Secondary School Professionals
There are more than 2,200 four-year colleges in the United States, and trying to figure out which ones are likely to be good matches for you can seem like a daunting task. It’s easy to sympathize with the applicant to Haverford College some years ago, who was particularly stressed out at the end of his on-campus interview. On his way back to the waiting room he had to pass through several doors, but his emotional state was such that he failed to notice where he was and opened one more door—which took him into a closet. He was so embarrassed that he remained in the closet for several minutes before reappearing to face a room full of staring faces.
It doesn’t have to be that way. As author of the Fiske Guide to Colleges and numerous other books on college admissions, I’ve had the pleasure of working with thousands of college-bound high school students and their parents both in person and through my writing. People are not born brain-wired knowing how to navigate the byzantine admissions process that American colleges and universities have, in their wisdom, imposed on their aspiring students, so a bit of anxiety—or at least mild bewilderment—is probably a sign that you are in touch with reality.
Not surprisingly, the most common question that I have gotten over the years from students staring at all those options is: “Where do I start?” The implicit subtext is: “How do I begin to make sense of the process?” My usual (and admittedly self-serving) suggestion is to thumb through the 300+ narrative descriptions in the Fiske Guide and find one or two schools that seem like a good match. Then look at the schools with which these schools have substantial overlapping applicant pools and maybe look at overlaps of the overlaps. This process should produce a list of 15 or 20 target schools to get you off and running.
Once you have identified some target schools, the challenge is to figure out how to deal with all the elements that go into the application process: campus visits, test-taking, financial aid forms, letters of reference, and so forth. That, of course, is where The College Bound Organizer comes to your rescue in at least two ways. First, it gives you a “one-stop shopping” way to keep track of the hundreds of details that go into applying to multiple colleges. No more ruffling through piles of papers to figure out when—or even whether!—you have scheduled an appointment with the admissions folks at Old Siwash. Second, it represents a checklist—with deadlines—that lays out the various steps that you need to be taking. With The College Bound Organizer at your side, you can rest assured that you will not wake up on December 31 and suddenly realize that you forgot to ask your English teacher for a recommendation that is due two days later.
Applying to college should be a positive experience. Colleges are interesting places, with lots of bright people doing innovative things, and the application process is really the beginning of your college education. It’s the time when you begin to think seriously about your goals and academic interests. The mechanics of the process are important and need to be taken seriously. But it’s also important to keep your mind on the big picture: which colleges are best suited to help you to grow academically, socially, spiritually, and in every other way? Using The College Bound Organizer is one way to help you stay focused on what is really important.
Edward B. Fiske
Author of Fiske Guide to Colleges
Whether you’re just beginning to think about your future plans or are committed to attending university in the United States, we’re here to help you find your way. Applying to university (most commonly referred to as college) in the USA as an international applicant is complicated and can seem like an overwhelming process. Don’t underestimate the time required to complete your search and application process. Together, we are going to break it down into a series of many small, manageable tasks. With a well-thought-out plan and a good organizing system, you will have all the tools you’ll need to put together an outstanding application and get the best admissions results possible.
The college application process is daunting for both students and their parents. It’s a maze of deadlines, test prep, testing, college fairs, campus tours, applications, curriculum vitae (CV), essays, interviews and financial aid forms. As an international applicant, you may also be required to submit your academic transcript to a credential evaluator. It goes without saying that you will be required to do all this while continuing to stay focused on academics, athletics, extracurricular commitments, jobs, family responsibilities and all the interests, obligations, and activities that fill your day. Your life is now filled with college chaos.
Here’s your challenge: to successfully apply to university. This will require you to define yourself by understanding who you are, identifying your goals, finding schools that fit your profile, staying on task to meet deadlines, and correctly submitting all your application components in a well-executed manner. Here’s your solution: The University Bound Organizer. Our method will help keep you focused and on task, allowing you to organize and manage the massive amount of information that you will be responsible for creating, requesting, and submitting while meeting all the different due dates for your applications. Our road map will steer you through the stressful university application process and get you to the school that’s a good fit for you. To keep you in touch with what today’s educators are thinking, a select group of admissions professionals were consulted and are quoted throughout the book.
Planning to attend university in the USA is exciting! There is much to look forward to: being independent, challenging yourself, acquiring new skills, having new experiences, meeting different people, exploring a variety of interests, making friends, and of course, learning so many new things. You’ll have a tremendous number of decisions to make, from course selection, to focus of study, to career options to pursue. But first, you have to get there.
Let’s get started!
Anna and Gail
CHAPTER 1
When applying to university you will be required to provide facts about yourself, your family, and your school, repeatedly. You’ll be asked for this information countless times when registering for tests, completing your applications, and applying for financial aid and scholarships. Easy access to this information will help you avoid endless aggravation. Having this information organized in one place will also minimize the chance that you’ll make mistakes on your applications.
Begin with the Student’s Personal Information worksheet provided in this chapter. Start by setting up an email account to use exclusively for your school search and application process, then record this on the worksheet. Universities will be communicating with you via email and having a separate account makes it less likely that you’ll miss an important notice in your inbox. The schools you apply to will send many important announcements to help you complete your applications. Get into the habit of checking your email at least once a day.
“It’s a fine idea to have an email address that’s just for college applications, but if you do, check that email. I see hundreds of high school seniors missing opportunities because
