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No Stupid Questions
No Stupid Questions
With a process as confusing and complex as applying to college, many questions go unanswered. The purpose of this page is to answer some frequently asked questions and direct people to more specific information to meet their own needs.
GPA, Course Selection, and Making the Most of Academic Opportunities
"Positive Character Attributes": How Do You Show Them in Your Application?
A Crash Course in the Supplemental Essays + Application with Ethan Sawyer
Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Students and Families
Where can I find the importance of admissions factors for particular schools, such as demonstrated interest?
Google the name of the school + Common Data Set, then go to Section C7
University of California and California State University Helpful Links
University of California and California State University Helpful Links
UC admissions factors (Scroll down to see the selection process by campus.)
Resources for Students with Specific Interests, Identities, and Backgrounds
Resources for Students with Specific Interests, Identities, and Backgrounds
See College Essay Guy webinars, podcasts (and guides that were inspired by them), and blogs organized by categories, such as the personal statement, supplemental essays, UC personal insight questions, applying to college, brainstorming exercises, and resources for counselors, parents, students, test prep, financial aid, and international students
For guides and resources for students with specific interests, identities, and backgrounds, such as applying to college abroad, art school, athletes, drama school, EOP applications, HBCUs and Tribal Colleges, homeschoolers, LGBTQ+ students, low-income and first-gen students, students with learning differences, transferring colleges, undocumented students, women’s colleges, and veterans, scroll all the way down here.
Also see resources for international students, especially about financial aid.
Financial Aid Options
Financial Aid Options
How do I research financial aid options?
Research Paying for College in Four Steps
Which schools are the most generous with financial aid? (US Version). And scroll down here for a list of Domestic Undergraduate Need-Based and Merit Aid.
Find out which schools on your list require 1-2 teacher letters of recommendation (typically teachers in core academic subjects—English, math, science, social studies, foreign language—who taught you recently—junior year is prime—and who know you well and like you), 1-2 optional teacher letters, and which deadlines you’re pursuing: Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular.
Ask for the appropriate number of letters from your teachers and counselor (typically at the end of junior year).
Note that some colleges require or recommend that students submit recommendations from teachers in certain subject areas – be sure you double check that.
Imagine how your teacher/s might fill out the Common App’s Teacher Recommendation Form for you and provide any information they might need to help write you a strong letter.
Send your letter writer/s the following information in a follow-up email on the same day they agreed to write the letter/s: a brief paragraph about what you hope to study, relevant background information and aspirations, an up-to-date resume, a list of the colleges that will need the letter of recommendation, and each college’s application deadline.
When you are completing your online application you should waive your FERPA rights. If you waive those rights on the app, it means you won’t be able to see what your teachers write about you, which basically frees them up to write whatever they like. If colleges see that you have not waived your FERPA rights, they’ll assume you’ve read your letter of recommendation and may not trust its objectivity. You must also complete the FERPA Release Authorization in order for transcripts to be sent on your behalf.
Activities and Experiences Worksheet (good for keeping track of activities)
2. Discover what specific qualities you want in a college
2. Discover what specific qualities you want in a college
Corsava - It’s a free tool that you can use to sort and rate your preferences in a way that will help you figure out what you want (and don’t want) from your college experience.
3. Create an initial list of colleges that match these criteria
3. Create an initial list of colleges that match these criteria
How To Create a Great College List
Use https://www.collegexpress.com/ to search Lists & Rankings (collections of schools organized by their strengths) according to your interests.
Notice which colleges are coming up repeatedly.
Stay on https://www.collegexpress.com/ and type in the school name. Then click “Lists” to see what other lists that school is on.
Download and make a copy of the College List Research Tracker by scrolling down on this site to HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLLEGE. Go to “File” and click “Make a copy...”
There are 2 tabs: School List and Essay Tracker. You’ll use the Essay Tracker below.
For now, type your list of schools into the School List sheet and share this list with anyone who is helping you (your counselor, friend, or parent) using the “Share” button in the top right corner. List 15-20. You’ll whittle it down through research.
