Greenwich Academy College Workbook
Class of 2026
1. INTRODUCTION
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Mr PatrickDwyer 2036258945 pdwyer@greenwichacademyorg
Ms.SarahMaliakel
Ms.ReedMinor
Ms.RachelPowers
Ms.SallyMaloney
203.552.4491 smaliakel@greenwichacademy.org
203.485.4003 rminor@greenwichacademy.org
203.552.4429 rpowers@greenwichacademy.org
203.552.4454 smaloney@greenwichacademy.org
GreenwichAcademyCEEBCodeNumber: 070235
GreenwichAcademy 200NorthMapleAvenue Greenwich,CT 06830 203-625-8900
WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS
● Showinguppreparedforone-on-onecollegemeetingsandworkshops.
● ReadingemailmessagessentfromtheCollegeCounselingO ceandresponding,ifneeded
● Devotingplentyoftimetocollegeassignments
● UsingtheGACollegeCounselingWorkbookandScoirastoolstoguideyouthroughtheprocess
● MeetingtheCollegeCounselingO ce’sdeadlines
● KeepingtheCollegeCounselingO ceinformedaboutapplicationplans
● Knowingthespeci cdeadlines,testingrequirements,andinterviewprotocolforeachschooltowhichyouare applying.(Checkthewebsite rst,thencalltheadmissionso cedirectlyifyouhavequestions.)
● Beingresponsibleforcompletingandsubmittingthefollowingtoeachcollege:applicationfees,the application,supplements,ando cialscorereportsthroughyouraccountsontheACTorSATwebsites.
● Securingteacherrecommendations(inperson)bythedeadlineprescribedbytheCollegeCounselingO ce (typicallyearlyJune).
● Proofreadingyourcollegeessays.TeachersandtheCollegeCounselingO cewillfocusonthemessage,voice, andappropriatenessofthewriting,sobesuretocorrectthemechanicalerrorsyourself(orhaveatrustededitor help).
● Beingsureeachapplicationiscompleteandcorrectbeforesubmittingit
● Keepingyourparentsinformedaboutthesearchprocess
● Keepingyourcollegeinformationcon dential
● Workinghardandconcentratingondoingyourbestinyouracademicpursuits
● Rememberingthisis,aboveall,yoursearch!
WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR COLLEGE COUNSELORS
● Beingaccessibletostudentsandparentstohelpguidethem,step-by-step,throughthisprocess.
● Seekingoutanswerstoquestionsstudentsmayhaveaboutaparticularcollegeoruniversitythattheycannot answerontheirown
● Maintainingrelationshipswithcollegeadmissionso cerstobetterunderstandwhatcollegesarelookingfor, andmonitoringandsupportingallstudents’applicationsthroughouttheprocess
● Meetingalldeadlines(aslongasstudentshave)insubmittingGA’smaterials
● O eringstudentssuggestionsandguidanceaboutcollegesbasedonthepreferencestheyexpress
● Helpingstudentscreateabalancedandrealisticlistofcollegestheywouldbehappytoattend
● Helpingstudentsmakeinformeddecisionsaboutpotentialearlyapplications,andhelpingthemnavigatethe waitlistprocess.
● Keepingallstudents’collegematterscon dential.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS
▪ Supportingandencouragingyourstudent,o eringadviceandguidance.
▪ Rememberingthatthisdecisionis,aboveall,thestudent’s.
▪ Beingopentonewideasandsuggestionsoncollegestoconsider.
▪ Helpingyourstudentunderstandthatthereismorethanonecollegethatisappropriateforherandwhereshe canbehappy
▪ Supportinganethicalapproachtotheadmissionsprocess studentsareexpectedtocompletetheirown applications
▪ Keepingyourstudent’scollegematterscon dential
10 PERSISTENT MYTHS OF THE COLLEGE PROCESS
10 Applynow;youcanalwaysvisitwhenyou’readmitted
Manycollegesweighvisitsorothercontactaspartofyouradmissionprofile Ifyouaretakingthetroubletoapplytoa college,besureyoutreatitlikeyourfirstchoice
9 Thescorerangesforadmittedstudentsonacollege’swebsitewillhelpdetermineyourchances
Rememberthatthoserangesincludeallstudentsadmittedwithtesting,includingoneswithhooks Lookatthehigherend ofthescorerangeforanindication,ifatall
8 Ifaschoolissendingyoumailoraquickapplication,youcangetin
It’sinacollege’sbestinteresttoreceiveasmanyapplicationsaspossible,socollegescastwidenetswhenreachingoutto studentstoseewhowillapply.Someofthosestudentsarequalified;somearenot.
7.Collegesholdgrudgesagainstorunfairlyfavorcertainhighschools;collegeshavequotasofstudentsfromeachhigh school.
Collegeslooktobuildclasses,andtheywillacceptstudentstofulfilltheirneeds,regardlessofhighschool.Numbersof admissionsoffersfromthesameinstitutioncanvarydramaticallyfromyeartoyearbasedonwhatthatcollegewantsand thestrengthofthestudentsinthegroup.
6.Seniorgradesaren’timportant.
Gradesreceivedbeforeacollegerendersadecisionareimportantforadmission,andgradesreceivedafterareimportant forkeepingthatofferofadmission.
5 It’sagoodideato“game”thesystem(forexample,applytoalessselectiveprogramwithinaschoolandthentransfer, ordesignateamajoryouaren’tinterestedin,hopingitwillhelp)
Collegesarelookingtofilltheirmajorsandspecialprogramswithstudentswhoaregenuinelyinvested,andwilllookclosely atpriorinterestandinvolvementinthatfield And,withinsomeuniversities,itcanbeextremelydifficulttotransferto anotherprogram
4 Collegesweighthesubjectivefactors(activities,theessay,etc)asmuchastheobjectiveones(transcriptandscores)
Thepersonalaspectsofastudent’sprofilecomeintoplayonlyifthatstudentmeetstheschool’sobjectivestandards,exceptin rarecasesofstudentswithextremeextenuatingcircumstances
3.Aschool’sprestigehasadirectrelationshiptothequalityoftheeducationanditsresources. Equatingprestigeandthequalityofstudents’experienceatacollegeiserroneous,asmanystatisticsandanecdotesshow.
2.Collegeadmissionsisacrapshoot.
Withathoroughunderstandingofacollege’sadmissionsstandardsandtheprofileofastudentwithinherhighschool, collegeadmissionisusuallyquitepredictable.
1.ThereisONEschoolwhereyouwillbehappiest.
Onceyou’vedeterminedagoodfit,youwillfindseveralschoolsthatmeetthosecriteria!
ADVICE FROM SENIORS TO JUNIORS
● Peoplewillsharewithyouallkindsofopinionsoncollegesbutyouhavetothinkforyourself.
● Getbeyondwhatacollegelookslike it’snotenoughtobaseadecisionon.
● Useyoursummertogetapplicationsdone
● Becarefulwhatyousee rst Ifyouseetheoneyouthinkyou’lllovebest rst,andyoudofallinlove,you won’tgiveanythingelsearealchance Sostartwithschoolsthatarealittledi erentandnotastoughtoget intosoyouknowwhat’soutthere
● Justbecauseyouhaven’theardofaschooldoesn’tmeanit’snotagoodschool
● Don’tbetiedtojustoneschool Youreallycanlikemorethanoneplace
● Keepthingstoyourselfifyoucan.But,ifyouhavetoshare,bereallycarefulwhatyousay.Theschoolyou’re makingfunofmightbetheoneafriendisthinkingabout.
● Bepreparedforyourplanstototallychange,andforwhatyouthinknowtobeturnedupsidedown.
ADVICE FROM SENIORS TO JUNIOR PARENTS
● Don’tmakeeverydinnertableconversationaboutcollege.
● Don’tbescaredorwe’llgetscared.
● Don’tspendalotoftimethinkingandtalkingaboutmycompetitionintheclass
● Don’ttalkaboutmycollegeprocesswithyourfriends
● Don’tspendthewholedrivedowntoacollegepreppingforaninterviewthere
● Don'tstress Iknowthissoundscliché,butit'sthebestadviceIcangive Thiswhole"collegething"isa learningprocess,notonlyforthestudentbutfortheparents,too Worryiswasteful,anddoesn'thelpstudents getintocollege So,basicallywhatI'msayingis,workhardbutdon'tworry
● Whatreallyhelpedmenotstressinthisprocesswasstartingitearly. Startlookingatthebook makealist, startvisitingjuniorspring andde nitelystarttheapplicationandhavethecommonappessay nishedbefore schoolstartsinSeptember.
● Iwouldstronglysuggestdoingcollegevisitsoverspringbreak.ThoughIplayasportandknowhowawfulit wastogiveupmyentirespringbreak,Ihavereapedtherewardsasaseniornotstressingaboutmissingschool.
● Thismightbereallyobviousbutjustbeextremelysupportive.It’sastressfulyearforbothkidsandparents.It mayseemsmall,butyoursupportmakesahugedi erence.
● Donotpushavisittoacertainschool.Letherchoosewhereshewantstoapply.Itisherlife.
11 HABITS FOR PARENTS TO DEVELOP
Parents,yourattitudeswillhaveaprofoundimpactonyourstudent’scollegeprocess,practicallyandpsychologically. Belowarewaystoprepareyourselftosupportyourstudentsothatthisprocessgivesheroptionsandself-respect,and keepsyourrelationshipintact.Thesearebasedonmanyyearsofobservingandlisteningtofamilies.
1 Educateyourselfabouttheadmissionsclimate
Themoreyoulearnaboutthecurrentstateofadmissions,thebetter Thisworkbookincludeslistsofwebsitesthatcanhelp yougetuptospeed
2 Educateyourselfaboutindividualschools
Thereareover100collegesadmittingfewerthan35%ofstudents,andseveralhundredmoreadmittingunder75% In anygivenyear,GAstudentsapplytoapproximately150differentcolleges Getbeyondthe“usualsuspects”andlearnabout them (TheFiskeGuideisagreatplacetostart;anothergoodresourceisCollegesthatChangeLives)Themorequicklyyou realizehowmanygreatoptionsareoutthere,themorerelaxedyouwillfeel
3.Acknowledgethechange.
Admissions thecomplexityandthedifficulty isdrasticallydifferentfromwhenyouwentthroughit,orevenfromten yearsago.Tossoutallofyourassumptionsaboutwhichkindsofstudentsgotowhichkindsofschools;everythinghas changed.
4.Knowyourstudent’spro le.
Usingyourstudent’sprofile(transcript,scores,placeintheclass)andourinput(especiallyourcoding),figureoutwhat rangeofschoolsarethemostlikelytoyieldpositiveresultsandbuildalistwiththatinmind.
5.Manageexpectationsdown.
Manyparentsfearthatiftheyurgetheirstudenttobeconservativeinherchoices,itwillmakeherfeelundervalued.Thisis usuallynotthecase;moststudentsareverypractical,understandtheadmissionsclimate,andwouldratherhearthehard truthonthefrontendthangettheirhopesupandhavethemdashedlater Ultimately,yourstudentneedstohearthatyou arehappywithherasis,andwillbehappywithhercollegeresultswhatevertheymaybe
6 Depersonalize
Studentstendtotakerejection(orthepredictionofrejection)verypersonally Ifthathappens,pointtoallthethingsthatare outoftheircontrollikeapplicationnumbersandwhoelseisapplying Youcanalsopointoutthepressureseachcollegeis underto“build”aclassfromallfiftystatesandmanycountries,withgenderbalance,artists,athletes,musicians,students ofcolor,alumnichildren,etc Believeitornot,hearingthisfeelsbettertothemthanwonderingwhattheyarelacking individually!
7.Suppresssnobbery.
Probablythegreatestenemyofpeaceofmindinthecollegeprocessisconcernaboutstatus.Weallhaveinnatebiases,but nowisthetimetoconfrontthemhead-onforthesakeofyourchild.Shemayendupatoneoftheplacesyouinitially snubbed,andthosewordswillstaywithherthroughcollegeandbeyond.
8 Don’ttalktoothersaboutyourstudent’sprocess
Thereisadirectrelationshipbetweenstressandtheamountparentssharewithotherparentsabouttheirchild’sprocess
Parentswhosimplyrefusetodiscussandcomparetheirchildren,andwhoconsciouslyremovethemselvesfromsituations whereothersarediscussingtheirs,aremuchcalmerthroughoutandcontentwithresults
9 Putonagameface
Studentsaredesperateforapprovalfromtheirparentsonthecollegesthey’reconsidering They’lltrytointuityouropinion fromyourwordsandbodylanguage.Ifyoutrulywantyourstudenttoleadtheprocess,trytoappearneutraluntilsheasks youdirectlywhatyouthink. Eventhen,rememberthatyourwordswillinfluenceher,probablymorethanyouimagine.(A raisedeyebrowmightbeinterpretedasfierycontempt!)
10.Putitinperspective.
Thoughfindingacollegeisaveryimportantdecision,studentsneedreassurancethatthesuccessoftheirwholelifedoesn’t dependonwheretheygo(theyoftenfeelitdoes).Remindthemaboutthemanythingsthattheywillexperiencebeyondit, andallthethingsthatmakeupahappylife.
11.Thebottomline.
GAgraduateslovetheircollegeexperiences.Rarelydoesacollegeprocess goodorbad haveanybearingonhowthe studentfeelsonceshegetsthere.Wehavehundredsofanecdotestobackitup.Soyoucanfeelcomfortablesaying,andsaying often,“Itallworksout.”Exhaustthatphrase.
College Applications and Partnership Expectations
SubmittingApplications
● Toinitiateanyapplication,studentsmustmoveacollege’s“tile”inSCOIRfromFollowingtoApplying
● Studentsareresponsibleforsubmittingtheirportionoftheapplicationbytheappropriatedeadline
● StudentsmustrespectthedeadlinessetbytheCollegeCounselingO ceforseekingfeedbackonessay responses Forexample,whileRegularDecisionapplicationsmaynotbedueuntilJanuary,theCollege CounselingO ceasksstudentstosubmitalltheirpotentialRDwritingtobereviewedinmidDecember
● GAwillsubmitallschooldocuments(o cialtranscripts,secondaryschoolreport,counselor recommendation,andteacherrecommendations)bytheappropriatedeadlines.Studentsshouldnotethatat somecolleges,thedeadlineforsubmittingschooldocumentsisafterthestudentdeadlineforsubmission.
● StudentsmustsubmittheirapplicationsusingCommonApp,orotherplatformsrequiredbyanindividual college.Someexamplesoftheseplatformsinclude:accptd(forperformingartscolleges),Universityof CaliforniaSystem,Canadianuniversities(e.g.MinervaatMcGill),Georgetown,MIT,andUCAS(forUK universities).
● StudentsarenotpermittedtosubmitanyapplicationsthroughSCOIR.
● Studentsandparentsareresponsiblefor nalproofreadingofapplications
● Wearehappytositwithyouthe rsttimeyousubmitanapplication
● Onceastudentsubmitsanapplication,theymustmovethecollege’s“tile”inSCOIRfromApplyingto Applied
● Aftersubmitting,studentswillbecontactedbyeachcollegetosetuptheirapplicationportaltomonitorthe statusoftheapplicationandtocompleteotherrequiredforms(andsometimesadditionalessays) Itisthe student’sresponsibilitytobevigilantincheckingtheportalsforalloftheirapplicationsandtocomplete assignedtasksontime
TestScores
● Themajorityofcollegeswillacceptself-reportedscores(ACT/SAT)studentslistontheirCommon Application.
● Ifacollegerequireso cialACT/SATscoresinordertocompletetheapplication,itisthestudent’s responsibilitytosendthosescoresthroughtheirACT/CollegeBoardaccount.Itcantakeacollegeseveral weekstoreceiveo cialscorereportsfromthetestingagency,soplanahead!
EarlyDecisionApplications
● BeforeapplyingEarlyDecision,familiesmustunderstandthenatureofany nancialaidawardoutcomeby utilizingthenetpricecalculatorsoranyother nancialaidtoolsprovidedbythecollege
● EarlyDecisionisabindingcommitmentbetweenacollegeandastudentifo eredadmission AnED applicationrequiressignaturesfromthestudent,aparent/guardian,andacollegecounselor
● AstudentmayonlyhaveoneactiveEDapplicationatanygiventime
● EDnoti cationsaretypicallymadebymidDecember;ED2noti cationsaremadelateJanuarytomid February
● IfastudentisadmittedtoacollegeduringanEDorED2round,theymustimmediatelywithdrawallother activeapplications.Aftertenschooldays,theCollegeCounselingO cewillcontactadmissiono cesto con rmremainingapplicationshavebeenwithdrawn.
EarlyActionApplications&UsingFirstChoiceLanguage
● EarlyActionapplicationnoti cationsarenon-bindingtothestudent;whenadmitted,thestudenthasuntil May1todecidetoenroll.
