APPLICATION PROCESS

There are many components to a college application; some are filed directly by the student while others are mailed by Maranathas Guidance Office. The Guidance Office will send (electronically or mail) transcripts and the school report/recommendation. The student is responsible for sending (electronically or mail) the actual application and for requesting the testing agency to send SAT or ACT scores.

APPLICATION OVERVIEW
1. Make sure you have requested that your official SAT or ACT score report is sent directly to each college. The easiest way to do this is through the College Board (www.collegeboard.com) or ACTs website (www.actstudent.org). At the time when you register to take the SAT or ACT, you have the option of sending scores to four colleges at no additional charge. If you choose to send your scores after taking the test, there is an additional fee per school. 2. Request a copy of your Maranatha Christian Academy transcript at the beginning of your senior year. Review it carefully for accuracy, and be sure you will meet your graduation requirements. 3. It is your responsibility to keep track of each colleges deadlines, and the application materials requires. Application deadlines are available in many resource materials but a colleges own website is normally your most accurate source. 4. Request letters of reference from two teachers who you think will speak well of you at least a month before your deadline Dec. 1 at the latest. Give them the names, addresses, and deadlines for each college or university to which you are applying. In addition, provide addressed, stamped envelopes for each college on your list, as needed. Many references can now be sent electronically. 5. Send your completed essay, college application form, application fee and any other necessary materials directly to the college and universities to which you are applying. Be sure to keep photo or electronic copies of all application materials you send to colleges. Occasionally, things are lost in the mail, so you want to have backup copies on hand. Most applications are now filed online. 6. About two weeks after Maranatha sends in your transcripts, check with each college to confirm that they have been received. It is your responsibility to make sure that all components of your application are complete. Wait for colleges to notify you of their decision. Let the Guidance Office know about the decisions when you hear, and celebrate the positive ones!

25

Student Responsibility & Suggestions: Make sure your responses are legible. Type out your responses or use dark ink. Never put yourself in a position where you need to rush to complete an application. Give full complete descriptions of extracurricular activities and interests. Attach an extra page if need be. Concentrate on significant activities. Example: if you attended a club for 2 or 3 months, you probably shouldnt include it. On the other hand, if you worked a good deal outside of school and had a number of responsibilities, you should describe those jobs in your application. If you are asked to provide a tentative major, make sure the major is offered at the school.

ESSAYS
Personal Statement or Essay For many universities or colleges, especially public schools, and essay is not needed. Many Maranatha seniors, however, will be applying to schools requiring one or more essays. The essay is an opportunity to let the admissions committee know who you are and what is important to you and why. After you have completed your essay, ask yourself several questions. Is this an essay that I would enjoy reading? (Note: Dont just write what you think the admissions offers want to hear.) As a result of reading this essay, do I have a positive feeling about this person? If I am replying to a specific question, have I given a relevant and complete answer? Most important, has the admission officer learned more about me as a person from this essay? Some common mistakes applicants make: Never use an essay to repeat what you have stated in other parts of the application. You, however, may use it to elaborate on an interest, activity, etc. which you have listed. Dont make your statement too short because it might be interpreted as a lack of interest. On the other hand, dont ramble on for several pages; more often than not, the admission officer will be bored, not stimulated. When given specific instructions on length of your response, dont divert too far from it. Activities Resume Students are increasingly including a resume with their part of the application. These resumes can be very helpful in letting a college know more about the extent and depth of your participation in various extracurricular activities. A college application resume is not a job resume. Therefore, some information doesnt have to be included it is found elsewhere in your application. For example, yes, put your name and social security number at the top, but other information isnt necessary. A goal statement isnt usually needed, nor information about rank, GPA, test scores, etc. This is what it should include: School-related (athletics, clubs, student government, publications, etc.) Outside School (religious activities, community or volunteer service) Work Experiences Beyond School and Community (travel, other learning experiences) Interest and hobbies (usually if unusual) 26

