College Applications

Filling out college applications is a rite of passage for high school seniors. Every fall seniors all over the country stress over the application process.

Putting together a quality application takes time. Your child should plan to spend as much time per term, on his or her applications as one high school class. Most seniors apply to at least three colleges.

• A dream school
• A good school that they hope to get into
• A school they like and can get into

All these applications take time but it will be time well spent. Remember, the college they go to will affect the rest of their life.

The essay may be the most important part of the application, as it provides the admissions officers with information about who your child really is. The rest of the application is just data, which needs to be correct, but does not reveal your child's strengths. Make sure their essay is the best it can be. Have their English teachers and METS advisor edit it. There is no room for grammar mistakes of any kind. Check out the links below on essays.

There are two primary admission types, "rolling admission" and "regular admission." Rolling admission means that there is no closing date for accepting applications. Instead, they accept students as they apply until the school or program is filled. Sounds good? Well, remember this. If your child is interested in a competitive school or program with rolling admissions it might fill up way before "regular admission" due dates. Rolling admissions also accepts the first applicants that qualify for the school or program, not necessarily the best applicants. This means that if your child is a really good student with lots of activities they need to apply early to make use of their competitiveness. In regular admissions, they wait to make any decisions until all the applications are in. Your child's application is competing against the best, not the first. Due dates are very important for applications. Don't even bother sending them in late unless you have a very good reason.

College applications are available at the websites of most colleges or universities, usually in the "Admissions" section.

All this sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but start early and you should have them all in by Thanksgiving.

Essay Help
From Bates College: http://www.bates.edu/essay.xml
From Purdue University Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html

Don't get caught tweaking the truth
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/articles/brief/02essaytweak_brief.php

© 2008 Maine Educational Talent Search (METS)

The Maine Educational Talent Search Project is funded entirely by the US Department of Education. The grant award for 2007-2008 is $510,255.

In complying with letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status or gender expression, national origin or citizenship status, age, disability, or veterans status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Questions and complaints about discrimination in any area of the University should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, the University of Maine, 5754 North Stevens Hall,Room 101, Orono, ME 04469-5754, telephone (207) 581-1226 ( voice and TDD) TYY (207) 581-9484.

This site last revised 3/3/2008 Comments or questions? Send email to Steve Visco (visco@umit.maine.edu)