Mitchell Lipton Vice President of Enrollment Services and Dean of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mitchell Lipton Vice President of Enrollment Services and Dean of Admissions, Cooper Union Ryan DePuy Director of Undergraduate Admissions Sacred Heart University

Today’s Presentation Today’s Presentation: Searching for the colleges that best “fit” your needs and the parts of a college application

How to search ? Begin early-don’t wait until December of Senior Year-this could limit your options Use variety of sources (guidance counselor, family, guide books, internet, Naviance, teachers) How many college should I ultimately apply to?

What questions should I be thinking about as I search?

• Location (NE,SE etc.)
• Setting (urban, suburban, rural)
• Weather
• Size (>2,000, >7,000, etc.)
• Co-Ed/Single Gender
• Religiously Affiliated
• Majors
• Extra Curricular Offerings

The Next Step-The College Visit

• Can be costly, ask colleges if assistance is

available

• If still too expensive, visit schools in local area to

get a sense of urban, suburban, rural colleges

The College Visit-Questions to Bring

• Get general feel from billboards/flyers
• Ask actual students questions
• Faculty access outside of office hours
• Weekend/After Hours scene
• Food
• Support Services/Advisement/Tutoring
• Ask yourself honestly:
• Do I feel comfortable in this environment?

More of what to look for/ask

• Retention rates
• Graduation rates
• Internship opportunities
• How many students work after graduating?
• How many go off to graduate school?
• What kinds of graduate school?

Questions?

How does a college admissions office work?

• Charged with creating a class comprised of a mix
• f students
• Athletes, musicians, writers, students in

government, researchers, volunteers, socially/environmentally conscious, boy scouts, tutors, etc..

The Components of a College Application

• Actual application (most students apply on-line,

some schools waive fee for applying on-line)

• Fee waivers available from most colleges
• High School Transcript
• Standardized Test Scores
• Essays/Writing Samples/Supplemental Work
• Extra Curricular Activities/Resume
• Letters of Recommendation
• College Interview

• High School Transcript

(most important factor for most colleges)

• Strength of program of study
• Trends
• Anomalies
• Performance overall
• Course selection relative to college plans
• Questions?

Standardized Test Scores

• How much are they used by admissions offices?
• SAT I or ACT (how many times should I take

them?)

• SAT Subject Tests (required by the colleges I’m

applying to, when to take them?)

• AP Scores (credit, discrepancies)
• Regents Exam Scores (Regents vs. Class Grades)
• Questions?

Essays/Writing Samples/Supplemental Work

• Tips: make personal essay personal, tell us a story,

tell us something not apparent in your app

• What did you learn from experiences?
• More Tips: follow instructions, answer question

directly, check spelling, grammar, punctuation

• Most Important Tip: Remove Cornell from essay

when applying to Cooper Union

• Questions?

Extra Curricular Activities/Resume

• Start by writing everything down: babysitting,

working in parent’s store, research, sports, volunteer activities, etc. Explain gaps.

• Anything has the potential to be significant
• Quality over quantity
• Leadership involvement
• Questions?

Letters of Recommendation

• How many?
• From whom?
• Like essays should tell a consistent story

about you

• Something unique not apparent in rest of

application

• Questions?

College Interview

• Variety of options
• If offered, take advantage esp. for top choices
• Dress code, be on-time
• Resume
• Bring questions
• Take contact info and follow up with thank you!

Special Applicants/Preference:

• Alumni
• Athletes
• Musician
• Friend of donor
• Racial/Gender/Academic
• Geographic
• Socioeconomic

Closing Thoughts:

• Research every college to validate requirements
• Students should contact admissions offices.

Contact us with questions.

• Things can change year to year-don’t rely on

hearsay

• There is always more than one college that fits

your needs

• There are many paths to get to where you want to

go

• Define success for yourself