Steps to Applying to College

1. Naviance and CollegeBoard.com can help you with your College Search. Make a College List of the colleges that you are interested in going to.  Be aware of the application deadlines; colleges adhere strictly to these deadline dates.  Early Decision is a binding agreement; if you are accepted, you are expected to attend that college.  Early Action is the same application deadline as Early Decision, but if accepted, you do not have attend.  Therefore, you can apply to only one school Early Decision and as many as you want Early Action. Some colleges admit students via Rolling Decision, which means that there is no deadline; it's first come, first served.  Therefore, it is important to get your applications in as soon as possible. Regular Decision has a later due date than Early Decision and Early Action, but the deadline date listed is definitive. The rule in the College Application Process is "The Earlier the Better!" Speak to your Guidance Counselor about your applications.
   
   
2. See if those schools on your College List accept the Common Application.  The Common Application allows you to fill out one college application and send it to all the schools on your list that accept the Common Application.  This can be found at Commonapp.org.  Be sure to follow all directions on the Commonapp.org Website. Many colleges require specific Supplements to be filled out with extra essays. You must complete all required parts of each application.
   
   
3. If there are schools on your College List that do not accept the Common Application, you will have to go to that College’s website and fill out their personal application.
   
   
4. Create an Activity Sheet/Resume. The colleges want to see what you accomplished. The Activity Sheet/Resume is uploaded with your application. Naviance has a help section to create your Activity Sheet/Resume. See your Guidance Counselor if you need further help.
   
   
5. Work on your College Essay!  Each school may have a different College Essay question.  Some schools may have an essay question and will also want you to write something about yourself, known as a Personal Statement. Be sure to write something creative and unique to you.  What makes you who you are; what sets you apart from other students?  You can use the same College Essay and Personal Statement for other colleges (except the colleges that ask a specific question).  Collegeboard.com has information to help you with your College Essay and Personal Statements. See your English teacher and your Guidance Counselor if you need help or have questions.
   
   
6. COLLEGE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FROM TEACHERS: Ask 2 Teachers for College Recommendation Letters. Fill out the 2-page-Student Profile Form, which is located in the Guidance Office and give it to each of the teachers as soon as possible. It may be appropriate to ask coaches, employers and more than 2 teachers for a College Recommendation Letter. Speak to your Guidance Counselor. Just about all colleges require at least 2 Letters of Recommendation.
   
   
7. COLLEGE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION REQUIRED FROM YOUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR. Please fill out the 2-page-Student Profile Form, which is located in the Guidance Office and give it to your Guidance Counselor as soon as possible. 
   
   
8. Hudson Catholic must send out your Official Transcript to each college you apply to.  For each college that you apply to you must complete a Transcript Request Form, which is located in the Guidance Office and give it to your Guidance Counselor as soon as possible. The address of the Undergraduate Admissions Processing Office of that college should be listed in the address section of the Transcript Request Form; this address is usually different from the main address of the college.

Reminders:

• Take SAT’s at least twice!    Take the ACT Exam!
  
  
•  I know tests are annoying but it will be worth it.  Go to CollegeBoard.com to register for the SAT Exam.  Go to ACTStudent.org to register for the ACT Exam.  Always check the test dates and testing centers offered.
  
  
• See if your college requires SAT 2 Subject Tests. Register for these exams on CollegeBoard.com.
  
  
• You must send all of your SAT 1, SAT 2 and ACT Test Scores to each college you apply to.  They will only accept scores sent electronically from the CollegeBoard and ACT Websites.
  
  

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU! 

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