Читать книгу The University Bound Organizer - Anna Costaras - Страница 6
ОглавлениеWhether you’re just beginning to think about your future plans or are committed to attending university in the United States, we’re here to help you find your way. Applying to university (most commonly referred to as college) in the USA as an international applicant is complicated and can seem like an overwhelming process. Don’t underestimate the time required to complete your search and application process. Together, we are going to break it down into a series of many small, manageable tasks. With a well-thought-out plan and a good organizing system, you will have all the tools you’ll need to put together an outstanding application and get the best admissions results possible.
The college application process is daunting for both students and their parents. It’s a maze of deadlines, test prep, testing, college fairs, campus tours, applications, curriculum vitae (CV), essays, interviews and financial aid forms. As an international applicant, you may also be required to submit your academic transcript to a credential evaluator. It goes without saying that you will be required to do all this while continuing to stay focused on academics, athletics, extracurricular commitments, jobs, family responsibilities and all the interests, obligations, and activities that fill your day. Your life is now filled with college chaos.
Here’s your challenge: to successfully apply to university. This will require you to define yourself by understanding who you are, identifying your goals, finding schools that fit your profile, staying on task to meet deadlines, and correctly submitting all your application components in a well-executed manner. Here’s your solution: The University Bound Organizer. Our method will help keep you focused and on task, allowing you to organize and manage the massive amount of information that you will be responsible for creating, requesting, and submitting while meeting all the different due dates for your applications. Our road map will steer you through the stressful university application process and get you to the school that’s a good fit for you. To keep you in touch with what today’s educators are thinking, a select group of admissions professionals were consulted and are quoted throughout the book.
Planning to attend university in the USA is exciting! There is much to look forward to: being independent, challenging yourself, acquiring new skills, having new experiences, meeting different people, exploring a variety of interests, making friends, and of course, learning so many new things. You’ll have a tremendous number of decisions to make, from course selection, to focus of study, to career options to pursue. But first, you have to get there.
Let’s get started!
Anna and Gail
CHAPTER 1
When applying to university you will be required to provide facts about yourself, your family, and your 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.
Begin with the Student’s Personal Information worksheet provided in this chapter. Start by setting up an email account to use exclusively for your school search and application process, then record this on the worksheet. Universities 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 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 on the Student’s Personal Information worksheet, list your user names and passwords once you register for standardized tests including SAT, ACT, and /or TOEFL or IELTS. College Board administers the SAT and SAT Subject Test, ACT administers the ACT exam, ETS administers TOEFL and IELTS administers the IELTS exam. To learn more about these tests refer to Chapter 3.
Most students apply to university by using the Common Application and/or individual school applications. The Common App is a single, uniform application accepted by approximately 800 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 may be required to complete the financial aid form called the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, a financial aid form required by many schools. Record the user name, password, and PIN you create for this account on the 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 education thus far should be noted on the Secondary School Information worksheet. You’ll need to know your school’s international SAT and ACT codes, found on the testing websites, in order to register for your standardized tests. Use this worksheet to write down your secondary school contact information, as it will be required when you complete the Common App. This same information is also needed for colleges and universities that only accept their own applications. Spare yourself repeated searches by looking all this up once and recording it in the designated space.
