SmartCollegeVisit

Smart College Visit: College Admissions Content Guide

December 29, 2011

We've created a content guide to Smart College Visit's posts about the college admissions process so that you'll have an easier time accessing articles on this particular topic. The guide is linked in the sidebar on the right, under CONTENT GUIDES. The first release appears below.

SMART COLLEGE VISIT: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONTENT GUIDE

Academics

Admission Applications & Interviews

Choosing a Major

Early Decision

Where to Apply for Early Action II and Early Decision II Admission

Essay Writing Tips

Wait Listed

If you have a question you'd like us to answer, please post it to Ask Smart College Visit and we'll get an answer for you.

Where to Apply for Early Action II and Early Decision II Admission

December 22, 2011

High school students who applied for admission to college as Early Decision or Early Action applicants have been anxiously (and frequently, perhaps incessantly) checking their email inbox and their snail-mailboxes to learn whether or not they have been accepted for admission.

Getting accepted early relieves the stress that comes with waiting for spring decision letters to be sent. Not getting in early means the student has to adhere to the regular decision admissions schedule and apply accordingly.

However, if getting accepted early is important to you, some colleges offer Early Action II and Early Decision II programs which have admission deadlines that are typically earlier than regular/spring deadlines.

Deadlines and conditions vary by school-- always check with each individual college you're considering to confirm deadlines and requirements.

Maybe you've already visited some of the schools in the list below? If not, perhaps you'll have a few days to do so before the EA II or ED II deadlines.

(The following information is current as of the 2011-2012 school year. Again, it's always best to confirm deadlines with individual schools to ensure accuracy.)

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WITH EA II/ED II PROGRAMS

EA II

Austin College
Butler University
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hofstra University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Randolph College
Saint John's University
Saint Michael's College
University of Dallas
University of Redlands
University of Tampa
Westminster College-PA
Wittenberg University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

ED II

Bates College
Bennington College
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Bryant University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Champlain College
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
Colgate University
College of the Atlantic
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Cornell College (IA)
Davidson College
Denison University
Dickinson College
Drew University
Elmira College
Emory University
Franklin and Marshall College
George Washington University
Gettysburg College
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Harvey Mudd College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Juniata College
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
List College, The Jewish Theological Seminary
Macalester College
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
New York University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Pomona College
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhodes College
Rollins College
Saint Olaf College
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Sewanee The University of the South
Skidmore College
Smith College
St. Lawrence University
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Stevens Institute of Technology
Swarthmore College
The George Washington University
Trinity College
Tufts University
Union College
University of Puget Sound
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Washington and Lee University
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College
Whitman College

The information above was gathered from the schools themselves or from the Common Application's master list and curated by Shelley Krause (@butwait).

College Visit Tip: You can book travel to any of these colleges or universities on Smart College Visit. Use the "Plan Your College Visit" search box above this post for school-specific travel information or just click the "Book Your Trip" button in the sidebar on the right.

The College Fair - Go Prepared

by Z. Kelly Queijo

Taking the time to strategize how to successfully navigate a college fair without being overwhelmed only takes a few minutes. Before you head off to the fair, take time to answer the following questions:

Is the college fair a family affair?
Will mom and dad accompany you? Or, will you head out on your own or with friends? Decide in advance if attending with parents and whether or not you will stay together once you arrive. Keep in mind that information sessions are also offered that may appeal to either you or your parents. Allow time to attend one or more these if desired.
Which colleges do you already know you want to learn more about?
Make a list so you can easily locate each school's information table when you get there. Note which schools are "must sees" and which are "maybes" so that you're sure to make it to the schools that interest you the most.
How much time will I spend at the fair?
As long as it takes to get to every school on your list (and then some). It's difficult to get through a college fair in under an hour, especially if you have more than three or four schools on your list. The point of attending is to get information, and the way to do so is to ask questions and talk with the college reps. Don't just pick up brochures and walk out. Get your questions answered so you can narrow (or expand) the list of colleges that interest you. College fairs typically last at least two hours, some as many as four or five hours, depending on locale.

College Fair Tips:

Print a batch of name/address labels to save time filling out information cards at each table.
Bring your driver's license. Some schools have scanners that can read the contact info from your license.
Have a list of questions that you want to ask each college rep. If you are not sure what to ask, print the College Fair Check List published by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Click here for the National College Fair Schedule.

For more information about preparing for college, visit our College Admissions section. You can also explore colleges here on Smart College Visit, access information about each school on your list, and make plans to visit the colleges that interest you.

Your College Admissions Essay: Get Real

John Carpenter, Director of Admissions and University Counseling at the United World College, UWC Costa Rica, responded with this guest post to one of the takeaways from NACAC about what college admissions officers are really looking for in an essay. The full text of this also appears on his blog: askJohnaboutcollege.com. We encourage students to ask college admissions officers about what they are looking for when reading an applicant's essay. When should students ask about this? While on the college visit, of course!

Colleges Want You to Get Real
by John Carpenter

“What is real?” asked the Rabbit. Does anyone remember that question from The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams? It was one of my favorite books when I was younger, but it really didn’t speak to me until I was already an adult.

Being real is a good thing to think about--especially as you’re cranking out college essays and applications. The temptation is to try to make yourself appear super amazing, and nobody is going to blame you for trying to do that either--especially when it seems that every other kid applying to college has created her own business, won a national debating trophy,opened a homeless shelter for abandoned children, and cured leprosy.

However, the very best way to grab an admission officer’s attention is tobe the person you are. Seriously. In other words, write about whatever is important to you, but in your own REAL voice.
“Real isn’t how you’re made,” replied the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you.”

Happens to you? Holy cow, what does that mean? “What has happened to you” can be exactly that--something that you’ve sustained or overcome, but more often than not, being real comes from something that you’ve noticed or learned or paid attention to. In other words, it’s whatever it is that made you into the person you are now--the thinking, questioning, maybe uncertain-about-some-stuff person that you are. Write about that.

So maybe what has happened to you is that you’ve thought about something in a new way recently. That’s real. Or you’ve gotten disgusted about something at your school, or on the news, or in your family. That’sreal. Or maybe you’ve just been afraid of not having anything to say about yourself on a college application. That’s real, too.

Forget trying to impress someone you’ve never even met with your application, resume,and essays. Just tell the colleges who you are. Dirt and all. Well, maybe just some of the dirt--but the point is, you don’t have to “do” things to make a good impression. All you have to do is be real.
_____
John Carpenter is the founder of askjohnaboutcollege.com, an independent on-line admissions resource for students and families. For more than 30 years, John has guided students through selective admissions in the US and abroad. He is also author of Going Geek: What Every Smart Kid (and Every Smart Parent) Should Know about College Admissions which is available through Amazon.

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