David Graves      September 26th, 2013 in Blog


It is the end of September, which
means a number of things in the world of College Admissions. Applications are
rolling in for next fall, the sound of luggage rolling down the office hallway
as counselors pack up for their next week of fall travel, the campus gets a
little crazy as home football games start to pick up. Here are a few quick
notes for the high school seniors/UGA applicants for next year:
 
  • Review the Top
    Ten Urban Legends about UGA Admissions
    , so you do not have to worry
    about the myths concerning what major you should put down, if EA is easier
    for admissions chances, etc.
  • Please be patient with our office this year, as we are
    using a whole new student system (it will change Admissions, Registration,
    Student Financial Aid, Bursar’s Office, etc.) It is a big project, but we
    hope it will cause as few ripples as possible in your admissions process.
  • Take your time completing the application, so you do
    not have to send us an email asking us to fix your name, your SSN, your
    address, etc. Review the application, especially the 8-10 key fields we
    list out for you at the end of the application, before hitting submit.
  • Go by your favorite high school teacher’s classroom and
    tell them how much they have meant to you. It is senior year, and I don’t
    want this to slip by without you telling them.
  • Review the database of the UGA Admissions
    Counselors fall travel schedule
    (updated each week), and send your
    counselor a quick email with suggestions on what to do/where to eat/etc.
    in your hometown. You can find the counselor for your area at https://www.admissions.uga.edu/meetthestaff.
  • Remember that if you are applying for Early Action, the
    deadline for taking an SAT/ACT is the EA deadline of 10/15, and that you
    need to have requested the scores be sent by 10/15. Also remember that if
    you submit an ACT, we need an ACT Writing score!
  • The materials deadlines are one week after the application
    deadlines, so EA materials need to be sent by October 22.
  • You are responsible for your application! We have a
    number of parents who are calling us now saying “My son/daughter and
    I are completing the application…”. While your parents want to
    review the application with you, and maybe look at it before you hit
    submit, they should not be completing any part of the application. In
    addition, you need to make sure your SAT/ACT scores are sent, your
    counselor has submitted the School Evaluation (after you apply!) and
    transcript, and that you are checking the myStatus page.
  • Read a book for pleasure! I know that it is senior
    year, and life is crazy, but try to read something (I am about to purchase
    the new Malcolm Gladwell book David
    and Goliath
    ).
  • If you had a conduct issue or a bad grade in high
    school, tell us about it, and how you have moved forward from it. As your
    parents would say, if you make a mistake, don’t compound it by trying to
    cover it up. The worst thing you can ever do is try to hide something, as
    we then are not sure what other issues there might be in the application.
  • Senior year is important, so make sure you keep up your
    grades. Every year, we have had to rescind offers of admission due to low
    senior grades, so do not let it happen to you!
  • Go out and perform a random act of kindness for a
    freshman in your high school! Remember what it felt like to be a freshman,
    and then make their day a little better. My daughter just started her freshman
    year (go OCHS!), and while she is doing great, I know it would make a
    difference in her day, so go find a freshman!
  • When you are entering your self-reported grades, make
    sure you have a copy of your transcript in front of you. We want an
    accurate representation of your high school grades, and this is the best
    way (in addition to reading the instructions).
  • If you make a minor mistake on a non-crucial part of
    the application (punctuation error in your activities list, wrong date for
    a test score, or forgot one senior class), do not worry. We are not that
    overzealous, and we do not review files with a red pen.
  • After you submit the application, be patient. Our
    office still needs time to import your application, match up documents,
    download test scores, etc. Patience is not easy, but it is key.
  • Enjoy your senior year!


Tags: , , , ,