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 Submitting an
Application
Most likely, you will either mail your application or apply
online. Applying online is now possible with a substantial
number of schools. To determine whether this procedure is
available for a particular school, visit their Web site, or
you can use the services of a third party Web site which provides this
service for certain schools. Here are several Web sites that can
help with online applications (these links
also listed top of right column):
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Visit CollegeNet's
Web site. Use their keyword search or
their custom search. For participating
schools, you can submit your electronic application in
one session or save it for multiple sessions before you
send it. Or, if you prefer, go to the college's
Web site and apply online there. |
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Visit PrincetonReview.com
and use their site to apply online; many schools are
available through their service. They also provide
links to the college Web site. You do not need to
complete your application all in one session; you can do
part of it, save it, then come back to it
later.
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Visit CollegeBoard's Next
Stop College site and apply online to over 500
colleges and universities. |
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Visit Xap.com and use their site to apply online to
about 570
colleges and universities. |
How
can I obtain an application form?
If the school you want to apply to has an
online application on their Web site, you won't need to obtain
a hard copy form. See our comments about online applications
above in Submitting an
application. Keep in mind that some schools may waive the
application fee if you apply online. If online application is
not an option for a particular college or university, then
your options are as follows:
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Contact the schools that you are applying
to, by mail, phone, or e-mail, and ask them to send you
an application form. Contact information can be
obtained by visiting the school's web site. We
have a directory to
college and
university Web sites for your convenience. |
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Buy or borrow, from a library or high
school guidance office, a current publication on
colleges which has a CD with application forms that can
printed, filled in, and mailed to the school. |
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Visit the Web site of any school(s) - see
our page for college and
university Web sites - to which you wish to
apply and see whether they have an application
form which can be downloaded
to your computer. You may also have to
download software, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, to view
and print the form on your computer. If this is
necessary, the software can usually be downloaded from
the school Web site at no cost. Of course, due to
the many variations in Web site design, you may need to
spend a little time getting familiar with a particular
school's site in order to determine whether they provide
an online application and, if so, where it is located in
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Some schools (about 230 schools as of
Nov. 2002) use the "common
application", a standard application form.
To download it, visit the Common
Application Web site. You can request a Common
Application form from your secondary school counselor.
You can also complete the on-line Common Application at www.commonapp.org.
In most cases, if a college accepts the Common
Application, you can either use it or their regular
application form. Using the Common Application
makes the application process easier for students by
saving time and eliminating duplication effort. It
only needs to be completed once; photocopies can then be
sent to any number of participating institutions. |
General
Tips on Submitting Your Application
You should exercise great care in preparing your application
and/or admissions essay so that it does not contain spelling
and grammatical errors. Avoid using correction fluid to
correct mistakes on a hard copy application. Make it
look as neat as possible. Don't wait until the last minute to
do this. Allow enough time to gather any information you may
need to complete it.
If you mail your application, make a copy for your
records. Send it by certified or return receipt mail,
and try to avoid sending it in late December when Christmas
mailings drastically increase the workload of the Post Office. If
you apply online, print a copy of your application or save it
as a file on disk, if possible. If not, then establish
another record of the exact content that you submitted so that
you can reproduce it if necessary. Also, you should
receive an email acknowledgement from the school or Web site
processing your application. Save it! By taking
these precautions, you will have evidence that you submitted
your application, and when it was sent, in case the school
claims they did not receive it, or received it late.
For more, see Application
Do's and Don'ts
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