Onondaga Central
It's the time of the year. The deadline for many college applications are approaching. If you feel you are not prepared, here is a type of checklist for everything you will need to before you hit submit on January 1st.
Essay: On the Common App website, you will see a list of options of essays to choose from, but many students have hopefully completed these in their English classes. If you are still unsure about your essay, your teachers are willing to take a peak and help you with editing and making it the best it can be. Resume: A lot of times a resume is not necessary, but some schools will ask for one or allow you to send one in. The resume is where you will put down extra curriculars, college/AP courses, volunteer services, and work experience. A resume is a good way to set you apart from other applicants, especially if you participate in unique extracurriculars outside of school. Letter of recommendation: Most schools only require one, but you may want to have two, in case a certain school wants multiple. You will want a teacher you may have had multiple years, taught a subject you plan on pursuing, or know you very well from coaching or other extracurriculars. You will want to give them time to do this, so hopefully you have already asked around and have teachers in mind. You will also get a letter of recommendation from Mr. Ciereck, so make sure you meet with him so he knows what schools and what deadlines you have to meet. Common App questions and Additional Essays: After you have added the schools you have applied to, make sure you have answered all the questions including additional writing, SUNY questions, or major and extracurricular interests. This can all be done on Common App, but don’t wait until the last minute. FASFA: If you have an older sibling that attended college, there is a big chance your parent already has an account, even if it is from ten years ago. You will want to start by making yourself an account with an email address you check regularly. Make sure you write down your login information because you may have to make changes later on. Once on the FASFA website, it guides you through the process, but you will want to make sure your parents have information such as social security number, taxes from prior years (which can be obtained by their accountants), and assets. It is quite straightforward, as long as you have the necessary information prior. Be sure to do this well ahead of the day you are applying as it takes a couple days to process. You will be sent an email when it has been processed. CSS Profile: This is one of the hardest forms I have filled out with my parents for the application process. This is not necessary for all schools, but some more expensive private schools. If you have a College Board account, you can go to the CSS tab to see if a school you are applying to requires this from as well. If you do not have an account, see Mr. Cireck to help you create one and help lead you through the process. It is similar to FASFA questions but more in depth. You will want to know information about your parents' employment, retirement, assets, income, ect. A lot of this information will have to be given from their employers or accountant, so make sure if you have to do a CSS profile for a school, you gather this information ahead of time. Once complete, it may take up to a week to process, so get this done well ahead of time. This all seems like a lot, but the teachers and guidance counselors are more than happy to help you with any issues through this process or answer any questions you may have. Once you are done, you can relax and wait for your results. I wish everyone good luck with their application and good responses by the spring!!
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