Guiding Students Through the College Application · Showcas e their talents Highlight their goals...
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Guiding Students Through the College Application Meredith Lombardi, The Common Application (VA) NACAC Essentials: Atlanta March 14, 2016
Transcript of Guiding Students Through the College Application · Showcas e their talents Highlight their goals...
Guiding Students Through the College Application
Meredith Lombardi, The Common Application (VA)
NACAC Essentials: Atlanta
March 14, 2016
Agenda
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Introduction to the Common App
Approaching the Application
Common App Tools & Resources
Your Questions
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The Common Application is a not-for-profit membership organization committed
to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity
in the college admissions process.
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Members at a Glance
Nearly 700 colleges from 47 states + Washington, DC
100 public universities
9 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
33 international universities from 14 countries
More than 250 with no application fee
Not-for-Profit
Undergraduate degree-granting
Properly accredited
2015-2016 At A Glance
School Affiliation (Applicants)
73% Public
11% Independent
12% Religious
3% Charter
<1% Homeschool
Total Reach: 209 countries
and territories
90.6% US
9.4% International
4.0 million
Applications Submitted
20.0 million
Recommendation Forms Submitted
4.59 Average Submission
per First-Year Applicant
900,000 Unique
Applicants
55% Female
45%Male
31%First
Generation
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Showcas
e their
talents
Highlight
their
goals
Tell their
personal
story
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Understanding the College Application
The college application provides colleges with a better context of who the applicant is
Students can use the application to:
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Testing
Activities
Writing
Profile
Profile
Family
Education
Parts of the College Application
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What Students are Writing About
47%
22%
17%
10%4%
Background
, Identity,
Interest, or
Talent
Transition from
Childhood to
Adulthood
Lessons
from Failure
Problem
Solving
Challenging
an Idea
The personal essay gives voice to applicants, shows personality, demonstrates writing and critical thinking skills, and helps colleges consider whether a student would be a good fitfor their student body.
How Can Common App Help?
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10
100 students entering 9th
grade
56 will graduate
24 enroll in 4-year college
6 willgraduate
18 will not graduate
13 enroll in 2-year college
3 will graduate
10 will not graduate
19 will not enroll in college
44 will not graduate
Georgia College
Attainment ProjectionsA study conducted by the
Technical College System of
Georgia
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Common App in Your Area
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626Unique APS
Common
Application
applicants
from Class of
2015
Last year, students in Atlanta Public Schools
submitted over 3,000 applications using the Common App to 327 different colleges and universities.
Here were the top 5 receiving institutions:
1. Georgia State
2. Howard University
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
4. Spelman College
5. Clark Atlanta University
The Counselor’s Toolbox
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Common App Website
The Virtual Counselor
Solutions Center
Common App Ready
Account Rollover
Common App onTrack
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commonapp.org
Middle School
9th Grade
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade
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Title
LEARN
Absorb knowledge,
develop skills and
study habits
Every year of a student’s academic career – from kindergarten to 12th grade – provides a different set of skills and experiences that prepare a student for college
EXPLORE
Explore opportunities,
challenge yourself, try
something new
GROW
Strengthen skills and
maintain involvement
in activities
FOCUS
Focus on grades,
entrance exams,
college search, and
yourself
APPLY
Apply your
knowledge,
apply to colleges and
scholarships
Create a Sample Student Account
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Pro-tip: You must use two different email addresses for your student account and recommender account
The Virtual Counselor
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The Virtual Counselor serves as an online content library filled with college-related advice for students and parents.
WATCH VIDEOS
EXPLORE TOP TIPS
READ
EXPERT ADVICE
24.7.365 Applicant Chat Training and
content
development
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Solutions Center
New portal
Visual appeal
Friendly language
Piloted applicant chat started in October
2015 during peak hours as another support
channel for our applicants
More short videos for all areas of the system and beyond. Partner
webinars and new and improved Help Topics.
appsupport.commonapp.org
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The Application Solutions Center helps students, parents, and counselors with questions regarding the application
recsupport.commonapp.org
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The Recommender Solutions Center answers questions for teachers and counselors regarding recommendations
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Comprehensive training resource covering all aspects of the application system, from account creation to submission
Ready-to-present slide decks with accompanying scripts to make your training sessions as easy as possible
Designed to fit your needs: present the slides all at once or in multiple workshops as your schedule allows
A complement to the Solutions Center training videos
commonapp.org/ready
• A comprehensive training resource
• Ready-to-present slide decks
• Introduction to the Common Application
• Getting Started
• Searching and Adding Colleges
• Explanations of the following sections: Profile, Family,
Education, Testing, Activities, Writing
• Payment and Submission
What is Common App Ready?
23© 2015 The Common Application
• Schedule a workshop for your students, parents,
colleagues, or anyone else who would benefit from
learning about the Common Application
• Organize your workshop(s) around your needs by
presenting the slides all at once or in multiple sessions
• Use the accompanying guide (also recorded in the footer
notes of each slide) as your script
• Direct participants to our training videos for more
information: appsupport.commonapp.org
How to use Common App Ready
24© 2015 The Common Application
Please begin your presentation
with the next slide.
Now YOU are Common App Ready
25© 2015 The Common Application
commonapp.org #commonappready
THE PROFILE SECTION
© 2015 The Common Application
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Sign in to your account
Pro-tip: Bookmark
apply.commonapp.org
© 2015 The Common Application
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Navigate to the Common App tab
© 2015 The Common Application
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Profile Section overview
© 2015 The Common Application
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Profile Section overview
The Profile section includes:
• Personal information
• Your address
• Your phone numbers
• Background
• Languages you speak
• Your citizenship
• Scholarship Information
• Request for a fee waiver
© 2015 The Common Application
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Scholarship Information
Pro-tip: Scholar Snapp
connects students with
scholarships.
© 2015 The Common Application
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Fee WaiversOne fee
waiver will
cover all of
your
Common
App
submissions
© 2015 The Common Application
#commonappreadycommonapp.org © 2015 The Common Application
Account Rollover
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Accounts created in 2015-2016 will carry over to 2016-2017 and beyond
User name and password will remain the same Answers provided to questions appearing in the six
sections of the Common App tab will be preserved Counselors can introduce their students to
Common App and the college application process as early as makes sense for their needs
When paired with Common App Ready, account rollover makes for a flexible, powerful college advising tool
Account Rolloveris intended to be a
learning tool,not a means
of completingcollege applications prior to senior year.
Student-centered design process
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Common App onTrack
Add and research colleges, track deadlines and submissions, track recommenders and their form statuses, set reminders, and more
Mobile companion to Common App account
Working Together to Support Student Success
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Parents/Legal Guardians
Teachers
Colleges
Counselors
Other Recommenders
The Common ApplicationStudent
Connect with #commonapp
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@CommonApp @CommonAppcommonapp CommonAppMedia
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Q & A
Thank You!
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We at the Common App appreciate the work that you do!
For questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Meredith Lombardi
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