Essay Tips from Readers at a Competitive College The college essay is often the most difficult part of an application for admission to college. The following are comments from admission staff that actually reads and evaluates essays in the admission process. The essay is one of the few things that you have complete control over in the application. Youve already earned most of your grades; you have already made most of your impressions on your teachers; and the chances are, youve already found a set of activities you are interested in continuing. So when you write the essay, view it as something more than just a page to fill up with writing. View it as an opportunity to tell the admissions committee about who you are as a person. Be yourself. If you are funny, write a funny essay, if you are serious, write a serious essay. Dont start reinventing yourself with the essay. If you are recounting an amusing and light-hearted anecdote from your childhood, it doesnt have to read like a Congressional Act. Make it fun. Tell us something different from what we will read on your list of extracurricular activities or transcript. Take time to go beyond the obvious. Think about what most students might write in their response to the questions and then try to be a bit different. Dont try to take on too much. Focus on one most influential person, one event, or one activity. Tackling too much tends to make your essay too watered down or disjointed. Concentrate on topics of true significance to you. Dont be afraid to reveal yourself in your writing. We want to know who you are and how you think. Write thoughtfully and from the heart. It will be clear who believes in what they are saying versus those who are simply saying what they think we want to hear. Essays should have a thesis that is clear to you and the reader. Your thesis should indicate where you are going and what you are trying to communicate from the start. Do not start your essays at the last minute. Write them, put them away for a little while, return to them and edit. Give yourself time for significant reflection on what you have written. Dont do a history report. Some background knowledge is okay, but do not re-hash what other authors have already said or written. Answer each schools essays individually. Recycled utility essays come across as impersonal and sanitized. The one exception is an essay written for and submitted to the Common Application schools. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Nothing says last-minute essay like are instead of our or their instead of theyre. Keep it short and to the point. Limit the number of people from whom you request feedback on your essay. Too much input creates an essay that sounds as though it was been written by a committee or results in writing that is absent of your own voice. Appearance cannot replace substance, but it can certainly enhance the value of an already wellwritten essay.

27

COMMON APPLICATION
www.commonapp.org The Common Application is a wonderful tool intended to simply the college application process. It is not accepted in lieu of a schools own application by almost 400 colleges and universities in the United States. In fact, at about 40 institutions, the Common Application is the only form now accepted. Originally intended exclusively for use by private institutions, several selective public universities have begun to accept it now as well. The application can be completed online at www.commonapp.org or in paper form. The MCA Guidance Office strongly recommends using the Common Application whenever the option is given, and we will help Maranatha students on the use of this site throughout the application process. A recurrent question asked by students and parents is whether the college that allows students to apply via their own form or the Common Application prefer the former. In fact, many fear that a students chances of admission will be significantly lessened if he or she chooses to submit the Common Application stead of a schools own application. This is not something over which you should lose any sleep. The colleges that accept the form have pledged not to give preference to applicants who use the institutions form. In fact, discrimination against users of the Common Application in considered unethical, as explain in the following excerpt of the National Association for College Admission Counselings Statement of Principles of Good Practice:
College and university members will not discriminate in the admission selection process against applicants based on the particular application form than an applicant uses, provided that then college or university has agreed explicitly, as in common application membership, or implicitly, as in online or other computer-based technology, to accept particular version of the application.

So, whenever possible, you should use the Common Application. It cuts down on the busywork of applying to college and lets you focus on aspects of the process that are more meaningful. If you do use the Common Application, however, be sure to check whether the colleges on your list require supplementary forms or essays to be submitted. This information, and oftentimes the forms themselves, can be found on the Common Application website.

28

RECOMMENDATIONS
Teacher Recommendations Teacher references are very important in the application process, especially at competitive colleges. They are read very closely. Specifically, teachers comments are vital in the admission process as they support other data to form a picture, most important of your academic qualities, but also of your personal strengths. Counselor Recommendations The Dean of Students or Counselor will usually comment on your academic record contributions to school and community, other interests, commitments and personal qualities. To write the most supportive recommendation for you, we ask that you complete thoroughly the Self-Assessment form. Other Recommendations Depending on your interests and the school to which you are applying, other information might be added to your application. For example, if you are deeply involved in a community activity, you might want to include a recommendation from your supervisor in the organization. Or if you work, especially if the number of hours makes it difficult to be involved in other activities, a letter from your employer may be helpful. If you are applying to a religious affiliated college, a letter from a pastor who knows you well may be helpful. How many recommendations should I submit? If you are considering additional recommendations, beyond the required number, limit yourself to one more reference. If a college or university doesnt require a recommendation, you still might want to submit one with your application, especially to competitive schools. The recommendation will almost always be considered.

29