IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES - AP, SAT, ACT

Here are the links to important dates and deadlines coming soon (Be sure to confirm these dates with the College Board, ACT, or appropriate agency.):

TEST  - Deadline

SAT Test

May 8 - Deadline to register for June 6 SAT Test

May 27 - Late registration deadline for June 6 SAT Test

Link for College Board  click here

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AP Exams

Week 1 - May 4 to May 8
and
Week 2 - May 11 to May 15

Link for AP Calendar click here

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ACT Test

May 8 - Deadline to register for June 13 ACT Test

May 9-22 - Deadline for Late Registration for the June 13 Test

Link for ACT Test Site click here

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For a preview of Dr. Droge's helpful book, COLLEGE ADMISSION: A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide To Getting Into The College Of Your Choice click here

JANUARY CHECKLIST

Here are some things to do in January:

If you are seeking financial aid, fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):
Click Here

Register for the SAT
Click Here

Explore Subject Tests
Click Here

Register for the ACT
Click Here

For a full look at the college admission process, see Dr. Droge's book:
COLLEGE ADMISSION: A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide To Getting Into The College Of Your Choice Click Here

COLLEGE ADMISSION CHECKLIST: WHAT SENIORS SHOULD DO IN OCT-NOV

--Register for SAT (https://www.collegeboard.org/ ) or ACT (http://www.act.org/ ), if necessary – last chance to take test that will get scores to admissions offices before they begin to review applications – SAT test date Dec. 6, 2014 (registration deadline Nov. 6); ACT test date Dec. 13, 2014 (registration deadline Nov. 7). Be sure to check online to confirm these dates and all deadlines, including late registration deadlines and fees.

--Attend “college night” events at school or in community.  Meet with admissions representatives that visit school.

--Finalize your list – Which colleges will you apply to?  What are their deadlines?  What is required for each?

--If you are applying “early” to any colleges, get all materials together ASAP.  Check deadlines – (many colleges have a November 1 deadline).  Do not wait until very last minute to apply, if possible.

--Check with each college to determine if any SAT Subject Tests are required – check registration deadlines for tests at www.collegeboard.org .

--Check deadlines and apply for local and national scholarships.  (e.g. see sites like http://www.fastweb.com/  or http://www.zinch.com/ )

--Confirm with teachers about recommendations and with school counselors about school reports that will be sent to colleges on your final list.

--Complete application essays.

--Study hard and do your best work in every course.  The grades you earn this term are important to the college admissions offices.

GREAT COLLEGES WITH "SIMPLER" ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS - #5

WAKE FOREST  Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest does not think standardized testing is "evil", but it does feel that an interview in the admissions process can be more important than scores on the SAT or ACT in indicating who is a good fit for the college.  Thus, candidates are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores when applying.  If you think they would help, and you would like them considered, you are free to submit them.  Otherwise, it's fine if you do not.

Wake Forest, established in 1834, has an undergraduate enrollment just shy of 5,000 students.  The deadline for "Early Decision" applications in 2014-15 is November 15, and for "Regular Decision" applications, January 1.

For more information about Wake Forest deadlines and admission, click here .

For helpful information about getting into the college of your choice, see Dr. Droge's book, COLLEGE ADMISSION - CLICK HERE

January to May: What Juniors Should Be Doing

So, it is the middle of your Junior year and you are getting a bit nervous about college admissions.  You have done practically nothing to date.  Many of your classmates seem to have their acts together, and you feel lost.  What do you do?

First, take a deep breath.  You have enough time to do all that is necessary.  Going into shock certainly isn't going to help. 

Next, review the list below, and schedule time to work on each item.  The best way to approach the college admission process is to see it as made up of individual parts.  The big picture may seem overwhelming, but when you look at each part, you can easily see how manageable it is.  Engage one part at a time, and remember that some parts need not be complete before you engage other parts. 

Also – and this is important – see the fun in some of this.  You really will enjoy reading about some colleges and imagining yourself there on campus.  That’s all a part of the process – researching colleges and determining which ones appeal to you. 

So, knowing that there is enough time to accomplish everything, that the process is really very manageable when broken down into individual parts, and that some of this may even be fun, begin with the list that follows:

1. Research colleges online, in school, and in the library, and build a list of those that appeal to you.  At this point, it doesn't really matter if it is a long list.  You will refine it eventually.