● IfastudentcommunicatestoanEarlyActioncollegethatitistheir rstchoicecollegeandtheywillenrollif admitted,theCollegeCounselingO ceconsidersthisabindingagreement.Studentswhomakethis declarationandareacceptedduringtheEAroundmustimmediatelywithdrawallotheractiveapplications Aftertenschooldays,theCollegeCounselingO cewillcontactadmissiono cestocon rmremaining applicationshavebeenwithdrawn
EnrollmentDeposits
● Studentscanonlymakeoneenrollmentcommitment/deposit “Doubledepositing”isstrictlyprohibited The CollegeCounselingO cehastheabilitytotrackenrollmentdepositsonline
● Intheeventastudentiso eredaplacefromthewaitinglistatanothercollegeanddecidestoenrollthere,they mustimmediatelynotifytheothercollegeoftheirchangeinplans.
2. MEETINGS
Overthecourseofthespringandfall,studentswillperiodicallymeetwiththeCollegeCounselingO ceinboth one-on-oneandinworkshopgroups.Totakefulladvantageofoursupport,studentsneedtoattendeverymeeting.Of course,studentsarewelcometoscheduleaninformalmeetingorstopbytheo ceanytimetoaddressindividual questionsandconcerns.
ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
MEETING #1: By Spring Break
Discussstudentsurvey,initialcollegeinterests,potentialvisits,andgeneralresearchtools Reviewtestingplans
MEETING #2: After Spring Break but Before the End of the Year
Follow-upmeeting.Studentdescribesvisits/researchandthecriteriathatareemergingasthemostimportantin choosingcolleges.CCOo erssuggestionsofadditionalschools.Con rmspringtestingdates.
SUMMER
StudentsubmitsCommonAppActivitiespdftoCCO. Anupdatedtranscriptandacodedworkinglistofcollegesis sharedwithfamilytohelpprepareforfuturevisits.
MEETING #3: Early September
Reportonsummervisits/activitiesandre nementsofpersonalcriteria. CCOreviewsCommonApplication,gauges thebalanceofthelist,ando erssuggestionsifneeded Discussfalltestingoptionsandapplicationtimelinesand deadlines
MEETING #4: Mid-late October
Studentsignso ono ciallistonceitisdeemedbalancedandappropriate Afterthispoint,changesshouldbemadeto thislistonlyiftheyarediscussedwiththeCollegeCounselingOfficefirst
INFORMAL MEETINGS
Weencourageparentsandstudentstocomeinasidefromtheserequiredmeetingtimesforconsultationand applicationhelp PleasecontactSallyMaloneytoschedulemeetingtimes
WORKSHOPS
Duringthejunioryear,theCollegeCounselingO ceconductsseparateworkshopsforstudentsandtheirparents. Students’meetingsarescheduledduringtheirfreeperiodswhileparentZoommeetingsalternatebetweenmorningand eveningtoaccommodateasmanyparentsaspossible.Studentsarerequiredtoattend;parentsarestronglyencouraged.
WORKSHOP #1 (College Night)
● AnintroductiontoTeamCollege
● AnintroductiontoScoir
● Researchtools
● Ageneraltimeline
WORKSHOP #2 (April 22nd at 7pm- Zoom)
● Learninghowtheadmissionprocessworks
● Understandingyouradmissionpro le
● Highlightingspecialtalentsintheadmissionprocess
WORKSHOP #3 (Students only, late April)
● SummerTo-DoList
● CommonApplicationandpersonalessaywriting
WORKSHOP #4 (May 27th at 9:30am)
● Essaywriting
● Teacherrecommendations
3. STANDARDIZED TESTING
Testingrequirementsforcollegeadmissionhavecertainlyevolvedinrecentyears.Therefore,itwillbeessentialthat studentsgodirectlytoindividualcollegeadmissionwebsitestounderstandtestrequirementsascollegesmakedecisions forthenextadmissionscycle.StartinginJanuary/Februaryofherjunioryear,eachstudentwillworkwithhercollege counselortoputtogetherareasonabletestingschedulethatworkstoherstrengths.
Herearethethree“categories”oftestpoliciesyouneedtoknow:
TEST OPTIONAL (TO)
Thevastmajority(over70%)of collegesanduniversitiesremaincommittedtotestoptional(TO)admissions When llingouttheCommonApplication,studentswilldecidewhetherornottosubmittestscorestoaparticularcollegein consultationwiththeircollegecounselor AverysmallnumberofcollegesareTO,but requiretestingforapplicants belowacertainGPAasrecalculatedbythecollege (AuburnandHamptonaretwoexamples)
TESTING REQUIRED
Thesecollegescurrentlyrequiretestscoresofallapplicants(December,2024):
● Brown
● CalTech
● CarnegieMellon
● Cornell
● Dartmouth
● Georgetown
● GeorgiaTech
● Harvard
● JohnsHopkins
TEST FREE/TEST BLIND
● MIT
● Purdue
● Serviceacademies
● Stanford
● UniversityofFloridasystem
● UniversityofGeorgia
● UniversityofTennessee
● UniversityofTexas
● Yale
Thesecollegescurrentlydonotconsidertestingatallintheirevaluation(December,2024):
● DickinsonCollege
● CaliforniaStateUniversitysystem
● PitzerCollege
● UniversityofCaliforniasystem
● Vassar
● WPI
COMPARING SAT vs. ACT
Thoughmoststudentsperformcomparablyoneither,somestudentsdobetteronone.Howtodecidewhichisbetter foryou?GA’sCollegeCounselingO ceo ersopportunitiesforsophomoresandjuniorstotakethePSATanda practiceACT.Manytestprepcompaniesalsohavewaystoassesswhichtestismoreappropriate.Herearethebasic di erencesbetweentheSATandACTtests:
DIGITAL SAT
● TheSATisadigitalexamusingtheCollegeBoard’sBluebooksoftware.
● AllGAstudentshaveBluebookinstalledontheirschoolcomputers.
● Twosections(EvidenceBasedReadingandWriting,Math).
● Totaltestingtime:2hours,15minutes.
ACT “CLASSIC” (PENCIL & PAPER)
● TheACT(pencil/paper)willbeavailablethroughDecember,2025.
● Foursections(English,Reading,Math,Science)throughJuly,2025.
● Totaltestingtime:2hours,55minutes.
● BeginninginSeptember,2025,theSciencesectionwillbe“optional.”
● CompositeScoreswillbebasedonthethreerequired“Core”sections(English,Reading,Math).
● Totaltestingtime:2hours,5minutes(Core),2hours50minutes(Core+Science).
ACT “CORE” (DIGITAL, AVAILABLE FEBRUARY, 2025)
● TheACTislaunchingashorter,digitalexamstartinginFebruary,2025
● Studentscannotuseapersonaldevicetotakethetest;thetestsitewillprovidedevicesforstudentuse
● Testsiteavailabilitywillbeextremelylimitedforthecomingyear
● BeginninginSeptember,2025,theSciencesectionwillbe“optional”
● CompositeScoreswillbebasedonthethreerequired“Core”sections(English,Reading,Math)
● Totaltestingtime:2hours,5minutes(Core),2hours50minutes(Core+Science)
GENERAL DIFFERENCES (courtesy of Summit Educational Group)
Format & Length
● 2 sections, 2 modules per section
● Adaptive questions in 2nd module
● Reading & Writing, Math
● Total Testing Time: 2 Hours 14 minutes
Scoring
● Total Score: 400-1600
● Reading & Writing: 200-800
● Math: 200-800
Classic-Through July ‘25
● Pencil/Paper
● 4 Sections (English, Math, Reading, Science)
● Total Testing Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
Core-Available April ‘25
● Online (February 25) and Paper Version
● 3 Sections+optional science
● Composite Score: 1-36
● English: 1-36
● Math: 1-36
● Reading: 1-36
● Science: 1-36*
*Starting in September ‘25, Composite score will only include English, Reading, and Math section scores.
Due to its adaptive format, the SAT is a shorter test. The digital SAT also provides more time per question than the ACT does, but the SAT questions are generally more challenging. Some students may prefer one test over the other, but most students score comparably
The ACT Composite score is the average of your individual test scores, so a change in one test score may not be reflected in the composite. The SAT total score is the sum of the test scores.
Within each ACT section, each question is worth the same scoring value. On the digital SAT, questions have different scoring values based on their difficulty and the skills required to solve them.
SAT Reading & Writing/ ACT Reading & English
Reading & Writing Section
● 1 question per short text (25-150 words)
● 64 total minutes (32 mins per module)
● 25-29 Reading Questions
● 19-27 Writing Questions
Reading Section
● 35 mins for 40 questions
● 4 longer texts (700-900 words each)
English Section
● 45 mins for 75 questions
● Revise & edit longer texts (300-350 words)
The ACT has separate sections for Reading & English, whereas the SAT combines the same assessment into one section (Reading & Writing). The ACT Reading & English sections are passage- based, with 10-15 questions per text. The digital SAT is paragraph-based, with only 1 question per text.
The digital SAT offers more time per question but requires more complex analysis of texts. Math
● Pre-algebra through basic trigonometry
● Basic formulas provided
● About 25% of questions are “student produced response” questions that do not provide answer choices
Science
● The SAT does not have a standalone Science section and does not directly assess science knowledge.
● Pre-algebra through basic trigonometry
● Extensive range of concepts tested.
● Formulas not provided
● 5 answer choices per question (rest of the test has 4)
● The ACT Science section is primarily a reasoning test, but it occasionally requires prior science knowledge.
The SAT and ACT math tests cover similar ranges of concepts. The ACT requires a broad, basic knowledge of many concepts. The SAT requires a deep knowledge of a core set of concepts, particularly algebra. The digital SAT offers about 38% more time per question than the ACT does.
The ACT Science test measures interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. The test requires outside scientific knowledge on a few questions per test. The SAT does not include a Science section.
SAT/ACT CONCORDANCE TABLE
REGISTRATION AND TEST DATES
REGISTRATION
● Itisthestudent’sresponsibilitytoregisterforalltests
● RegisterfortheSATatwwwcollegeboardcom
● RegisterfortheACTatwwwactorg
● GreenwichAcademy’sSchoolCode(CEEBCode)is070235.Youcannotregisterforanytestwithout providingGA’sschoolcode
2025 NATIONAL TEST DATES AS PUBLISHED NOV, 2024
SAT
TestDate RegistrationDeadline
Dec7 Nov22
Mar8 Feb25 May3 Apr22 Jun7 May27 AugTBD OctTBD NovTBD
ACT
TestDate RegistrationDeadline Dec9 Nov17 Feb8 Jan3 Apr5 Feb28 Jun14 May9 Jul112 Jun6 SeptTBD OctTBD
2025 IN-SCHOOL TEST DATES at GA (Registration via GA, not through student SAT/ACT account)
● SAT-March4th
● ACT-April8th
TEST PREP: IF, WHEN, AND HOW?
Familiesoftenwrestlewithif,whenandhowtoapproachpreparingforstandardizedtests–especiallyinthis environmentasmanyschoolscontinuetest-optionalpolicies Thereisawidearrayofpreparationstrategies,ranging fromprepbookstosingle-dayworkshopstoprivatetutoring Asyoumightexpect,costscanrangeconsiderably dependingontheapproachyouchoose
First,herearesomeobservationsovertimeabouttestprep
● Thereisnoone-size- ts-allstrategy Studentshaveexperiencedgreatsuccessacrossarangeofstrategies,evenifthey optedforalower-cost,limited,ortargetedapproach.
● Beforeyoucreateatestingplanandatest-prepstrategy,takesometimetotalkthrough,withus,theroleoftesting inyourstudent’scollegesearch. Giventherestofherpro le,forexample,wecanhelpyouunderstandthe implicationsofcertainscoresforhercollegelist.
● Weurgecautionintakingstandardizedtestsprematurely. Thepracticetestsweadministerinthesophomoreand junioryearsareintendedtobejustthat–practice–beforethetestingprocessbeginsinearnestinthejuniorspring.
● Wealsocautionfamiliesagainstdevotingtoomuchtimetoearlypreparation.Thesee ortsareoftenwasted–sometimesinamisguidede ortto“gettestingoverwith”–andtheypullthestudents’timeawayfromamuch moresigni cantfactorinthecollegeprocess:theirgrades Introducingtestpreptooearlycanforcethestudentto borrowtimefromoneobligationtomeetanother,attheperilofhergrades,sleep,andsanity
● Thevastmajorityofourstudents,regardlessofwhentheybegintestingorevenbeginpreparing,producetheirhighest scoresinthefalloftheirsenioryear
RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
● GreenwichAcademypartnerswithareatestpreporganizationstoprovideourstudentswithreasonably-priced, convenienteveningtestprepsessionsinFebruary,March,andAugust.
● BoththeCollegeBoard(www.collegeboard.org)andtheACT(www.act.org)o erpracticetestsontheirwebsites.
● KhanAcademyhaspartneredwiththeCollegeBoardtoo erfree,comprehensivetestprep https://wwwkhanacademyorg/sat
● GreenwichLibraryo ersperiodictestprepworkshopsavailabletoallcardholders
Ifyouhaveconcernsaboutyourstudent’stestingandprepplan,orhowbesttouseyourresourcesinthisregard,pleaseletus know
TEST SCORE FAQs
Whatare“official”testscores?
Everycollegewillaccepto cialscoressentdirectlytothemfromthetestingagency(CollegeBoardorACT);many collegesmightbetestoptionalbut,ifyouchoosetosubmittesting,requireo cialscorereportstocompleteyour application.Lastcycle,thesecollegesincluded(butarenotlimitedto):Clemson,Georgetown,UGeorgia,UMaryland, USC,etc
HowdoIreporttestscores?
Studentswillself-reportanytestscorestheywantontheirCommonApplication Ifacollegerequireso cialtestscores fortheapplication,thatwillbestatedintheiradmissionmaterials Itisalwaysthestudent’sresponsibilitytokeeptrack ofo cialscorerequestsandsendthoseo cialscorereportstocolleges TheCollegeCounselingO cedoesnotsend scorereports
Dotestscoresappearonastudent’sGAtranscript?
No
Whatarethelatesttestdatesforadmissionconsideration?
Generally,October(andusuallyNovember)canbefactoredintoEarlyDecision/Actionconsideration;Decemberfor RegularDecisionconsideration.
Doanycollegesasktoseeallthetestingastudenthastaken?
Yes!Therearesomecollegesthataskapplicantstosendallstandardizedtestscores,includingGeorgetown,whileothers suggestsendingthe‘breadthofalltesting,’includingCarnegieMellonandRice. Readthetestingrequirementsfor eachcollegecarefully.
Whywouldacollegewanttoseealltesting?
Plainandsimple:todiscouragestudentsfromtakingtoomanytests.Theyworryaboutstudentexhaustion.It’salsoan issueofequity;collegesdon’twanttogiveanadvantagetostudentswhosefamiliescana ordforthemtotakeit multipletimeswhenmoststudentsmayonlytakeitonceortwice
Howmanytestsittingsaretoomany?
Westronglyurgestudentsnottotakemorethanthreeofonetest(ACTorSAT)andfouroverall(ACTandSAT) MostGAstudentsgraduatehavingtakentwoorthreetestsoverall
Whatis“superscoring”?
Superscoringiswhencollegespickyour“best”scoresfromdi erenttestdatestoarriveatyourhighestscore combination FortheSAT,thatmeansusingthehighestEBRWandMathscores,andfortheACTit’salittlemore complicated Allcollegesuseastudent’sbestCompositescore However,thepracticeof“superscoring”the ACT usingsubscores(English,Reading,Math,Science)fromdi erenttestdatesvariesfromcollegetocollege.The TestingpageontheCommonApplicationisformattedsoyoucanreportyourbestsectionsfromdi erenttestdates.
WhenacollegesaysitlooksatonlythesuperscoredSATorACT,isthatreallytrue?Aren’ttheykeepinginmindthelower scoreswhentheymakedecisions?
Collegeswanttoreportthehighestpossiblecompositescoreswhentheyissuepro lesofapplyingandadmitted students.
4. COLLEGE RESEARCH
Toputtogetheralistofschoolsthatsuityourstrengthsandinterests,it’scrucialthatyouspendtimestudyingupon colleges Studentswhoarewillingto“dotheirhomework”endupwithlistsofcollegesthattheygenuinelylikeandthat havethebalanceneededforsuccessfuloutcomes Therearetwoguidingprinciplestotheresearchaspectofyourcollege journey:
▪ Don’trelytooheavilyonanyonetypeofinformationsource Youropinionsshouldbeshapedbya combinationofharddata,wordofmouth,andpersonalexperiences (Remember,someonehasahorrorstory abouteverything!)
▪ Youmustputinthetimetodoyourresearch
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
COLLEGE VISITS
Sincethepandemic, collegeshavesubstantiallyincreasedtheirvirtualo eringstoprospectivestudentsandfamilies Wehavefoundthattheopportunitiesmadeavailableforonlinecampustours,informationsessions,zoomchats, webinars,andQ&Asessionswithstudentsandfacultyhavebeene ectivewaystolearnaboutschools Considerthisthe“ eld”partofyourresearch.Fordetailsonhowtomakethemostoutofthisexperience,seethe “VisitsandInterviewing”section.
