Applying to College - Enjoy the Journey

Pacific Collegiate School College Night For Students and Parents With Mr. Partlow

Post High School Plans Vocational Community College California State University (CSU) University of California (UC) Private Colleges MOOCS Gap Year Defer Enrollment

The Holistic Review Transcript Test Scores Activities Essay Letters of Recommendation Personal Information High School Profile

Transcript What are the student’s grades over the years? Is there a trend upwards/downwards? How rigorous are the classes he/she has taken (advanced placement/honors). Colleges review the School Profile to see what is offered, the grading system used. What is the student taking during their senior year?

Test Scores What are the scores? Does the student have a particular area they score higher in? Do the scores correlate with the students GPA? Is one higher than the other? What does that mean? How do the scores correlate with the scores on the School Report?

Activities What does the student do outside of the classroom whether it is school related or not? How much time is dedicated? What about the depth? Has the student shown initiative or leadership?

Essay Does the essay tell you about the student beyond the GPA and test scores? What kind of person will we be admitting to campus? What kind of dorm roommate will they make? How will the student contribute to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus? Can you hear the student’s voice? How well is it written? Check their grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Flesh on the bones. Be you.

Letters of Recommendation What have you learned about the student from the recommendations? What stood out the most about the student? How enthusiastic or positive is the recommendation? What have you learned about how prepared the student is for college level work and the demands of college life?

Personal Information Is there anything in the student’s or family background that stands out in relation to the college? Has the student ever been suspended, expelled or received disciplinary action while in high school? Are there any special circumstances admissions should be aware of when evaluating the rest of the application?

High School Profile What can the Admissions Team learn about the school from the profile? What has the student accomplished given the schools opportunities and offerings?

RD, Rolling, EA, ED, EDII, REA

Mental Health & College Admissions Encourage your child to eat well, sleep well, and to plan. There are thousands of schools, two-year and four-year, public and private, in-state and out-of- state, urban and suburban, large and small. More than one of these schools will fit the needs of your child.

TOP TEN TIPS FOR APPLYING TO COLLEGE

Learn to love calendars, deadlines, and Naviance/Family Connection. If you're organized, this whole process will be a blast. If you're not, get ready to spend time in one of the outer rings of hell.

Be kind to your parents, teachers, and college counselor. We're going to stay with you for the whole show. This means we soak up the stress, take a punch or two, and pay the bills, but in the end we don't even get to go to college. If you give it some thought, it really is quite unfair.

Begin by staring at your belly button, but don't become fixated on it. You should know what makes you tick and meditate on creating a plan, but when those deadlines say go, it is time to take action.

Make the most of PCS and be a good kid. By making a strong effort and keeping a positive attitude you are putting yourself in an excellent position for applying to college.

Visit a number of college campuses to get an idea of what all the fuss is about. After you find a school that "matches" you, College Counseling will help you identify similar schools.

If you can have fun going through this grueling process you pretty much have life licked.

Even if you are perfect, and you are, Stanford has only 2,000 beds for freshmen and 30,000 kids want to spend the night.

Don't start doing community service in your senior year to improve your chances of getting into college. That would be superficial and crass (and a bit too late). Leave community service to the people who actually do it for the right reasons.

The challenges of college admissions will test you to take short cuts, bend rules, and play loose with the truth. Don't do it. You are better than that. Be the definition of integrity.

Remember this marvelous process is actually your initiation into adulthood. It is your rite of passage. Don't let your parents, counselors, or friends do it for you. Credit to Andrew Kelsey HPA