1. Call on August 23 and think you’ll be accepted and starting classes by August 29? We may be polite with you on the phone, but inside we are laaauuuughing. It ain’t gonna happen. You’re at least 2 months too late.
2. We understand that you are bombarded with college mailings and applications throughout high school. But if you don’t treat our application with individual interest and respect we will know immediately. Use capitalization, punctuation, and, for pete’s sake, write in complete sentences.
3. If you email questions to our office, be sure to write and proofread as if you’re writing a college essay. You are not texting us. “what do i do to get to come to your school?” doesn’t cut it.
4. Similarly, when you’re writing that application essay, you should know that an essay by definition is longer than two sentences.
5. We’re typically way more excited about a student who is ranked 49 out of 350 than 1 out of 10.
6. It may be unfair at times, but we don’t put much stock in homeschooler transcripts unless it’s through an accredited agency. Otherwise we’re looking primarily at your SAT/ACT scores and entrance essay.
7. Take your SATs more than once. We’ll be happy to mix and match your verbal and math scores to give you the highest composite, and you’ll almost always do better the second time. If you score 1180 on the SATs at my school you have automatically earned $28,000 in scholarships. If you can bump it up to 1200 you’ll get $8,000 more. It’s worth the $150 to take it more than once. Trust us.
8. If you don’t do well on the SATs, take the ACTs. There are lots of students who score significantly higher on the ACTs than SATs, but rarely the other way around.
9. Even though we only require a form for a personal recommendation, it goes a long way to have that person write a personal letter and attach it in addition to the form.
10. If you score a 700 on the SATs it doesn’t matter how many family members went here or how much the coach wants you on his team. You won’t be accepted. We are an academic institution first and foremost and we do have standards.
11. We notice and love it when students take initiative and call the Admissions office instead of their parents doing everything for them.
12. Your birthday is not your month, day, and the current year. And you wouldn’t believe how many times we see it.
13. If you choose to come to our school, we will need your social security number eventually. It doesn’t matter how much you kick and scream. We promise to take good care of it.
14. If you have a financial aid question, do the Admissions office a favor and call Financial Aid directly. We are not a switchboard.
15. When you come to take a campus tour you don’t really need to get dressed up. “First day of school” clothes are just fine.
16. When we give you a card with lots of questions about personal info, all we really need/want is your name, address, year in high school, and possible major interest areas. Any additional information you provide is up to you.
17. The earlier you apply the more time you will have to haggle for scholarship and grant money. Most colleges provide some sweet incentives to get you to apply early too (typically by November 1).
18. National decision deadline is May 1. If you don’t commit to a school by that date you risk losing your slot for the fall.
19. If you apply online, you almost never have to pay an application or processing fee.
20. Make friends with your high school guidance counselor. The last piece to arrive for most applications is the high school transcript. Some guidance counselors will send it right away, but many are overrun with requests from the rest of your senior class. If you want to know if you’re accepted, we need that transcript!
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