(Ad)Mission Possible
Mission 1: Complete and Submit College Application
This week’s mission is for students to complete and submit their college applications. This is by far the most important step in the college application process…actually applying to college! The two most common applications are the ApplyTexas and the Common Application.
The ApplyTexas application can be used to apply to any public university in the entire state of Texas, as well as a few private colleges and some community colleges, like San Jac. Students can fill out one application online at www.applytexas.org and have it sent to multiple schools at once. The application fees are totaled at the end and can be paid by either credit card or a valid fee waiver.
The Common Application works in much the same way. Students can fill out one application on-line and have it sent to over 517 schools in 47 different stand and countries. The application can be found at www.commonapp.org
It is important for students to research the school they are applying to and fill out the appropriate application. Once they figure out which application to fill out, they need to make sure that it is submitted well before the application deadline which can be different for each university.
Many applications opened August 1 and some close as early as December 1, now is the time to get started if you have not already. It is even okay to submit your application before you take your SAT or ACT.
Mission 2: Submit Financial Aid
This mission is for all Seniors who plan on attending college during the 2017-2018 school year!
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, opened on Saturday October 1. Students can create an account at https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and obtain their FAFSA ID. Once a need is determined, the office of Federal Student Aid can provide help for tuition in the form of grants, loans and work-study funds. Also, some universities use the information on the FAFSA to offer students various scholarships.
Different from any other year, parents will upload their tax information from 2015. This will enable students to find out if they qualify for aid sooner than ever.
Mission 3: Request Transcript
This is an important piece of the application process. The transcripts contain the courses and grades that students have taken for their entire high school career. They also contain important information about class ranks and grade point averages. Most universities use a combination of class rank and SAT/ACT scores to consider students for admission. During the application process, students need to send a transcript to every school they are applying to. After they are accepted and have chosen a university to attend, they will request a final transcript to be sent only to that school at the end of the year.
Official transcripts must be mailed and cannot be given directly to a student to hand carry to a school. Students need to keep deadlines in mind as they finalize applications and request transcripts. Some deadlines are close to or during school holidays. Make sure to request your transcript ahead of time. Transcript requests can be made with Mrs. Swinnen in the Registrar’s Office. Students should fill out a white transcript request card for each transcript to be mailed and pay a fee of $1.
Mission 4: Send Scores
This is the 4th and final step to applying for college. Most, if not all, 4 year universities require students to submit official SAT or ACT scores for admission. Scores are only considered “official” if they are mailed directly to the school from the official testing company. Some students took care of this very important step when they initially registered to take the test. In both the ACT and SAT registration processes, students are asked to select school to send their scores. If they selected schools during this step, this mission is complete. If they did not select schools during the registration process, students will need to log back into either their ACT or SAT accounts and request to have their scores sent. There is usually a fee if students make the request after they have already taken the test. If students intend to go to a four year university and have not yet taken one of these two tests, they need to register as soon as possible.
Mission To-Do List:
Mission 1: Submit Application
Mission 2: Submit Financial Aid
Mission 3: Request Transcript
Mission 4: Send Scores