• Building a balanced list of colleges and universities

  • While you won’t finalize your college list until the fall, we encourage you to have a healthy list of schools in SCOIR that fall into each category: likely, possible, and reach

• Researching Colleges and Universities and the importance of demonstrated interest

  • Use SCOIR as a resource in researching schools, visiting colleges (formally, if possible, or informally), and read through college websites and major/course descriptions

Demonstrating interest can play a large role in the admissions process for many schools. Sign-up for virtual or in-person information sessions, put yourself on the mailing lists for schools of interest (and open their emails!), and register for interviews if they’re offered

Resources: Need Aware Scholarships, Need-Blind Scholarships, Colleges that offer Merit Scholarships and an Application Tracker

• Standardized testing and test-prep 

  • We anticipate that local high schools in the greater Charlottesville area will host the SAT and/or ACT this summer and fall. Registration will open in July. Be sure to sign up early in order to secure a test date and location. 

  • Take advantage of the many free test preparation resources available online. 

  • TOEFL for international students

• Resources: Test Calendar (coming soon) and free test prep resources

• Financial Aid: FAFSA + CSS PROFILE - These two forms are critical to your financial aid process. All schools require the FAFSA; the CSS PROFILE is only required by some schools and scholarships. Submission windows open on October 1st.

• College Counseling Resources and Application Planning Tools

• Resources: Net Price Calculator

SCOIR 

• Specifically, go to the “Activities and Achievements” section:

  • Build your resume—this is a terrific way for us to learn about you. It also ensures that our letters of recommendation highlight things that are important to you. Please provide helpful supporting details about the activities in which you are involved or any awards received. 

  • SCOIR also has a section that allows students to upload documents directly from their personal computer or Google Drive and add them to their SCOIR profile. These documents will only be available to us internally; they will not be seen by colleges

• Portfolios

  • Start building your portfolio early. This is a time consuming process.

  • When the Common Application goes live on August 1, continue to research and confirm requirements listed at the individual websites at schools you are considering. 

  • Spend the summer building your portfolio as well as creating original work. Most colleges require 10-20 examples of your work.

  • Plan to get feedback on your work from your Arts mentors well before your deadlines.

  • This fall, plan to attend a National Portfolio Day, an opportunity to have colleges review your portfolio for free. In collaboration with an admissions officer from an Arts school, the College Counseling Office will also host a portfolio review session for interested students. Be on the lookout for more information about this.

Resources: Resume Template

• Draft those essays!

  • The Common Application and the Coalition have released their 2022 - 2023 essay prompts so there is no reason why you cannot start working on your essays this summer.

  • Remember that applications and essays are completely under your control. We encourage you to seek help and advice as needed, and we are happy to work with you on your writing and on any other part of the application. However, be careful of asking for too many opinions on your work, as it can be easy for your piece to lose your voice. We strongly encourage you to work with your college counselor on your essay. We not only learn about what is important to you, but we can also be a valuable resource, giving you a sense of how Admissions Committees might receive your piece. A critical integrity point with colleges is that applications must represent your work. These applications and essays are labor-intensive; invest the time and energy in them now.

• Need help with these?

  • Perhaps you’ve signed up for the summer bootcamp with Dr. Simeone. It can be incredibly helpful to have someone else help you stay on task.

  • If you still need help, Ethan Sawyer, also known as the College Essay Guy has some impressive free resources that could help you with drafting your essays.

Begin to fill out the Common Application and/or Coalition Application:

• The Common App and the Coalition App will be live on August 1! If you need help getting started with the Common Application, be sure to read this guide that they have created (the Coalition does not have an equivalent guide).

• Many schools that use the Common Application also require one or more supplements. While you can find these supplemental essays on specific college applications, colleges tend to update these supplements on or around August 1. Make sure you are responding to prompts for the 2022-23 admissions cycle. The Common App Worksheet below provides all of the information you will need to complete the many sections of the Common and Coalition Applications.

• If there are schools on your list that do not use the Common or Coalition Applications, find their institution-specific application materials. Check the colleges’ websites for material availability and for essay topics.

• How to Decide Whether to Apply Early Decision or Early Action - Get answers to the most common questions and make sure you understand the limitations and the financial implications. ED/EA deadlines fall as early as October 15th.

• Begin to fill out the Common Application and/or Coalition Application

  • The Common App and the Coalition App are live now! When you register, make certain that you use your St. Anne’s-Belfield email. Register at www.commonapp.org or http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/ and save your work. If you need help getting started with the Common Application, be sure to read this guide that they have created (the Coalition does not have an equivalent guide).

  • Many schools that use the Common Application also require one or more supplements. While you can find these supplemental essays on specific college applications, colleges tend to update these supplements on or around August 1. Make sure you are responding to prompts for the 2022-23 admissions cycle. The Common App Worksheet below provides all of the information you will need to complete the many sections of the Common and Coalition Applications.

  • If there are schools on your list that do not use the Common or Coalition Applications, find their institution-specific application materials. Check the colleges’ websites for material availability and for essay topics. 

• Create a spreadsheet of requirements and deadlines - Keep track of application deadlines, number of required recommendation letters, scholarship deadlines, portfolio requirements, etc. all in one organized spot.

• Resources: Application Tracker