THE CLASSICAL SCHOOL GUIDE TO
Preparing for College Admission
FOLLOW THE COLLEGE PLANNING TIMELINE
Recommended College Planning Timeline
Throughout High School
Pray! Entrust your college search and application process to your patron saint and guardian angel.
Visit potential colleges and take a tour whenever you get a chance while on vacation, visiting friends, traveling across the country, etc.
Consider establishing an email address to use for college-related communications (for example: catherinescollegeemail@gmail.com).
Consider whether taking AP, CLEP, and DSST courses will be a part of your high school experience.
Consider taking dual enrollment courses at a local or online accredited institution. Dual enrollment courses fulfill both high school credits and college credits simultaneously. Be in touch with your admission counselor regarding whether and how dual enrollment courses will transfer.
Freshman Year
Take a standardized test online or at a local high school for practice with standardized test-taking in a classroom setting.
Sophomore Year
Take a standardized test such as the CLT10, PSAT, and/or PLAN for practice with standardized test taking and to get an idea of strengths and weaknesses.
Prep diligently for the junior year PSAT for National Merit consideration. Research other major scholarship opportunities. For example, the National Hispanic Recognition Program may result in significant financial awards for students who are at least one quarter Hispanic.
Reflect on and discuss the characteristics of the type of college that will be a good fit for you. Keep a list.
A tip from the Benedictine College
Office of Admission: We encourage you to use Transferology to help evaluate how specific college credits transfer. Create an account at transferology.com.
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Junior Year
Take the PSAT for National Merit and National Hispanic Recognition Program consideration.
Take the CLT, ACT, and/or SAT. College scholarships may be based in part on a student’s standardized test score. Be prepared that you may wish to retake a particular test in order to reach your full potential and maximize scholarship opportunities.
Identify 8-10 colleges or universities that might be a good option for you based on academic offerings, location, and campus culture factors.
Let faithful Catholic colleges know you are interested in hearing from them. Go to the Cardinal Newman Society’s website (newmansociety.org) and complete the “Recruit Me” form.
Make college visits. Do your best to get a feel for the student body. Peers have a tremendous influence on your college success. Consider attending a summer enrichment program offered by colleges you are considering.
Research college application requirements and deadlines. Keep a chart or excel file of requirements.
Begin to discern a major. Go to Benedictine.MyMajors.com to take a brief assessment of your strengths, skills, interests, and aptitudes; you’ll receive a personalized list of potential majors.
Review financial aid requirements and deadlines. Check the financial aid section of a college’s website for this information.
Start looking for outside scholarships. Be sure to consider local civic, county, and regional scholarships. Organize your list of scholarship deadlines in chronological order to ensure you meet the deadlines.
Senior Year
Be sure you have submitted applications and all supporting documents to the colleges or universities at which you intend to seek admission.
Make any final campus visits in the fall.
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at studentaid.gov beginning October 1 of your senior year to be considered for federal financial aid.
A tip from the Benedictine College Office of Admission: A completed FAFSA may be required for certain state aid, endowment scholarships and participation in some work study programs.
Evaluate financial aid offers and be sure you understand all costs associated with attending the college or university.
Be attentive to on-campus scholarship programs and participate in any competitions at your schools of interest.
Apply to special programs for which you may be eligible, such as honors or leadership programs.
Select the college of your choice and be sure you have taken all the necessary steps to secure your place at that institution.
Complete your high school coursework.
Send your final high school transcript (and transcripts for dual enrollment and other college courses you have taken during high school) to the college of your choice.
Celebrate and begin your college career!
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KEEP AN ACADEMIC & EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME #2
A tip from the Benedictine College Office of Admission: At Benedictine College, a resume is not required as part of the standard application. However, some of our Programs of Distinction applications do require the submission of a resume. Visit Benedictine.edu/programsofdistinction for more information.