2. Register for the SAT or ACT and take it in the spring.  And if the colleges you are interested in require SAT Subject Tests for courses you are taking currently, register for those tests as well. TIP - take the Subject Tests scheduled at the end of the academic year and at the end of your courses - in May or June.  (Try not to wait until the fall to take these tests - you might forget the material.) (www.collegeboard.org or www.act.org )

3. Have regularly scheduled  conversations with your college counselor. 

4. Visit a few colleges on weekends or on break

5. Stay active at school – sports, clubs, other extra-curricular activities

6. Plan for summer activities or employment – intern, travel, job, enrichment course, etc.  This is your last summer before beginning the applications.  Give yourself something great to report to the colleges.

7. Obtain a Common Application and other specific applications of interest to survey exactly what will be required.  (www.commonapp.org )

Build a List of Colleges:  These are the colleges you may apply to eventually.  Begin to think about what you may enjoy learning about in college.  Also, think about your preferences in terms of geography, size, and type (e.g. public or private).  You are not locking yourself in here;  you are simply trying to figure out what kind of college will make you happy. 

Begin to research colleges online or in the library to see which ones appeal to you.  Of each college, ask yourself if it offers what you are interested in?  Does it have the majors and programs that you want to take?  Will it prepare you for the next stage of your life after graduation – such as going to graduate school or getting a job? 

See Dr. Droge's book, College Admission - CLICK HERE

POOR GRADES - LOW SAT OR ACT - HOW CAN I GET INTO COLLEGE?

News Flash:  Not everyone is an academic star.  And colleges know that.  If you are not happy with your grades or standardized test scores, do not despair.  There is much more to an application than grades or scores. 

Though the transcript is important, the essay presents another wonderful opportunity to present yourself.  Take advantage of this.  Write an essay that knocks them off their feet from first word to last.  Tell them what your passion is, how you spend your time, why that pursuit is important to you.  They want to know about YOU.  They want to know what makes you tick.  If you are an amateur entomologist, describe how you spend most of your waking hours playing with bugs.  Tell them that you plan to make a career of it.  If you are a readaholic, tell them about the last six books you read this year, and why you read them, and how reading is important to you.  Do not waste the essay opportunity by merely regurgitating what already appears on other parts of the application, like lists of extracurricular activities.  Lists will put the readers to sleep.  They might be reading your essay at two o’clock in the morning, having already read fifty essays before yours.  You want to grab them by the collar with your first sentence and shake them awake.  You want them to know that you are more than grades and SATs.

The interview is another part of the application process that presents an opportunity to show the college who you really are.  While some colleges do not require an interview, most will arrange one if you request it.  Request it.  Let the admissions office attach a face and a personality to the application.  As you did in the essay, let them know in person how passionate you are about something, how you spend so much time pursuing it, and why it is important.  Stay positive and upbeat.  Leave a good impression.  You want them to remember you.  You want them to refer to you in their meetings as “that sincere guy who loves to play with bugs and wants to be an entomologist down the road,” or “that passionate girl who spends most of her afternoons and evenings at the dance studio because she’s committed to joining the American Ballet Theater one of these days,” or “that earnest, articulate candidate with a good sense of humor who likes to read and who – this year alone – has read everything that Jane Austen ever wrote.”

Yet another part of the application that invites you to describe yourself is the supplemental materials section.  This presents you with an opportunity to submit an extra paper or report you have written, or a CD or DVD or other media that exhibits your talent in depth.  Use this chance to showcase the side of you that the admissions office will find appealing.  Are you a singer or a cellist or a dancer or a football player?  Send a disk of yourself performing.  Have you written a great report that the teacher raved about or a great article that appeared in the newspaper?  Have you had a poem published in a magazine?  Send it and let the admissions officers see your accomplishments first hand.  Give them something to offset the transcript.  Let them know how special you are. 

Yes, grades and standardized test scores are important.  But, by design, applications are multi-faceted.  The admissions office wants to know who you are beyond the transcript.  They want to know what you can contribute to the college.  Use every chance you can find to tell them what they will gain if they admit you.  In particular, seize the opportunities presented by the essay, the interview, and the supplemental materials sections.

For a more complete look at the college admission process, see COLLEGE ADMISSION: A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide To Getting Into The College Of Your Choice. CLICK HERE