Admission Overview
The college admissions process is complex and at times difficult to navigate. Mr. Donato is an experienced professional with considerable knowledge in the field and is able to prepare Mystic Valley students and their parents for the task.
College Application Time Line
College applications can seem overwhelming at first. What needs to be done, and when? Use this time line gain an overview of the college application process.
Summer Before Senior Year
• Visit colleges that interest you. Call ahead for the campus tour schedule. Schedule an on-campus interview with an admission representative.
• Finalize your list of colleges. Be sure your list includes "safe" schools, as well as "reach" and "realistic" schools. Request informational packets. Organize materials into separate files by college.
• Keep a college calendar of all admission deadlines.
• If you plan to compete in Division I or II college sports and want to be eligible for recruitment by colleges, you must register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
• Register early for fall SAT/ACT tests if you need to retake them.
September
• Meet with your college counselor to talk about your college plans and review your transcript.
• Get started on your applications right away if you plan to apply through an Early Decision or Early Action program. Deadlines for early applications tend to fall in October or November.
• Start working on your application essays. Write essays that focus on your experiences and make you stand out from the crowd.
• Update your resume—your list of accomplishments, involvements, and work experiences—with your senior year activities. Your resume will help you complete your applications and essays.
October
• Ask your teachers, coaches or employers for letters of recommendation. Give them plenty of time to meet deadlines and be sure to provide stamped and addressed envelopes if they need to mail the letters.
• Take SAT/ACT tests, if needed. Ensure that your scores are sent to each of your colleges.
• If you are applying under an Early Decision or Early Action program, be sure to submit all forms as soon as possible. Applying online is the usually the preferred method but check with each school individually.
November
• Submit early decision and early action applications on time.
• Work hard to complete your application essays. Proofread them thoroughly.
• Follow up with your teachers to ensure that letters of recommendation are sent on time to meet your deadlines (this is your responsibility).
• Mail applications as early as possible for colleges with rolling deadlines (admission decisions are made as applications are received).
• Take SAT/ACT tests if needed. Ensure your scores are sent to each one of your colleges.
December
• Aim to finish applications before winter break. Make copies of each application before you submit it.
• Early Decision and Early Application responses arrive this month.
January
• Early Decision and Early Application responses arrive this month.
• Some colleges include your first-semester grades as part of your application folder. This is called the mid-year grade report. You must notify counselors to send your grades to colleges that require them.
February
• Contact your colleges and confirm that all necessary application materials have been received.
• Stay focused! Beware of senioritis! Colleges want to see strong second half grades. Offers of Admission HAVE been withdrawn due to poor grades in the middle of at the end of senior year!
March
• Some admission decisions arrive this month. Read everything you receive carefully, as some of it may require action on your part.
April
• Most admission decisions and financial aid award letters arrive this month. Read everything you receive carefully, as some of it may require action on your part.
• Make a final decision, and mail the enrollment form and deposit check to the school you select before May 1st (National candidate response deadline).
• Notify, in writing, each school to which you were accepted that you will not be attending so that your spot can be freed up for students on the Wait List. Some of these students may be your classmates!
• On the Wait List? Contact the admissions office and let them know of your continued interest in the college and update them on your spring semester grades and activities.
May
• IB Exams are administered. Make sure your IB Grade Report is sent to your college.
• Study hard for final exams. Admission offers are contingent on your final grades.
• Thank your parents, teachers, coaches, and anyone else who wrote you recommendations or helped with your college applications.
June
• Ask your counselor to send your final transcript to your college choice.
• If you plan to compete in Division I or II college sports, ask your counselor to send a final transcript to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
Summer
• Make travel plans. Book early for the best prices.
• Finalize your housing plans.
• Shop for items you will need in college. Remember that dorm rooms tend to be small. Don’t buy too much!
• Plan your first-semester courses with an eye towards eventually selecting your college major.
This is simply a general guide and will not apply to all colleges. Consult application materials, admission offices, and college websites for specific requirements and deadlines.
When to Apply
Learn all the details of the admission programs of schools in which you're interested because requirements will vary.
Early Decision (ED)
Some schools make provisions for a well qualified student to apply early in the fall of senior year and be notified of admission by mid-December. These programs are binding, meaning that if a student is accepted to a college through the early decision process, she must rescind all applications to other colleges and sign a contract to attend the college granting early admission. Students are allowed to have only one early decision application pending at any time. Check with the college regarding early decision as rules can vary. Three results are possible with early decision applicants: accept, deny, or defer to the regular admissions pool. Students who are denied during this process must wait a full academic cycle to re-apply. This plan is not recommended for most students.
Early Action (EA)
Students who apply under a college's early action plan receive a decision earlier than the standard response date, but are not required to enroll at that college, and may apply to other colleges without restriction.
Rolling Admission
Some colleges feature rolling admission, which means they accept students throughout the application period. It's always to your advantage to apply early to such a program because there are more open spaces early.
Deferred Enrollment
This is the practice of permitting students to postpone enrollment, usually for one year, after acceptance to the college. Reasons for doing this include health, work or travel. You will need to contact admission offices directly for their policy on deferring enrollment.
Important application components
Essays
Some selective colleges ask you to write a short essay to describe yourself, a significant experience, an achievement that has special meaning for you , or to discuss some issue of personal, local or national concern, and its importance to you. Keep it simple and straightforward. Try not to deal with difficult ideas such as your philosophy on life or how to solve the world's problems. We will talk about essay writing in much more detail during the school year.
Personal Interviews
A few very selective colleges require an interview, which provides an opportunity for the college and the applicant to get to know each other better. Here are some suggestions for the admission interview:
1. Be on time for your appointment!
2. Be on time for your appointment!
3. Be knowledgeable about the college; you should read the admission materials and catalog beforehand.
4. Have a list of questions that are not answered in the literature. Take notes on the interviewer’s responses! This tells them that you’re interested.
5. Meet your interviewer with a firm handshake and maintain eye contact as you talk and listen.
6. Don't expect trick questions, but be prepared to talk about yourself and your interest in that particular college.
7. Don't be unduly nervous; remember that the college is just as interested in selling itself as you are in selling yourself to the college. I like to think of it more as a conversation.
8. Note your interviewer's name so you can send a letter thanking him/her for the time.
Resume/Activity sheet
There are many advantages to creating a resume. It provides a snapshot of you, your interests, accomplishments and achievements. Make several copies and update it whenever something new occurs. Give it to everyone who is involved in your search for a college, and for scholarship applications. Use parts of it to copy/paste into applications for admission or scholarships. Certainly, give a copy to your high school counselor and teachers who are writing letters of recommendation. It should be no more than two pages, preferably only one.
Criteria for Selection
After reviewing your transcript, essays, recommendations, testing and motivation, the college admission committee's first concern is whether you can handle their academic program with success and reasonable comfort. In the more highly competitive colleges where academically qualified applicants outnumber the spaces available, a number of other admission factors then become important.
1. Special talents - It is important to submit a recording of musical or dramatic performance, several slides of your art work, a sample of your creative writing, or evidence of exceptional athletic ability to the admission committee. If your talent is in athletics, contact the college coach of your sport as well.
2. Alumni connections - If you have a parent or sibling who attended it may help.
3. Geographical mix - Colleges prefer to maintain a geographical mix in the student body.
4. Exceptional academic talent - Independent research, a science fair project or National Merit recognition may single you out as the candidate to accept.
5. Extracurricular involvement - Admission committees are impressed by students with a significant commitment to one or two areas, as opposed to superficial involvement in many areas. Leadership and volunteer work also impresses officials.
6. Diverse backgrounds and cultures; or bilingual ability.