Create your resume, save it in a convenient and easily accessible location on your desktop, and update it at the end of each semester. When admission officers and scholarship committees request your resume as part of your application, you will be ready to provide it. Include information from the following areas:
Academics
Short description of high school academic program, whatever it might be. You may wish to include details such as the name of your school, your anticipated graduation date, and type of curriculum used.
Cumulative GPA College credit courses
Standardized & specialized exam scores and test dates including Classic Learning Test (CLT), ACT, SAT, and National Latin Exam, etc.
Memberships & achievements including National Honor Society, and any other academic honors, scholarships, or special recognitions
Tutoring experience
Reading list of great works of literature
Foreign language experience and involvement
Academic enrichment experiences such as academic summer camps
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Service
Mission trip experience (domestic and international). Describe the location and key responsibilities on the mission trip.
Extracurriculars
Volunteer and community service, including an estimated number of hours volunteered, if desired. Write a brief description of each noteworthy experience.
List activities and experiences that demonstrate your commitment and progression over a number of years. Reviewing this list will help you identify long-standing passions and interests and may help shape future goals.
A tip from the Benedictine College Office of Admission: Keep in mind that colleges and scholarship committees prefer to see a depth of commitment in a few activities rather than a superficial level of involvement in a larger number of activities.
Music (years studying music, levels achieved, awards, competitions, etc.)
Newspaper/yearbook
Theatre involvement with a short description of key onstage or behind-thescenes roles
Athletics Pro-life activities (parades, rallies, March for Life, etc.)
4-H or county fair activities
Certifications (Safe Sitter, VIRTUS, etc.)
Parish involvement such as a lector, choir member, altar server, accompanist, member of youth group, pro-life group, volunteer, cleaning crew, funeral dinner helper, etc.
Work Experience
Write a brief description of the primary responsibilities at each job. Include both paid and unpaid experiences, including babysitting.
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ACADEMIC & EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
References
Maintain a running list of potential references, their titles or relationship to you, and their contact information so that you will always have someone to call upon when a reference is needed. Good references may include:
Pastor or other priest Teachers
Employers, co-workers, and family friends who have observed your work ethic and abilities
School consultant or NHS advisor
Neighbors
Family friends who know you well
Theatre production directors
Chaperones for volunteer experiences and mission trips
Music instructors and athletic coaches
Parishioners who know you from parish activities (choir director, youth group coordinator, etc.)
Interests
Documenting your interests and activities may be help you narrow down college choices and scholarship opportunities, and eventually may help direct you toward a particular field of study.
Types of music and instruments
Reading genres
Radio stations
News sources Games
Religious orders
Pro-life activities
Favorite museums
Historical periods
Places traveled
Languages
Favorite devotions
A tip from the Benedictine College Office of Admission: Contact your references in advance and ask for their permission to be listed as a reference.
ACADEMIC & EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME 6
SAMPLE STUDENT RESUME
116 Silver St., Waterville, ME 04901 catherinescollegeemail@gmail.com
CATHERINE EDWARDS
Benedictine College Applicant
WHY BENEDICTINE?
I desire to attend a Catholic college with a strong liberal arts heritage.
Benedictine College is my choice college because I can grow in my faith and read great works while obtaining my degree.
ACADEMIC HONORS
• 3.82 GPA
• 112 CLT
• National Honor Society
• National Junior Classical League Latin Honors Society
• National Latin Exam perfect score award
• Reporter and Editor-in-Chief of the St. Jerome Classical Academy Herald
MUSIC EXPERIENCE
2014 – present Piano
2018 – 2020 Violin
2020 – present Organ
EDUCATION
St. Jerome Classical Academy
Anticipated graduation: May 25, 2024
913.367.5340
St. Jerome Classical Academy is a Catholic, college preparatory school that immerses students in the writings of the greatest thinkers throughout our history. St. Jerome’s takes special pride in educating students to know the Truth, love the Good, and delight in Beauty.
