Developing a College List
Create a college list of about 20 schools that are of interest to you, taking into account factors such as: size, location, quality of a particular academic or extracurricular program, type of students, faculty/student ratio, housing availability, guidance and support for students, overall cost, etc.
The final goal is to come up with a balanced group of nine schools (up to 6 CUNY’s, 4 SUNY’s, and private schools) that fall into three categories: Reach, Possible, and Likely.
Reach school is one where your chances of admission are less likely, but where you have some chance of admission.
Possible/Comfort school is one where your credentials for admission are truly competitive and you are qualified for admission.
Likely/Safety school is one where your credentials are very competitive, and where we are confident that you will be admitted.
If you need help developing a college list, please visit: http://admissionsblog.siena.edu/how-to-build-an-air-tight-college-list
Types of Applications
Once a decision to apply to a school has been reached, you should begin listing your schools on Naviance under “Colleges I’m applying to” link. You MUST read each college's requirements and follow the instructions carefully. Pay close attention to the timetable for each application and comply with the deadlines given by the College Office. Four of the most prevalent schedules are: Regular Decision; Rolling Admission; Early Decision; Early Action (You must mark which of these you are applying as).
Early Decision (ED) Schools offering Early Decision programs generally allow a student to apply to only one school early and to agree to attend that school if admitted. This is a binding commitment. Further applications cannot be filed after acceptance. Students must read the Early Decision policy of the school. If you plan on applying ED, you must attend the Early Decision/ Action meeting in September of your senior year.
Early Action (EA) If a student is accepted they are not required to attend, but can notify the school of their decision by
May 1st. If you plan on applying EA, you must attend the Early Decision/ Action meeting in September of your senior year.
Filling out the Application
Read and follow the directions carefully. Do not assume that all schools have the same steps or requirements.
1. Organize and distribute all parts of the application. This includes your forms, and forms for teacher and counselor recommendations. Naviance will list icons that will indicate which schools allow you to send your application electronically, or require an envelope to mail your application and documents. If a school requires your application to be mailed, you must submit a legal sized envelope to the College Office in order to send out letters of recommendations and transcripts.
2. Give yourself plenty of time. Filling out an application takes longer than
expected. Doing this in advance will reduce a lot of stress by the due dates!
3. Be neat and clear in your presentation. Information must be presented clearly and legibly and questions should be answered directly and honestly.
4. Provide as much information as possible within the structure of the application.
5. Do not worry if you must leave some spaces blank.
6. If you do submit extra pieces of information, you MUST write your name and college identification number, if available, on all
materials.
8. Send official copies of your standardized tests to colleges.
9. Save and make copies of all materials submitted.
10. Complete Transcript Request form for the College Office and update Naviance
11. Be sure to include any necessary payments and check to confirm receipt of your
application. Check on the status of your application three weeks after it has been sent.
The Common Application
Over 400 colleges and universities support the use of the Common Application. The form can be obtained through Naviance, or from their website (www.commonapp.org). Check on Naviance to learn if your colleges accept the Common Application.
University HQ:
Information about various majors, financial aid, etc. : https://universityhq.org/resources/by-major/