4. Organize your school list by "Wild Card", "Reach", "Maybe" and "Likely"
4. Organize your school list by "Wild Card", "Reach", "Maybe" and "Likely"
Research your chances of getting in to each of these colleges and organize your school list by “wild card,” “reach,” “maybe,” and “likely.” Use general acceptance rate, and GPA and average SAT/ACT scores for last year’s incoming freshman as a good guide in deciding whether a school is a Wild Card, Reach, Maybe, or Likely.
Use Mark Moody’s Quick & Dirty College List Builder to get a rough idea of your college admissions chances.
You can find the general acceptance rates on many sites, e.g., parchment.com.
Cappex provides a great tool that allows you to input your weighted and unweighted GPA, your test scores, and your college preferences, and it will match you with schools that meet your preferences but will also provide a rough sense of your chance of admission.
School platforms such as Naviance often have scattergrams that will show the average test scores and GPA for students who applied to certain colleges from your high school. Keep in mind that these scattergrams don’t include important data like extracurricular involvement, the quality of college essays, legacy status, intended major, or other factors that can be super important. In addition, the data may be more biased towards acceptances since students tend to be more likely to report their scores and GPA data when they are accepted, rather than denied.
5. Research college affordability
5. Research college affordability
Complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator to estimate the Student Aid Index (to determine federal student aid eligibility)
Google each college’s Net Price Calculator (NPC, an estimate of how much money you would receive from a particular college upon admission) and put the estimated cost for each in the School List spreadsheet
Google each college’s Common Data Set to get average need-based award, merit-based award, and % who get need-based and merit-aid awards
Note in the School List spreadsheet whether the school is:
Financial Safety - probably can afford
Financial Possibility – maybe can afford
Financial Stretch - probably can’t afford
A financially fit list will have at least two or three financial Safety schools, two or three Possibilities, and no more than one or two Stretches
6. Narrow down your results into your final list of colleges
6. Narrow down your results into your final list of colleges
Pick ten schools:
1 Wild Card (1%-10% chance)
3 Reach - Low Chance of Acceptance (11%-25% chance)
3 Maybe - Medium Chance of Acceptance (26%-60% chance)
3 Likely (Match) - High Chance of Acceptance (61%+ chance)
Keep searching and researching until you love all ten, even the “match” schools where you’ll likely get in. (If you’re applying to the University of California schools, count them as one, since the application and essays will be the same for all of them.)
For the pro perspective, check out the Fiske Guide to Colleges for 2-3 page summaries of hundreds of colleges.
For the student perspective, go to unigo.com where you can read real students’ opinions on their schools.
For virtual campus tours:
Check out CampusReel.org to get a sense of what a college campus feels like. The tours on Campus Reel are led by real, current students, usually in selfie-mode on their phone.
The university’s website or Admissions Office Instagram/Facebook
YouTube (type the college’s name + “tour”)
Attend a local college fair.
Visit a college and take notes in case you have to write a Why Us essay
Attend a few college admission rep visits at the high school
Get on university email lists: Links to connect may be found either on the admissions page OR searching the keywords (“mailing list”) and the institution name.
For specific questions, email the college’s regional admission officer (go to the admissions page and search for admissions counselors by region) or the college admissions office general email, or an alum.
7. Research and organize information about each college on your final list
7. Research and organize information about each college on your final list
Click on the link at the top of this page to download the College Application Information Tracker
Research the application requirements and deadlines, financial aid applications and deadlines, available majors, and scholarship information for schools on your list and put them in this spreadsheet.
Note the number of required and optional letters of recommendation (and whether they require or recommend that students submit recommendations from teachers in certain subject areas).
List scholarship deadlines and requirements (Google the name of the college and scholarships).
Put the supplemental essay requirements and options in the other spreadsheet (College List Research Tracker) under the tab for Essay Tracker. If you need to find it again, scroll down on this site to HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLLEGE.
Research to see if an interview is offered or required at each school.
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