Senior Class of 2013: College Admissions Process Calendar

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.

Revised: SW; Sept 2012