College 101 - an overview

Deciding to attend college is a big decision. Figuring out which school is right for you can be complicated. Some people will travel across the country just to be in a specific program or to attend a certain big name school. Others just want to get signed up at the closest place to home. Either way is cool, but both options involve the same basic steps and obstacles. This article is designed to help you know what to expect and navigate your way through ‘the system’.
-
1. Application: apply online at the schools website or using a paper application. You can typically call the school, email them, or stop by to pick up the paper application. In most cases there is an application fee that is due when you turn in the completed application. If you do this online and don’t pay, your application will never be processed. If you don’t have the funds or it is a real hardship to pay, ask the school how the application fee can be waived. If you are still in high school, ask your guidance counselor to sign a fee waiver = this is available through NACAC: http://www.nacacnet.org/CareerDevelopment/Resources/Documents/AppFeeWaiver09.pdf
-
2. Transcripts: contact your high school guidance office and the Registrar at any colleges you’ve attended and request that they send an official copy of your transcripts directly to the school(s) where you have turned in an Application. Copies or web print-outs will not work at most colleges … they want the real thing. They typically require that the transcripts are in a sealed envelope.
-
3. Acceptance and Confirmation: When a school receives your Application and all Transcripts, you’ll get a response letter. It could be a rejection or an acceptance. If you are accepted and desire to attend that college, you’ll need to respond by completing what is known as either the ‘confirmation’ or ‘matriculation’ form. Many schools also require a fee be paid when this form is turned in. There is typically no waiver available for this but it is important you ‘confirm’ your acceptance and pay the fee as soon as possible because it is connected to your Financial Aid.
-
4. Financial Aid: This process has been discussed multiple times in my past blogs, so look at them to review the process. Bottom line: once you have completed your taxes, do the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov for the next school year. If you are starting at college during the winter, spring or summer terms, make sure you do this MONTHS before you’ll be starting school or you may be very frustrated to learn that $$$ isn’t available when you want to start classes. Another very important part of Financial Aid is that you know what you are eligible to receive and that you have accepted the desired funds weeks before you start school. Most schools have websites where you will be able to review your results. If you are getting grants like a Pell Grant, this is free money that you’ll want to accept = nothing else to do. If you accept loans like a Stafford Student Loan, then you’ll still need to 1. get loan counseling (a number of multiple choice questions that must be answered) and 2. sign a MPN = Master Promissory Note (picking a bank that will send the loans you accept to your college to pay your bill). If you have more loans and/or grants than your bill, then you’ll get money back to help buy your books.
-
** NOTE** Many schools don’t mail these results to you, so check your email account often or contact the school at least a month before classes start to see if your financial aid package is available and to make sure you have not been chosen to be ‘verified’. Close to 4 out of every 10 students are selected to be verified. When this occurs, the student typically has to fill out a special form and send copies of tax forms, like your 1040 and W2s, before you’ll be able to either see or accept your financial aid. If selected, you will not receive any $$$ until you have responded to what is being required by the financial aid department at your school … the bigger issue is that this slows down when your financial aid funds come through, so it can totally mess up your bill or result in late fees if this isn’t resolved weeks before school begins.
-
5. Placement Testing: Before attending orientation, most schools require that you take a Placement Test. Some schools offer this online while others require that you schedule a test at the school. The results will be used at Orientation by your Academic Advisor to determine which classes you can take. English and math are the typical subjects covered by this test, but some schools also do this in foreign languages or other subjects. If you test below a certain level in either English or math it may restrict you from taking other subjects like Chemistry or Engineering. This is different at every school. You’ll want to take any required Placement Test weeks if not months before you attend Orientation to avoid additional restrictions when you are trying to register for classes when you attend Orientation.
-
6. Orientation: The big day! This is the day you’ll meet an Academic Advisor and sign up for classes. You typically don’t have to pay any bill at orientation, but you’ll have one soon after this event. Ever school does this differently, but most include elements that cover technology used at the school, student support services available at the school like the library, tutoring center, disability services and more. You might also get your ID card, parking pass, and a campus tour during this event. Some schools will cover all you need in a few hours while other schools will take up to 2 days, including meals and staying in the campus dorms.
-
The days of paper registration are history, so you’ll learn how to look up your classes, see what days and times they are available, and then select classes. Some schools and programs have a set schedule that you order your life for the next series of years while you work toward your degree while other schools will show you what classes are required and allow you to set up a schedule that fits your life and desires. You’ll leave Orientation with your class schedule, so you are responsible to pay your bill after this day, whether you actually attend classes or not. If you change your mind about attending before the term begins, you better ‘drop’ your classes or you will still owe the fees. A phone call or email will not ‘drop’ your classes. You will need to officially drop them online or by visiting the Registration office at the school
-
7. Before classes begin: Preparation is the key to success in most aspects of life and attending college isn’t any different. Get your books and school supplies ready before classes start to avoid frustrations. It is very hard to keep up in a class if you don’t order your books until after the term begins and it takes days/weeks for them to arrive. If your Financial Aid wasn’t completed, accepted or verified before school starts, you’ll probably get late fees or could even be kicked out of classes (and still have to pay the bill) if your bill isn’t paid on time.
-
Word of caution: The process of applying to college and getting Financial Aid takes time. Please don’t wake up on the 1st day of classes and show up expecting to:
1. Apply to start college the same day.
2. Apply for Financial Aid to pay for classes starting the same day.
3. Register for classes that start the same day.
-
Schools that are ‘open access’ or without absolute ‘deadlines’ will still allow you to sign up at the last minute … but you won’t be doing yourself any favors by trying to get into college by signing up without a window of many weeks to a month before the next term. Planning in advance and taking care of ALL of the items listed above will help you eliminate the stress and frustration experienced by some college students.
-
Bottom line: getting into college is not like going through the drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant. It takes time to navigate the process and there is simply no short cut available.