COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
PROCESS CALENDAR
Lusher Charter
School; Class of 2013
Summer:
·
Visit as many colleges and universities as
possible, even if touring a local school or simply “dropping by” campus while
on vacation. Schedule campus visits and
interviews in advance.
·
Gather worthy topics for college application
essays by keeping a journal about significant experiences, books, issues, and
ideas.
·
Make productive use of vacation time. Plan early for summer employment, community
service, volunteer opportunities, or other activities to explore interests,
pursue challenges, and find ways to grow and achieve success. Travel, study, and paid or volunteer work
help you learn more about who you are and what types of college communities and
programs of study might suit you. These
activities provide significant value to your Activities Resume.
·
Complete summer reading and assignments
thoroughly. Read additional books that
will extend your outlook and vocabulary.
There are many informative books relating to the college admissions
process. See Mr. Wagner for suggestions.
·
Narrow down your list of college choices,
keeping in mind a proportionally balanced, three-tiered model (reach, possible,
likely), factoring in selectivity, cost
of attendance, geography, other variables.
Make abundant use of Naviance
to keep Mr. Wagner in-the-loop. Request
application materials, updated admissions info, and name of regional admissions
officers.
SENIOR YEAR
August &
September:
·
Mid-August – Welcome back to Lusher; you are now
officially seniors!
·
Begin your senior year with exceptional study
habits and maintain them throughout the year.
Your academic work and CA involvement should be your top priorities.
·
Continue to be involved in extra-curricular
activities, including community and volunteer work, athletics, choir, theater,
art, clubs and organizations, and publications.
Colleges will look for quality and duration of extra-curricular
involvement, not quantity.
·
Update & finalize your Activities Resume to
include: summer activities and travel; clubs and organizations, and extra-curricular
activities. Include anticipated
involvements, through July.
·
Confirm a realistic and reasonable list of
colleges to which you are likely to apply.
Schedule a meeting with Mr. Wagner to discuss application choices and
strategies. Review the feasibility of
considering Early Action, Early Decision, or other types of early options for
applying to colleges in the Fall. Be
proactive in contacting these colleges for up-dated materials and to
confirm the name of regional admissions representatives.
·
Meet regularly with Mr. Wagner to refine your
list of colleges and to continue helping him to get to know you. Make use of Naviance. Initiate meetings
rather than waiting to be contacted.
·
Register for your final series of standardized testing, including ACT or SAT
& SAT Subject Tests. SAT Subject
Tests are recommended only for select colleges that require them.
·
Attend as many meetings as possible with college
representatives visiting Lusher Charter School.
Take notes during these meetings.
Ask informed questions so the representatives will later recall your
name. Also attend regional college fairs
and Alumni gatherings.
·
Post a list of your deadlines for submitting
college materials in a prominent place at home where you study and will be able
to focus on meeting the deadlines. Confirm
plans and decisions with your parents and Mr. Wagner.
·
Select teachers who know you well to write
letters of recommendation. Ask them
early in the fall to write on your behalf, and give them the needed forms (including a revised copy of your
activity resume) at least one month before
application deadlines.
·
***Registration Deadlines: 17 August for the 8 September ACT
7 September for
the 6 October SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
21
September for the 27 October ACT.
October:
·
1 October – Secondary School Report forms and
transcript requests for all applications
with November deadlines, including: Early Decision, Early Action, or
Priority applications, due in college counseling office.
·
6 October – SAT or SAT Subject Tests (encouraged
for Early Application candidates).
·
27 October – ACT Test (encouraged for Early
Application candidates).
·
Visit colleges only if you can afford to
miss time from your classes. Plan your
trips strategically and in advance, following all procedures for missing
school. Make appointments at colleges
and universities proactively, scheduling official interviews, meetings with
departmental faculty, and over-night arrangements to experience campus life
first-hand.
·
Attend as many meetings as possible with college
representatives visiting Lusher. Check
on College Nights (including NACAC Fair, in mid-October) and Alumni gatherings
held throughout New Orleans area. The College Counseling Office will post and
promote information regarding these events, as they become known.
·
Fall Break – Make productive use of the long
weekend for college visits, focused research, and working on various parts of
your applications. Up-date and make use
of Naviance.
·
Discuss
cost of attendance; use FAFSA Forecaster.
Review financial aid PROFILE and FAFSA forms. These forms are
required if you plan to apply for any type of financial aid at colleges and
universities. FAFSA cannot be
‘officially’ submitted until after January 1 because it requires information
from your parents’ current year tax return.
This information can be estimated.
·
***Registration Deadlines: 4 October for 3 November SAT or SAT
Subject Tests.
November:
·
1 November – Secondary School Report forms and
transcript requests for all applications
with December deadlines, including Early Decision, Early Action, or
Priority applications, due in college counseling office.
