November College Guy Rant for Seniors!
Hey Class of ’25 – happy November! For those of you not in the Northeast here’s a hit of some stunning fall colors. Enjoy!
Some of you have sent out Early Action and Early Decision applications. Nice job, and good luck! Read on for a couple important reminders.
Those of you who have not applied early should know when your deadlines are: Nov. 30th for all U. California and Cal. State schools, and Jan. 1 and later for nearly everyone else (with a handful of notable exceptions like U. Washington on Nov. 15th and U. Texas Austin on Dec. 1.) So you’ve got plenty of time, but get cracking!
As a reminder I’m available to help with your essays, PIQs, and supplemental question responses. I also help students strategize about sending supporting and extra materials such as extra letters of recommendation, extra writing samples, a resume, some sort of groovy “show and tell” piece. Those of you who’ve met with me know what I’m talking about when I suggest “coloring outside the lines” a bit and sending extra stuff. Those of you who haven’t met with. me – what are you waiting for? 😉 My contact information is below.
And don’t forget to request and prepare for interviews when and where they’re offered, send updated test scores if you’ve improved on your last score, and don’t be bashful about applying for Honors programs offered at your colleges. Note that these often require an extra piece of writing.
Parents who intend to apply for financial aid should have completed (or be working on) the CSS PROFILE if any of junior’s schools require that. Here’s a list of the 300 or so schools that do:
Seniors: here are three IMPORTANT things you should know:
- You should receive a confirmation email from EVERY school you’ve applied to (within a week) saying that they’ve received your application. This email should contain information (and a temporary password and/or your student ID) and instructions about setting up your STUDENT PORTAL. The portal is your unique home page for every college you apply to. It’s very important to set this up and record your user name (student id) and password for EACH SCHOOL’S portal.Get familiar with how to navigate your portal and pay attention to what’s on it. Besides displaying the status of your application, many schools will reveal their admissions decisions first on your portal. And all have a “to-do” list which lets you know what, if anything, you’re expected to do.If you’ve not received the confirming email / portal instructions from a school you‘ve applied to within a week or so, call the admissions office and ask them when you can expect to receive confirmation and portal instructions.
- Here’s another reminder that if you’re planning to apply to any of the U. Cal and Cal. State schools, they’re due at the end of the month. Get working on those four PIQs!
- This is the time to put together a “cover letter package” for your ED and EA schools if you’re intending to do one. This only applies to your common app schools, not your U. Cal. or Cal. State schools.
If you’ve met with me you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t….the “Cover letter package” is a way for you to “color outside the lines” a bit and send through the mail any additional material you’d like an admissions team to consider as part of their evaluation of your candidacy. Extra material could include:
a. your resume (for the schools that didn’t let you upload it)
b. any additional letters of recommendation you want them to see that didn’t “fit” in Naviance, SCOIRE, or the Common App
c. any additional writing you have
d. some sort of “show and tell” piece.
I’m happy to explain this “not the norm” approach which I recommend students consider. Remember for selective schools they’re operating from a dearth of information about you – they don’t know you. And though admissions teams (and some well-meaning but sadly misinformed advisors) will tell you that “they have all they need if you just follow their instructions”, let me assure you that that’s a bunch of hooey.
That’s it for now. Share this with your friends and neighbors, and if I can be of help, pick up the phone or write me.
From your Admissions Avatar, your egregious essayist, your perky polemicist, your bloodied-but-not-bowed Yankee fan and Kamala supporter (what, you thought I wouldn’t work that in somewhere?),
Gary the College Guy
—
Gary L. Canter
College Placement Services
14 Bedell Street
Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 318-7289
www.collegeplacementservices.org
College Placement Services provides high school students and their families
assistance with all aspects of the college search, selection, application. and financial aid process.
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