PREPARING AND PLANNING

FOR

COLLEGE

Prepared by:
Cheryl M. Robinson, School Counseling Program Manager
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
August 2015

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

In order to know how to prepare for college, it is important to
first understand the admissions requirements of colleges.
What exactly are colleges looking for in their

prospective students?
What are their admissions criteria?
Admissions criteria vary from college to college; however,
generally all colleges will consider the following in deciding
whether or not to accept an applicant:
Courses taken in high school
Colleges want to see that students have taken college
preparatory courses. In addition, they want students who have
challenged themselves academically.

Grade Point Average (GPA) and Class Rank

Some colleges re-rank students and recalculate GPAs so that
everyone is on a level playing field. Other colleges do not.
Regardless, the final grades earned in courses are extremely
important. Colleges look for patterns and consistency. They will
also want to see improvement each year.

SAT or ACT
Most, but not all, colleges require either the SAT or ACT. Most
colleges will accept either test. Students are advised to take
these tests in the spring of junior year and again in the fall of
senior year. Most colleges accept the highest combination of
scores; therefore, it is to a students advantage to take the test
more than once.

Extracurricular Activities
Involvement, leadership, contributions, growth, talents, skills,
and being well-rounded are all important factors to colleges.
Colleges are not interested in the number of activities. Rather,
they are more interested in seeing participation and growth over
a period of time. School sports and clubs, leadership positions

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS (cont.)

in and out of school, and part-time jobs are all examples of
extracurricular activities.

College Application
The college application itself is extremely important as it tells a
great deal about the applicant.

Has it been thoroughly completed? Are there grammatical
errors?

Did the applicant follow directions?

Is it neat and readable?

Was it submitted before the deadline?
Colleges receive thousands of applications each year. They will
seldom waste their time on one that has not been completed or is
not readable.

College Essay
Some colleges require one or more essays as part of the
application while other colleges do not. Colleges hope to learn
several things from the essay. They hope to gain more insight
about the applicant such as goals, unique experiences, and
ideals. Also, colleges want to know how well applicants are able
to express thoughts in writing. Essays should never be written in
haste. Also, it's important to be real. Dont say what you think
the college wants to hear. It is strongly recommended that a
teacher or other adult proof the essay and provide feedback.
Make sure that the reader has understood what you intended to
convey and all grammatical errors have been corrected.

Letters of Recommendation
Not all colleges require letters of recommendation but for those
that do, they are very important. Letters of recommendation
should be written by at least one teacher, counselor, and
someone who can speak about the applicant's character (e.g.
coach, work supervisor).

 Interviews
Some colleges will want to meet with applicants face to face and
will request an interview on campus or arrange for a meeting
with a college representative in your community. It is important
to remember that this is an interview. Dress appropriately.
Prepare in advance. Be on time. Turn the cell phone off. Do not
bring friends with you. Do not chew gum. Shake hands upon
greeting and again after the interview. Maintain eye contact. Do
not underestimate how important the interview is to the college
admissions process.

A word about your high school transcript.

A senior's transcript reflects all final grades earned in courses taken for
high school credit. Colleges will review the entire transcript, not just the
course grades earned in grades 11 and 12. Therefore, it is extremely
important to do the best you can each year and to ensure that your
transcript is accurate.
During your senior year, you will need to request that your counselor send
your transcript to the colleges to which you are applying. Your transcript
reveals quite a bit of information about you including your grades,
rank/gpa, attendance history, and test scores.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN CHOOSING A COLLEGE

Now that you know what colleges consider in making their

decisions, it is important that you think about the factors that
are important to you in choosing a college. College is not solely
about getting an education though that should be the primary
focus. The college experience encompasses many things.
Remember, this will be home away from home for 4-5 years.
What are factors you should consider?

LOCATION: In relation to home; rural/urban

SIZE

MAJOR

TYPE OF COLLEGE: private/public, HBCU, Liberal Arts, Single Sex, 2year, 4-year, trade/technical

COSTS

FINANCIAL AID OFFERINGS

ACADEMIC REPUTATION

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

GRADUATION RATE

RETENTION RATE

STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

CAMPUS LIFE: COMMUTER SCHOOL

INTERCOLLEGIATE AND INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAMS

FACILITIES (DORMS, CAFETERIAS, LIBRARIES, ETC.)

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

WHAT TO DO TO PREPARE FOR COLLEGE

Take the most challenging college preparatory courses you
can successfully handle.
READ..READ..READ. READING IMPROVES YOUR VOCABULARY
AND COMPREHENSION AND INCREASES YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

Get involved in activities early.

Develop good study habits now. YOU WILL NEED THEM WHEN
YOU GO TO COLLEGE.

Seek tutoring when needed. EVERYONE STRUGGLES WITH A

COURSE FROM TIME TO TIME. GET THE HELP YOU NEED EARLY.

Know yourself. BEGIN DETERMINING POSSIBLE CAREERS AND

CORRESPONDING MAJORS BASED ON YOUR INTERESTS AND ACADEMIC
STRENGTHS. INTEREST INVENTORIES MAY HELP.

Take the PSAT/NMSQT or PLAN. THE PSAT and PLAN PREPARE YOU
FOR THE SAT and ACT AND ALSO PUT YOU IN THE RUNNING FOR
SCHOLARSHIPS. YOU MUST TAKE THE PSAT WHEN YOU ARE A JUNIOR TO
BE CONSIDERED FOR CERTAIN SCHOLARSHIPS.