COLLEGE REPS
Everyfall,around100representativesfromcollegesallovertheworldcometovisitus.Inadditiontocheckinginwith ouro ce,theymeetwithstudents,providinginformationandansweringquestions.Thisalsocanbeanopportunity forastudenttohaveapersonalinteractionwithsomeonewhomaybereadingherapplication.
SCOIR
Scoirhasapowerfulsearchtoolthatstudentscanuseto lterandmanagetheirprospectivecollegelistthroughoutthe process
COLLEGE SEARCH ENGINES
Tohelpjumpstartyourcollegesearch,wewillshowyouhowtousesomeofthecollegesearchenginesouttherein your rstCollegeWorkshop,includingScoir Collegeboardcomandcollegenetcomaretwoothersites
● CollegeNavigatorhttp://ncesedgov/collegenavigator/
● Peterson’sEducationalPortal:wwwpetersonscom
● CollegeBoard:https://bigfuturecollegeboardorg/college-search
● FiskeGuidetoColleges:www. skeguide.com
COLLEGE WEBSITES
TheInternethasrevolutionizedthewaystudentssearchforcolleges Collegewebsitesareamazingsourcesof information Consultingtheadmissiono cewebpagesforinformationonvisiting(virtuallyorinperson)and applyingonlyscratchesthesurfaceofwhatisavailabletoyou Campusnewspapers,residencehall oorplans,virtual tours,faculty/coursewebsitesandstudentorganizationhomepagesprovideportalsintolifeataparticularcollege
Websiteswithvirtualtoursandcontentcreatedbycollegestudentso eradditionalinsightintoanindividual campus:
● CampusReeldisplaysshort,vettedvideossubmittedbystudentsfrom320colleges,focusingondorm life,tailgateparties,librarystudyareas,andcafeteriafood.
● YouVisito erstoursofmorethan600U.S.schools.Thetourso erstudentstheopportunitytoask questionsinrealtimetosimulatethecollegetourexperience.
● CampusToursprovidestoursofmorethan1,800schoolsintheUnitedStatesaswellastoursof schoolsintheUK,Canada,andabroad.
● YoUniversityprovidesadvancedsearchesfor“safestcampus,”“mostdiversecampus,”etc.
● ForHistoricallyBlackCollegesandUniversities:theChicagoHBCUAllianceo ersresourcesanda virtualfairforabout50HBCUsacrossthecountry.
MEANINGFUL RANKINGS AND DATA POINTS
Thisdoesnotincludethe“US NewsandWorldReport”rankings,whicheducatorshaverepeatedlydebunkedas basedoncriteriaunrelatedtoeducationalquality
● PerusethedirectoryofFulbrightScholars
● Lookatalumnisatisfactionsurveys(oneexampleisGallupAlumniSurvey)thatprovidedataonhow alumniratetheircollegeexperiences,byschool,inavarietyofareas.
● Reviewthelistofschools,bydiscipline,thatsendthehighestpercentageofalumniontoPh.D. programs.
● ConsiderwhichschoolshaveproducedthehighestnumberofFortune500CEOs.Inarecentstudy, UniversityofWisconsintoppedthelist.
● ReadwhichcollegesproducethemostPeaceCorpsVolunteersandTeachforAmericaeducators. Whiletheselistsarenotcompiledeveryyear,theyarestille ectivewaysofseeingthesuccessatwhich collegessendstudentstotwoselectivenonpro torganizations.
● Reviewthesendinginstitutionstotopgraduateprograms forexample,thelistofcolleges representedinHarvardLawSchool’s rstyearclassthispastfall.Forstudentswithaspeci c graduate-schoolrelatedcareergoal,thisisagreatwaytoseethemanyundergraduatepathwaysto gettingthere.
*CredittoLakesideSchoolforcompilingtheaforementionedresources
BOOKS
Therearealmostasmanycollegeguidesastherearecolleges Whatfollowsisashortlistoftextsthatwehavefound mosthelpful WehavemanyofthesebooksintheCollegeCounselingO ce,andyouarewelcometoborrowthem Youalsocanpurchasethesetextsinstoresoronline
THE INDISPENSABLE BOOKS:
TheFiskeGuidetoColleges.(EdwardFiske)Thebookthathasproventhemostusefultofamilies,yearin andyearout.Itcontainsbalancedandreadablenarrativesofthemostpopularschools.The“IfYouApply” sectionisveryhelpfulasitincludesdeadlines,testingrequirements,andcommonoverlapschools. Beaware thattheSATrangespublishedarebroadandnotespeciallyusefulwithoutthecontextoftheGAapplicant experience.
TheCollegeFinder.(StevenAntono )Ifyoulikelists,thisisthebookforyou!TheCollegeFinder categorizescollegesineverywaypossible.Herearejustafewofthecollegelistsinthisbook:comprehensive architectureprograms,strongpresenceofinternationalstudentsoncampus,greatresidencehalls,great on-campusartmuseums,forstudentswhocareabouttheworld,forthesociallyliberal,unusuallyaccessible teachers,fortheclotheshorse ThisinformationisalsoavailableatInsideCollege (wwwcollegexpresscom/lists/)
OTHER BOOKS ON THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS:
CollegesThatChangeLives.(LorenPope)Thesubtitleofthisbook(40SchoolsYouShouldKnowAbout EvenIfYou’reNotaStraight-AStudent)saysitall
LettingGo:AParents’GuidetoUnderstandingtheCollegeYears. (KarenLevinCoburnandMadge LawrenceTreeger) TwoveterancollegeadministratorsfromWashingtonUniversitydiscusstransitionto collegeissuesforparentsandchildren
LookingBeyondtheIvyLeague:FindingaCollegeThat’sRightforYou.(LorenPope) Popediscusses thetruevalueofacollegeeducation,whichshouldbejudgedbythequalityofthestudent’sexperienceandnot thestickeronthewindshield.
TheBest389Colleges.APrincetonReviewpublicationbasedonstudentresponsestosurveyquestions.The studentswilllovethe“rawness”ofthecommentary,butshouldnotrelyentirelyonthisbookforinformation aboutaparticularschool;ittendstohighlightthesensationalandextremeresponsesgatheredfromthesurvey.
ThereisLifeAfterCollege:WhatParentsandStudentsShouldKnowABoutNavigatingSchoolto PrepareforJobsofTomorrow.(Je reySelingo)
WhereYouGoisNotWhoYouAre.(FrankBruni)Brunitakesathoughtfulandsometimescriticallookat thecollege-obsessedcultureofselectivityandprestige
WhoGetsinandWhy:AYearInsideCollegeAdmissions(Je reySelingo) Selingoembedshimselfin severalcollegeadmissiono cesduringanadmissioncycle,ando ershistoricalcontextontoday’s“admission industrialcomplex”
PEOPLE
Overthenextfewmonths,dozensofpeoplewillo eryouopinionsofcolleges,sometrulyinsightful,somedownright wrong Thetrickisto gureoutwhocangiveyouthemostup-to-date,detailed,andunbiasedviews
GAalumscurrentlyenrolledincollegetendtobeexcellentresourcessincetheyunderstandwhattheircollegesarelike now,asopposedtohowtheymayhavebeen fty,twenty,oreven veyearsago(and,withsomuchchangingallthe time,thismatters!). Ifyouwouldliketoconnectwithanalumatacertaincollege,wecanhelpsetthatup.
Andremember: Talktopeoplewith rsthandexperienceoftheschoolsyouareconsidering,butformyourown opinionsaboutacollegeinsteadofrelyingsolelyonwhatotherpeopletellyou!
5. COLLEGE VISITS & INTERVIEWS
Oneofthemostvaluablecomponentsofyourcollegeresearchisvisitingcolleges.Asimpledrive-throughwon’tgive youmuchinsight,soplanonspendingafewhoursoneachcampuslearningaboutwhatmakesitunique.Considering thismightbetheplacewhereyou’llbeforthenextfouryears,thattimeande ortwillbeworthyourwhile.
ARRANGING A COLLEGE VISIT
Checktheadmissiono ce’swebsite Itwillcontainthemostup-to-dateinformationforvisitors,suchasschedulesof campustours,informationsessionsandinterviews,aswellasschool-speci cdetailssuchaswhetheryouneedan appointmentforatour,directionstocampus,andparkingavailability Somepointers:
▪ Don’ttrytoschedulemorethantwocollegesinoneday.
▪ Spendtimeoncampusawayfromtheadmissiono ceandtourguide.Thisuno cialpartofyourvisitisvery importantasitallowsyouanun lteredperspectiveontheschool.
▪ Ifyouhaveaspeci cathletic,artistic,oracademicinterest,asktheadmissiono ceifthereisanyoneon campuswithwhomyoucanmeettolearnmoreabouttheprogram.
▪ Enjoythequalitytravelandbondingtimeinthecarwithyourfamily!
ONCE YOU’RE ON CAMPUS
TOURS
Allcollegeso ercampustours.Agoodtourwillbeinformativeandfun.Agoodtourguidewillwalk backwardswithoutfalling,andwillreplytoyourquestionshonestly Youshouldseetheinteriorsofbuildings aswellasexteriors
Samplequestionsforyourtourguide:
a)Howlargeareallofyourclasses?
b)Areyourcoursestaughtbygraduateassistantsorprofessors?
c)Howrestrictiveisthecorecurriculum?
d)Whatimpactdofraternities/sororitieshavehere?
e)Whatdoyouthinkisthegreatestshortcomingofthecollege?
f)Whatdoyoulikebestaboutyourexperiencehere?
g)Whydidyouchoosetoattendthisschool?
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Thesesessionsusuallyarerunbymembersoftheadmissionssta .Youwill ndthattheycananswermostof yourquestions,andwillgiveyouabroadoverviewoftheschool. Ifyoudon'tgetachanceataninterview,you probablyshouldattempttomeetatleastoneofthepeoplerunningthesession.
WHAT TO THINK ABOUT
SETTING:
● Proximitytoothercollegesorculturalopportunities
● Accesstotransportationoptionsforgettinghome
CLASSROOM BUILDINGS AND LIBRARY:
● Up-to-datesciencelabs/languagelabs
● Large/small/lecturehallclassrooms
● Adequatelibrary-openstacks,interlibraryloan
● Accesstocomputers
RESIDENCE HALLS:
● Locationvis-à-visdiningrooms/classrooms
● Co-ed:by oor,suite,bathrooms
● Single-sexdorms/languagedorms/studentofcolordorms/honordorms
● First-yearstudentaccommodations-clusteredindorms/randomlyscattered
● Rooms:singles/doubles/triples/suites
● Dormatmosphere:conducivetostudy,sleep,both
FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES:
● Howtheya ectcampuslife
● Percentageofstudentsinvolved
FOOD:
● Varietyinfoodplans
● Cooperativehouses(wherestudentsdotheirowncooking)
ACADEMIC CALENDAR:
● Term/trimester
● January/winterprogram
● Blockscheduling
EXTRACURRICULAR FACILITIES:
● Theater/dance:numberofpresentationsperterm,student-directed
● Musicbuilding:availabilityoflessonsfornon-musicmajors
● Athleticfacilities:importancetocampuslife,co-edfacilities,opportunitiesforthenon-jock(hiking,etc)
● Newspaper,yearbook,literarymagazineo ces
ALTERNATIVE STUDY PROGRAMS:
● Exchangeswithotherschools(termoryear)
● Foreignstudyprogramsbyschoolorbyothera liatedschools
● Pass/failprogram
ACADEMIC ISSUES:
● Largeclasses:smallgrouplecturesordiscussiongroups
● Undergraduatestaughtby“academicstars”ofcollege
● Undergraduatestaughtbygraduateassistantsorbyprofessors
POST-GRADUATE PLANS:
● Percentageofstudentsgoingontograduatestudy
● Placementservices
● Percentageofstudents ndingjobsinchosen eld
ATTRITION (# of students that leave the institution without graduating):
● Afterthe rstyear?
● Bysenioryear?
● Moremalethanfemaledropoutorviceversa
STUDENT HEALTH CENTER:
● Facilitiesavailable?
POTPOURRI (The “Unofficial” Visit):
● Visitspeci cdepartments(academic,athletic,etc)andmeetwithprofessors,programdirectors,orcoaches
● Checkbulletinboardsforasenseofcampusactivitiesandevents
● Pickupstudentnewspapers
● Peruserecentyearbooks,ifavailable
● Eatamealthere
● Talktoseveralstudents
● Inquireaboutstudentgovernment
● Checkwebsites
COLLEGE VISIT REFLECTIONS
Getinthehabitofrecordingyourimpressionsofcollegesyouvisit,eitherinpersonorvirtually. Ithelpsyouremember whatyoulikedordidn’tlike,therebyinformingyoursearchasawhole. Yourdetailedimpressionswillhelpyou immenselyifyouendupapplyingand,asislikelythecase,needtowritea“Why‘X’University”supplementaryessay Hereareafewpromptstogetyoustarted
