High School College Application Calendar 2007 - 2008

FIRST SEMESTER      2007

September 27	College Workshop for Parents	9.30 am	Cafetorium
September 29	London College Day	Opens 10.00 am	London www.fulbright.co.uk
October 01	SAT Review Course Information Meeting	7.30 pm	Cafetorium
October 06	SAT
October 17	PSAT (Grades 10 and 11)
November 01	College Workshop for Parents	9.30 am	Cafetorium
November 03	SAT
November 23	DEADLINE for Seniors’ Applications
December 01	SAT

 

SECOND SEMESTER      2008

January 21	College Information Evening	7.00 pm	TBA
January 26	SAT
February 26	College Workshop for Parents	9.30 am	TBA
May 03	SAT (Juniors take SAT)
June 07	SAT

 

 

Brief guide to college applications

JUNIOR YEAR - First Semester

- Work with advisers to prepare for the PSAT in October
- Attend College Fairs
- Meet with College Admissions representatives
- Analyse career interests
- Make general plans as to the type of campus and locations that interest you
- Update your resume or CV and keep it current

JUNIOR YEAR - Second Semester

- Analyze your PSAT results and prepare for the SAT Reasoning Test
- Register for the SAT Subject Tests and TOEFL (if required)
- Make an appointment to meet with your college counsellor
- Attend the College Information Meeting (22nd January, 2008 at 7.00 in the Auditorium)
- Attend College Fairs
- Visit the ACS College Library
- Meet College Admissions representatives
- Make a long College list and reduce it by April or May
- Contact Colleges on your list and make plans to visit a few
- Ask Colleges to send you application forms and materials
- Become familiar with applications procedures - many forms are completed online
- Keep your college counsellor informed of your plans and progress
- Take SAT Reasoning tests in May and consider taking the SAT Subject tests in June
- Consider a summer job or work experience
- Write drafts of college essays (US) and/or Personal Statements (UK)

SENIOR YEAR - First Semester

- Request official transcripts from any previous high school(s)
- Register to re-take admissions tests (if appropriate)
- Register for any external examinations required for UK entrance
- Request one or two teacher references (as required) in September
- Write college essays (if required)
- Arrange cheques to pay application fees
- Attend College Fairs
- Meet with College Admissions representatives
- Meet with your college counsellor on a regular basis
- Plan to send your applications through your college counsellor (via Dean's Office) except for online forms
- Meet with your college counsellor to submit all applications materials at least two months before due dates
- Turn in all remaining applications to your college counsellor by November 23rd 2008

SENIOR YEAR - Second Semester

- Ensure that all applications are complete
- Provide follow-up (if requested)
- Prepare for interviews (if required)
- Liaise closely with your college counsellor as the replies come in
- Send a deposit to hold your college place
- Inform those colleges that you will not be attending

For applications on-line, or for other information, www.collegeboard.org
NOTE: our high school code (CEEB number) is 724190, our test center code number is 57-110.

Also, many of the leading private institutions in the U.S. use the Common Application (www.commonapp.org)

U.K. application procedures

Brief Overview

University degree courses traditionally focus on a single subject and they last only three years. Entry requirements can be more demanding, therefore, than the normal U.S. high school diploma. For instance, the IB Diploma, three or four AP exams or a year at a U.S. college or university can typically be expected of applicants.
In recent years, however, the situation has become much more complex and flexible in the wake of the expansion of higher education. As a result:

• There are many more degree courses that offer a combination of subjects (e.g. German and Management, rather than just one or the other).
• There are many more four-year courses. Some of these include a foundation year, for students without the required prerequisites. Some of them include professional work experience ("sandwich" courses). Some of them include language study or work experience abroad. Some of them lead to a Master's degree.
• Entry, though competitive, is more flexible. For instance, there are many foundation courses. There are also two-year Higher National Diploma courses, which enable successful students to enter the second year of the three-year degree courses. There is also a variety of foundation courses that include professional training.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

With very few exceptions, students must apply to college or university online through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Students apply to specific courses in a specific department or faculty, rather than to an institution. They can apply to only 5 courses. Thus the choice of courses is extremely important.
Of great importance also is the level of competitiveness for each course. In general, the more popular the course, the higher the entry requirements tend to be. Thus students must assess their competitiveness in order to select courses appropriately.
Students apply using a special code available through the Dean's Office, and the online application will be processed and forwarded through the Dean's Office.
Applications may be made any time after September 1st. For Medicine or for Oxford or Cambridge candidates, the deadline is October 15th. For others, the deadline is January 15th, if they wish to guarantee that their application will be considered. Students will want to complete their applications well before these deadlines, however, in order to give the school several weeks to process them and in order to be among the earlier applicants to be considered.
Students are advised to attend Open Days, Fairs, taster courses or other events to acquaint themselves fully with campuses in which they might be interested.
For further details, including a search program, the following site is highly recommended: www.ucas.ac.uk

Admissions visits

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS REPRESENTATIVES - 2007/2008

Interested students are invited to meet with these representatives in the College Library. Please get permission in advance from your teacher(s).

Thur	Sept 20	10.00	University of Toronto	Janet Hurd
Thur	Sept 20	10.00	University of British Columbia	Damara Klaassen
Fri	Sept 21	10.00	Grinell College	Jonathan Edwards
Tue	Sept 25	10.00	Parsons School of Design	Justine Donato
Wed	Sept 26	10.15	Johns Hopkins University	Mark But & Swarthmore College - Martha Allen & Amherst College - Joy St John
Wed	Sept 26	11.00	Washington & Lee University	Erica Riesbeck
Thurs	Sept 27	9.00	Northeasten University	Rosemary Kelly
Thurs	Sept 27	9.00	Syracuse University	Steven O'Keefe
Thurs	Sept 27	9.00	U of San Francisco	Sarah Scannell
Thurs	Sept 27	13.00	Vesalius University (Brussel)
Fri	Sept 28	8.30	Providence College	Jennifer Hastings
Fri	Sept 28	TBA	Bennington College	Jessica Alatorre
Fri	Sept 28	15.30	Dartmouth College	Becky Munster
Sat	Sept 29	10.00	LONDON COLLGE DAY	GREAT QUEEN STREET
Mon	Oct 1	9.00	Washington University	Julie Shimabukuro
Thurs	Oct 4	TBA	school closed, but a visit is possible if students sign up Vanderbilt University	Shari Sutton
Mon	Oct 8	10.20	Tutts University	Courtney Minden
Tues	Oct 9	10.00	Chapman University & Southern Methodist University	Kellen Correia
Tues	Oct 9	10.30	DePauw University	Stephanie Niles
Wed	Oct 10	10.00	University of North Carolina	Andrea Felder
Thurs	Oct 11	11.00	Boston University	Scott Dyer
Mon	Oct 15	8.30	University of Dundee
Tues	Oct 16	10.00	George Washington University	Ffiona Rees & Kathryn Napper
Wed	Oct 17	TBA	Gettysburg College	Lisa Bondanski
Mon	Nov 5	8.30	Kenyon College	Beverley Morse
Tues	Nov 6	3.00	Bowdoin College	Anne Springer
Fri	Nov 16	8.30	Kalamazoo College	Rod Malcolm
Mon	Dec 3	11.00	Trinity University	Sarah Fischer

 

Most of these visits take place in the College Library. If the visit involves you missing a class, please get permission in advance from your teacher.

N.B. Several dozen college and university admissions representatives, most of them from private institutions in the U.S., visit ACS each year. These visits are advertised to the students in the Morning Announcements and in occasional posters in their Homerooms.

Further Links

Frequently asked questions
Useful web sites