ThreeSixty -

By Matt Smith

Join St. Paul senior Matt Smith as he makes his way through the hoops of applying for college.

In June, as school bells signaled the end of junior year, a dark cloud shrouded the summer: I needed to get started on the road to applying to college. Should I retake the SAT and ACT? And which colleges should receive these vital scores and statistics?

I started out fast. I purchased an ACT prep book to study to raise my score. I sent e-mails to countless schools requesting information. I started looking into college visits.

Sadly, summer went by. My ACT book remained unopened – buried in the pile of unread packets from schools. In September, the bell on the first day of school sounded more like an alarm. I realized, like many seniors, that this was going to be one busy month. I read through the stack of college material and narrowed my choices from 10 to four. After hours of debate, I decided against retaking the ACT. For the colleges I’m interested in, my score is good enough.

Finally caught up with my to-do list and with the application process underway, I hope to have them sent by mid-November or early-December at the latest. Over the next nine months, I’d like to share my application journey and what I learn along the way with you.

Which College or University?

Before you can begin filling out applications, do some research and careful decision-making about who gets your application. The major issues in choosing the right school are size, location and cost. Another important factor is what courses or majors and minors the school offers or specializes in.

What helped me figure out this tough decision was the College Board’s College Matchmaker at www.collegeboard.com Here you take a survey. The results you get in 15 minutes could take hours to get when searching through Google.

Make a list
To catch up, I had to get past the overwhelming feeling of falling behind. I stuck to my list – and just wrote out exactly what I needed. You will need to know application and test deadlines, as well as other deadlines the college might require.

To get organized simply write out the dates on a calendar or in a school planner. Otherwise, for the technologically aware, check out www.calendar.google.com Here you can neatly organize important dates as well as receive the helpful reminders a few days in advance to make sure you don’t miss a deadline.

Complete an Online Application

I’ve found that the best way to apply (and cheapest in most cases) is to take advantage of online applications. They are easier and less overwhelming than a paper application, especially because everything is explained nicely and explicitly as if you were sitting right with an admissions counselor.

This is important to do now especially if you have a busy schedule. The faster you can get it done without jeopardizing the integrity of your application, the more time you can spend preparing for tests and continuing research on your college choices.

To check out the Common Application, go to www.commonapp.org and see if your choice school offers it. Otherwise go to the college or university Web site of your choice and look for the online application usually found under admissions.

Helpful Hint: ask for application recommendations early so your teachers and counselors aren’t rushing to get them done!

Links:

• www.collegeboard.com
• www.calendar.google.com
• www.commonapp.org

• Figuring out the magic formula -- then rejecting it, This summer as I was about to start my first term of college, I stumbled across an e-mail I sent freshman year that showed I was willing to do anything to get into Yale University. As I read the e-mail, I remembered the brutal path called the application process and laughed at my initial mindset.

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