1 WhatdidIdooncampus? DidItakeatour? Attendaninformationsession?
2 DidIattendaclass? Wasitlarge? Small? Howdidtheprofessorinteractwiththestudents,ifatall?
3 DidImeetanystudents? Whatweretheylike?(Takedownnamesandtitlesforreference)
4 DidIhaveameal? DidIgettoseethesurroundingarea?
5. WhatdidIlikeaboutcampus? Howisitarranged?
6. Whatprogramsappealtome?
7. Whatdidmyparentsthinkaboutit?
8. Whatimpressedmethemost?
9. Whatconcernedmethemost?
10 WhatotherquestionsdoIhaveabouttheschool?
COLLEGE VISIT LISTS BY REGION
NORTHEASTERN COLLEGE VISITS
Local(Within25milesofGA)
Fair eld Fair eld,CT
Manhattanville Purchase,NY
SacredHeart Fair eld,CT
SarahLawrence Bronxville,NY
CentralConnecticut (Between40and90milesfromGA)
UConn Storrs,CT
Quinnipiac Hamden,CT
Trinity Hartford,CT
Wesleyan Middletown,CT
Yale NewHaven,CT
CoastalConnecticutandRhodeIsland (Between80and130milesfromGA)
Brown Providence,RI
ConnecticutCollege NewLondon,CT
ProvidenceCollege Providence,RI
RISD Providence,RI
RogerWilliams Bristol,RI
SalveRegina Newport,RI
Wheaton Norton,MA
NewYorkCity (Approximately25milesfromGA)
Barnard UpperWestSide
Columbia UpperWestSide
EugeneLang-NewSchool GreenwichVillage
Fordham Bronx
Manhattan Riverdale
NYU WashingtonSquare
Parsons-NewSchool GreenwichVillage
NewJersey (Between90and120milesfromGA)
CollegeofNJ Ewing,NJ
Drew Madison,NJ
Rutgers NewBrunswick
Princeton Princeton,NJ
UrbanBoston (Approximately150milesfromGA)
BostonUniversity BackBay
Emerson BackBay
Harvard Cambridge
MIT Cambridge
Northeastern HuntingtonAvenue
SuburbanBoston (Approximately150milesfromGA)
Babson Wellesley,MA
BostonCollege ChestnutHill,MA
Brandeis Waltham,MA
Tufts Medford,MA
Stonehill NorthEaston,MA
Wellesley Wellesley,MA
Wheaton Norton,MA
Central/WesternMassachusetts(Within125milesofGA)
Amherst Amherst,MA
Clark Worcester,MA
Hampshire Amherst,MA
HolyCross Worcester,MA
UMass Amherst,MA
Mt.Holyoke SouthHadley,MA
Smith Northampton,MA
EasternUpstateNewYork/WesternMA(Between100and150milesofGA)
RensselaerPolytechInst Troy,NY
Skidmore SaratogaSprings,NY
Union Schenectady,NY
Vassar Poughkeepsie,NY
Williams Williamstown,MA
CentralUpstateNewYork(Between150and350milesofGA)
Colgate Hamilton,NY
Cornell Ithaca,NY
Hamilton Clinton,NY
Hartwick Oneonta,NY
Hobart&WilliamSmith Geneva,NY
IthacaCollege Ithaca,NY
RochesterUniversity Rochester,NY
RochesterInst.Tech Rocheter,NY
Syracuse Syracuse,NY
NorthernNewYork,Vermont,andNewHampshire(Between200and350milesofGA)
Dartmouth Hanover,NH
Middlebury Middlebury,VT
UNH Durham,NH
St Lawrence Canton,NY
St Michael’s Burlington,VT
U ofVermont Burlington,VT
Maine (Between270and320milesfromGA)
Bates Lewiston,ME
Bowdoin Brunswick,ME
Colby Waterville,ME
Philadelphia(Approximately115milesfromGA)
BrynMawr BrynMawr,PA
Drexel CenterCity
Haverford Haverford,PA
UPenn CenterCity
Swarthmore Swarthmore,PA
Temple Philadelphia,PA
Villanova Villanova,PA
LehighValley(Approximately90milesfromGA)
Lafayette Easton,PA
Lehigh Bethlehem,PA
Muhlenberg Allentown,PA
CentralPennsylvania(Between150and225milesfromGA)
Bucknell Lewisburg,PA
Dickinson Carlisle,PA
Franklin&Marshall Lancaster,PA
Gettysburg Gettysburg,PA
PennState UniversityPark,PA
Baltimore(Approximately200milesfromGA)
Delaware Newark,DE
Goucher Towson,MD
JohnsHopkins Baltimore,MD
LoyolaUMaryland Baltimore,MD
Washington,DC(Approximately230milesfromGA)
American Tenleytown
Catholic Northeast
GeorgeMason Fairfax,VA
Georgetown Georgetown
GeorgeWashington FoggyBottom
HowardUniversity PleasantPlains
SOUTHERN COLLEGE VISITS
U ofMiami Florida
Rollins Florida
Emory Georgia
OxfordCollege,Emory Georgia
U.ofGeorgia Georgia
Spelman Georgia
Tulane Louisiana
Davidson NorthCarolina
Duke NorthCarolina
Elon NorthCarolina
UNC NorthCarolina
WakeForest NorthCarolina
CollegeofCharleston SouthCarolina
Furman SouthCarolina
Rhodes Tennessee
Vanderbilt Tennessee
U oftheSouth(Sewanee) Tennessee
Rice Texas
SMU Texas
U ofTexas,Austin Texas
TexasA&M Texas
Trinity Texas
JamesMadison Virginia
MaryWashington Virginia
UniversityofRichmond Virginia
RoanokeCollege Virginia
UniversityofVirginia Virginia
WashingtonandLee Virginia
WilliamandMary Virginia
MIDWEST COLLEGE VISITS
U.ofChicago Illinois
Depaul Illinois
LakeForestCollege Illinois
Northwestern Illinois
IndianaU.,Bloomington Indiana
NotreDame Indiana
CaseWesternReserve Ohio
CollegeofWooster Ohio
Grinnell Iowa
U ofKansas,Lawrence Kansas
KalamazooCollege Michigan
U ofMichigan,AnnArbor Michigan
Macalester Minnesota
Carleton Minnesota
WashingtonU,StLouis Missouri
CaseWesternReserve Ohio
Denison Ohio
Kenyon Ohio
Miami,Ohio Ohio
Oberlin Ohio
OhioState Ohio
OhioWesleyan Ohio
CollegeofWooster Ohio
U.ofWisconsin,Madison Wisconsin
WESTERN COLLEGE VISITS
UCBerkeley California
UCIrvine California
UCLA California
UCSantaBarbara California
UCSantaCruz California
UCSanDiego California
CaliforniaInstituteofTech California
ClaremontMcKenna California
HarveyMudd California
LoyolaMarymount California
Occidental California
Pepperdine California
Pitzer California
Pomona California
SantaClara California
Scripps California
U.ofSouthernCalifornia California
Stanford California
UniversityofSanDiego California
U.ofSanFrancisco California
ColoradoCollege Colorado
U.ofColorado,Boulder Colorado
UniversityofDenver Colorado
UofMontana Montana
LewisandClark Oregon
Reed Oregon
U.ofPugetSound Washington
Whitman Washington
COLLEGE TRIPS ABROAD
Queen’sUniversity Canada
McGillUniversity Canada
UofToronto Canada
UofWesternOntario Canada
Dalhousie Canada
UofBritishColumbia Canada
OxfordUniversity England
LondonSchoolofEconomics England
UniversityofCambridge England
UniversityCollege,London England
Goldsmith’sLondon England
UniversityofWarwick England
DurhamUniversity England
UniversityofYork England
AmericanUniversityofParis France
TrinityCollege,Dublin Ireland
UofEdinburgh Scotland
UofSt Andrews Scotland (alsojointdegreeprogramwith W&M)
UofGlasgow Scotland
UniversidaddeNavarra Spain
NYUAbuDhabi UAE
EducationCity,Doha Qatar (includesbranchesofCarnegieMellon,UCL,GeorgetownSchoolofForeignService,Northwestern)
INTERVIEWS
Everycollegehasadi erentapproachtointerviews.Somerequirethem;othersdon’teveno erthem.Someonlyhave on-campusinterviews;othershavenetworksofinterviewerswhowillmeetwithstudentsinandaroundGreenwich. Somearegivenbycurrentstudents;somearegivenbyadmissiono cers.Somecollegeso erthemtostudentsatany gradelevel;othersgivestudentsawindowoftimeinwhichtodoit(latesummerandfallofsenioryear,typically) Someweighinterviewsintheirdecisions;othersaredesignedjusttoanswerstudents’questionsabouttheschool
STEP I: CALL OR CHECK THE WEBSITE TO FIND OUT:
● Dotheygiveinterviews?
● Aretheyrequired?
● Aretheyevaluative(willbe guredintothedecision)orinformational?
● Wherearetheyconducted(oncampus,locally,byZoom)?
● Whendotheyneedtobedoneby?
● Howtoreserveaplace
STEP II: GET PREPARED
● Reviewpossibleinterviewquestions(below).
● AttendGA’sinterviewworkshop/presentationinApril.
● Findoutmoreaboutthecollegesoyoucangiveinformedresponses.
● ThinkofTHREEofyourattributesyouespeciallywanttogetacross.Trytoconveythemoverthecourse oftheinterview,andreturntothemiftheconversationtrailso .Thingslike:
o Afavoritesubject
o Anactivityyou’redevotedto
o Avaluethat’simportanttoyou
o Acauseyoucaredeeplyabout
● Thinkofafewquestionsthatyoucanaskyourinterviewer.
● Plananappropriateout t
STEP III: PRACTICE
● Lookoverthequestionsafewtimes imaginewhatelsetheymightask
● Saytheanswersaloud;talkslowlyandtrytoavoidexpressionslike“like,”“youknow,”and“um”Think aboutanybadhabitsyouneedtobeawareoflikenail-biting,hairtwirling,papershredding,andnot makingeyecontact
● Askyourcounselor,parent,orfriendtoconductamockinterview
STEP IV: INTERVIEW
● Beyourself!Don’tbewhatyouthinktheadmissionso cerwantsorexpectsfromapplicantstohis college.Statefranklyyourinterests,thoughts,hopesandconcernssothattheinterviewercanseeyouasan individual.
● Relax:Interviewershaveusuallydonealotofinterviewssodon’tbeself-consciousaboutawkward momentsorsilences theyhappen!
● Rememberthatinterviewersarelookingforthingstolikeaboutyou,notwaystotripyouup.
● Answercon dentlyandendyoursentencesdecisively.
● Avoidansweringquestionswith“yes”or“no.”
● Haveaconversation.Themoreofaconversationyouhavewiththeinterviewer,thebetter!
STEP V: FOLLOW UP
● Jotdownnotesonwhatyoudiscussed;thetime,date,andplaceoftheinterview;andthenameandtitleof yourinterviewer
● Besuretowritethank-younotestoyourintervieweroranyoneelsewhohashelpedyouintheprocess
SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
ABOUT YOU:
● Whichcoursesareyoutakingasasenior?
● Whatisyourfavoritesubject?Why?
● Whathavebeenyourfavoritecourses?Why?
● Whatareyourleastfavorite?Why?
● Whatclasseshaveyoufoundmostchallenging?
● Describeatimewhenyouovercameanacademicchallengeandhow
● Inwhichactivitiesareyouinvolved?Whatarethemostimportanttoyouandwhy?
● Describeaschoolassignment/projectyouparticularlyenjoyed
● Describeyourschoolandyourexperiencethere.Whatarehighlightsandwhatwouldyouchange?
● Whataresomefavoritebooksorauthors?
● Describethelastthingyoureadforpleasure.
● Whatdoyoudoinyourfreetime?
● Ifyouhadawholedayandyoucoulddoanythingwithit,whatwouldyoudo?
● Howwouldyoudescribeyourselfasaperson?
● Howwouldyourteachersdescribeyou?
● Howwouldyourfriendsdescribeyou?
● Whatdoyouthinkistheissueofgreatestimportanceintheworldtoday?
● Describetheplaceyoulivein.
● What’sanaccomplishmentyou’reespeciallyproudof?
● Howhaveyouchangedduringhighschool?
● Whatcanyoubringtoourcampusthatisunique?
● Howhaveyouspentyoursummers?
● Describeasigni cantexperiencethatshapedyou
● Describeatimewhenyoumadeanunpopularchoice
● Whatdoyouhopetogetoutofcollege?
● Whatareyoulookingforinacollege?
ABOUT THAT COLLEGE:
● Howdidyoubecomeinterestedinthisschool?
● Whatspeci callycapturedyourinterestaboutthisschool?
● Whathasyourcontactbeenwiththeschoolsofar?
● Howhastheexperiencebeensinceyougotoncampus?
TO ASK YOUR INTERVIEWER:
● Whatareyourmostpopularorbestacademicdepartments?
● Howaccessiblearefaculty?
● Howpopularisgoingabroad?Howeasyisittoarrange?Whatarethemostpopulardestinations? Whendomoststudentsdoit?
● Howdointernshipswork?
● Howeasyisittodoubleortriplemajor?
● Howwouldyoudescribeatypicalstudentatyourcollege?
● Whatarecareerserviceslike?
● Whatkindsofstudentsthriveatyourcollege?
● Howmuchdostudentsusethesurroundingarea?
● Inyourmind,whatmakesthisplacedi erentfromplacesit’scomparedto?
● Didyouattendthiscollege?Ifso,whatwasyourexperience?
● Ifnot,howisitdi erentfromwhereyouwent?
● Whatdoyouthinkisthemostcontroversialissueoncampusthisyear?
DON’T ASK:
● Thingsthatcanbeansweredinthecatalogorfromthewebsite!
6. HOW COLLEGES DECIDE
Everwonderwhathappensonceanadmissionso cersitsdownwithyourapplicationfolder?Thatperson(and probablyafewothers)willscrutinizethewhole lecarefully,lookingforspeci cfactors.Here’swhattheyconsider,in orderofimportance.
OBJECTIVE CRITERIA
Thesecriteriaarebyfarthemostsigni cant;ifyoudon’tmeetacollege’sparticularstandardsintheseareas,chancesare slimyouwillbeadmitted. Theexceptionisifyouprovideahook(tobeexplainedlater).
RIGOR OF CURRICULUM
Admissiono cerslookforstudentswhohavetakenadvantageofthemostchallengingcoursesavailabletothemin whichtheycansucceed.RigorisassessedbyenrollmentinAccelerated,Honors,andAPcourses,takingadditional academiccoursesaboveGA’srequirementsforgraduation,doublingupinadiscipline,specializinginacertainareaof study,ortakingadvantageofindependentstudy.
GRADES
Gradesmatter alot!Yourgradesareassessedinconcertwithyourcourseselection Asteadyorupwardtrendinyour gradesisdesirable Manytimes,admissiono cersareaskedthequestion,“Isitbettertogetan‘A’inalessdemanding course,ortakeanHonors/APcourseandgetalowergrade?” Generally,theywouldreplytheywouldratherseethe “lower”gradeinthehigher-levelcoursebecausethato ersevidenceastudentisseekingoutacademicchallenges Be forewarned,however:anadmissiono ceratahighlyselectivecollegewouldmoreaccuratelyrespondtothatquestion with,“We’dratherseean‘A’intheHonors/APcourse”
TEST SCORES
Forschoolsthatrequirethem,testscoresareanimportantpartoftheevaluationprocesssincetheyallowschoolsto measureastudentagainsthernationalcounterparts.Somecollegeshave exibleoroptionalscoresubmission,which changestheextenttowhichotherfactorsareweighed.Themoreselectivethecollege,themorecriticalaroletesting playsinthedecision.WhileselectivecollegestrulydonothaveminimumSATscores,inaveryrealsense,yourscoresare goingtobecomparedagainsttheoverallapplicantpools’.
SUBJECTIVE CRITERIA
RECOMMENDATIONS
Yourapplicationswillbesupportedbyacounselorrecommendationandfacultyrecommendations. Seesection entitled“Recommendations.”
ACTIVITIES
Thewordtokeepinmindhereisdepth Collegesseektoenrollawell-roundedclassandnotnecessarilyaclassof well-roundedstudents Thereareno“magic”or“right”listsofextracurricularactivitiesacollegeislookingfor;being fullyimmersedinafewselectactivities,havingtalent,makinggenuinecontributionstoanorganizationorteam,and demonstratingleadershipskills,initiative,andcommitmentareallimportantqualitiestodemonstrateinwhatever activityyouchoose
APPLICATION QUALITY
Thequalityofyourapplicationisre ectednotonlyinyouressays(see“Essays”)butalsointhethoroughness,neatness, andthoughtfulnessoftheentireapplication Aquicklydashedo ,sloppyapplicationcanworkagainstyou
LEVEL OF INTEREST
Someadmissiono ces(mostlyprivateinstitutions)willfactorinterestintoyourcandidacy,whichtheyascertainby whetheryouhavevisited,interviewed,mettherepwhovisitedGA,orremainedincontactwiththeschoolthroughout theadmissionprocess.
INSTITUTIONAL NEEDS (“Hooks”)
Collegeshopetoenrolladiversegroupofstudentsand,tothisend,mayadmitstudentswhodonotmeettheirtypical admissioncriteriaaslongastheyful llimportantinstitutionalneeds.Someoftheseinclude,butarenotlimitedto:
▪ Alumnichild/grandchild
▪ Recruitedvarsityathlete
▪ Artistoractress(art,drama, lm,instrumental,vocal)
▪ Childofacollegefacultyorsta member
▪ Exceptionalability/promiseinatargetedacademicmajoror eldofstudy
▪ First-generationcollegestudent(parentsdidnotattendcollege)
▪ Internationalstudents
▪ Underrepresentedethnicgroup
▪ Underrepresentedsocioeconomicgroup
▪ Underrepresentedgeographicarea
DEMONSTRATED INTEREST
Tokeepadmitrateslowandyieldrateshigh,manycollegesareworkingharderthanevertodetermineeachstudent’s interestintheirschool. Increasingly,arecordofastudent’sinterestisafactorinwhetherornottheygetin. (Rememberthestoryyouheardaboutthekidwithanalmostperfectrecordwhowasdeniedbyaschooleveryone expectedhimtowalkinto?Chancesareitwasanissuerelatedtointerest)
Theexceptionsweseeareextremelyselectiveschoolsthatdon’thavetoworryaboutyield,andmassiveuniversitiesthat don’thavetheresourcestotrackthem Butthereisawidespectrumotherwise;somecollegesareincrediblytunedinto interestandothersarerelativelycasual Wearehappytotellyouhowindividualschoolsapproachinterest;justask
Acommonmistakestudentsmakeisexpendingalotofe ortonthemoreselectiveschoolsonthelist(theonesleast likelytocare)andignoringtheothers Weexpectstudentstopayattentiontoeveryschooltheyapplyto,nomatter theirchances
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DISPLAYS OF INTEREST
● EarlyDecision
● Campusvisits
● Informationsessions
● MeetingwiththeadmissionsrepresentativewhentheycometoGAinthefall
● Supplementalessaysspeci ctotheschool
SMALLER, BUT ALSO SIGNIFICANT
● EarlyAction*
● Thankyounotes
● Visitstoclasses
● Visitstocertaindepartments
● Correspondencewithouradmissionsrepresentative
● Overnightvisits
● Revisitsinthefall
● Afterapplicationsarein,sendingupdatestotherepresentative
● Requestinginformation
● Attendingspeciallocalevents
*EarlyActiongenerallydoesn’tconferthesameadvantageasEarlyDecisionbut,ifaschoolhasEA,takeadvantage.We canhelpyousortoutthebestearlyplanthatwillyieldthebestresults.
THE COLLEGE MAY EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO:
● Whenyouvisit
● Whetheryouhadfamilymembersattendthatschool
● Whetheryouhaveanyconnectionstotheplace(yourgrandma’shouseisnearby)
● “Liking”aschoolonFacebook
● Howmanytimeyoulogintoyour“portal”atthatcollege
● Whetherornotyouengage onlinewhenit’so ered
● Whetherornotyouopenlinksintheemailsyou’vebeensent
● Howmanytimesyou’vevisitedthewebsite
FINAL NOTES
● Thoughinterestisimportant,stalkingis,inmoststates,illegal.Useyourcommonsensewhencontactingthe admissionsreps onlyreachoutwhenyouhavesubstantivethingstosayanddonotaskquestionswhose answersyoucan ndintheirliterature. Trytowordquestionssotheycananswerthemsimplyandbrie y.Use descriptivesubjectlines.Becordial,appropriateanddon’tbadger.
