College Planning Guide

More About the Application

~~ Neatness counts. An admission person may read as many as 50-70 folders in a day. You are advised to apply on-line or type your applications if you submit a paper version. Colleges encourage on-line applications. If you are comfortable with this option, be sure to follow instructions on how to request supporting credentials from the school. Students sometimes overlook forms that must be downloaded and provided to the school and/or teachers. Carefully read the section of the application entitled “Directions to Applicants”.

~~ Most applications are user-friendly if you take the time to read the directions, but when questions arise about completing the application, be sure to see your college advisor for assistance. We would be happy to review any application before you mail it.

~~ The Common Application was devised to ease the workload of seniors. Nearly 300 colleges and universities accept the Common Application (available at www.commonapp.org). Students may prepare a single application and then send duplicates to colleges and universities. Institutions that agree to accept the Common Application also agree to treat the application equally in their offices.

~~ The transcript that will be sent on your behalf is most often referred to as “an official high school transcript” in your application instructions. It is “official” because it is signed by a school official, bears the Rudolf Steiner seal, and is mailed directly from the Upper School to the receiving institution. Only transcripts stamped “unofficial” are provided directly to students, and these are quite appropriate when a student wishes to show a transcript to a recommender, an interviewer, or a college coach. Whenever an official transcript is needed by a student for any reason, a formal request in the Guidance Office (the “blue sheet” with college applications) will result in the transcript’s being sent to the designated recipient. There is no fee charged for transcripts.

~~ Some college applications ask the candidate and/or the college advisor whether the student has experienced disciplinary suspensions from school. When the answer is “yes,” there is an instruction to submit a statement explaining the circumstances and describing what the student has learned from the experience. Most colleges insist that the vast majority of these instances are seen as part of a student’s growth and will not have a negative impact on the admission decision. We believe this to be true.

~~ Essays convey to colleges your ability to write, as well as something about your experiences, character, beliefs, and goals. Steiner school students write well, but they are often intimidated by making themselves the subject of their writing. Your college advisor knows the audience for which you are writing and can help you prepare something that will be useful to you in the admission process. This is also a topic that will be covered in depth during the College Seminar class for juniors. College advisors would be glad to read a final draft of your college essay before you send it. Sample essay questions:

• Describe an interesting experience or achievement that has special significance for you.
• Tell us about a person who has done the most to influence your personal development, explaining in what ways the person was influential.
• Discuss some issue of personal, local or national concern and explain its importance to you.

Notice that the common assignment in these is to write on any subject that has direct personal importance to you. Be as specific as you can, and share something about yourself that is not evident elsewhere on your application.

~~ Submitting more recommendations than a college solicits stands an excellent chance of raising a red flag in a candidate’s application. This technique may be useful in “the real world,” but in the world of college admission it may do more harm than good. The old admissions saying, “the thicker the file, the thicker the applicant” is common around the committee table. The majority of supplemental recommendations do not contribute additionally to an institution’s understanding of the candidate, even if the writer is in some way an important or influential person. If you feel that you would like someone unsolicited by the college to write on your behalf, please discuss this with your college advisor.