Application Process

Who Does What?
Student

• Attend all class meetings
• Arrange and attend regular meetings with college counselor
• Use research materials in College Counseling Office to discover more about colleges
• Provide College Counseling Office information on accomplishments/activities in and out of school
• Complete all assignments given by College Counselors-- essays, questionnaires, forms, test registration
• Plan (with parents) college visits/ interviews during Spring and Summer vacations
• Collect and work on applications as soon as possible
• Learn which colleges require which tests (SAT I, SAT II, TOEFL, ACT), register for and take them
• Submit appropriate test scores to colleges
• Work with college counselor on essays; submit rough drafts well before applications are due
• Know deadlines and submit applications and/or Pink Sheets to CCO at least two weeks before applications are due*
• Ask teachers to write recommendations
• Insist upon doing your application on your own; you may ask for advice and proof-reading from your parents and the CCO, but you should do all the work
• Proof read application

Parents

• Be involved in the process; encourage and facilitate visits, read articles and reference books
• Discuss your agenda with your son or daughter (what you can afford, location, special interests, etc.). Be frank.
• Research colleges yourself; know what your son or daughter is interested in
• Provide CCO with any additional information that you think might be helpful
• Meet with your son or daughter's college counselor or maintain phone contact; let us know of special circumstances early.
• Provide access to checks or credit card #'s for application fees
• Allow your son or daughter to do his/her own work on applications or essays
• Without being invasive, ask your son or daughter how the process is going
• Ask the same questions of the CCO
• Watch and read mail from CCO
• Check to see that official scores have been sent by ETS. If not, call to have them sent.

College Counselors

• Hold regular meetings to inform students of their responsibilities
• Enable students to register for tests before deadlines
• Advise students on which tests to take and when to take them
• Through regular meetings, help students to assess themselves and to create an appropriate list of colleges
• Gather information on students to present to colleges; write comprehensive letters of support
• Provide supporting documents (letters, transcripts, secondary school reports) to colleges in a timely fashion
• Read and comment upon rough drafts of essays
• Update colleges on students' progress throughout senior year
• Attend national conferences to stay current on admissions policies and trends; visit colleges to broaden knowledge of appropriate schools for Blair students
• Host college representatives' visits to Blair (about 75 per year); facilitate representatives' meetings with interested students
• Provide access to information (Connectedu, reference books, catalogues, etc.) on colleges, tests, and other aspects of admissions process
• Open and maintain relationships with college admissions offices
• Answer questions

**In the case of deadlines on or around January 1, applications and/or Pink Sheets are due in our office on the day students return from Thanksgiving break; applications due on January 15th should be in our office before students leave for the December holidays.

**Students who do not submit applications to us by these deadlines must send them out on their own; the student should then inform the College Office immediately by way of filling out a Pink Sheet for each college so that we may send out supporting documents in a timely fashion.

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