● OtherthanbyapplyingEarlyDecision,demonstratedinterestdoesn’tmattermuchatalltocollegesadmitting under15%(PlacesliketheIvyLeague,MIT,Amherst,Williams,Pomona,Stanford) We’vehadstudents admittedtotheseplaceswhohaven’tevenvisited!Concentrateyoure ortsontheplacesthatwillcare
● Increasedopportunityforvirtualengagementwithcollegesanduniversitieshasalsogivenrisetodigital tracking Pleasepaycloseattentiontotheaforementionedopportunitiestoregisterforvirtualevents, llout interestforms,openemails,andconnectwithcollegereps
SOME COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES THAT FACTOR DEMONSTRATED INTEREST
INTO THEIR ADMISSION DECISIONS
BasedonGAstudents’applicationsinrecentyears,theseschoolsareverylikelytopayattentiontoyourcontacthistory (orlackthereof)andfactoritintoyouradmissiondecision Bynomeansisthisacomprehensivelist discusswith yourcounselorwhichschoolsonyourpersonallistmaybethemostsensitivetointerest
Waystodemonstrateinterestinclude:acampusvisit,meetingtheadmissionrepvisitingGAinthefall,attendingan admissioneventinthelocalarea,on-campusinterviews,o -campus/alumniinterviews,meaningfulandappropriate emailinteractionswithadmissiono cers,andengagingwiththecollegeviatheirwebsiteorsocialmedia,etc.Weare happytoprovidedetailsoncertainschools.
● American
● Barnard
● Bates
● Babson
● Bentley
● BostonUniversity
● Bowdoin
● Brandeis
● BrynMawr
● Bucknell
● ClaremontMcKenna
● Clark
● Colby
● CollegeofWooster
● ColoradoCollege
● ConnecticutCollege
● Davidson
● Denison
● Dickinson
● Elon
● Fair eld
● Fordham
● Franklin&Marshall
● Furman
● GeorgeWashington
● Gettysburg
● Grinnell
● Hamilton
● HarveyMudd
● Haverford
● Hobart&WilliamSmith
● HolyCross
● Ithaca
● Kenyon
● Lafayette
● LakeForest
● Lehigh
● Lewis&Clark
● Macalester
● Middlebury
● MountHolyoke
● Muhlenberg
● NYU
● Northeastern
● Oberlin
● Occidental
● Pitzer
● Pomona
● Quinnipiac
● Reed
● Rhodes
● Rice
● Rollins
● RogerWilliams
● SantaClara
● Scripps
● SetonHall
● Sewanee
● Skidmore
● Smith
● SouthernMethodist
● Spelman
● St.Lawrence
● Swarthmore
● Syracuse
● Trinity(CT)
● Tufts
● Tulane
● Union
● UofChicago
● UofDenver
● UMassAmherst
● UofPittsburgh
● UofRochester
● RochesterInstituteTech
● UofSanDiego
● Vassar
● WakeForest
● Washington&Lee
● Wellesley
● Wesleyan
● Wheaton(MA)
7. USING CATEGORIES TO BUILD A BALANCED LIST
Intoday’sadmissionclimate,it’scrucialthatstudentsaresavvyabouttheirlistsandincludeschoolswitharangeof selectivity.Inotherwords,it’sOKtoapplytoahandfulofschoolsforwhichyourchancesaren’thighaslongasyou haveothersforwhichyourchancesarestronger(andsomeforwhichthey’rereallystrong). Balancedlistslikethesegive studentssuccessandchoices.
Tohelpachievethisbalance,wespendagreatdealoftimeplacingyourcollegesintofourcategories Likely,Possible, Reach,andFarReach andaskthatyour nallisthaveroughlythesamenumberofeach Ifweseeacategorythat couldusemorepossibilitiestodrawfrom,wewilladdschoolsthathavequalitiesincommonwiththeschoolsyou’ve givenus
Assigningcategoriesishighlyindividualized Foreachstudent,wesitdownwithher lesandconsider:
● Hergrades
● Therigorofhercourses
● Hertesting
● Herpersonalqualities
Next,weconsider:
● Theselectivityofeachcollege
● ThepastadmissionshistoryofGAstudentstoeachcollege
● Anytrendsthatarea ectingadmissionsoverall
● Thebesttimingtoenhanceastudent’schances
NOTE:Chancesforstudentswhomayhavea“hook”areverydifficulttoquantifyanddependuponavarietyoffactors; therefore,weoftendon’tweighthemasweassigncategories.
CODING CATEGORIES
LIKELY
Yourpro lesuggestsadmissionisaverystrongpossibilityandyourcredentialsaretowardsthehigherrangeofstudents recentlyadmitted.(Thisassumesthatyourapplicationhasbeenwelldoneandyou’vedemonstratedinterest.) Weask studentstoapplytoatleasttwo“likely”schools
ForGA’sClassof2022,84%oftheapplicationsweprojectedas“Likely”resultedinoffersof admission.
POSSIBLE
Yourcredentialsforadmissionarecompetitive yourpro leplacesyousomewhereinthemiddleofthatcollege’s applicantpool Wewouldseethisasaschoolwhereadmissionisapossibilitybutcertainlynotaguarantee,asformer GreenwichAcademystudentswithsimilarcredentialshavesometimesbeenadmitted,sometimesdenied Thismay alsobeaschoolwherefactorsbeyondpureacademics(personalqualities,specialtalents,demonstratedinterest,etc) maybeincludedinthedecision
ForGA’sClassof2022,44%oftheapplicationsweprojectedas“Possible”resultedinoffersof admission.
REACH
Therearetwode nitionsofa“reach”school. First:yourcredentialsarenotasstrongasthoseofstudentswhoare typicallyadmitted.Evenonefactor(testingoroverallgrades)canbeenoughtowarranta“reach”designation,especially atthemoreselectivecollegesinthecountry. Second:somecollegesare“reach”schoolssimplybecausetheyare extraordinarilyselective. Inotherwords,thepercentageofadmittedapplicantstothisschoolisextremelysmall, therebya ectingthechancesofadmissionforeveryone(schoolsadmittingunder20percentofstudentstypicallyfall intothiscategory).
ForGA’sClassof2022,10%oftheapplicationsweprojectedas“Reach”resultedinoffersof admission.
FAR REACH
Inmorethanonearea,yourpro leissigni cantlylowerthanrecentlyadmittedstudents.
FortheClassof2022,0%oftheapplicationsweprojectedas“FarReach”resultedinoffersof admission.
Important:ThesedesignationsdoNOTaccountforpotential“hooks”suchathleticrecruitment,alumnichildstatus, auditions,orful llmentofotherinstitutionalneeds Theimpactsuchfactorscanhaveonadecisionishardtoquantify Therefore,thepercentageslistedaboveforeachcategoryare“pure”inthattheyexcludedecisionsin uenced bythese“hooks”Wewilladdress“hooks”inindividualmeetings
8. APPLICATIONS
TYPES OF APPLICATION DEADLINES
REGULAR DECISION
Mostcollegesreceivethebulkoftheirapplicationsbytheir“regular”deadlines,usuallybetweentheendofDecember andthemiddleofFebruary Theseo ersofadmissionarenon-binding(astudentisnotobligatedtogoifsheis admitted)andareissuedmidtolateMarch Studentsmustcommittooneschool(usuallybydeposit)byMay1
ROLLING ADMISSIONS
Somecollegeswillacceptapplicationsonarollingbasis,startinginearlyfallandendingmid-spring.Theyalsonotifyon arollingbasis,typicallybetweentwoandtenweeksaftertheapplicationiscomplete.Admissiontorollingschoolstends togetmorecompetitiveovertimeastheschoolsbeginto lltheirclasseswithquali edstudents,soitistoastudent’s advantagetoapplyasearlyaspossible.DepositstotheseschoolsareduebyMay1.
“EARLY” DEADLINES
Manycollegeso erstudentstheopportunitytoapplybeforetheregularround,usuallybetweenearlyNovemberand earlyDecember.Somecollegesnotifystudentsofadmissionbeforeregulardeadlines(usuallymidtolateDecember), othersafter(usuallytheendofJanuary).Youwillneedtolookateachcollegeindividuallytoseewhichofthese programstheyo er.
EARLY DECISION
EARLY DECISION 1 (ED):
IfastudentappliesED,sheiscommittedtoattendifsheisadmitted StudentsusuallyapplyEDearlyto mid-Novemberandarenoti edmidtolateDecember TypicallyEarlyDecisionconfersthebiggest admissionsadvantageofanyoftheearlyprograms,butitisnotadecisiontobetakenlightlysinceacceptance istheendoftheprocess
EARLY DECISION II (EDII):
EDIIisabitofamisnomer;mostoftheseapplicationsareactuallydueatoraroundtheregulardeadlinesin January.Buttheyarebinding,andstudentsarenoti edwellbeforestudentsintheregularround,usually mid-February.Atmostcollegesthato erEDandEDII,admissionEDIItendstobemorecompetitivethan ED,butnotascompetitiveasRegularDecision.Itisoftenusedbystudentswhoseearlyresultswerenotas theywishedorwhoneededmoretimetodecidewheretocommittoapply.
EARLY ACTION PROGRAMS
EARLY ACTION (EA):
IfastudentappliesEarlyAction,shewillapplyandbenoti edearly,butisnotcommittedtoattend;shehas untilMay1todecide
EARLY ACTION SINGLE CHOICE (EASC):
IfastudentappliesEASC,shewillapplyonlytothisschoolintheearlyround(someexceptionsmaybemade forstateschools checktheschools’individualpolicies).Veryfewschoolshavethisprogram;namely, Harvard,Princeton,Stanford,andYaleo erEASC.
RESTRICTIVE EARLY ACTION (REA):
IfastudentappliesREA,shemayapplyEAelsewhere,butnotEDanywhere.Theschoolsthatcurrentlyhave thispolicyincludeGeorgetownandNotreDame.
SOME EARLY ACTION SCHOOLS
● American#
● Auburn^
● Babson
● Bard
● Bennington
● Bentley
● Binghamton
● CalTech
● CaseWestern
● Chapman
● Clark#
● Clemson^
● CollegeofCharleston
● ColoradoCollege
● DePaul
● DePauw
● Elon
● Emerson
● Fair eld
● FloridaState^
● Fordham
● FranklinCollege,Switzerland
● Furman#
● GATech#
● Georgetown**
● Gettysburg#
● Harvard*
● HighPointUniversity
● HobartandWilliamSmith#
● Hofstra
● HowardUniversity
● Ithaca#
● Indiana#
● LakeForest
● LewisandClark
● LoyolaMaryland
● LoyolaMarymount
● Macalester
● Marist
● MiamiOhio
● MIT
● Northeastern#
● NotreDame**
● OhioWesleyan
● PennState
● Pepperdine
● ProvidenceCollege
● Purdue#
● Quinnipiac
● RogerWilliams
● SMU
● SacredHeart#
● SalveRegina
● SarahLawrence
● StAndrews,Scotland
● StLawrence#
● SantaClara
● Sewanee#
● Spelman
● Stanford*
● Stonehill
● StonyBrook
● TempleUniversity
● TexasChristianUniversity
● TheAmericanUniversityofParis
● Tulane#
● Union
● UniversityofChicago
● UniversityofColorado,Boulder#
● UniversityofDelaware#
● UniversityofDenver
● UniversityofFlorida#
● UniversityofGeorgia^
● UniversityofHartford
● UniversityofMaryland#
● UniversityofMassachusetts#
● UniversityofMiami#
● UniversityofMichigan#
● UniversityofNewHampshire
● UNC,ChapelHill^#
● UniversityofRhodeIsland#
● UniversityofRichmond#
● UniversityofSanFrancisco
● UniversityofSouthernCalifornia#
● UniversityofSouthCarolina^
● UniversityofTexas^#
● UniversityofTennessee
● UniversityofVermont
● UniversityofVirginia#
● UniversityofWisconsin,Madison#
● VATech#
● Villanova#
● Wheaton(MA)
● WorcesterPolytechnicInstitute#
● Yale* *EarlyActionSingleChoice(EASC) **RestrictiveEarlyAction(REA) ^October15thEarlyActiondeadline #TypicallyrenderearlydecisionsinJanuaryandFebruary,aftertheRegularDecisiondeadlines.
SOME EDII SCHOOLS
ThisisNOTacomprehensivelist;alwayscheckthecollege’swebsiteforapplicationdeadlinesandoptions.
● Babson
● Bates
● Bennington
● BostonCollege
● BostonUniversity
● Bowdoin
● Brandeis
● Bryant
● BrynMawr
● Bucknell
● CatholicUniversityofAmerica
● Carleton
● CarnegieMellon
● Champlain
● ClaremontMcKenna
● Colby
● Colgate
● CollegeoftheAtlantic
● CollegeofCharleston
● CollegeofWooster
● ColoradoCollege
● ConnecticutCollege
● CornellCollege(IA)
● Davidson
● Denison
● Dickinson
● Drew
● Emory
● Fordham
● Franklin&Marshall
● Furman
● GeorgeWashington
● Gettysburg
● Goucher
● Grinnell
● Hamilton
● Hampshire
● HarveyMudd
● HobartandWilliamSmith
● JohnsHopkinsUniversity
● Kenyon
● Lafayette
● Lehigh
● ListCollege,TheJewishTheologicalSemin
● LoyolaMD
● Macalester
● Marist
● Middlebury
● MountHolyoke
● NewYorkUniversity
● Northeastern
● Oberlin
● Occidental
● OhioWesleyan
● Pitzer
● Pomona
● Reed
● RensselaerPolytechnicInstitute
● Rhodes
● RochesterInstituteofTechnology
● Rollins
● SaintOlaf
● SantaClara
● SarahLawrence
● Scripps
● Sewanee
● Skidmore
● Smith
● SMU
● St Lawrence
● St Mary'sCollegeofMaryland
● StevensInstituteofTechnology
● Swarthmore
● Syracuse
● Trinity(CT)
● Tufts
● Union
● UniversityofChicago
● UniversityofMiami
● UniversityofPugetSound
● UniversityofRichmond
● UniversityofRochester
● Vanderbilt
● Villanova
● Vassar
● WakeForest
● WashingtonUniversity
● Washington&Lee
● Wesleyan
● Wheaton
● Whitman
● William&Mary
APPLICATION PROCESSING
Virtuallyallyourapplicationswillbesubmittedonline,eitherviatheCommonApplication,theCoalitionApplication viaScoir,orasimilarwebsiteofthecollege’schoosing.TheUniversityofCaliforniasystem,universitiesintheUK (UCAS),Georgetown,andMITaresomeofthecollegesthathavetheirownonlineapplicationsystems.
Outlinedbelowisabriefdescriptionofhowyouwillactuallyapplytocollegenextfall Don’tsweatthedetailsright now;wehaveastep-by-stepinstructionalguidethatwe’llsendyouthissummer
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
● Researchingcollege-speci crequirementsregardingprerequisites,testing,andrecommendations
● Submittingyourpartsoftheapplication(mainapplicationandsupplements)bythecollege’sdeadline
● Signing(usuallyelectronically)anyEarlyDecisioncontractsrequiredbythecollege
● Payingtheapplicationfees
● Regularlycheckingcollege-speci cportalsforrequirementsandupdates
● Sendingo cialscorereportsofyourSAT/ACTresultsdirectlytothecollege(viathetestingagencyorthrough collegeportal,ifrequired)
● Submittinganyadditionalapplicationmaterials(weblinks,forexample)ifmeaningfulandtrulynecessary
● CompletingtheSelf-ReportedAcademicRecord(SRAR) ifapplicable,alongwithanycollege-speci cportal requirements
COLLEGE OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES
● Submittingyourtranscripts,counselorrecommendation,theGAPro le,andteacherrecommendationsbythe college’sdeadline
● SubmittingthecounselorportionofanyEarlyDecisioncontractsrequiredbythecollege
● Submittingyour rstquarter, rstsemester,and naltranscripts
THE ESSAYS
Theessayisachanceforyoutohelptheadmissionscommitteeseeyouasathinkingandfeelingperson,ratherthan simplya le.Exceptfortheinterview,itisyouronlychancetoshareyourthoughts,insights,andopinions;tohighlight youraccomplishments;toconveyyouroutlookonlife;andtodemonstratethatyoucancommunicateclearly.
