Illustration by Nip Rogers
As a high school junior, Marrcel Smith was convinced he’d go to Auburn University. The Bluffton native fell in love with that Alabama campus on a visit, applied and got accepted, and worked hard to accumulate scholarships to help pay tuition.
But at the end of his senior year, he accepted an offer instead to attend Clemson University.
Weighing pros and cons, he realized Clemson, too, had a pretty campus, as well as the right academic programs for his career goals. And with lower instate tuition and his scholarships, Smith says, he could go to college “stress free and debt free.”
“Applying to college isn’t exactly the most fun thing to do,” says Smith, a Clemson freshman studying civil engineering and political science. “The best part is definitely getting that letter in the mail saying you’re accepted. Because, number one, it means it’s over. And number two, it means you succeeded.”
An organized plan of attack, along with support from his parents and guidance counselor, steered Smith through his college applications. For students preparing to make that leap from high school to college—and for their parents—here are 10 tips to help navigate the admissions process.
1. Start now.
No matter what grade you’re in, if you’re in high school, it’s time to start thinking about college.
Granted, the activity ramps up in your junior year, but even ninth and tenth graders can prepare for college by laying a strong academic foundation. Take the preparatory courses most colleges require, and do your best work all four years.
“All grades count, starting in the ninth grade,” says Scott Verzyl, dean of undergraduate admissions at the University of South Carolina. Even some middle school courses count toward a high school GPA, he says. “It’s very difficult to catch up in your senior year of high school if your grades aren’t what they need to be.”
The College Board website has checklists for each grade of high school to keep you on track. Freshmen and sophomores should meet with guidance counselors to map out an academic plan. Explore extracurricular activities and internships that reflect your interests and career goals.
As a junior, get busy preparing for the application process. Take the SAT or ACT. Visit college websites and campuses that interest you. Ask your counselor about upcoming deadlines or missing pieces in your academic file. Talk about financial resources with your parents, and be looking into scholarships.
The fall of your senior year is crunch time. Start filling out applications. Take the SAT or ACT again if you’re not happy with your scores. Visit your top-choice schools, and ask to be on their mailing list to get notified about events in your hometown and upcoming deadlines.
Research scholarship opportunities you may be eligible for. And don’t let those grades slip—colleges will notice.
2. Choose three to five schools.
There are thousands of colleges out there. How do you know which one is right for you?
“First thing, take a long, hard look at yourself,” says Robert Barkley, Clemson’s director of undergraduate admissions. “Who am I? Which type of college campus is going to suit my personality, my interests, my needs, my goals?”
Barkley recommends the College Board’s online tools for finding your fit based on school characteristics. A good starting place is location. If you know you want to stay in state, that narrows the field. Consider whether you want a big or small campus, an urban or small-town setting.
Does the school have majors that match your career interests? Are there places nearby that offer internships or extracurricular learning experiences to boost your appeal to future employers or graduate schools?
Compare costs and admission standards. Is the tuition in your price range? Are the average GPA or SAT scores of admitted freshmen higher or lower than yours?
Once you have a short list, decide how many schools to apply to. Five is an average. But choose at least three your heart’s desire, plus some you feel more confident about getting into, in case your first choice falls through. It happens.
3. Pay attention to details.
Forgetting to register for the SAT, failing to take the right math course, missing an application deadline—those are important details that, if overlooked, can make getting into college harder than it has to be.
“People will come up short because maybe they didn’t want to take a class in their senior year, because it didn’t fit their schedule,” Verzyl says.
The job of keeping up with details should belong primarily to the student, says Diane Richardson, college counselor at Wilson Hall in Sumter, a school that specializes in preparing students for college.
“Parents need to see that their son or daughter is completing the process, but not take over,” Richardson says. “The student needs to be engaged in the process.”
Richardson also recommends getting to know your high school guidance counselor. Not only can counselors help ensure you take the right courses for college admission, they are also resources for SAT and ACT registration deadlines, preparing transcripts, college visits, scholarship applications and other important details.
Stay organized by creating a checklist for colleges you’re applying to—for example, when their new applications will be available online, deadlines for applications, transcripts and fees, as well as special admissions requirements, such as advanced science courses for engineering applicants or auditions for performing arts students.
Set up a separate email account to use just for college applications, Barkley suggests, so important emails won’t get lost among emails from friends or junk mail.
4. Visit campuses.
Would you buy a car without test driving it? Getting a feel for the campus environment is why college visits are important, Verzyl says.
“If you haven’t tried it out for real, then how do you really know it fits and that you’re really going to like it?” he says.
Barkley suggests visiting your top choices twice—a guided tour when classes are in session, and a casual weekend visit to get the flavor of student life.
Sit in on classes, visit academic departments that interest you, ask questions and meet with the financial aid office. Being on campus just for an athletic event doesn’t count as an “intentional visit,” Richardson says.
“I have had parents and students tell me that when they actually made a specific college visit, they saw that college in an entirely different light,” Richardson says.
5. Make the most of the SAT or ACT.
There’s a new SAT in town, starting in March. The revised test is designed to better reflect what students learn in high school and what they need to master for college success. A bonus feature is the option of free, personalized, online test practice through Khan Academy.
Students entering college as freshmen in the fall of 2017 will be the first cohort affected by the change. Anyone who takes both the old test and the new version should be aware that, because the two tests are fundamentally different, colleges may not combine your best test scores between the two versions. Ask the colleges you are applying to about their score policies.
Richardson advises students to take the SAT and ACT at least once during the second semester of the junior year, again in the fall of the senior year, and once more if they’re targeting a particular score—say, if they’re trying to meet the 1100 SAT (24 ACT) qualifying score for the S.C. LIFE Scholarship.