·
3 November – SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
·
Attend as many relevant meetings with college
representatives visiting LUSHER CHARTER SCHOOL.
Visiting reps will dwindle as we approach Thanksgiving.
·
Record on Naviance and confirm with Mr. Wagner
and parents that your final list is “balanced and realistic” and fulfills your
requirements, hopes, and aspirations.
·
Carefully complete filling out your
applications. The College Counseling
Office often has extra copies of paper applications.
·
***Registration Deadlines: 1 November for the 1 December SAT or SAT
Subject Tests.
2
November for the 8 December ACT.
December:
·
December 1 – Secondary School Report forms and
transcript requests for all applications
with January deadlines are due in college counseling office.
·
1 December – SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
·
8 December – ACT.
·
Early & Mid-December: Notification of admissions
decisions for Early Decision, Early Action, and Priority admission candidates.
. Up-date and make use of Naviance.
·
Prepare intentionally and productively for end
of Fall Term exams.
·
***Registration Deadlines: 28 December for the 26 January SAT or SAT
Subject Tests.
January:
·
Welcome Seniors, to your Graduation Year!
·
7 January – Secondary School Report forms and
transcript requests for all remaining applications due in College Counseling
Office.
·
26 January – SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
·
Fill out and submit the CSS Profile, FAFSA, or
other financial aid forms as soon as possible after January 1. These forms require data from current federal
tax returns. Estimated amounts can be
reported.
·
Mid-Year reports, showing your grades for grades
9, 10, 11 and the first term of 12 will be sent in mid-January to all colleges
to which you have applied.
·
Submit copies of all monetary offers
(scholarships or financial aid) to the College Counseling Office, whether or
not you have a serious interest in attending.
The College Counseling Office keeps tracks of scholarship offers and
financial aid awards for each graduating class.
·
Inform Mr. Wagner if a college notifies you of
an admissions decision or of a request for additional material. Because colleges are often swamped with mail,
a form believed to be missing might in fact be there yet not yet opened, filed,
or logged into the computer. Don’t freak
out; we will check and let you know when all is in order.
·
***Registration Deadlines: 11 January for the 9 February ACT.
February:
·
Adjust your list of colleges, if necessary, and
file any final applications.
·
9 February – ACT.
·
Additional college notifications arrive. Provide
your College Counseling Office with a copy of all letters of acceptance,
wait-list, or denial in order to keep accurate records of your application
status and activity.
March:
·
Notify your college counselor of any admissions
decisions. Provide your college counselor with a xerox copy of all letters of
acceptance, wait-list, or denial in order to be added to your file.
·
Mardi Gras and Spring breaks: Opportunities to
visit college and solidify your choices.
April:
·
1 April: As cruel sense of irony, “April Fools
Day” is also regarded as National college notification day for most regular
decisions.
·
It is time for the “last push” of your senior
year! Maintain your excellent study
habits. Ask Mr. Wagner about standard
admissions clause imbedded in all
acceptance and wait list letters.
·
Keep the College Counseling Office informed of
all correspondence from colleges.
Provide your Mr. Wagner with a xerox copy of all letters of acceptance,
wait-list, or denial in order to keep your file accurate and up-to-date.
·
By 15 April you will hear from all colleges on
their admissions decisions. Use the
remaining three weeks to complete your final research towards deciding where
you will attend in the fall. Once you, with your parents, decide, notify formally, in writing, all colleges that admitted
you whether you will enroll. Share the
exciting news of your college choice with your College Counseling Office and
with the teachers, especially those who wrote letters of recommendation
on your behalf.
·
Notify immediately, in writing, a college if you
wish to remain on its wait-list. Make
sure your college counselor knows of and has a chance to speak with you about
your wait-list status. Protect yourself
by depositing to enroll somewhere, even if your priority choice rests on a
wait-list.
May:
·
A non-refundable enrollment deposit is due at
the college of your choice on or before May 1. If you miss the deadline, your offer of
admission can be withdrawn. Do
not “double deposit” (commit to enroll at two institutions); this unethical
practice damages your reputation and that of Lusher Charter School. It may result in your being denied admission
at both institutions.
·
Prepare diligently for final (final)
exams. You have not yet graduated from
high school and some colleges will pay close attention to how you
complete your senior year and high school career.
·
6-10 & 13-17 May: Advanced Placement
examinations, for eligible students.
·
Inform College Counseling Office, in writing,
where you decide to attend college so that a final transcript can be sent, as
conclusion of your successful college selection process.
·
If acceptance is granted to you off the
wait-list by a school that you wish to attend, send in your deposit and
withdraw immediately from the school where you first deposited.
·
Thursday, 23 May: Lusher Baccalaureate Ceremony,
Lusher Gymnasium.
Friday, 24 May: Lusher Graduation
Exercises, Class of 2013, McAlister Auditorium, Tulane.
Followed by
summer, then the beginning of a fulfilling college experience.