Inthelatespring,wegiveaworkshoponthekindsofessaysstudentswillencounter,withreal-lifeexamplesof successful andnot-so-successful writing Wearealsoavailableoverthesummertoconferenceaboutyouressayand willholddrop-inworkshopsintheearlyfall
Throughoutthesummerandfall,wespendagreatdealoftimeworkingwithstudentsindividuallyontheiressaysto ensuretheyareclearandwell-writtenandconveysomethingpositiveandpersonalaboutthem Wewillhelpgenerate topics, eshoutroughdrafts,orpolishup naldrafts Wewillleaveproofreadingandfactcheckingtoyou
WeaskthatyoudraftyourCommonApplicationessayandtwootherapplicationsupplementsbytheendofthe summer
ESSAY PROMPTS: GETTING STARTED
Pleasewriteonesentenceoneachprompt Attheend,chooseonetopicandwriteafull,single-spacedpageonit Roughlythe firsthalfshouldbeastoryandthenyoucanaddinreflections,reactions,conclusions,orongoingquestions Remember:this isadraft,sofocusontheideasanddon’tworryaboutthemechanicsandorganization(orhowtoendit)
Whenyouarefinished,chooseONEpersonwhoknowsyouwelltoedititforcontent toseeifthetopiciscompelling, easy-to-follow,andrevealssomethingaboutyou (Studentsusuallychooseformerteachers,someoneinthecollegeoffice,ora trustedfriend).Havingmorethanonepersoneditforcontentcanbeconfusing,time-consumingandresult inanessaythatsoundsimpersonalandstiff.
Onceyou’verevisedusingtheirfeedback,youcanaskforhelpeditingformechanics,spelling,andgrammar.
Describeatraditionorhabitofyourfamilythatisunique.
Describeaplacethathasparticularmeaningtoyou.
Describeabook,paper,presentation,orotherschoolprojectyoureallyenjoyeddoing.
Talkaboutanaccomplishment,largeorsmall,thatnotmanyofyourfriendsknowabout
Describeoneofyourstrongestbeliefsorvalues
Describeamomentyoufeltindependent
Talkaboutatimeyouhadtomakeadi cultorunpopularchoice
Describeatimeyoureallymesseduporfailed
Describesomeoneyouadmireandwhatitisyouadmireaboutthem.
COLLEGE-SPECIFIC ESSAYS
Initssupplement,aschoolmayaskwhyyou’vechosentoapplytothatschoolinparticular Theseessayshelp admissionso cersidentifystudentswhoaregenuinelyinterested,andcanthereforeplayanimportantrolein admissiondecisions
Aboveall,youressayneedstore ectyourpersonalanduniqueexperiencewiththatschool Theseessaysshould NEVERberecycled;eachshouldberelevanttoonlyONEplace.Howtoaccomplishthat?
● Refertothingsthathappenedduringyourvisit peopleyoumet,scenesyouobserved,placesthatimpressed you,materialfromtheinfosessionthatinterestedyou.
● Refertoanycontactyou’vehadwithsomeonea liatedwiththeschool representatives,alums,professors, etc.
● Spendtimeonthewebsitelookingforintriguingprogramsyoumighttakeadvantageof:uniqueinternships, abroadoptions,scholarships,academiccalendars,inter-terms,courseschedules,projectsinlocalareas,etc. (Forexample,ifyou’reinterestedinworkingwithkidsandtheschoolhasapartnershipwithanearby elementaryschool,oryouliketodigdeeponatopicandtheyhaveablocksystem)
● Consideranactivityorprogramtheschooldoesn’thaveandthinkabouthowyoumightstartitthere,orhow youcanexpandonanexistingprogram
● Thinkhardaboutcitingobvious,super cial,orcommonreasonsforapplyingtoaschool(forexample,BC’s schoolspirit,Columbia’sNewYorkCitylocation,Vanderbilt’saccesstocountrymusic) Theymayfactor largelyinyourdecision,butexpectmanyotherstudentstosaythesamethings Sinceyouhavelimitedspace,it wouldbebettertoprovideadistinctive,thoughtfulreasonuniquetoyou
● Aboveall,demonstratethatyou’vedoneyourhomeworkandgenuinelyunderstandwhythatschoolisagood matchforyou!
ACTIVITIES SECTION
TheCommonApplicationsuppliesabundantspacetodescribeyouractivities.Don’tover-explainactivities. Admissionso cersarefamiliarwithallkindsofhighschoolextracurricularactivities(i.e.,ModelU.N.,ClassPresident, HabitatforHumanity)sotheydon’tneedexhaustiveexplanations.ActivitiesuniquetoGA(suchasMadrigals,Peer, etc)willbefullyexplainedinourschoolpro leorthecounselorrecommendation Juststicktothebasicsofthe activity,abriefdescriptionifnecessary,theyearsyouspentdoingit,specialeventsassociatedwithit(ie championships,tours),andhonorsawarded/o cesheldinit
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
TheAdditionalInformationsectionoftheCommonApplicationallowsyoutheopportunitytoprovideanythingyou wanttheadmissiono cetoknowthatdoesnotappearinanotherpartofyourapplication Donotfeelyoumustuse thissection;itistrulyoptional!
SomeofthewaysstudentsusetheAdditionalInformationsection:
● Toexplainunusualcircumstancessuchasmajorhealthissuesoreducationalinterruptions
● Togivein-depthdescriptionsofscienti cresearchorindependentstudies,suchastheGlobalScholars capstoneprojectoryourparticipationinSPARC
● Todescribeanactivityastudentfeelsshecan’tadequatelyportrayelsewhereintheapplication
● Toprovidearesumeassociatedwithaspeci cactivitythatdoesn’t tintotheactivitytable(forexample,alist oftheplayproductionsatheaterstudenthasbeeninvolvedinorthedi erentcompetitionsa gureskaterhas participatedin)
Alwayscheckwithyourcounselortodiscusswhat(ifanything)needstobeputinyourAdditionalInformation section.
TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Manycollegesrequirerecommendationsfromacademicteachers(unlessitisanartschool,inwhichcaseitmayneedto beanartsteacher) typicallytwoorfewer.Teacherrecommendationsshouldcomefromjunioryearteachersando er speci ccommentaryaboutyourday-to-dayclassroomperformanceandintellectualabilities.
CHOOSING YOUR TEACHER RECOMMENDERS
Thebestoptionsforteacherrecommendationsareteacherswhohavetaughtyourecently,preferablyinthejunioryear, whoyoufeelcanspeakaboutyouknowledgeablyandsupportively Evenifyourgradesweren’tallAs,havingateacher writeaboutyourevidenceofdedicationorremarkableimprovementinthesubjectwillbecompelling Academic commentsyouhavereceivedfromtheteacherinthepastareoftenagoodindicationofwhatmightbesaidinaletter Somecollegesandprogramswithincolleges(forexample,MIT)requirerecommendationsfromteachersincertain disciplines Besuretoreadtherecommendationinstructionscarefully
REQUESTING THE RECOMMENDATION
Towardtheendofthespringsemester,approachyourpotentialrecommendersandaskthempolitelyiftheywouldbe willingtowriteforyou.Youwillthen“electronically”requestyourteacherrecommendationsthroughScoir.(Wewill helpyouwiththis.)
Somethingstobearinmind:
● Teachersrelishtheopportunitytosupportandadvocatefortheirstudentsinrecommendations,sodon’t beshyinapproachingthem.
● Recommendationsrequireagreatdealofe ortandthought.Sothatteacherscandevotesu cienttimeto yours,westronglyrecommendyouapproachyourpotentialrecommendersnolaterthanJuneofyour junioryear.
TEACHER RECOMMENDATION SUBMISSION
Inthefallofsenioryear,yourteacherswilluploadtheirrecommendationsintotheScoirsysteminadvanceofyour rst applicationdeadline TheCollegeO cewillthensubmityourteacherrecommendationsalongwithyourtranscripts andcounselorrecommendations
FOLLOW UP
Besuretothankyourteachersgraciouslyfortheirwork,bothduringtheprocessandafter Ahandwrittennoteafterall therecommendationshaveallbeensentisespeciallyappreciated
FINAL THOUGHTS ON TEACHER RECS
Intermsofthenumberofrecommendationsyoushouldhave,weintheCollegeCounselingO cestronglyencourage youtosubmitonlytwoteacherrecommendations,evenifmoreareallowed Paddingyourapplicationwithexcessive lettersofrecommendationinvariablysendsthewrongmessage.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION
Mostapplicationsrequirearecommendationfromtheguidancecounselor Thecounselorrecommendationspeaksto youroverallGAexperienceasastudentandprovidesthecontextofyouracademicworkandyourinvolvementinthe lifeoftheschoolaswellasanyoutsideinterestsoractivitiesyouhavepursued Towritethese,wedrawonmultiple sources,including:
● ourconversationswithyou
● ourconversationswithyourparents
● ourconversationswithyouradvisor
● yourstudentquestionnaire
● yourparents’questionnaire
● yourtranscript
● youracademic le
● yourresumeoractivitysheet
● additionalinformationyou(oryourparents)haveprovided
● recommendationsfromoutsidesources(liketeachersfromsummerprograms)
● personalobservations
Onceyouhavecon rmedyouwillbeapplyingtoacollegewithyourcounselor,ifthatcollegerequestsacounselor recommendation,wewillautomaticallysendit youdon’tneedtoaskusformally.
“OTHER” RECOMMENDATIONS
Somecollegesallow“OtherRecommenders”tosubmitrecommendations,usuallypeoplewhoknowthestudentina non-academiccontextlikecoaches,clergy,artsteachers,etc (Averysmallnumberevenallowpeerorparent recommendations)Theseextrarecommendationsarerarelyrequired,andsomecollegeswillnotacceptthematall
Ifyoubelievethatarecommenderbesidesyouracademicteachersiscrucialtopaintingacompletepictureofyou,andif thecollegeyouareapplyingtoallowsit,speaktoyourcounseloraboutthemoste cientwaytosubmitthatadditional letterofsupport
9. FOR STUDENTS CONSIDERING COLLEGE ATHLETICS
GreenwichAcademygraduatesgoontoparticipateincollegeathleticsinanumberofways. Manyparticipatein competitiveintercollegiateprogramsinoneormoresports,eitheraftergoingthrougharecruitingprocessofsomekind orasawalk-on,andstillmorechoosetoparticipateattheclublevel. Inshort,justaboutanyonewhoisinterestedin playingsportsincollegecan,andweadviseourstudentstoconsideravarietyoffactorswhenlookingfortheright t.
Manystudentswhoareinterestedinacompetitivecollegiateathleticcareerconsiderseekingthesupportofacollege coachinarecruitingprocess. Ifastudentispotentiallyvaluabletothecollegeprogram,acoachcanlendhersupportin theadmissionsprocesstohelpnarrowthegapbetweenthecollege’sadmissionstandardsandthestudent’sacademic pro le Abouttento fteenpercentofourgraduatesdogetthissupporteachyear,andahandfulofothersgoonto havecompetitiveathleticcareersevenwithoutthissupport
Whatfollowsisabriefguidetocollegeathleticsandtherecruitingprocessaswe’veseenitunfoldatGA
Do I want to participate in competitive intercollegiate athletics in college?
Considerthatinmostcases,whetherattheDivisionI,IIorIIIlevel,participatinginintercollegiateathleticswillfeel likeafull-timejob WhileallNCAAprogramsimposeconstraintsontheexpectationscoachescanhaveoftheir players,inDivisionI,forexample,youcanexpecttodedicate30+hoursperweektoyoursportinseasonandtento twentyhoursperweektoyoursportoutofseason. EveninDivisionIII,whichimposesmorerestrictionsonits athletes’timecommitmentstotheirsport,playersareexpectedtotrainintheo season,liftweights,watch lm,and attendcaptains’practicesandteamactivities…alloutsideoftheregularpracticeroutine. Inmanycases,participatingin asportessentiallyprecludesastudentfromstudyingabroad,takingcertaincourses,pursuingcertainmajors,orjoining otheractivitiesthatcon ictwithpracticeorcompetition.
Ifyouareunsureiftheseexpectationsarerightforyou,speaktocurrentcollegeathletesfromyourcommunity,your schooloryourclubprogramtounderstandwhattheirday-to-dayexperienceislike. Askquestionsabouttheir “work-sport-life”balance. Consideriftheirscheduleiscompatiblewithyourownpersonal,academic,orother extracurriculargoals. Makeanovernightvisitwhereyoucanobserveit rsthand.
What is “recruiting”?
Gettingrecruitedissimplyusingacoach’ssupporttogiveyouaboostinadmissions MostNCAAcoachesareableto userecruitingspotstosupportasmallhandfulofapplicantseachyear,buttheextentande ectofthissupportvaries bysport,college,league,anddivision
Inextendingsupporttoprospectiveapplicants,coachesconsideryourpotentialathleticvaluetotheprogramandyour academicquali cationsrelativetotheschool’sadmissionsexpectations Inourexperience,giventhelargenumberof competitiveathletesseekingrecruitingsupport,coachesatschoolswithextremelyhighadmissionstandardsarenotlikelyto extendsupporttoanexceptionalstudentwithmoderatevaluetotheathleticprogram;rather,theywilllookhardertofind theexceptionalathletewhocanmeettheadmissionoffice’shighexpectations.
Studentsoftenassumethattheyneedtoberecruitedinordertohaveaful llingcollegiateathleticexperience. Many GAalumswhohadstandoutcareersincollege“walkedon,”andweregladtohavedonesobecausetheyfeltless beholdentotheprogramorthecoach.
GreenwichAcademyCollegeCounselingOffice
What is the relationship between athletic recruiting and college admissions?
Collegeadmissiono cesusedi erentmethodstoevaluateapplicantsgettingsupportfromacoach Thesemethods areafunctionofleaguestandards,admissionsexpectations,andinsomecases,thee ortofathleticdepartmentsto distributerecruitingspotsequitablyamongsports Thesefactorscreatesomeuncertaintybyschool andyearover year abouthowrecruitingsupportmightbearoutinanapplicant’sadmissionprospects
IntheIvyLeague,forexample,prospectivestudent-athletesareevaluatedpartlyonthebasisoftheirAcademicIndex score(AI),anumbercalculatedusingaprospect’sGPAandstandardizedtestsandthencomparedagainsttheadmitted studentsinthatclass. WhilethecalculationoftheAIisrelativelytransparent,theabilityofcoachestorecruitfrom certainAIbandschangesonthebasisofannualmodi cationstoleaguestandards,thestrengthoftheoverallapplicant pool,andtheinternaldecisionoftheathleticdepartmentabouthowtodistributerecruitingspotstoitsprogramsat variousAIbandlevels. Inallcases,thelargerthegapbetweenthecollege’sadmissionstandardsandthestudent’s academicpro le,themoreleverageacoachwillhavetoexertonthestudent’sbehalf,andheorshewillsacri ce additionalrecruitingspotsoracademic exibilitywithotherprospectiverecruitsinexchange.
Experiencedcollegecoaches,particularlythosewithconsiderabletenureattheirinstitutions,canoftennavigatean uncertainadmissionlandscapeand,withacomplete(orpartlycomplete)studentacademicpro le,giveareasonable predictionabouthowarecruitwillfare Thismessagecouldrangefrom“I’lltrytoputinagoodword,”to“You’llhave myformalsupport,andinmy(twentyyearsof)experience,everystudentI’vesupportedwithyouracademicpro lehas beenadmitted”
Insomecases,coachesaresointerestedinaprospectiverecruitandsocon dentaboutheradmissibilitythattheywill “commit”toaplayerbeforeshegoesthroughtheadmissionprocessinthefallofhersenioryear Insomesports,these commitmentsarebeingmadeinincreasingnumbersand,especiallywhenmadebyseasonedcoaches,bearoutina successfulrecruitingprocess Note,though,thatcoachescananddomakethesecommitmentswithoutany communicationwiththeadmissionso ce,andtheadmissionso ceatmanyschoolsisunawareoftheprospective studentathleteandascribesnomeaningtothecoach’sverbalcommitment (Inotherwords,thesecommitmentsare onlyasvaluableasthecoach’shistorictrackrecord,expectedtenure,andtheongoingperformanceofthestudentinthe classroomandinhersport,andcanbreakdownifanyofthosevariableschange.)
DivisionIinstitutionscanmakemoreformalpledgestorecruitslaterintheprocess. Thesepledgescantaketheformof lettersofintent,o ersofo cialvisits,andlikelyletters,amongothers. RecruitsatDivisionIIIinstitutionsdonot receivethesepledgesandproceedthroughtheapplicationprocessonthesametimelineasotherapplicants.
If I’m interested in pursuing the recruiting process, what should I do?
1. Consultwithyourcurrentcoaches. Beingabletomaketheteamatacertaincollegeisverydi erentfromhavingsuch animpactonaprogramthatthecoachiswillingtoasktheadmissionso cetosupportyourapplication. Askyour schoolcoach(and,ifappropriate,acluborotheroutsidecoach)forabroadlistofcollegeswhereyoumightbea valuablecontributortotheteam Encouragethatcoachtobreakthislistofschoolsintocategoriesbasedonthelevelof impactyoumighthave,suchas“programchanger,”“immediateimpact,”“meaningfulcontributor,”or“might contributeovertime” Coachesanticipatingthatyoucouldaddsuchvaluetotheprogramsoastochangeits performanceintheleague,ornationally,forexample,mightbewillingtolendyoumoresupportinadmissionsthan coacheswhoestimatethatyoumightaddmoderatevaluetotheteamatsomepointdowntheroad
2 Completetherecruitingquestionnairesatthecolleges Thisfeelslikeamindlesstask,butitdoesgetyourinformation intotheirelectronicsystemsothatcoachescan nditifandwhentheyneedit,andsothatyoureceiveupdated informationaboutcampsandrecruitingeventsspeci ctothatcollege
3 Reachouttothecoachesperiodically Reachoutviaemailtothecoachesatthoseprograms,bearinginmindthatin somecases(dependingonyourgrade,thesport,andthetimeofyear)theycannotreachouttoyoudirectlybutmaybe abletorespondtoyouremails. Keepitbriefanddirect. Frontloadtheimportantinformation,likeyourschool, position,andgraduationyear,andincludeanymeaningfulnationalorregionaldistinctionsyouhaveearnedtodate. If youhavespeci cacademicinformationliketestscores(evenPSATs)orgrades,considerincludingit.Ifyouhaveaccess toashortclip(< veminutes)ofgame lmorhighlightsofyourplay,includethattoo.
