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Wells 7-Adult
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20 Steps to College |  |
Action – Take the PSATs
Taking the PSATs provides great early practice for the SATs. The PSAT allows you to familiarize yourself with the SAT format and determine the amount of test preparation you will need to achieve your desired SAT score. A strong score on the PSAT also gives you a chance at winning a National Merit Scholarship.
How Wells can Help – Pre-SAT Prep
Wells works with students the summer before their junior year, ensuring that the student develops a comprehensive math and language foundation.
Action – Place primary focus on academic coursework, keeping GPA high
For most students, grades are the single most important factor in the college admissions process. Study hard and make sure to make up all classes that you didn’t pass earlier in your high school career. Most colleges exclude non-academic electives when calculating GPA.
How Wells can Help – Academic Tutoring
Wells offers comprehensive tutoring in nearly all academic subjects. One-on-one education is proven to be the most effective route to academic excellence, providing the hands-on specialized attention that makes learning worthwhile.
Step 3: Advanced Placement Courses
Action – Enroll in AP classes that you are eligible to take/ Prepare for AP exam in May
Taking Advanced Placement and honors courses strengthens your transcript and provides proof of academic rigor. In addition, you can often receive college credit for passing an Advanced Placement exam; many universities now require a 4 or 5 on the AP exam to receive this credit. Don’t take an AP class unless you plan on taking the AP exam and scoring well.
How Wells can Help – AP Test Preparation
Wells provides one-on-one instruction to prepare students for Advanced Placement exams.
Step 4: Extra-curricular Activities
Action – Continue participating in the activities that you have pursued and enjoyed
Extra-curricular activities and accomplishments figure prominently in college admissions. They include your participation in sports, jobs, clubs, arts, volunteer work, travel, student government, outreach, hobbies, etc. College admissions officials look for sustained participation in 1 or 2 activities as opposed to sporadic short-term participation in dozens of activities; this demonstrates your dedication and commitment. This is the part of your education where you get to do exactly what
you want to. Decide what those things are and have fun!
How Wells Can Help – Resume Development
A Wells College Counselor can help you articulate your participation and leadership roles in your extra-curricular activities. This will come in handy when you write your personal resume (Step 9).
Action – Talk to counselors, visit websites, order brochures, and attend college fairs
Begin your college search by gathering information: order brochures, viewbooks, and applications. Attend college fairs and visit official college websites. Visit your school counselor or a professional college counselor to find out which schools might be a perfect fit for you. Start to brainstorm about which characteristics you are looking for in a college (location, size, strength of particular programs or departments, etc.) and which colleges fit your criteria.
How Wells can Help – Personalized College Information Meeting
A Wells College Counselor can help you access information on various colleges, answer specific college questions as they arise, and provide a personalized roadmap to help you narrow down the initially broad college search.
Action – Choose SAT or ACT testing dates and begin appropriate preparation
Standardized test scores are a very important factor in college admissions. You can and should study for these tests because strong preparation can dramatically raise your final scores. Also, take the test more than once, starting in March or May of your junior year. After a summer of studying, you can take your final SAT I in the fall of your senior year.
How Wells can Help – One-on-one SAT prep courses
Wells provides excellent individualized SAT prep courses that cater to the particular needs of each student. A 10-week long course thoroughly covers all the skills and information needed for the exam, often dramatically raising scores.
Step 7: SAT II - Subject Tests
Action – If applying to a school that requires the SAT II, choose test date and prepare
Many of the more competitive colleges require you to take as many as 3 subject tests, including math, writing, and a third subject test of your choice. Often it is best to take these subject tests in June, at the end of the related school course, while the information from your class is fresh in your mind.
How Wells can Help – One-on-one SAT II prep courses
Wells also provides individual tutoring for all SAT II Subject tests.
