College Application Process and Post-High School Planning

Applying to College Apply to colleges early in your senior year. Try to submit all applications by the end of November. You will find out if you’re accepted sooner and this will make your financial aid application process smoother. UW-Madison has an early action application deadline of Nov. 1. If you apply under early action, you’ll be notified of your admission decision by the end of December. Their final deadline to apply for admission is Feb 1.

UW System Schools You can apply to all UW schools at apply.wisconsin.edu. Applications for other colleges can be found on their websites. If you use apply.wisconsin.edu, you can apply to more than one UW school using the same application.

Preparing to fill out the application You will be asked to report your involvement in the following: Extracurricular activities Community/volunteer activities Honors/awards earned and leadership positions held Employment Be specific with your positions held, hours spent, length of time involved. You do not need to document the hours--you are expected to report this information honestly. Most applications require an application fee. Your counselor can help you access an application fee waiver if you qualify for one based on your family’s income.

Application Essays Most colleges will have at least one application prompt in their application. A couple of examples: How will your particular talents, commitments and/or interests enrich our community? Tell us about your academic and personal achievements. What have you learned from your successes and/or challenges, and how will this influence you as you pursue your college education?

You can find the essay prompts for all UW schools at: https://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/admission-guidelines/freshman/application-statements/

Advice on Essays Be specific with answers Use examples Be brief Have someone proofread your essay/statement Use your own voice There are resources in the counseling office to help you write your applicant statement.

After you submit your application Send your official high school transcript. Go to www.parchment.com, create an account, and request to have your transcript sent to each college you’ve applied to. There is a small fee associated with this service. (Fee waivers are available for students who qualify--ask your counselor.) If you are applying to a college that uses SendEdu or The Common Application, you do not need to request your transcript be sent through Parchment. Send your official ACT scores to schools that require them. You may have sent your scores to some schools when you took the ACT. If you did, then those colleges will have them. If you need to send your official ACT scores, go to www.actstudent.org You will need your ACT ID # from your ACT score report. Your counselor has a copy of your score report if you need it.

Letters of Recommendation Not all schools require letters of recommendation. Within the UW System, only UW-Madison requires letters (one or two are recommended). If letters are required, do not submit more than three (two is usually plenty). If you don’t quite meet the admission requirements for a school you’re applying to, it’s a good idea to submit one or two letters of recommendation.

Many schools, including UW-Madison, have a recommendation form that you can invite teachers to access online: https://apps.admissions.wisc.edu/apply/recommendations/submit/index.php If you are applying to UW Colleges other than UW Madison, you can use the UW System recommendation form: https://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/UWSystemRecommendationForm-8.1.2019-1.pdf If your recommenders do not use a direct link, please ask them to email their letters to your counselor. Your counselor will submit your letters along with your transcript. Please inform your counselor that you need letters sent along with your transcript before you order your transcripts.

You can use the blue Letter of Recommendation form to help your recommenders learn more about you. Please give your recommenders plenty of time (two weeks if possible) to write a letter on your behalf. Remember to thank the people who write letters for you.

Madison College (MATC) You can apply on their website (www.madisoncollege.edu) The counselors will schedule an MATC application learning lab during advisory sometime in the next few weeks for students who would like help completing their application. All students who take advantage of this opportunity will receive fee waivers for the application fee.

Important Considerations for Madison College Some programs have priority application deadlines. Check the program’s webpage for application deadlines. Some programs have specific requirements, which may include courses taken during high school. Make sure you’ve met those requirements. Some health care programs require a specific high school GPA or ACT score for admission.

MATC requires an official copy of ACT scores from the testing agency MATC requires an official copy of ACT scores from the testing agency. If you didn’t have your scores sent there when you took the ACT, you’ll need to go to www.actstudent.org to order a score report sent to MATC.

College Reps Many college representatives visit our school to meet with interested students. The calendar can be found on the school counseling webpage: https://www.deforest.k12.wi.us/schools/high/dahs-school-counseling.cfm This is a great opportunity to get answers to your questions and make an impact on an admissions representative.

Military Representatives from all branches of the military will visit the high school during the year. Any interested students should feel free to stop by to meet with them or ask questions. These visits are also posted on the school counseling webpage calendar. Your counselor can also help you reach out to military reps to schedule meetings.

College Fairs Wisconsin Education Fair Sun Prairie High School Thurs., Sept. 19, 9-11 am and 6-8 pm NACAC National College FAir in Milwaukee Wisconsin Center Sunday, Oct. 6, 3-6 pm

Financial Aid Families can start applying for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (www.fafsa.gov) beginning Oct. 1

Financial Aid Night A financial aid specialist from UW-Madison will present an overview of financial aid and the application process on Monday, October 14th at 6:00.

College Goal Wisconsin Receive free, professional on-site assistance completing the FAFSA Oct. 16, 5:30 pm at the middle school Other dates and locations can be found at: www.collegegoalwi.org

Scholarships An up-to-date list of scholarships can be found on the school counseling webpage: https://www.deforest.k12.wi.us/schools/high/dahs-scholarships.cfm Register with scholarship search websites like Fastweb.com or Scholarships.com. You can apply for scholarships throughout your senior year.

MATC: Scholars of Promise Geared toward low income students. Pays tuition and fees (after financial aid money has been applied) for up to six semesters. Provides support through admission, financial aid, and class enrollment.

UW Madison Financial Aid Opportunities Bucky’s Promise: For students whose families’ adjusted gross income is below $58,000 per year. Pays tuition and fees for up to 8 semesters. FasTrack: For students whose families receive public assistance. Pays tuition and fees. Eligibility for both programs will be determined after FAFSA completion.

Questions? The counselors are happy to meet with you to help you through any part of your post-high school planning process. Ms. Ensign (A-G) ​https://sensign.youcanbook.me Ms. Micklos (H-O) https://cmicklos.youcanbook.me Ms. Drotning (P-Z) https://kdrotning.youcanbook.me/