Shareyourseasonscheduleandalistofanywhereelseyouplantoplay(clubtournaments,showcases,camps)inthe nearfuture. Closewithafewspeci cquestionstogivethecoachareasontorespond,suchas:
● Wherewillyoubescoutingthissummer?
● Areyouactivelyrecruitingplayersinmygraduationyear? Whereareyouinthatprocess?
● Whatinformationdoyouneedtoevaluatemeasaprospectivestudent-athlete?
● Whenwouldbeagoodtimetovisitcampus?
Plantosendupdateseveryothermonthorsoasyougetnewinformation (Usefulinformationisgoodtoshare,but stopshortofpestering) Whenyoudosharenewinformation,keepitbrief
Interpretingtheresponse Mostcoacheswillrespond,attheveryleast,withaformnotethatencouragesyoutosend updatesonyouracademicorathleticpro le Thisoutreachdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatyouaregettingrecruited Just asyouarecastingawidenetto ndagoodacademicandathletic tinacollege,thecollegecoachesarecastingawide netto ndthebestplayerstheycan ndwhowillmeetorexceedtheirschool’sadmissionstandards Theywilluse schoolrosters,newspapercoverage,sport-speci clist-servs,andcampliststoreachasmanystudentsaspossible
Justasitisinyourbestinteresttorespondtoanycoach’soutreach,soisitintheirinteresttobecourteousintheir responsestohighschoolstudentsinterestedintheirschool. Buttheseexchanges,overtime,willgiveyouasensefor whereyoustandwithacoach. Istheresponseperfunctory(e.g.,“Thankyouforyourinterestinourprogram,Marie. We’rebusygettingaroundtotournaments,butwe’lllookforyouattheWildWingsShowcase.”)?Orisitpersonal (e.g.,“Marie,wereallyenjoyedgettingtoseeyouplayattheWildWingsShowcase. Thatslidetacklewasincredible, andyourspeedlookedgreatrelativetotheotherplayers. Wereallyhopeyouplantovisitcampussoon.”) Doesthe coachrespondquickly,ordoeshe/shetakeaweekormoretorespond?
3. ConnectwiththeCollegeCounselingOffice. Wecanprovidefeedbackonthelistofschoolsyou’vecontactedandhelp youputtherecruitingprocessincontextbasedonyouracademicandpersonalgoals. Wecanalsohelpyouunderstand, basedonourunderstandingoftheadmissionprocessataparticularschoolandtheexperienceofotherGAapplicants there,howtheprocessmightgoforyou. Forexample:
● Arethereschoolsinthislistthatarewithinrangeformeasa“pure”(academic)applicant?
● Withsupportfromacoach,howvaluablewouldIneedtobetotheseteamstogetsu cientsupportin admissions?
● Whathaveourstudent-athletesattheseschoolsreportedabouttheiracademicandathleticexperience?
● HowreliableisthismessageI’mgettingfromthecoach? Whatdoesthismean?
● IfIamgettingpositivefeedbackfromthecoach,howdoIknowiftheiro erofsupportwillhelpmegetin?
(Weoftencallourcolleaguesintheadmissionso cetoseeiftheyhaveseenyour le,ortogetasenseforwhat they’veseenintermsofrecruitingo ersfromthisparticularcoach)
TheCollegeO ce’sprimarygoalistohelpyoucreateoptionsforyourself Itisimportanttounderstandthat,even withyouroutreachandthesupportofyourcurrentcoaches,theoutcomeoftherecruitingprocessislargelyoutof yourhands Wewillurgeyoutocastawidenetasyoubuildalistofprospectivecolleges,includingschoolsthatmay noto eryouathleticsupportevenasyoupursuetherecruitingprocesselsewhere. Thismaymakeforalongerlist,but itwillhelpprotectyouagainstwhatcanbeamerciless,unpredictableprocess.
4. Considerearlystandardizedtestingwithcaution. Foravarietyofreasons,theCollegeCounselingO cegenerally recommendsthatstudentswaituntilthespringoftheirjunioryeartobeginstandardizedtesting. Incertaincases, studentswithviablerecruitingprospectsatDivisionIschoolsmightconsidertestingearly. Sincetherearesome disadvantagestotestingearly(andthesedisadvantagesarenotoftenarticulatedbycollegecoachesorclubcoaches),we encourageyoutoconsultwithusbeforeacceleratingyourtestingschedule.
FROM THE COLLEGE COUNSELORS ON COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Ourprimaryresponsibilityis,aswementionedabove,tohelpyoucreatechoices–andgettingrecruitingsupportcan beawonderfulwaytodothat Butwhenyouputyourselfatthemercyoftherecruitingprocess,youneedtoprotect yourselfagainstitsuncertainty Resistthetemptationto xateononeortwoschoolstotheexclusionofothers Examineyourmotivesifyouarefocusedonlyonhighly-selectiveschoolswiththeintentionofusingtherecruiting processasawaytogainaccesstothoseschoolsforacademicreasons (Thisisabadreason)
Instead,what’swonderfulaboutthecollegesearchisthatthesemissionsarenotmutuallyexclusive Youcanconsider yourcollegesearchfromavarietyofperspectivesatonce:youcanseekrecruitingsupportatschoolswherethose opportunitiesmayexistatthesametimeyouareconsideringotherschoolsfortheiracademicprograms,student culture,andothervaluesthatareimportanttoyou Ifyoutakethissearchprocessasanopportunitytogrow,you’llbe inapositiontoidentifyyourmostimportantprioritiesandenjoyarangeofchoices Letusknowhowwecanhelp!
GENERAL ATHLETIC RECRUITMENT CALENDAR
GroupIX:
● Stayfocusedonacademics,getinvolvedintheGAcommunity,andplanforGroupXclasses
● StayengagedinGAandclubsportsteams–havefun,developinyoursportofchoice
● Begindevelopinganathleticresume
GroupX:
● Stayfocusedonacademics,getinvolvedintheGAcommunityoutsideathletics,andplanforGroupXI classes
● Bywinter/spring,beintouchwithyourGAandclubcoachesaboutwhereyoumightbeaviablerecruitasan “impactplayer,”“meaningfulcontributor,”oraplayerwho“mightcontributeovertime”
● Byspring,beintouchwiththeGACollegeCounselingO ce
● Makesureyouknowthespeci cNCAArecruitmenttimeline(evaluationperiod,contactperiods,etc)and requirementsforyoursport(Div.IandII)orspeci cschoolsifpursuingDivisionIIIrecruitment.
● Planforsummercamps,showcases,andtournaments.
● Beginmakinganathleticrecruitmentresumeandifappropriateforyoursport,useanonlinepro leservice likeSportsRecruits,Hudl,NCSARecruiting.
● Duringthesummer, lloutquestionnairesatschools,reachouttocoaches,andsendvideosasappropriateto yoursport. Ifneeded,youruno cialGAtranscriptisontheparentportal.
● Thinkaboutschedulingyour rstSAT/ACTinlatesummer/fallofjunioryear.
GroupXI:
● Continuetofocusongradesandmaintaininvolvementatschool.
● Takethe rstSAT/ACTinfallandthinkaboutschedulingoneagaininwinter/springofjunioryear.
● Beproactiveincontinuingthecommunicationwithcoaches questionnaires,emailstocoaches,orsending newvideo,athletic,oracademicupdateswhenappropriate
● ContinuetodiscusswithyourGAandclubcoachesyourinterest,askquestions,andseehowtheymightbe abletohelpyou
● BegintheformalcollegeprocesswithyourassignedcounselorbyJanuaryofjunioryearandplanforGroup XIIclasses
● Bythespring,visitschoolsandbuildacollegelistdependingonyourindividualprocess
● Ifyouhavecommittedtotheadmissionsprocessataschoolorarestillintherecruitmentprocess,have materialspreparedfortheJuly1Pre-Readprocesswhichformallyopensyour lewithadmissions
● OpenanNCAAEligibilityAccount
GroupXI:
● Ifcommittedtotheadmissionsprocessataschool,knowtheadmissionsapplicationdeadlineandkeepyour futurecoachinformedofyouracademicandathleticprogress.
● Focusonseniorgrades.
● Goonuno cial/o cialvisitsdependingonthecircumstance.
● FillouttheFAFSAandCSSPro leasneededforyourschool.
● NationalLetterofIntentSigningforadmittedDivisionI/IIathletes.
● CompleteNCAAEligibility.
NCAA RESOURCES
● NACAC:TipsforCollegeAthletesandParents
● NCAAEligibilityCenter
ADVICE ON HOW TO REACH OUT TO A COLLEGE COACH
● Beforedoingso,besuretocleanupyoursocialmediaaccounts.
● Personalizeallcorrespondencewithcoachesinane orttostandoutforyourattentiontodetailandcharacter.
● Rememberthattheearlycorrespondencebetweenacoachandaprospectiveathleteisbasedprimarilyon athleticskill.
Yourinitialletter/emailshouldroughlycontainthefollowing(seealsoabovepagesonoutreach):
● Speci cprogrammaticinformation.You’vedonetheresearchsomakeitpersonaltoshowyou’vebeenpaying attentiontotheprogram.
● Yourpersonalinformation.Name,graduationyear,highschool,location,clubteam,followedbysportspecific statsandhighlightssoyoucanarticulatewhyyou’dbeagoodfitfortheprogram,andthenacademicprofile highlights. Finally,anypotentialcontactinfoforyouoryourcoaches.
● Nextsteps Willyoubeatacampthissummer?Wheremighttheybeabletocatchyou?
10. FOR STUDENTS CONSIDERING THE ARTS
Consideringpursuingthevisualarts,theater,dance,choralorinstrumentalmusicincollege?Herearesomethingsto consider.
BFA or BA?
Doyouwanttoconcentratethemajorityofyourtimeandcourseworkincollegeonyourchosen eldofthearts?Do youwanttograduatewithadegreeinthat eld? Doyouwantyourcollegeadmissionstobedeterminedmorebyyour talentandexperienceintheartsthanyouracademicpro le? Ifso,youmaywanttolookintoBachelorofFineArts programs.InBFAprograms,youcanexpecttotrulyimmerseyourselfandgraduatewithadegreeinyour eldofstudy. Somecollegessolelyo erBFAdegrees(RISD,forexample),whileothershaveBFAprogramswithinalargeruniversity thatalsoo ersothertypesofdegrees(WashingtonUniversity,forexample)
TheadmissionsprocessforaBFAprogramisquitedi erentfromthetraditionalprocess,andgenerallymore complicated Admissionrelieslessonyouracademiccredentials(thoughtheyareafactor)andmoreonevaluationsof yourtalentthroughauditions,artportfolios,recordings,etc MostapplicationsforBFAprogramsareamulti-step processanddi erfromplacetoplace somecollegesacceptatraditionalapplicationandanartsupplementwhilesome collegeshaveanapplicationspeci ctotheprogram;somecollegesadmitstudentsonlytothatprogramwhileother collegesadmitastudent rsttotheuniversityandthentotheprogram(ornot);someaskforpre-screensandpre-reads; somerequireon-campusportfolioreviewsorauditionswhileothersallowstudentstogotoregionaleventsformultiple schools
Ifyouwouldliketopursuethearts,butnotexclusively,youmayprefertopursueaBachelorofArts(orSciences)ata schoolwithmajors,minors,andconcentrationsinyour eldofinterest,orthathasareputationforstrengthinthem. Youmayenduppursuingtheartsonlyinanextracurricularcapacity;manyGAgraduateshavehadveryricharts experiencesincollegecompletelyoutsidetheclassroom!Besuretodeterminewhetherornotyourcollegeallows studentspursuingBAstohaveaccesstotheopportunitiesandresourcesavailabletoBFAcandidates,sincethatisnot alwaysthecase.
Thereareafewschoolsthato erdualBAandBFAdegrees(RISDandBrownhaveone,forexample)buttheseare exceptionallytoughforadmissionsastheyrequireastudenttoessentiallybeadmittedtobothinstitutions onebased primarilyonacademicstrength,theotheronartisticstrength.
OR BOTH?
ManyGAstudentswhoareseriousabouttheartsapplytoamixofBFAandBAprograms
WHERE TO LOOK?
Ifyou’rereallyseriousaboutpursuingtheartsincollege,wecanprovideyoulistsofplacesthathavestrengthinyour eldofinterest,bothBAandBFAprograms Youwillneedtokeepanopenmind;manyoftheplaceswiththe strongestreputationsintheartsmaynotbefamiliartoyouand/orarefara eld
HOW IS THE PROCESS DIFFERENT?
Ifartisgoingtoplayaroleinyourcollegeprocess whetheryou’repreparingforanauditionatatopmusicaltheater programorputtingtogetheranonlineartportfoliotosubmittoalloftheschoolsyou’reapplyingto expectextra preparationandwork Youwillprobablyneedtorelyonseveraladultsthroughouttheprocess,aswell,tohelpyou practice,arrange,compile,record,etc.
GreenwichAcademyCollegeCounselingOffice 66
Ifyouaredoinganauditionorsubmittingavideo,audiorecording,orartportfolio,expectdi erentschoolstoaskfor di erentthings Forexample,avisualartprogrammaywanttoseeyoudoastilllife,alandscape,aportrait,and somethingabstract(andtheymaywantthemonline,oronslides,ortoseetheminperson) Amusicprogrammight wanttohearyousingaclassicalpiece,acontemporarypiece,yourownarrangement,andpiecesindi erentlanguages
WHAT TO DO NOW?
Assoonasyou’vedecidedyou’dliketopursuetheartsinsomecapacity,getorganized.Besuretokeepandarchiveyour bestartwork;takefootageofplaysanddanceconcerts;recordinstrumentalandchoralpieces.Talktoatrustedarts teacherormentoraboutyourintentionofhavinganartscomponentinyourcollegeapplication,andmakeaplanto geteverythingcompiledandaccomplishedbeforeschoolstartsinthefallofsenioryear.
11. PAYING FOR
COLLEGE
Ifthecostofattendingcollegeandseekingout nancialaidandscholarshipsisgoingtobeamajorpriorityinyour collegesearchprocess,itiscriticalthatyourelaythatsentimenttousduringyourprocess.GApartnerswithPaul MartinofCollegeMoneyMethodtoprovidesixwebinarsontheFAlandscapeando erindividualized nancialaid counselingtoGAfamiliesintheprocess.
Theinformationbelowismeanttoprovideageneraloverviewofthe nancialaidlandscape.Checkeachinstitution’s websiteforaccurateinformationontheirFApolicies,deadlines,andforms.
TYPES OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Therearetwotypesof nancialassistanceforcollege:Merit-basedaidcomesintheformofscholarshipsandisawarded basedsolelyonacademicmeritorperhapsaspecialtalentlikedanceormusic,forexample.Need-basedaid(commonly referredtoasfinancialaid)isawardedbasedonthestudentandherfamily’sabilitytopayforcollege,asdeterminedby formulaappliedbytheDepartmentofEducationandindividualcollege nancialaido ces
MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
Manycolleges(publicandprivate)o ermerit-basedawardsforacademicabilityinhighschoolaswellasacademic performanceonceatcollege Theseusuallyarelistedontheadmissionor nancialaidwebsitesandcanbequite generous Thereisnofinancialneednecessaryfortheseawards
Thepurposeofmerit-basedaidistoattractahighercaliberofstudenttothecollegethanmightnormallyattend These collegesoftensetgradeandminimumtestscoresfortheirmeritawards Itisimportanttounderstandthattobe competitiveforamerit-basedscholarship,youmustpresentacademiccredentialsthatputyouintheverytopendofthe college’sadmittedstudentpro le.Inotherwords,countingonameritscholarshipata“reach”or“possible”collegeis unrealistic. NeitherIvyLeagueuniversitiesnor(withfewexceptions)themostselectiveschoolsinthecountryo er merit-basedscholarships.
Beawarethatmanymerit-basedscholarshipdeadlinesareinadvanceoftheschool’sstandarddeadlines.