Step 8: Self-Appraisal and College Matching
Action – Take inventory of your achievements and create a list of possible colleges
Be honest with yourself about your academic and extra-curricular activities. Before visiting or applying to colleges, it is important to have a strong idea of where you stand academically and what you are looking for in a college experience. Set realistic goals regarding what you can accomplish before applying to the schools of your choice. Decide which tests you will need to take for the schools within your reach, and decide on how much test preparation will be necessary. With this information
in place, you can decide which colleges are within your reach, and which you want to attend.
How Wells can Help – Self-Appraisal and College Information Meetings
A Wells College Counselor can help you assess your individual interests and aptitudes, resulting in a personal profile to serve as a road map to where you belong in the college world. Wells will help you narrow down your college interests to a list of 8 to 12 appropriate colleges that fit your criteria – providing in-depth information about each school and sharing resources for you to continue your own research.
Action – Create the first version of your personal resume
Having just completed your thorough self-appraisal, now is the perfect time to begin building your personal resume. A resume is a one-page document that you will use throughout your life which records your academic, extra-curricular, and work-related experience. It is important to have a resume before you ask teachers and counselors to write college recommendations for you—this resume helps them to know the details of your achievements so they can write effective letters.
How Wells Can Help – Resume
Development
A Wells College Counselor can walk you through the resume building process, helping you to gather all the necessary information and present it in the most effective way possible. Time spent with a counselor uncovering your personal achievements and characteristics will also help you towards choosing such things as a future college major, and a successful career.
Action – Once you have your final list of potential colleges, visit these schools
After taking inventory of your interests and academic standing (Step 8), and after looking through all the college information that you have gathered (Step 5), you should be ready to take a tour of your chosen schools. Spring break of junior year or summertime before senior year is perfect for visiting colleges. Make sure to visit a wide range of schools – not just those that are at the top of your list; you may be surprised by what you find. While visiting schools, try talking to students,
sitting in on classes, visiting libraries and dining halls, staying in dorms, and taking an organized college tour. There are also websites that provide online campus tours if a school is too inconvenient to visit in person.
How Wells Can Help – College Visit Tips
A Wells College Counselor can prepare a schedule for visiting the schools on your final list and offer advice regarding which questions to ask and what to look for when you visit.
Action – Do something meaningful and enriching during your summer vacation
College admissions officers want to see that you accomplished something during the summer while not in school. Find a job that exercises your talents, volunteer for an organization during your free time, or sign up for a summer program that involves traveling or taking classes on a college campus. Studies have shown that students who work up to 15 hours per week have higher grades than those without jobs – college admissions officials know this.
Step 12: Early Action / Early Decision
Action – If you are ahead of the game, consider early action or early decision
Some colleges let you apply early, allowing you to find out if you are accepted to their school before you apply to other schools. This type of non-binding application is known as early action. Students who have exceptionally high academic standing and are happy with their test scores, grades, and other achievements—and know exactly which school they want to attend—may want to apply for early decision. When you send in your application to a school for early decision you are agreeing
to attend that school if you are accepted. As soon as you are accepted to this school you must withdraw any applications that you have sent to other colleges. While this might increase your chances of acceptance, it may also hurt your chances for financial aid.
How Wells can Help – College Counseling advice on Early Action/Early Decision
A Wells College Counselor can advise you on when it is best to follow these alternative application routes, and when it is best not to.
Step 13: Regular and Rolling Admissions
Action – Thoroughly complete all college applications and make sure to submit on time
Some schools have rolling admissions, accepting applications on first come, first-served basis. These applications should be sent in as soon as possible. Other schools have clearly-set regular deadlines. Mark your calendar to make sure you send in all applications on time—many schools immediately stamp REJECT on an application if it is received late.
How Wells can Help – Step-by-Step Application Assistance
A Wells College Counselor can answer any questions you may have about the various aspects of your college application, as well as go step-by-step through the filling out of all forms. Wells can provide you will a personalized check-list and timeline to make sure all materials are sent at the right time to the right places, and check all materials for completion and accuracy.
