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When should my daughter apply to college?


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She has taken the ACT and scored well, but she is planning on taking it again in December. She is a senior this year and this will be her last time testing. We are hoping to get scholarships to our school of choice. Should she apply now even though she has not taken the ACT or should she apply after she takes it?

 

Also, how do I list the courses she is currently taking on her transcripts?

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You may want to repost this to the high school board.

 

My only experience is with my daughter who is currently a senior. We have already applied and been accepted to two schools. We are waiting to hear back from the final school. Most of the schools we applied to had a priority deadline of November 1st for scholarships though they will continue to accept applications. The schools we are dealing with have scholarship interviews in January and February.

 

My advice is ASAP.

 

Good luck,

Elise in NC

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I'll agree with ASAP. Many schools have already seen their scholarship application deadlines pass. Hopefully, not the school(s) you're interested in...

 

Most kids looking to attend 4 year schools apply between August and December, but again, scholarship deadlines tend to be sooner for many places. Some schools are also rolling admissions (and rolling scholarships). This means as soon as the app is in it is considered - and when scholarship money runs out, it's done. For schools without rolling admissions, just pay attention to scholarship deadlines and make sure you aren't late.

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Apply this month!

 

The schools that accept her will take her highest ACT score, so don't wait until after she has taken the second ACT in December to apply. As other posters have stated, we don't want to see potential scholarship money disappear b/c she waited too long to apply.

 

Please let us know how it goes! We love to hear success stories! It encourages the rest of us. :D

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Apply now. ASAP.

 

You can add or update info for her application as it comes in.

 

BTW - You can always call the admissions folks and ask this kind of question. They *want* to hear from you (it's their job), and it actually helps to show your interest in the school through this kind of contact.

 

If she has one clear "top choice", it can help to do early admission/early decision etc. if the school offers it. (You may be too late for this.) Make sure you have a "safety" school - both financially and academically - so if the first choice doesn't work out you have a "plan B".

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most colleges want applications in by Dec 31st for regular decision. check the dates of the schools to which she is applying. You can include that test scores are pending, and be sure to include that school among the places that will receive her scores without having to go back and have them sent there.

 

the earliest we've heard back was end of Jan. Generally we heard back between march and april.

 

finacial aide applications have their own due -dates, I think in feb.

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most colleges want applications in by Dec 31st for regular decision.

 

This is true, but for many schools, if one is after merit aid (it seems the OP is), the deadline is sooner. If one is full pay (paying it all themselves or possibly just looking for need-based aid), then the regular decision deadline applies.

 

Rolling decision schools are already handing out merit aid. Several students in our local high school have won some. It's much more difficult to get merit aid at these schools if one were to apply now vs earlier. When the aid runs out, it runs out. The kid with higher stats who applies later gets less (if any).

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This is true, but for many schools, if one is after merit aid (it seems the OP is), the deadline is sooner.

 

:iagree:

 

One college we recently visited with DS has a December 1 application deadline for students who want to be considered for merit scholarships. The OP needs to check the websites of the schools her DD is interested in for their dates.

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:iagree:

 

One college we recently visited with DS has a December 1 application deadline for students who want to be considered for merit scholarships. The OP needs to check the websites of the schools her DD is interested in for their dates.

 

:iagree:

 

I don't want to discourage the OP, but it is important to be checking dates now. My middle son didn't apply to URochester until between Thanksgiving and Dec 1st. Their deadline (last year) was Dec 1st. He still got in with nice merit aid and is very happily a freshman there now. ;) This same son already had significant awards from two rolling admission merit aid schools (UAlabama and Pitt) at the time. URochester was his last application - he decided to apply last minute after wavering on/off/on/off/on, etc. I find it ironic that it ended up being his top choice - and again - he is very happy there now feeling it definitely IS the right place for him.

 

There are some schools where you've missed the dates, but not all. This month is crucial though. Check (scholarship application) dates for the schools you are interested in.

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Yep, apply now if you want scholarship consideration (may be too late).

Oldest son didn't apply until January, because we thought homeschoolers had to have a GED, and we didn't know that until Dec. He wouldn't have qualified for merit aid anyway, so it was ok to wait.

 

As far as how to list in-progress courses, we used the transcript from Covenant College's website, and just starred courses he was taking, and put a very small, italicized statement at the bottom. I think--it's been a while!

 

Oh, wait--he had already finished by then (we graduated him a semester early)--but you COULD do the above. :D

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