. Students often forget to take into consideration the fact that there are pieces to the applications which are not in their hands. Recommendation letters, high school transcripts, and test scores are just a few examples of requirements which may not be sent directly by the student. Students need to give their counselors and recommenders plenty of time to complete their pieces.
Seniors – Maintain or improve GPA
By now many students at this stage in their high school careers have completed their applications, some even have decisions. A resolution for seniors at this time should be to maintain or improve their GPA. There are plenty of other students willing to take their spot at their potential future college and there is little room for slacking and decline in grades. Colleges do pay attention to this and have the power to revoke offers of admission if they feel the student is not meeting academic standards.
What Happens After You Hit Submit?
After applications are submitted and the giant feeling of relief has subsided, there are a few things to keep in mind.
After applications are submitted and the giant feeling of relief has subsided, there are a few things to keep in mind. Each school has their own timeline for when they will inform applicants of their admissions decision. In general, schools which have rolling admissions take 2-3 weeks, schools with Nov. 1 EA will inform you between mid-December and end of January, and schools with RD in January will inform you by end of February or March. So what do you do while you wait?
Within 2-3 days, most colleges will create an account on their website for you to check the status of your application and submit additional materials needed. Check your email consistently and make sure you do not miss these emails from your colleges. After receiving them, log in and check that the colleges have received all of your application requirements. While doing this, keep in mind that it may take some time for the websites to be updated as colleges are inundated with materials around their deadlines. If about a week after the deadline you still see that your application is missing something you have already sent, follow up with the admissions office. Although some colleges will send you a reminder that something is missing, you do not want to rely on that.
After applying, Florida students will need to connect their Student Self-Reported Academic Record to their applications of the schools which require them. These instructions will be on the Admissions website or sent via email. Also, financial aid forms such as the FAFSA and CSS Profile will need to be completed if they are not already. For some schools such as FSU, proof of residency will also be completed after the application is submitted. You will be able to see which of these materials you need by checking your new student account assigned to you.
If you do indeed find out that something is missing, do not overreact. Remember, with so many documents and emails being sent back and forth during such a short time span, it is very easy for something to get lost in the shuffle. If what is missing can be taken care of by you, do it right away. If it is something a counselor, teacher, or testing agency should have taken care of, politely follow up with them yourself. Whatever it may be, respectfully ask them to resend the materials as soon as they can. Confirm with the admissions office that you have taken care of it and verify if they have received the missing materials. While doing all of this, it is important that you advocate for yourself and be patient. Colleges would much rather hear from the students themselves than from a parent or counselor. You want to show them you are ready for college.
It should go without saying, but keep working hard and maintaining or improving your grades. Colleges ask for mid and final reports from your counselor for a reason! If you are given admission to a college and your grades sink, they have the right to revoke their offer. On the other hand, if you end up getting deferred or waitlisted, you want to be able to show progress to improve your chances of acceptance. No matter what your situation is, continuing to work hard and get good grades can only help.
Now try to relax and wait for your acceptance (hopefully) letters to roll in! Remember, there is a school for everyone and it WILL work out. Stay posted for my next article on what to do if you are waitlisted or deferred and how to weigh your options.
Additional Help:
FSU Admissions FAQs - https://admissions.fsu.edu/images/pdf/2019%20First%20Year%20Admissions%20FAQ.pdf
FAFSA Tips: https://www.nasfaa.org/fafsa_tips
Financial Aid Applications
As college application season is fully underway, it is important to learn about the primary financial aid applications and types of aid your student could receive. The two most common applications used by colleges across the US are the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE, and they need to be filed prior to each year the student plans on attending college.
As college application season is fully underway, it is important to learn about the primary financial aid applications and types of aid your student could receive. The two most common applications used by colleges across the US are the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE, and they need to be filed prior to each year the student plans on attending college.
