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College attendance continues to climb as the number of students who choose higher education rises and as schools welcome an influx of students from abroad. Some universities are processing many times the number of applications than slots available, making it all the more critical that prospective students complete their applications in a timely and accurate manner. Understanding the college admission process is imperative if you are to stand the chance of acceptance. Please read on to learn the steps to take to submit your college application.

Getting Into the college of your choice — Applying to Elite U. means you will be in the company of many other students who crave an education at Harvard, Stanford, Duke and other top universities. Expect stiff competition or a possible rejection — if an elite school is what you want, then be prepared to apply to several.

Making a college choice comparison — If you have narrowed down your course of study, then making comparisons between various schools is easier to do. Figure in academics, costs, and lifestyle into the equation.

Application submission deadlines — You’ll want to make sure that your completed college application is submitted at least two weeks before the deadline. Early acceptance usually takes place in October and November while regular admissions are in January.

College application forms — Request your application from the school. Many schools are now posting this information online for easy access and download. The COMMON application form (as the name implies) is now accepted by more than 300 colleges and universities — this can be a real time saver for students and their families.

Application essays — You can expect to write one or two essays with each college application. Plan well in advance to consider what you will say and use that extra time to polish it to perfection.

Letters of recommendations — Schools typically require you to furnish one or two written recommendations from people who know you. Teachers, a guidance counselor and community leaders are among those whom you should solicit when it comes to applying to college. Make sure that you allow 3-4 weeks for recommendations to be written.

College entrance exams — Either the SAT or ACT tests are the required exams you must take for college entrance. Many students sit for both exams to make sure that they meet the requirements of any college.

High school transcripts — As every other student who is applying for college will require them, make sure that your transcript requests are submitted early in the game. Students schooled at home must learn what requirements they must meet as their aren’t any official transcripts to submit.

Extracurricular activities — Your balanced your curricular work with after school activities, perhaps marching band, cheerleading, scouting or church youth group participation. Schools are looking for well rounded students and this is your chance to showcase some of your more important activities.

Before you know it, you will be off to college thanks to plenty of advanced work on your part. To help you accomplish these tasks, please check out some helpful college planning tools and track college stats (FREE download) today. Finally getting ready for the FAFSA form is easy thanks to this form.

Preparing for college can be an exciting event for any high school student. But, it can also be a daunting task especially if the high schooler isn’t certain what his or her course of study will be. In addition, a college or university education isn’t for everyone as trade schools, online schools, and junior colleges may open up a door of opportunity instead. Let’s take a look at five options of higher learning that every family should know about.

Five Types of Schools

Colleges – The majority of students who are seeking a bachelor degree attend a college. Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) are the two most popular degrees offered; some schools also confer an Associate degree for two-year students.

Universities – Schools offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of majors (e.g., business, medical, language arts, and humanities) have the university designation. Some universities also offer doctorate studies.

Community/Junior Colleges — These schools offer two years of college study typically leading to an Associate degree. In many states students can start off at a community college and then transfer their credits to a state college in order to obtain a bachelor degree. In certain states schools offering two-year degrees are called Technical Colleges.

Vocational/Career Schools — Schools offering specialized training for hair dressers, truck drivers, welders, automotive mechanics, medical assistants and other career options are called vocational or career schools. Training can range from several weeks to as long as two years, depending on the course study and certification requirements. Upon successfully completing the program, students will receive a license, certificate, and in some cases, an Associate degree.

Online Schools — The online education revolution is transforming the way people learn. Students can take just about any level of course available to them offering certification, licensure, associate, bachelor, or a grad degree. The advantage of this type of schooling is evident — most will allow students to learn on their own time and at their own pace.

College Search — Making It Easy

No one wants to spend days, even weeks doing a college search therefore narrowing down your choices into three categories will expedite the process. Three categories recommended by college preparation experts are:

Schools You Can Definitely Get In — List 2 or 3 schools where your enrollment application will absolutely be accepted.

Schools You Can Probably Get In — List 4 or 5 schools where you stand a good chance of being accepted.

Schools You Would Like To Attend — List 7 or 8 schools you’d be interested in attending regardless of whether you think you will be accepted or not.

If you can afford to apply to as many as 16 schools (application fees do add up), then go ahead and apply to all of them. Otherwise, consider applying to 3 schools on each list. To keep track of the application process use tracking tools and a college cost comparison wkst (FREE download) to manage the process. Also, learn about the financial aid qualifications to apply for assistance and the options you have to finance higher education.

Selecting a course of study will help high school students narrow down the list of schools to consider. Once that is complete, categorizing the schools and applying will soon yield several acceptances with the final steps to choose the school and arrange financing.

Handy tools to help high school seniors: we provide what you need to take the stress out of college planning.

The Last Hurrah

Today’s high school seniors are busy enjoying their final year of schooling, taking in frosty football games and thinking about what they will do over their Christmas break. SATs, writing projects, and applying to college are some of the other activities consuming time right now with the next few months being especially critical in planning life beyond high school.

Graduation is just seven months away and two months after that today’s high school seniors will become tomorrow’s college freshmen.

Let’s take a look at what you can do now to make going off to college as stress free as possible.

College Planning Is A Family Event

Preparing for college involves much more than the prospective student. Parents need to get involved as they are the ones providing the bulk of the financing while offering guidance on the schools to visit, scholarships offered, and financing options available. Even siblings cannot be forgotten as family decisions will impact them. Hey, you won’t have your little brother or sister pestering you for awhile, so you might as well enjoy their company while you can!

Busting The Stress With Helpful Tracking Tools

As you probably know all to well, the final year of high school isn’t as rosy as you may have thought it would be. Seniors still must finish up course work, take college entrance exams and deal with raging hormones. The thought of planning the next four years of life while handling the crisis of the moment can seem daunting; that is why we have developed free tracking tools to take the edge off of college prep.

Four tracking tools for college planning:

1. Student aid tracking worksheet — a worksheet to record and track your financial aid information (excel file).
2. College budgeting worksheet — an automated file to plan and budget college aid and costs (excel file).
3. College cost comparison worksheet — compare colleges by cost and amount of aid awarded (excel file).
4. College spending sheets — use these spending sheets to track daily - weekly - monthly spend (PDF).

Please visit this page to find the four tracking sheets and related planning tools.

Starting Your College Search

Of course, at the same time you are taking a look at your financial picture, you’ll want to begin your college search. Chances are you spent the summer between your junior and senior year visiting some campuses, but narrowing that list down to a manageable three or four schools will make college planning a whole lot easier.

Use a financial aid checklist to balance college search with student financial aid options for a clearer picture of your schooling options. Parents need to remember that Stafford loans and private student loans are two forms of student aid that have opened up educational opportunities for millions of students.

Finishing The Race In Style

With the tracking tools at your disposal, college planning becomes less of a stress and much more of an enjoyable experience. You still need to consider your college major and meet with your guidance counselor, so plan wisely now to create fond memories that will last a lifetime!