Score At The Top Blog

Now, with mandated social distancing in our lives for the foreseeable future, all schools, big and small, are faced with the very same issue. While Skype or Zoom-based interviews are likely to increase in popularity and number, it’s also certain that letters of recommendation (LORs) will grow in importance to admission officers when they evaluate applicants. On top of that, a number of colleges will be test-optional next year, so in the absence of SAT or ACT scores, emphasis on LORs, among other factors, will increase.

Topics: College Application, Letter of Recommendation, Going to College, Coronavirus

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It’s clear that for a limited set of colleges, the set that a student is likely to assemble as possible application targets, gathering needed information on letters of recommendation requirements isn’t onerous — colleges’ web sites and applications are almost certain to include that information — but it’s far less easy to obtain information on specifically from whom – what “recommenders” – letters of recommendation can come. This blog is going to discuss the one in its title: Do Colleges Accept Letters of Recommendation from 10^th Grade Teachers?

Topics: College Application, Letter of Recommendation

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More schools than ever in the State University System of Florida are requesting the SSAR (Self-reported Student Academic Record) in lieu of an official transcript as part of the application. This self-reporting process is fairly straightforward: Students create an account with SSAR and, using a copy of their transcript, enter courses, schedules, grades, and course weighting (AP, Honors, etc.). Following submission of a college application, students will link the SSAR to their applications, typically through their applicant portals − or as part of the application itself, depending on the university. Currently, seven SUS schools require the SSAR: FAU, FGCU, FL Poly, FSU, New College, UF, and UNF.

Topics: College Application, SSAR, SUS

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College application personal statements and application writing supplements are entirely different, have entirely different purposes, and should be approached entirely differently.

Topics: College Admission, College Application, Person Statement

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According to UF admissions, if you’re applying to become a freshman, you must submit a personal essay that allows admissions to get to know who you are. The word count limit is specified in the two application platforms – either the Coalition or Common Application, the latter of which UF is accepting for the first time this year. Here are the essay prompts from which to choose

Topics: College Application, UF, Person Statement

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They read hundreds − if not thousands − of application essays, morning, afternoon, and evening.  They are the people in college admissions looking for the good read, the applicant’s essay that will make their day. That’s why getting the reader’s attention right from the start goes a very long way toward making you stand out from a long procession of students.

Topics: College Application, Application Essays, Person Statement

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Date	Action
NOW	The Common Application essay prompts are available. Begin to craft your “personal statement” essay idea NOW if you haven’t yet started. You’ll need this essay for various colleges.
August 1	Common Application officially opens for fall 2020 admission – but start it NOW – the system will “roll-over” your basic information and your college list on August 1.
August/September	Begin submitting rolling admission applications. The earlier you submit, generally speaking, the better your chances for admission and the earlier you’ll receive an admission decision. Many state universities in Florida (e.g. UCF, FAU) offer rolling admission.
Oct 1	Both of the financial aid applications − CSS Profile and the FAFSA − open on October 1. We urge parents to complete these in the weeks immediately following October 1.
Oct 15	The earliest admission deadline allowed by NACAC: ·       UVA – Early Decision ·       GA Tech – Early Action And there are likely to be others with this early date.
Nov 1 & Nov 15	These are the most popular deadlines for Early Action and Early Decision. Applying EA or ED tends to improve your admission chances – so take advantage of EA and ED when you can.
Dec 15	The date by which we want all applications submitted so we can all enjoy the holiday break!
May 1	National Decision Day – the deadline for giving a non-refundable deposit to the college you’ve decided to attend.

 

Topics: College Application, College Planning

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If you don’t already appreciate how incredibly stressful applying to colleges can be — and how that stress has serious implications — don’t take our word for it. Here’s a student, Gabriela Nadeau, writing about her feelings in a November 2017 article titled College Applications: I’m Applying to College and I’m Stressed AF [“AF” is a texting acronym for “As F_ _ _”] on teenvogue.com (with all of the emphasis via bold font added):

Topics: College Application, College Counseling, College Planning, Anxiety

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By the start of their second semester, most high school juniors have begun creating and honing a prospective college list, and scheduling college visits. What most don’t realize is that it’s also the ideal moment to begin working on college applications, especially the often-dreaded college application essay (commonly known as the personal statement). Where to get started? What’s the perfect topic? What are college admission readers looking for? These and other student questions oftentimes result in panic and procrastination: I’ll worry about it this summer! Then suddenly, it’s September….

Topics: Essays, College Application, Application Essays, Person Statement

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Last August 13^th, we posted a blog titled “Forget the Worm: The Early Bird Gets Admitted.” That’s why we’ve chosen our title here (“The Past as Prologue”), because what has already happened should dictate our current actions. Here’s the connection: In that blog, we detailed a long-term trend – what has been happening – favoring those who apply to colleges via Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) over those who apply Regular Decision (RD). That trend has continued, and because ED and EA benefits both colleges and students in unique ways, there’s every reason to believe that it will continue – at an increasing pace – for the foreseeable future.

Topics: College Admission, College Application, College Counseling, College Planning, Early Decision, Early Action

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