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the standard form used by all schools to determine the amount of federal aid a student will receive. The application opens online on October 1 each year and closes the following June 30. The FAFSA calculates the EFC (Expected Family Contribution), what the government considers a reasonable amount the family should be able to contribute to the student's educational costs whether or not a parent wants to contribute to their child's education. For the 2020-21 school year, you will file using prior-prior (2018) tax information.
The CSS Profile (College Scholarship Search Profile) is used by many colleges, primarily private, to determine eligibility for non-federal funding aka institutional aid. It is filed through the College Board online. This application also opens October 1 and will use prior and prior-prior tax year information. So if you are applying for 2020-21, you will use 2018 and 2019 information.
It is important to know that the earlier you file the CSS Profile and FAFSA, the more funding you may receive as some grants are given on a first come, first serve basis. Also, each state and college has their own deadline for when you need to file, and these often fall around the time the college applications are due. Start early and aim to have your financial aid applications complete two weeks before your student's first admission application deadline. There is no harm in submitting the forms before the actual admission applications are completed. If you are about to make a large purchase or make any significant payments, you should make them before updating your bank balance information. Other than that, do not delay completing your financial aid applications.
While the FAFSA is primarily used to determine federal funding, some schools also use it to determine the distribution of their own institutional aid if they do not require the CSS Profile. Therefore, it is often recommended that all students fill out the FAFSA and do it early, whether or not they think they will be eligible for federal aid. Visit the colleges' financial aid websites to find out whether or not you need to file the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA.
The CSS Profile digs a little deeper into your family's financials than the FAFSA. Some key differences are that it includes home equity of primary dwelling, family farms, value of small businesses, and for some schools, the non-custodial and/or stepparent income and cash value of life insurance policies. Before you begin, it is helpful to gather the materials you will need to complete the applications:
An FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically (you can apply for this special username and password online via fsaid.ed.gov or other U.S. Department of Education websites and the student and the custodial parent will need separate IDs)
A College Board account to complete a CSS Profile – the student and custodial parent will share the login, if a non-custodial parent needs to fill out a separate application, you will receive notification after adding your schools to the list
Social Security Numbers
Federal Income Tax Returns, W-2s, and other records of income earned (Note: You may be able to use the FAFSA's IRS Data Retrieval Tool which transfers the data directly from your completed tax returns to your application)
Bank statements and records of investments
Mortgage statement
Records of untaxed income such as child support or interest income
List of schools student is applying to
Ensure that the information you have entered is accurate and complete to prevent any delays in the processing of your application. Make sure you have added any schools to which you are applying to the FAFSA and CSS Profile applications so that they receive the information. Filing the FAFSA is free, but the CSS Profile costs $25 for the application and first school and $16 for any additional. If you need to add colleges to either application later, you can always log back in and do that.
If your family's financial situation has changed for the current year and the tax information you must use for the application does not properly reflect it, it is important that you contact each of the colleges and inform them of your current situation. Examples may include hurricane loss, death in the family, loss of job or illness. For any questions regarding each college's financial aid policy and types of aid awarded, take a look at their website and feel free to reach out to their office.
Choosing a Major (or not)
About half of students choose a major on their college application, but many times they make the decision without much research or thought. Here are some helpful steps students can take both before and after arriving on campus to aide in making the decision of what to study:
About half of students choose a major on their college application, but many times they make the decision without much research or thought. Even if they have put thought into it, how many 17 year olds truly know what they want to do? Nearly 1/3 of students who actually declare majors end up changing them within 3 years of enrolling. For most colleges, entering as a freshman undeclared is not viewed negatively, yet students feel pressured to choose a major before they apply. Here are some helpful steps students can take both before and after arriving on campus to aide in making the decision of what to study:
Career and Personality Assessments: students should complete career and personality assessments while in high school to help them consider careers and majors which align with their personality traits, interests, aptitudes and abilities. There are many different assessments available, but completing 1-2 will at least get you thinking about what may be a good match. Often, they open students’ minds to careers they had not considered before and at least get them thinking about it.
