This is my first blog post of the school year. For those that have been waiting on the edge of your seat for months for me to write a new blog post, I apologize. The fact is, this year has been one of the busiest of my career. Even though I didn’t write a post from the start of the school year until now, below are a few blog posts from the past that speak of this time.
View College Rankings with Skepticism
Patience Can Pay Off in College Admissions Today
Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until the Last Minute to Apply to College
DC Class of 2023, I applaud you for your diligence and discipline in applying to a number of colleges before November 1st deadlines. As of November 1st, 75% of you have applied to at least one college. For those seniors who haven’t sent in an application yet, there is still plenty of time. Many colleges are rolling admission, which means you could apply through the spring. Those colleges who have regular decision deadlines, the typical deadline is January 1st or 15th.
If you’ve applied to one or more colleges before November 1st, below are a number of things you should still be doing to know if each college is a good fit and that you are showing interest before you receive an admission decision.
1) Complete FAFSA, CSS Profile and submit additional financial information (if needed). To receive the most need based aid possible from a college, you must submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1st. Some colleges require the CSS Profile be completed as well. You would find this information on the college’s website. In addition to these two financial aid applications, some colleges may also ask for your tax returns to be submitted. The colleges that do this tend to be the ones that meet 100% financial need.
2) Confirm receipt of all documents needed to complete your– Even if you are able to track what application documents a college has that you have applied to, it still would be appropriate to email the admissions counselor who will read your application a week or two after you know that your transcript and letters of recommendation were sent and verify that they have everything to complete your application. In my perspective, it’s better to hear back from an actual person and it’s a great way to show continued interest. I understand that it can be frustrating finding out a college doesn’t have something that you knew was sent, but in my opinion, with good communication, almost anything can be resolved (as long as you met the deadline).
3) Have strong mid-year grades– You may get an accepted or denied decision from a college you applied to before the end of January. If you do, then your senior mid-year grades will not matter for admission purposes. For a college you have been accepted to, your mid-year grades may still play a factor for merit scholarship consideration. If you receive a deferred decision, apply under the regular decision deadline or an admissions decision won’t be released until February or later, your senior mid-year grades can play a major factor toward the admissions decision you will receive. This can be especially true if you are taking any rigorous courses in subjects that are correlated to what you would like to major in.
4) Exhaust all opportunities for merit scholarships- Click here to read a blog post at College Kickstart titled “Keeping Vigil on 2021-22 Merit Scholarship Deadlines”. Merit scholarships can be awarded by colleges until you would begin your freshman year at that college. Make sure you are diligent in applying for them (if there is a separate application or process you need to complete) or just applying to the college by the required date in order to be eligible for their merit scholarships. Also, never consider the initial merit scholarship amount you receive from a college a final number. Always inquire and see if there are additional opportunities to receive additional merit money.
5) Continue to attend college events (in-person and virtually)- Even if you have visited the college(s) you have applied to already, colleges like to have specific events for seniors who have applied already and especially for seniors who have been accepted. Many times I have known seniors to have a different perspective about a college when they visit again after they have been accepted because they approach the visit possibly seeing themselves living on campus. Many colleges will have these specific events virtually as well. Keep asking college admission officers great questions that will determine whether a college would be a better fit. These questions should be about housing, meal plan, major, campus activities and organizations, travel expenses (if further away), financial aid, etc.
6) Submit any new information– It’s important to send a college any new information that may not have originally been in your application. If you receive recognition, accomplish an achievement in athletics, receive a new test score that results in a higher super score, or start something that shows initiative, go ahead and email the college admissions counselor who will read your application and update them. Also, if you submit your application and realize, “I forgot to mention that” or “Why didn’t I tell them that?”, please email the college and let them know. College admission counselors would like to be aware of anything that explains any adversity you’ve faced or shows how talented, diverse, involved or intelligent you are. Don’t leave them wondering if there is more information that can further clarify and solidify who you really are and how you will contribute to their campus community.
7) Trust that God’s plan is perfect! This may be the most difficult part of the process after you are done applying to a college. The final decision on whether you will be accepted is not up to you anymore. We know that the decision will be made by each of the colleges themselves, but as believers in Jesus Christ, we also know that ultimately, we know that God has a plan for us and that we need to trust in His perfect plan, even if it’s not the plan we had already “mapped” out in our head. He will take care of us and provide for us. We also need to make sure we are being proper stewards of the resources (money especially) he’s given us. It’s important to pray for continued patience, wisdom and discernment in making the best decision on where to attend college.
