To all our seniors: just submitting applications is a huge accomplishment!!!
Take 7 minutes to listen to Kelly Corrigan’s case for celebrating the litany of accomplishments that a completed college application represents.
There’s so much more to applying to college than where you get in or don’t. Listen here!
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UVA’s Dean J always has it right. 9-11th graders listen up! This advice applies beyond UVA.
1. All of your core classes are important.
A lot of people focus on the core areas that correspond to their current academic interest. I’ve even had people wave off certain subjects because they aren’t interested in them or they don’t come “naturally” to them. I wish they’d stop this. High school is the time to get a broad foundation in several areas and college is the time to specialize. We are most concerned with a student’s work in five core areas (in alpha order, not order of importance): English, Math, Science, Social Science, and World Language.
2. The number of APs or the IB Diploma don’t drive a decision.
Plenty of people want to know how many AP courses a student should take to be competitive in our process. We don’t approach applications this way. First of all, not everyone goes to a school with APs as an option. Second, some schools limit how many AP courses a student may take. Third, with the number of AP courses offered these days, you can rack up a lot of APs in just one subject. There could be students with big AP numbers who also haven’t take an advanced course in other core areas.
Similarly, students sometimes assume that full diploma candidates at IB schools (which are pretty common in Virginia) get in and everyone else is denied. If you are working on the full IB diploma, that’s fantastic. We will also be very interested in your grades and review which subjects you opted to take as your HLs. The full diploma isn’t the only route to an offer, though. There are students who weren’t able to get the full diploma done while still having some impressive HL work to show. We can admit them, too!
3. Doubling up in one subject at the expense of the core doesn’t “look good.”
There are some students who are so excited about a certain subject that they want to double or even triple up on courses in that area. I don’t think it’s smart to drop core subjects to load up classes in one area. Cover the core and use your electives to explore your interests.
Congrats! Getting your early applications submitted is a huge accomplishment. Hopefully, you can take a weekend or two off from college application work and relax a bit. However, don’t relax too much or completely stop where you are! There’s plenty that can be done after you’ve pressed submit.
Don’t forget: your grades are also very important! Do your best to maintain your grades/GPA; some schools will ask for midterm grade reports (or even call your counselor to check in on your progress!), and you want them to show consistency or an upward trend, not a downward trend.
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It is time to press submit (if you haven’t already!)! A few things to keep in mind as you finalize applications:
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….getting asked about it!
Later this month and throughout April, colleges and universities will notify students about their regular decision applications. Students will either be admitted, denied, or placed on the dreaded waitlist (although we have helped quite a few student get off the WL and into their dream school, ask us how!). Needless to say, it is a stressful time for all seniors who did not commit to a school after the release of early round results.
As we approach decision dates, consider giving this post (with video) from the Wall Street Journal a read!
Many schools have updated/changed their admission plans this year. College Kickstart compiled a list that I include below. Make sure you are up to date!
| Institution | ED1 | ED2 | EA1 | EA2 | REA | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumption College | + | ED1 added | ||||
| California State Polytechnic University – San Luis Obispo | – | ED1 removed | ||||
| Drake University | – | EA2 removed | ||||
| Elmira College | – | – | + | ED1/2 replaced with EA | ||
| Fairfield University | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Haverford College | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Loyola Marymount University | + | ED1 added | ||||
| Pace University | + | + | ED1 and EA2 added | |||
| Providence College | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Saint Anselm | + | ED1 added | ||||
| Seton Hall University | + | EA2 added | ||||
| Texas A&M University – Engineering | + | EA added for engineering | ||||
| The New School – Eugene Lang | – | + | ED replaced with EA | |||
| Tulane University | + | – | SCEA replaced with ED1 | |||
| University of Chicago | + | + | ED1/2 added | |||
| University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign | + | Revamped EA | ||||
| University of Miami | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Wake Forest University | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Wellesley College | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Wheaton College – MA | + | ED2 added | ||||
| Willamette University | – | ED2 removed |
Source: College Kickstart
Tags: Assumption, Cal Poly SLO, Class of 20201, Drake, Early Admission, Elmira, Fairfield, Haverford, Loyola Marymount, New School (Eugene Lang), Pace, Providence, Saint Anselm, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, Tulane,University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Miami, Wake Forest, Wellesley,Wheaton – MA, Willamette