Читать книгу The College Bound Organizer - Anna Costaras - Страница 7

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED:

FACT FINDING

When applying to college you will be required to provide facts about yourself, your family and your high 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.

Start with the Student’s Personal Information worksheet provided in this chapter. Colleges use social security numbers to identify students. So, if you don’t already have a social security number, apply for one now. Jot down your number on this worksheet and then store your card in a safe place. Set up an email account to use exclusively for your college search and application process and record this on the worksheet as well. Colleges 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 you 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 they’re not in the regular email habit.”

— JONATHAN BURDICK, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, University of Rochester

“Think about what your email address may or may not say about you.”

—ALISON ALMASIAN, Director of Admissions, St. Lawrence University

Next, if you have not already done so, sign up for standardized tests by registering with College Board for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, and with ACT. Note your usernames and passwords for easy reference on the worksheet.

Most students apply to college by using the Common Application and/or individual school applications. The Common App is a single, uniform application accepted by approximately 700 colleges and universities. The Common App allows you to create one application which you can submit to multiple participating schools, either online or by mail. Create an account for the Common App and record your username and password on the same worksheet. In addition, you will create accounts for each school to which you apply. Jot down these usernames and passwords on the worksheet as well.

“One way to stay organized is to keep a list of the schools you applied to next to your computer with each school’s username and password. The username and password always vary based on school, and it is best to be able to easily access this information. Students often become frustrated when they forget this information, and that only delays this process.”

—REBECCA GOTTESMAN, Assistant Principal, Locust Valley High School, Locust Valley, New York

Students applying for financial aid and merit scholarships will be required to complete financial aid forms called FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. Record the user names, passwords and PINs you create for these accounts on this worksheet.

You’ll need to gather information from your family members about their education history to complete your applications. Store all of the information and facts about your parents and your siblings on the Family Education Information worksheet.

Details about your high school should be noted on the High School Information worksheet. You’ll need to know your high school’s SAT and ACT codes, which can be found on the testing websites, in order to register for your standardized tests. Use this worksheet to write down your high school contact information, as it will be required when you complete the Common App. This same information is also needed for schools that only accept their own applications. Spare yourself repeated searches by looking all this up once and recording it in the designated space.