The Application Process: How To Request College Applications
College application deadlines come early in the school year for Seniors. So, make sure you know what is involved in the application process and when all the deadlines occur, by requesting your college applications early in the process.
As high school juniors seriously begin to weed out which colleges they want to attend, it is important to start requesting applications and making note of application processes and deadlines for each school. Most colleges will have application deadlines as early as December or January, preceding the high school graduation date for standard fall semester admissions. Since applications will usually require anything from transcripts to personal essays, and references from educators and people who know you well, leave yourself plenty of time for planning and organizing your application materials. Remember that submitting your application on time is essential to the college application process.
You can request an application packet from the admissions department of any college or university by phone, letter, or email. In most cases, details for applications can be found at university web sites. In addition, there is usually a web site online to submit a request to have a complete application packet mailed to your home address.
The application and acceptance procedures will vary from college to college. Many schools now accept both online applications and application forms, which you can print and mail. Do not mix and match your submission methods for a single college unless the guidelines specifically state that you may do so.
Information that is standard to many college applications might include some or all of the following:
To streamline the application process, many private and public institutions have joined forces in creating common applications, where a student can apply for admission to multiple schools with a single application packet. Both within states and between states, this process can save valuable time for the student who is looking at many school alternatives. The application process also allows the student to take the time to complete a single, quality application, rather than to dedicate a lot of time to filling out multiple applications with only slightly varying details.
Determine which universities and colleges on your list accept common applications, and, in this way, you can greatly reduce the amount of time you have to spend in the application process.