Application Reminders

Many of you are planning to try to apply to colleges before November 1st - a common early deadline for colleges.  (For the record, some colleges have early deadlines of October 15th and some have early deadlines that are later, but many are falling on Nov 1 this year.)  That means you are less than 3 weeks away from when you need to hit submit!

Time sure goes fast doesn't it?!

I spent quite a bit of time today going through the Common Applications that I have received from students and I have a few reminders for you...

You need to request for your transcript to be submitted to each college where you plan on applying.  You will do this by filling out the Transcript Request Form.  It is on the WKHS Counselor website - www.wkhscounselors.com - by hovering over College/ Career it is the bottom pull down option.  I cannot submit your transcript onto Common App without having this filled out!

It is ESSENTIAL to watch your deadlines carefully! You need to provide plenty of time for the transcript to be processed. Most college due dates are for all materials (and not just the application) to be received in their office before that date. Don’t forget that many colleges also have earlier due dates than those publicized to be considered for scholarships so you need to read carefully. For your transcript and school forms to be completed on time, you need to be sure that you have invited me AND filled out the transcript release form at least 3 school days in advance... so 2 weeks from tomorrow!

If you want colleges to consider your test scores when evaluating your application, you also need to verify that your official test scores were sent from the testing organization (ACT/ SAT) directly to the college. If you did not have them sent to that particular school then you will need to pay the fee to have them sent if the college requires official scores from the testing agency.

If you are applying to colleges that require a recommendation letter, hopefully you have already asked your teacher or me and given us your forms.  Remember, you are supposed to give them at least a month to write a rec letter for you.  So, if you need a letter and haven't already asked someone, please put this as your #1 immediate priority!  And, if your college doesn't ask for a rec letter then please let the pressure for seeking a recommendation letter go - colleges repeatedly tell us that they are only needing what they ask for in their applications.  If it is optional then it is only helpful to the college if the person who is writing on your behalf is sharing something new about you which isn't already covered in other aspects of your application.  The admissions representatives who are reading your applications only have so much time for each application and so you don't want them to skim through vital parts of your application as they work to read all of the pieces you have submitted if they aren't sharing anything new.

As always, please remember that I am here to help you and will help guide you through the process as we go. Feel free to ask questions and drop in to see me as you work on your applications.