In between test dates, practice sections of the test where you scored lower, she says. You might also find you perform better on either the SAT or ACT; if that’s the case, try to maximize your scores on that test.
SAT or ACT test scores are just one part of the bigger picture, Barkley says. A student’s total academic record, activities and essays are considered in every admissions decision.
“It’s the one thing folks have the most anxiety about,” Barkley says. “Scores are important, but they’re not a complete make-or-break scenario.”
Don’t forget: The student, not the guidance counselor, is responsible for making sure test administrators send score reports to the colleges specified during test registration.
6. Fill in the forms.
Nowadays, most of the paperwork for college admission is online. As soon as colleges post the newest version of their applications on their websites (usually in August), set up accounts with your chosen schools.
Kate Brady, a Piedmont native and Wren High School graduate now in her freshman year at Harvard, recommends tackling simpler application questions first, then coming back to focus on tougher questions and essays later. Don’t be shy about naming your accomplishments, she says; this is your time to shine.
“It’s like studying versus taking the test,” Brady says. “You’ve already done all the hard work. The application is your chance to show what you’ve done.”
Two online platforms can help you be more efficient with applications and creating a personal record of achievements. The Common Application offers a single online form that allows students to apply for admission at multiple institutions among its 600‑plus member colleges across the U.S. and abroad, including six private S.C. schools—Columbia College, Converse College, Furman University, Newberry College, Presbyterian College and Wofford College. Be aware that each school you apply to through the Common App may have additional admission requirements beyond this form, including different essay questions.
Starting in the summer of 2016, another shared application format will come into play. The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success will allow students to create online portfolios and streamline applications to its 80‑plus public and private U.S. colleges and universities, including Clemson and USC.
7. File the FAFSA.
Here’s a chore parents can help with: filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form online. It does take time, effort and attention to detail, but it can pay off in dollars.
The FAFSA collects information to establish what level of federal aid, scholarships, grants, work-study funds and loans a student may be eligible for.
Try to complete the form as soon as possible after Jan. 1 in the student’s senior year to increase your chances of getting aid. The form asks for tax return information; you can go ahead and submit using the previous year’s return, then update your form after you file the current year’s taxes. You can even import your tax information electronically online to the FAFSA form.
“I recommend people apply for federal financial aid even if they don’t think they’re going to qualify,” Verzyl says. “The worst thing that can happen is you’ll get nothing. The best thing is you might get aid you didn’t think you’d qualify for. But you’ll never know if you don’t fill it out.”
8. Find ways to pay for it.
Cost is always a factor when planning for college. But it doesn’t have to be a deterrent.
“Families need to look beyond the sticker price,” Verzyl says. Financial aid packages and scholarships make college more affordable; don’t be afraid to ask about those, he says. “Few students pay the actual list price you see on a school’s website.”
One way to get a better idea of what you’ll pay is to look for a net price calculator on a college’s financial aid Web page. This online tool lets you enter your family’s financial information, then estimate what you might expect to pay after factoring in the financial aid you are eligible for.
The S.C. Commission on Higher Education website lists scholarships and grants available to S.C. residents, including the lottery funded Palmetto Fellows, LIFE and HOPE scholarships. Find out the requirements, qualifications and deadlines for each—they can take a big bite out of college costs.
High school guidance offices keep lists of scholarship opportunities; ask your counselor which ones you may be eligible to apply for.
Look into scholarships offered by the parents’ or student’s employers, as well as clubs and organizations the student is involved in. Internet searches may turn up scholarship
competitions promoted by local school districts, private foundations and statewide organizations. See if the college you are planning to attend has designated scholarships for students in your major.
9. Wait for the envelope.
It’s not universally true, but a big envelope in the mailbox is usually a good sign you got in, while the business-letter envelope is more likely to hold a disappointing “We’re sorry, but no.”
“Yes” is just the beginning; now there’s a new checklist. Tales of woe exist from students who forgot to pay a deposit, fill out a housing form or make sure final transcripts were sent.
Read all the other papers in the big envelope to find out what to do next.
If the answer is “no,” don’t despair. “Not getting in as a freshman doesn’t mean you’ll never get in—there’s more than one pathway,” Verzyl says. “It’s the goal that you need to focus on, not so much the path.”
Talk to the admissions office about your best options—getting on a waiting list, enrolling in January instead, or completing some coursework at another school and transferring in later. Some applicants may be eligible to enter bridge programs that allow students to take classes as freshmen at a partnering school, such as one of the state’s technical college campuses, then enroll as sophomores at their target schools. Bridge students can even start participating in many aspects of campus life at their target schools.
If admission doesn’t happen exactly as you imagined it, the doors aren’t closed.
“People think getting into college is a prize to be won, and the reality is it’s a match to be made,” Verzyl says. “At the end of the day, we want people to find the right fit, the right school for them, so they can meet their goals.”
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Helpful online resources
College Board planning resources
Interactive tools for finding the right college; college planning calendars for each grade of high school; printable checklists; tips for paying for college.
Free online test prep for the new SAT
The new SAT includes free, interactive, personalized, online test prep through Khan Academy, including practice tests, video lessons, hints and feedback.
The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success
Provides a common application platform for multiple schools, including the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.
Member schools from South Carolina include Columbia College, Converse College, Furman University, Newberry College, Presbyterian College and Wofford College.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Apply by Jan. 1 of your senior year for the best chances of getting loans, grants, scholarships and work-study funds.
Use this tool to calculate what you might expect to pay for college after filling in your family’s financial information and factoring in any financial aid you may be eligible for. Many college websites have similar calculators on their financial aid pages.
S.C. Commission on Higher Education
Get information on scholarships and grants available to S.C. residents, including Palmetto Fellows, LIFE and HOPE scholarships. Details are listed in the “Paying for college” section under the “Students, Families & Military” tab.