Action – Request recommendations far in advance
Many colleges require up to 3 recommendations from teachers and guidance counselors. Choose whom you want to write a recommendation for you and give them the appropriate paper work far in advance—they will be getting requests from many students. Give them a copy of your resume and a copy of a college application essay so they have plenty of information to refer to when they write about you.
How Wells can Help – Recommendation Assistance
A Wells college counselor can help you choose the best people to write your recommendations, as well as help you finish creating your personal resume so that your teachers and counselors have all the information they need about your academic career at their fingertips.
Action – The college essay is very important so start writing early, making many drafts
The application essay is an extremely important part of your college application, and gives admission officials a chance to know more about your major accomplishments or special circumstances. Basically, all college essays are about the same thing: Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Compose several drafts before sending your final composition.
How Wells can Help – College Essay Program
A Wells College Counselor can help you immensely with this college essay writing process, giving you all of the inside tips about what admissions officials are looking for, and making sure that your essay clearly communicates your unique strengths as a potential student. Wells provides initial essay guidance as well as continued support through the important review and revisions process.
Action – Applying for financial aid is a long process – begin early!
Eligibility for financial aid can depend on your financial situation, grades, extra-curricular activities, parental affiliations, etc. In other words, many people can receive financial aid, even if they don’t qualify for need-based aid. Applying for financial aid is a fairly long and complicated process within itself, so make sure to do your research and fill out the all the necessary paperwork completely, and on time. Many schools give out money on a first-come, first-served basis, so timeliness
is important.
How Wells can Help – Financial Aid Program, in partnership with Deborah Fox
Wells has a complete financial aid assistance program, working in tandem with local college financial aid expert Deborah Fox. Wells can assist you through every step of the financial aid application process.
Action – If invited for an admissions interview, practice talking about your skills
The country’s more competitive schools often recommend an on-campus interview, or they have a hometown alum interview potential students who can’t travel to campus. Your performance during interviews will improve with practice so schedule your first-choice college interviews last. Make sure to send a thank-you note to the interviewer afterwards.
How Wells can Help – College Interview Preparation
Conducting mock interviews with a counselor can help immensely, allowing you to be calm, confident, and prepared for the real thing. A Wells College Counselor can help you feel comfortable talking about your skills with an admissions official in an honest and effective way.
Action – Celebrate! And get down to making those tough final decisions
Congratulations, you got into the schools of your choice! Now you have to decide which one you are going to attend. If the decision is hard you may want to visit these schools again, or at least continue doing the research necessary to make the best possible choice.
How Wells can Help – Final College Decision Counseling
With the help of a Wells College Counselor you can do last minute in-depth research on your final schools and get advice about which ones might provide exactly what you need for the next 4 years. Use this time to ask any questions you may have about what life is like IN college, and begin to plan how you are going to get the most out of your college career.
Action – Don’t get carried away and neglect your schoolwork during your senior year!
Now that you’ve gotten into the college of your choice, don’t get a case of Senioritis and let your grades drop during your senior year! Many private colleges will receive your 1st semester senior year grades, and there have been students who have had their acceptances revoked because of poor academic performance.
Step 20: Wait-list and College Follow-up
Action – Complete any remaining college follow-up tasks to secure your acceptance
Some private schools, after writing you a letter of acceptance, may request a mid-year report to see your senior year grades. Make sure to send this in on time. If you’ve been waitlisted by a school you want to attend, don’t despair because many schools take students off their waitlists as late as September 1st before the start of the freshman college year. If waitlisted, write to the admissions committee, telling them you are still interested in attending their school, send an updated
list of your activities, send a copy of your grades, and have a teacher submit a letter in support of your application.
How Wells can Help – College Counseling Follow-up
As with all the other steps of the college admissions process, a Wells College Counselor can assist you in your admissions follow-up tasks – writing strong letters of intent, submitting mid-year reports, and making sure you have gathered together all of the appropriate materials to secure the school of your choice. We can help you tie up all of your loose-ends, and answer any last minute questions, so that you are in tip-top shape for college!
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