Job Shadow: students often pick careers based on what someone in their family does or what they hear pays well versus on actual personal experience. Participating in a few job shadows while you are still in high school is a great way to get in-person experience in a job without committing your future to it. It may only take a few minutes or hours to confirm or cancel a job interest. At the very least, it will gain you better insight to the career and give you possible connections for mentoring and career advice.
On Campus Advising: finding an advisor who is familiar with your academic programs of interest and career goals is very important once you get on campus. If you do not know what you want, having an advisor to help guide your exploration is also important. They can make sure you stay on track with taking classes to graduate on time and make suggestions to help you refine your choices. Often, they have valuable personal experience to offer insight on potential careers and connections for further development. Research your potential colleges and make good advising a MUST HAVE on your list.
Major Exploration Programs: while building your college list, consider schools which have programs that allow students to explore their options more freely. Many colleges do not make students actually declare a major until end of sophomore year. Brown is particularly well known for its ‘open curriculum’ as students do not have to declare a ‘concentration’ until their 4th semester. They have much more flexibility to take classes in a variety of subjects before deciding what they want to focus on. Ohio State offers several pathways for students who are undecided such as the University Exploration program which allows students to sample a variety of classes and gives them academic counselors to help them make their choice. At Cornell, all students who enter the Engineering program are ‘undeclared’ and do not have to select a specific Engineering major until sophomore year. They are able to spend their first year exploring the various engineering fields and can get advising to help them decide. These are just a few examples of options available to students who need more time to decide and are important to research before choosing your college.
Northeastern’s Application
Some schools do not ask students to choose a major on their application or only ask them to choose a division within the school. If they do ask, entering undeclared is OKAY aside from a few exceptions. Top business programs, computer science and engineering are particularly notorious for being hard to switch into for students who originally chose something else. In those instances, I would highly recommend declaring the major and at least giving yourself a chance to explore it. Sometimes students are afraid to declare a competitive major as acceptance to these programs is often much more difficult than others, but do you really want to go to a school where you risk being denied access to the major and courses you want?
Whatever you decide to declare (or not), make sure you are choosing a college which offers most if not all of the potential programs you are interested in. Do your research on the advising offered, opportunities for exploration, and variety of programs of study available. It can vary significantly and you want to do anything you can graduate on time and eliminate the possibility of needing or wanting to transfer.
Additional Resources
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/24/study-finds-students-benefit-waiting-declare-major
Free Career and Personality Assessments
https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
https://www.princetonreview.com/quiz/career-quiz
https://ucango2.org/publications/student/Career_Interest_Survey.pdf
The SSAR
What is it?
The Self-reported Student Academic Record is basically a student’s transcripts in another format completed by the student instead of the high school. It is used as a substitute for official transcripts at several schools in Florida including University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Polytechnic University and The New College. Students complete this record by inputting their high school courses attempted and/or taken and their respective grades including the courses in progress senior year.
The SSAR
What is it?
The Self-reported Student Academic Record is basically a student’s transcripts in another format completed by the student instead of the high school. It is used as a substitute for official transcripts during the initial college application review process at several schools in Florida including University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Polytechnic University and The New College. Students complete this record by inputting their high school courses attempted and/or taken and their respective grades including the courses in progress senior year.
Why do schools use it?
In Florida, UF began using the SSAR in 2013 and several schools have followed since then. They adopted it in order to streamline the process of connecting transcripts to applications. Instead of waiting for transcripts to be sent from the high schools, students’ SSARs are able to be connected directly to their applications. In addition to linking the students’ academic records to their applications more efficiently, the SSAR allows colleges to sort through transcripts easily as the data was manually entered by the student in a standard form instead of being sent as a non-standardized document from the school. While many students complain about the tedious work of data entry, others say it relieves stress as they are now in control and do not need to rely on the school to send their transcripts on time.