NEED-BASED AID
Manystudentaidpackagesareprimarilyneed-based(determinedbyyourabilitytopaytuitionandroomandboard). Most nancialaidpackagesareacombinationofgrants(moneythatdoesnotneedtobepaidback),loans(usuallypaid backaftergraduation),andwork-studyarrangements(inwhichthestudentworksoncampusforacertainnumberof hoursperweek). Notethat nancialaidpackagescanchangefromyeartoyearandoftenrequirere-application annually
TheamountofaidawardedbyacollegeoruniversityisbasedonacalculationofaStudentAidIndex(SAI) And, whileastudent’sSAIisbasedonherparents’orfamily’s nancialsituation,anystudentloansorgrantswillbeawarded inthatstudent’sname
Asaresult,mostcollegeswantthestudentherselftoparticipateinthefundingarrangement Studentloansawardedas apartof nancialaidpackageswillbeanongoingobligationofthestudent,nottheparents Subsidizedloanstypically beginaccruinginterestafterthestudentgraduates,whileunsubsidizedloansaccrueinterestfromtheborrowingdate
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCIAL AID AND ADMISSIONS
Aswementioned,itisimportanttorememberthat nancialaidcalculations,packages,anddeadlinesareveryspeci c toindividualcollegesanduniversities. Institutionsalsovaryintermsofthein uencethat nancialneedcanhaveon admissiondecisions. Itisessentialthatyoulookcarefullyateachprospectivecollege’spoliciesanddeadlines. Missinga deadlinewilloftenprecludefamiliesfromconsiderationfor nancialaid Inallcases,youmustapplyfor nancialaid priortoadmission,andthe rstmajor nancialaiddeadlineistypicallyinNovemberofthestudent’ssenioryear The ruleof" rstcome, rstserved"oftenappliesintheallocationofaiddollars
NEED-BLIND INSTITUTIONS
Need-blindinstitutionsmaketheiradmissiondecisionsirrespectiveofthefamily’s nancialneed Someofthese institutionsareabletomeetalldemonstratedneedthroughloansandgrants Forotherinstitutions,theadmission decisionisrendered“need-blind”–meaningastudentwith nancialneedwillbeadmittedregardlessofthatneed–buttheinstitutionwillnotbeabletoguaranteeloansorgrantstoclosethefundinggapbetweenthestudent’sSAIand thecostofattendance Theseinstitutionsmayonlybeabletoo erapartial nancialaidpackagethatwillrequirethe familiestolookelsewhereforsourcesoffunds
NON-NEED BLIND OR NEED-“AWARE” INSTITUTIONS
Manycollegesanduniversitiesthathavelimitationsontheiravailableaidfundsdo,asaresultoffundingconstraints, factorneedintotheiradmissiondecisions. Insomecases,studentswhomayotherwisebequali edforadmissionmay bedeniedadmissionfor nancialreasons.
THE STUDENT AID INDEX (SAI)
Thisistheamountyourfamilyisexpectedtopaytowardthecostofcollege. Need-based nancialaidpackagesseekto providethedi erencebetweentheSAIandthetotalcostofattendancebut,asmentionedabove,institutionsvaryin theirabilitytoclosethegap.
Institutionsvaryinhowtheyapproximatethecostofattendancebutgenerallyconsiderthefollowing:
● Tuitionandfees,whichmayvarybydepartmentorprogram
● Housingandmealplans
● Allowanceforbooksandsupplies,whichmayincludecomputers
● Allowanceforpersonalexpenses,whichmayincludetransportation
HOW SAI IS CALCULATED
Anyinstitutionthatusesfederalfunds andthisincludesnearlyeverycollegeanduniversity requiresyouto completetheFAFSA(FreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid) Thiscalculationisdrivenmostlybythefamily’s incomeasreportedonthefederalincometaxreturn Incasesinwhichtaxreturnsaremorecomplicated,thereare supplementalformstocomplete. TheseincludetheDSPS(fordivorcedorseparatedparents)aswellasformsfor familiesthatrelyonfarmsorsmallbusinessesforincome. Intwo-householdfamilies,theFAFSArequiresinformation onlyfromtheparentwhoisclaimingthechildfortaxpurposesforthatyear. TheSAIthatiscalculatedthroughthe FAFSAwillbethesameforeveryinstitutionthatusesit. Thiscalculationisreachedusingwhatiscalledthefederal methodology(below).
TheFAFSAunderwentasigni cantoverhaulinDecember2023. OncetheFAFSAisavailableinthefallofsenioryear, studentsandparentscancompletetheFAFSAusingtaxinformationfromthepriorfullyear(2023TaxReturns).
MostprivatecollegesanduniversitiesGAstudentstypicallyalsorequirecompletionoftheCollegeBoard’sCSSProfile. TheCSSPro letakesintoaccountothervariablessuchashomeequityand/orotherfamilyassets. SectionQofthe CSSPro leisparticularizedfurtherandincludesquestionsspeci ctoindividualinstitutions Thiscalculationis reachedusingwhatiscalledtheinstitutionalmethodology(seebelow)
Thereisasmallsubsetofcollegesanduniversitiesthatusetheirownformstoestimate nancialneed Besuretoreview eachinstitution’srequirementstoensureyoucompleteallnecessaryforms Collegesgenerallywelcomecallstotheir nancialaido cetoclarifytheirapproachand,insomecases,maybeableto“pre-read”your nancialaidapplication beforeyouapply,particularlywhenconsideringabindingcommitmenttoaninstitution
ESTIMATING YOUR SAI
Manywebsitesprovidecalculatorsthathelpyouapproximateyourestimatedfamilycontribution Collegesare requiredtohaveaNetPriceCalculator(NPC)ontheir nancialaid/admissionwebsiteandmanyhaveaddedthe programMyIntuitionthatallowsforhistoricinstitutionaldatatobefactoredintothecalculation.
TheUSDepartmentofEducationisrequiredbylawtomakepubliclyavailableinformationabouttheaveragenetprice ofeachcollege/universitythatparticipatesinTitleIVfederalstudentaidprograms.Youcansearchdatafromthelast threeyearsontheNationalCenterforEducationStatisticswebsite.
Giventhattheway nancialaidisawardedvariesbyinstitution,ifacollegehasitsownestimator/calculatorontheir website,trythatone rst Inaddition,thefollowinglinkprovidesestimatesusingeitherthefederalorinstitutional methodology
FederalStudentAidEstimator
Earlyapplicants receiveanestimated nancialaidpackagewiththeiracceptances RegularDecisioncandidatesreceive nancialaidpackageswiththeo erofadmission(orshortlythereafter)inlateMarchearlyApril.
FAFSA: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
CSSPro le: https://www.collegeboard.org
FINANCIAL AID APPLICANT CHECKLIST
JUNE-AUGUST
● Completeaseriesof“netpricecalculators”togetasenseoftheEFC(expectedfamilycontribution)foreach schoolonyourcollegelist.
● DeterminewhichschoolsonyourlistwillneedtheCSSPro leinadditiontotheFAFSA
● WorkontheMockCSSPro letohelpprepareforsubmissioninthefall
SEPTEMBER
● BesuretoconnectwithyourcounselorregardingyourlistandapplicationstrategyasitpertainstoyourFA pro le
● ConnectwithPaulMartinatCollegeMoneyMethod(viaGA)toconsultre:formsandsupport documentation
OCTOBER
● October1:CSSPro lefortheschoolyearbecomesavailableforcompletion Studentsandparentsshould workontheseimmediately.
● FallTBD:FAFSAavailabletocomplete.
NOVEMBER
● Deadlines(varybycollege)tocompletetheCSSPro le,andanyadditionalschoolspeci c nancialaidforms forallED/EAapplications.Pleaseconsultcollege nancialaido cesandyourcounselorwithquestions.
● Beawareofindividualdeadlinesforuniversity-speci cscholarships.
DECEMBER
● ReviewsupplementalCSSPro lequestionsandanycollegespeci c nancialaidformsforregulardecision schools.
● ReviewED/EAawardswithyourcounselorbeforeyoucommittoaschoolorwithdrawyourother applicationsandstayintouchwithyourcounseloras nancialaido ersarrive Notethatschoolshave di erentdeadlinesandproceduresforappeals
JANUARY-APRIL
● Reviewandapplyforadditionalscholarshipapplications(ifdesired)outsidetheformaladmissionsprocess Fastwebisjustoneofmanyrepositoriesforbothlocalandnationalscholarshipopportunities
● ReviewRDawardswithyourcounselorbeforeyoucommittoaschoolorwithdrawyourotherapplications andstayintouchwithyourcounseloras nancialaido ersarrive Notethatschoolshavedi erentdeadlines andproceduresforappeals
MAY
● ByMay1:Depositatoneschool(andonlyoneschool),evenifyouhavechosentoremainonmultiple waitlists.
Note: BepreparedtoresubmitFAFSAandCSSformseachyear.It’sagoodideatobefriendanFAcounselorat yourcollegetohelpwiththatprocessmovingforward. ThankyoutoourfriendsatRCSfortheuseofthistimeline.
THE MOST GENEROUS SCHOOLS
Ifyouqualifyfor nancialaid,eachcollegethatacceptsyouwillputtogethera“ nancialaidpackage”thattellsyou howtocoverthecostofattending Thispackageisusuallyacombinationof:
1 Money(grants)thecollegegivesyou
2 Thetuitionyouandyourfamilypays
3 Workstudy(aplanforyoutopaytuitionthroughacampusjob)
4 Loansyouand/oryourfamilytakeouttocovertherest
Typically,studentsstarttorepaytheirloansaftercollegeandcontinuetodoso,oftenwellintoadulthood Fortunately, inrecentyears,somecollegeshaveeliminatedloansentirelyforallstudents,orforstudentswhosefamiliesmeetcertain requirements!
NO LOAN SCHOOLS
Thefollowingcollegesdonotincludeanyloansintheir nancialaidpackages.Theseschoolshavemadeacommitment toreplaceallloanswithgrantsandworkstudyprogramsforallstudentsregardlessoffamilyincomeorstateresidency.
● AmherstCollege
● BowdoinCollege
● BrownUniversity
● ClaremontMcKennaCollege
● ColbyCollege
● ColumbiaUniversity
● DartmouthCollege
● DavidsonCollege
● EmoryUniversity
● GrinnellCollege
● HaverfordCollege
● HarvardUniversity
● JohnsHopkinsUniversity
● MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
● NorthwesternUniversity
● PomonaCollege
● PrincetonUniversity
● RiceUniversity
● SmithCollege
● StanfordUniversity
● SwarthmoreCollege
● UniversityofChicago
● UniversityofPennsylvania
● VanderbiltUniversity
● WashingtonandLee
● WashingtonUniversityinStLouis
● WesleyanUniversity
● WilliamsCollege
● YaleUniversity
NO LOAN SCHOOLS FOR LOW INCOME STUDENTS
Therearealsoanumberofschoolsthathaveeliminatedloansforlowincomestudents Below,youwill ndalistof schoolswhoo ernoloanaidpackagestostudentswhosefamiliesearnbelowacertainincomethreshold
● BrandeisUniversity-Studentsfromfamilieswithincomeslessthan$75,000peryear
● CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology(Caltech)–USstudentswithfamilyincomeunder$90,000peryear
● CarnegieMellonUniversity-Studentsfromfamilieswithincomeslessthan$75,000peryear(tuitionfree)
● ColgateUniversity-Studentswithfamilyincomesunder$175,000peryear,andnotuitionunder$80,000
● ConnecticutCollege–Studentswithincomeunder$50,000orEFCunder$5,000peryear
● CornellUniversity-Studentswithfamilyincomesunder$60,000peryear
● DukeUniversity–Studentswithfamilyincomesunder$40,000peryear
● LafayetteCollege –Fullneedmetforfamiliesearninglessthan$200,000peryear
● LehighUniversity –Studentsfromfamilieswithincomeslessthan$75,000peryear
● MIT- Studentsfromfamilieswithincomeslessthan$200,000peryear(tuitionfree)
● OberlinCollege–StudentswhoareeligibleforthePellGrant
● TuftsUniversity–Studentswhosefamiliesearnunder$60,000
● UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill–Studentswhosefamiliesearnupto200%oftheFederalPoverty Lineandwhoareenrolledfull-time
● UniversityofTexasSystem-Studentsfromfamilieswithincomeslessthan$100,000peryear (tuitionfree)
● VassarCollege–Studentswhosefamilyincomesarebelow$60,000peryear
● WellesleyUniversity–Studentswithfamilyincomesbelow$60,000peryear
SOME SCHOOLS THAT OFFER MERIT AID
NOTE:Theseareconstantlychangingsopleasedoublecheckwithadmissionswebsites.Insomecases,deadlinesformerit scholarshipconsiderationareearlierthanregulardecisiondeadlines(e.g.BC,Duke,Emory,Richmond,Vanderbilt).Some schoolsmayalsorequiretheFAFSAand/orCSSProfileformeritconsideration.Pleaseconsultindividualschoolpolicies.
Atthefollowingschools,atleast20%ofincomingfreshmanreceivemeritaid:
● UniversityofAlabama
● ArizonaStateUniversity
● Auburn
● Baylor
● Bennington
● BrynMawr
● BostonUniversity
● ButlerUniversity
● CaseWestern
● Catholic
● CollegeofCharleston
● Clark
● Clemson
● ColbySawyer
● CooperUnion
● UofColorado,Boulder
● UniversityofDenver
● Delaware
● Denison
● Depauw
● Drew
● Elon
● Fair eld
● Furman
● GeorgeWashington
● GeorgiaInstituteofTechnology
● HarveyMudd
● HobartandWilliamSmith
● Hofstra
● Ithaca
● IndianaUniversity
● Kenyon
● LewisandClark
● LoyolaMarymount
● LoyolaNewOrleans
● Macalester
● UniversityofMaine
● Manhattanville
● Marist
● Marquette
● UMass-Amherst
● MiamiUniversity
● UniversityofMiami
● UniversityofMichigan
● Northeastern
● TheNewSchool
● NYU
● Oberlin
● FranklinOlinCollegeofEngineering
● Quinnipiac
● RensselaerPolytechnic
● UniversityofRochester
● Rhodes
● Rollins
● SantaClara
● SarahLawrence
● Sewanee:UniversityoftheSouth
● St.Lawrence
● St Michaels
● SouthernMethodistUniversity
● TexasChristian
● Tulane
● Union
● USC
● UniversityofVermont
● WebbInstitute
● Wheaton(MA)
● Whitman
● WPI
● CollegeofWooster
● WakeForest
● WorcesterPolytechnic
FINDING OTHER SOURCES OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Besuretoreadcolleges’ nancialaidwebpagestogetdetailsandinformationonprivatesourcesoffunds. Forexample, studentswith nancialneedmay ndtheirneed-basedpackagesadjustedafteranyprivatescholarshipmoneyis awarded,soproceedwithcaution.Ifyoudoinvestigateprivatescholarships,hereareafewsourcestoconsult:
https://wwwquestbridgeorg/ Questbridgeisanationalnonpro tthatlinksstudentswitheducationalandscholarshipopportunitiesatparticipating (40+)collegesanduniversitiesandprovidesaNationalCollegeMatchprogramforseniorapplicants
http://www naidorg
Includeslinksto nancialaiddatabases, nancialaidcalculators,linkstofederalandstategovernmentwebsites,an annotatedbibliographyof nancialaidbooksandaglossaryofterms
http://fastwebcom FinancialAidSearchthroughtheWeb(fastweb)isasearchabledatabaseofmorethan275,000privatesector scholarships,fellowships,grantsandloans.
https://scholarshipguidance.com/ Ascholarshipdatabasethatupdatesdailyforthenewestopportunitiesandalsocontainsupdatedcollegepro lesfor referencepurposesinunderstanding nancialaid.
Fromtimetotime,wereceiveannouncementsforlocalscholarshipsourcesandcompetitions;wewillforwardthis informationtothestudentsaswereceiveit.Hereareafewexamplesofthescholarshipprogramswe’retalkingabout.
ConnecticutresidentsmayapplyforaConnecticutGovernor’sScholarshipProgram.Thisneed-basedgrantcangoup to$5,000ayearforaConnecticutpublicorprivateuniversity.TheGovernor’sScholarshipprogramisdependentonthe actionsoftheStateLegislatureeachyear.
Connecticut residentsmayalsoapplyforCHESLAloansifthestudentismatriculatingtoaninstitutionwithinthe stateofConnecticut
NewYorkResidentsmayapplyforaNewYorkStateTuitionAssistanceProgram(TAP)grant (upto$5,000)foruse atNewYorkStatecollegesanduniversities
TheGreenwichScholarshipAssociationawardsnumerousscholarshipsfromlocalorganizations(UnitedWay,etc)to studentswith nancialneedwhoattendschoolinGreenwich
Wealsoreceiveinformationfromlocalcivicorganizationsaboutscholarshipopportunitiesforstudentswithspeci c quali cations(residentofacertaintown,involvedincommunityservice,aspiringengineers,teachers,etc.)Wewillpass theseannouncementsalongaswegetthem.