Benedictine College Youth Conferences (BCYC)
Immersion - Great Books Academic Track
BCYC Immersion is a Catholic summer youth conference hosted by Benedictine College, combining a science and academic pre-college program and a Catholic youth camp.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Retail Associate / Waterville Books
Summers 2021 and 2022
Opens and closes store, reconciles cash register, runs cash register, restocks merchandise, fulfills online orders, updates POS system, conducts inventory, assists customers, maintains clean and orderly store.
LEADERSHIP AND VOLUNTEER ROLES
Notre Dame du Perpetual Secours Catholic Church
2020 – present Volunteer / Cleaning Crew
2020 – present Lector and Organ Accompanist
2020 Volunteer / Haiti House Fundraiser
2016 - present Chorister / Youth Choir
2020 - present Founder and President / Servants of St. Gianna Pro-Life Group
Waterville Opera House
2012 – present Backstage Crew Member / Mainstage, Summerstage, and After School Players Productions
Actor / Mainstage, After School Players, and Traveling Productions
Stage Manager / After School Players and Traveling Productions
Assistant Director / After School Players productions
Catholic Charities
2016 – present Volunteer / Friendly Visitors program
2022 Coordinator / Angel Tree project
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SJCA SJCA OBTAIN YOUR TRANSCRIPT
High school transcripts can seem daunting, but admission officials are simply looking for information about your high school academic experience that you already know.
The admission counselor reviewing your application will want to see the list of courses you took, whether the course was a semester of yearlong, and what grades you earned.
As you make course selections in high school, make sure that you take classes that will give you a broad basis of understanding. Classical curricula are often designed precisely with this goal in mind.
Ask the admission offices of the colleges to which you plan to apply whether they have any particular requirements you need to meet. Many college admission officials require at least six semesters of high school credits before a student can be officially considered for admission.
Pro Tips from the Benedictine College Office of Admission:
An “official” transcript is a transcript that has been signed by the head of the school, or another designated official, which lets the college know your offical grades.
List an anticipated graduation date (month, day, and year) on the transcript. You get to choose the date!
Use “IP” to denote a course which is currently “In Progress.”
Denote dual enrollment courses with an asterisk (see sample transcript), indicating the name of the college where the course was taken.
Keep dual enrollment course descriptions for your records.
Calculate your Grade Point Average (GPA). Find instructions online (or use an online GPA calculator) to calculate your GPA. This can help you work toward meeting financial aid and admission requirements.
Send a final transcript to the college of your choice upon completion of high school. For dual enrollment courses, be sure to have the accredited institutions(s) send a final transcript to the college of your choice so that the courses can be evaluated for college credit.
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SJ CA #3
A tip from the Benedictine College Office of Admission: Every student’s transcript is unique, and reflects your individual academic path. No two transcripts will look exactly alike.
Official High School Transcript
Anticipated graduation: May 25, 2024
Student Information:
Full Name: Catherine Edwards
Sex: F
Date of Birth: August 19, 2006
Address: 116 Silver St., Waterville, ME 04901
Phone: 913.367.5340
Email: catherinescollegeemail@gmail.com
School Information:
School: St. Jerome Classical Academy
Address: 1054 Euclid St., Waterville, ME 04901
Phone: 913.360.7476
Headmaster: Megan Johnson
Email: office@stjeromeclassical.org
(2021-2022)
11th Grade (2022-2023)
12th Grade (2023-2024)
Key: IP= In Progress, * = Dual enrollment at Kennebec Valley Community College
I certify that this is a true copy of the permanent record
September 15, 2023
Grading Scale: A (90-100) = 4.0, B (80-89) = 3.0, C (70-79) = 2.0, D (60-69) = 1.0, F (59 or below) = 0.0, Pass