When should students complete it?
The SSAR is a regular and essential piece of the college application to the schools which require it. College applications are not considered complete until the SSAR is received along with everything else. Students should complete it while they are working on their applications and ensure it is submitted to the colleges by the admission deadline they are aiming for. While some colleges such as UF will accept the SSAR a few weeks after the early application deadlines, it makes the most sense to finish it all at the same time and avoid the risk of having an incomplete application. So if you are applying for a November 1 priority deadline, get it in by then, etc.
How is it completed?
Before starting the SSAR, students need to obtain a copy of their high school transcript to use for the data entry. They will then create an account on the SSAR website and begin entering the information. Once complete, they should double-check for any errors before submitting. Connecting the SSAR to the application varies by college. Several schools have students connect it after they have submitted their application by logging into their student account where they check their application status and inputting their individual SSAR code. Others send students an email with a link to log in to their SSAR account and connect it to their application. Students should regularly check their email and application status pages for each college to ensure they have complete applications.
What if a mistake is made?
As long as the mistake or course change is corrected before the application is reviewed and/or before the application deadline, you can log in to your SSAR account and make the changes. If you are too late, you should call the admissions office at your chosen colleges to inform them of the errors. If you made a slight error and do not catch it, it will most likely have no affect on your application. However, if it appears that you intentionally inflated grades or did/did not list courses taken, your application will be thrown out. Do your best to accurately input the information. Students who have been accepted and plan on enrolling at colleges which require the SSAR will have to send in their official transcripts to verify the information they entered on the SSAR.
Tips for the College Application Essays
While many rising seniors are not quite focused on their college applications, there are many pieces they can and should begin to take care of now. The essay is one of them. Many colleges have not released their supplemental essay topics, but the common application and coalition application essays are out and ready to be tackled. Here are my tips to get you started:
While many rising seniors are not quite focused on their college applications, there are many pieces they can and should begin to take care of now. The essay is one of them. Some colleges have not yet released their supplemental essay topics, but the common application and coalition application essays are out and ready to be tackled. Here are my tips to get you started:
Don't Focus on the Prompt – For the basic common app. or coalition essays, think about your story or something you want to share and it will most likely fit. Don't forget there is always the Topic of Your Choice if needed.
Be YOU – If you have not heard this by now, you should have. The whole idea is to help admissions get to know you and pretending to be someone you are not or someone you think they want you to be is not helping anyone. This is your chance to share something about you that can not be found anywhere else in the application.
Start EARLY – The essay topics are out, why not begin now? For many students, the idea of sitting down to write such an important essay (or maybe any essay at all) seems daunting. However, delaying it is not going to make it any better. Starting early not only gives you more opportunity to write a quality essay, it also gives you time to really consider what you want to share with admissions. Some students end up writing several entirely different essays before they arrive to the one they are happy with and that takes TIME.
Brainstorm – You may have an idea or two in mind when you take a quick glance at the prompts, but it is time to dig deeper. Doing some excellent brainstorming activities can be really helpful for coming up with a good focus for your essay. I highly recommend the exercises from Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy. His Essence Objects and Values exercises are great. If you are still drawing a blank, take a few days off and come back to it.
Make it Personal and Entertaining – You want the readers to remember you after your essay and be able to connect you with YOUR story. You also want them to want to finish reading it. Give them details, use adjectives, don’t be repetitive, dig deep and you will be fine. Admissions readers get many essays on the same topic and sometimes on the most mundane subjects, but the way they were written turned them into something special. Ask anyone in admissions what their favorite essays were about and you may be surprised.
Get Feedback but not too Much – It is definitely a good idea to have someone read over your essay to check for grammatical errors and get an overall opinion. However, do not forget this is YOUR essay. Sometimes getting too many opinions ends up leaving you more confused than helped. Ask someone you trust for an honest opinion, triple check your grammar, and be done!