Make sure you understand your PSAT results. THEY WILL HELP
YOU BETTER PREPARE FOR THE SAT.

Take the SAT or ACT in the spring of junior year. Students

who receive free/reduced lunch are eligible for SAT/ACT fee
waivers. See your counselor for additional information.

Make a list of colleges to consider. THE EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS

IS VIA AN ON-LINE COLLEGE SEARCH.

Research each college to determine its admissions

requirements and if the college is a good fit for you.

Attend college fairs.

CACRAO College Fair: 10/8/15
National College Fair: 3/20/16

Visit college campuses! DO NOT MAKE A DECISION ABOUT A

COLLEGE SIGHT UNSEEN. THE ONLY WAY TO GET A TRUE IMPRESSION OF
THE COLLEGE IS TO VISIT.

Apply for scholarships and financial aid. COMPLETE THE

FAFSA. THERE ARE SOME SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WHICH JUNIORS CAN
APPLY. HOWEVER, SENIOR YEAR IS WHEN MOST FINANCIAL AID AND
SCHOLARSHIP FORMS/APPLICATIONS ARE SUBMITTED.
Scholarshipplus.com

Prepare a resume of your activities. MOST COLLEGES WILL ASK

YOU TO PROVIDE A LIST OF THE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED.

Get to know your school counselor well.

Always be mindful of your behavior and conduct.
WARNING! BE CAREFUL OF INFORMATION YOU SHARE VIA
TEXTING, COMPUTER WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
COLLEGES MAY HAVE ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION, TOO!

STANDARDIZED TESTING SITES

SAT HOME PAGE
http://www.collegeboard.com
http://collegeboard.org/sat/html/satform.html
ACT HOME PAGE
http://www.act.org
http://www.actstudent.org (to register for ACT)
TOEFL (ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE)
http://www.ets.org/toefl
FREE TEST PREPARATION ON LINE
http://www.number2.com
http://www.kaptest.com
http://www.testprepreview.com/
http://www.princetonreview.com/
NCAA
CLEARINGHOUSE AND NCAA INFORMATION
http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
COLLEGE INFORMATION AND SEARCH SITES
NORTH CAROLINA
College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC)
http://www.cfnc.org (highly recommended)
ALL ABOUT COLLEGES.COM
http://www.allaboutcollege.com/colleges/united_states/usa.htm
AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES
http://www.globalcomputing.com/university.html
CATHOLIC COLLEGES ONLINE
http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org/
COLLEGE ESSAY HELP
http://www.essayedge.com
http://www.myessay.com
COLLEGE NET
http://www.collegenet.com/
COLLEGE PLANNING FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/college.planning.LD.html
COLLEGE SEARCH
http://www.colleges.com
http://www.anycollege.com
http://www.eCampusTours.com

COLLEGE VIEW ON LINE

http://www.collegeview.com
COUNCIL FOR CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
http://www.cccu.org/
HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
http://www.hbcuconnect.com
MAJORS
http://www.mymajors.com
PETERSONS
http://www.petersons.com/
PRINCETON REVIEW
http://www.princetonreview.com/
US NEWS
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/eduhome.htm
FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
BASIC FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
http://www.finaid.org
CSS PROFILE
http://www.collegeboard.org/profile
FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
SALLIE MAE
http://www.salliemae.com

MILITARY AND CAREER INFORMATION

http://www.myfuture.com
http://careerbuilder.com
OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK
www.bls.gov/ooh/

2015-16 TEST DATES

PSAT: WED OCTOBER 14, 2015
SAT & SUBJECT TESTS (register on-line @ collegeboard.com)
TEST DATE

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

LATE REGISTRATION
Phone/online

OCTOBER 3, 2015
NOVEMBER 7, 2015
DECEMBER 5, 2015
JANUARY 23, 2016
MARCH 5, 2016*
MAY 7, 2016
JUNE 4, 2016

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
OCTOBER 9, 2015
NOVEMBER 5, 2015
DECEMBER 28, 2015
FEBRUARY 8, 2016
APRIL 8, 2016
MAY 5, 2016

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

OCTOBER 27, 2015
NOVEMBER 23, 2015
JANUARY 12, 2016
FEBRUARY 23, 2016
APRIL 26, 2016
MAY 25, 2016

*SAT I only
COSTS (2015-16)
SAT: $54.50
SAT LATE FEE: BASIC FEE + $28.00
SAT SUBJECT TESTS: Registration: $26 plus $18.00 per test (Language Test with listening: $26)

ACT TEST (register on-line @ actstudent.org/regist)

TEST DATE

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

LATE REGISTRATION

SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

OCTOBER 24, 2015
DECEMBER 12, 2015
FEBRUARY 6, 2016+
APRIL 9, 2016
JUNE 11, 2016

AUGUST 7, 2015
SEPTEMBER 18, 2015
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
JANUARY 8, 2016
MARCH 4, 2016
MAY 6, 2016

AUGUST 8-21, 2015

SEPT. 19 OCTOBER 2, 2015
NOVEMBER 7-20, 2015
JANUARY 9-15, 2016
MARCH 6-19, 2016
MAY 7-20, 2016

+No testing in state of New York.

COSTS (2015-16)
ACT - $39.50 (NO WRITING)
ACT LATE FEE BASIC FEE + $25.00

ACT WITH WRITING TEST - $56.50