______________________________________ __________________ Authorized Signature Date
Courses 1st 2nd Credits GPA Algebra II A B 1.00 3.50 Biology B A 1.00 3.50 Early Medieval Literature A A 1.00 4.00 Early Medieval History A A 1.00 4.00 Early Medieval Philosophy A A 1.00 4.00 Theology - New Testament A A 1.00 4.00 Early Medieval Art A A .50 4.00 Latin I A A 1.00 4.00 Physical Ed P .50 Choir A A .50 4.00 Credits 8.00 3.88
Courses 1st 2nd Credits GPA Ancient Hist & Geog A A 1.00 4.00 Ancient Literature A A 1.00 4.00 Ancient Philosophy B B 1.00 3.00 Debate and Drama A A 1.00 4.00 Earth Sciences A A 1.00 4.00 Geometry Honors A A 1.00 4.00 Latin II A A 1.00 4.00 Ancient Art A A .50 4.00 Choir A A .50 4.00 Physical Education P .50 Theology - Old Testament A A 1.00 4.00 Credits 9.00 3.89
9th Grade (2020-2021)
10th Grade
Courses 1st 2nd Credits GPA Modern History B B 1.00 3.00 Modern Literature A A 1.00 4.00 Precalculus A A 1.00 4.00 Latin III A A 1.00 4.00 Modern Philosophy B A 1.00 3.50 Theology - Apologetics A A 1.00 4.00 Physics A A 1.00 4.00 Music History - Modern A B .50 3.50 Art History IV - Modern A A .50 4.00 Physical Ed P .50 Drama-Shakespeare/Comedy A A .50 4.00 Credits 8.50 3.79
Courses 1st 2nd Credits GPA Theology - Catechism IP Renaissance Literature IP Chemistry IP Scholasticism and Early Modern Philosophy IP American History and Gov. IP ART114 Drawing Techniques* IP Senior Thesis IP Physical Ed IP Latin IV IP Credits 0.00 Total Credits: 25.50 Current GPA: 3.85
SJ
9 CA
College & University Comparison Chart
Benedictine College
Academics
Is the degree I want offered?
Will I be formed in the liberal arts?
How does the class size feel?
Do I feel connected to the professors?
Will I be challenged in my courses?
Will I be equipped for a job/grad school?
Does the school attract mission-fit speakers?
Campus & Location
Do I like the size & setting of the campus?
Do I like the geographical location?
Are the facilities well-maintained?
How far is it from home?
Can I bring a car?
Were the tour guides/students I encountered friendly and welcoming?
Student & Faith Life
Are there opportunities to join clubs?
Is the college recommended by the Newman Guide as a Faithful Catholic College?
Will I have opportunities to grow in my faith/discern my vocation?
Does the college have a strong residence life program?
Extracurriculars
Is my activity or sport offered?
Will the director/coach be a good mentor?
Do I qualify for extracurricular scholarships?
Are the facilities in good condition?
Do the students involved have a healthy culture of striving for excellence?
Are there opportunities to grow in my faith as an athlete?
Costs & Aid
With scholarships & aid, how much will it cost me to attend each year?
How much can my family contribute?
What will my estimated loan debt be?
Is work study available?
Other:
Other: ___________________________________ ___________________________________
My choice of college:
WEIGH THE PROS
CONS
&
• • • •
Cons Pros This is my school No, not this school This is my school No, not this school 10
College/University:
Cons Pros Cons Pros Cons Pros Cons Pros Cons Pros
Pros | Cons Pros | Cons Pros | Cons Pros | Cons Pros | Cons Pros | Cons #4
A tip from the Benedictine College Office of Admission: Check out the variety of visit days (personal campus visits, group visits, specialized experiences for classically educated students, etc.) available at the colleges you are considering. Consider which type of visit day will best serve your needs depending on where you are in your college decision-making process.
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This is my school No, not this school This is my school No, not this school This is my school No, not this school
Benedictine College’s mission is to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship. Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, Residential, Liberal Arts college located on the bluffs of the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The college prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging.
Benedictine College has been named one of America’s best colleges by the U.S. News & World Report as well as one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.
Learn more at
Benedictine.edu
Request additional copies of this guide at Benedictine.edu/ClassicalSchoolGuide.