Okay, you’ve decided that college is a definite possibility. Let’s make sure you are prepared to apply. The easiest way to do this is to give you an idea of what a college looks for in an applicant.

HOW COLLEGES SELECT STUDENTS

Colleges vary in their entrance requirements and standards. A student who is rejected for admission by College X may be accepted with open arms at College Y and be offered a great financial aid package.

All colleges make their admission decisions based on certain factors, both academic and personal. Each college will weigh these factors in their own unique way to arrive at an acceptable freshman candidate. They will base their decision on their institutional expectations, past experience, and sometimes most important of all, the number of applicants that year.

The factors considered for admission are:

A. Academic
1. Courses of study
2. Grades
3. Class rank
4. Level of instruction as related to the proposed college major
5. High School reputation
6. Scholastic recommendations

B. Standardized Tests
1. College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
2. SAT II Tests
3. American College Test (ACT)

C. Personal
1. Student essay
2. Special talents
3. Evidence of leadership skills
4. Character
5. Activities in and out of school
6. Constructive involvement
7. Interview impressions
8. Written recommendations
9. Statements on application
10. Desire for a diverse student body
11. Alumni friends and relatives
12. Financial resources

State universities and colleges usually establish a set of minimum academic standards (different for out-of-state applicants), accepting most candidates who meet these criteria. Here the academic and test factors are most important. Sometimes personal factors carry little or no weight.
Private colleges and universities tend to control their selection process to a greater extent. Applications are evaluated individually and accepted or rejected by a committee. The academic and test factors listed are important in the screening out of obviously weak candidates, but from the remaining acceptable group, the decision about actual acceptance is made on personal factors.

The most complicated area of college admissions takes place at the nationally known private institutions, mostly in the Northeast, where the admission offices are flooded with applicants from fully qualified high school seniors.

Some of the factors listed above cannot be controlled such as high school reputation, friends and relatives that are alumni, and the college’s desire for a diverse student body. Worry about the factors that you can control such as the academic factors discussed above. Next, we will take a more in-depth look at the standardized tests that you will need to take. Personal factors will be discussed in Section 4 Applying to College.

TESTS FOR COLLEGE ENTRANCE

Here are some testing dates and explanations that may be useful during the following years. Keep this data handy as a reference sheet. ACT and SAT applications may be obtained in the guidance office. You will usually take these tests before you have completed your college applications. You should request that the scores be sent to the colleges where you are applying. This can be done on the test application. Some colleges will prefer one test over the other, so be sure to check with the colleges you are applying to before taking any tests.

PLAN
Given in October of the sophomore year, this is the practice test for the American College Test
(ACT). It tests English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning skills. The test also includes a career inventory to help students identify and explore possible careers. The PLAN is approximately a three-hour test.

PSAT/ NMSQT
Given in October of the junior year, this is the preliminary test of the College Board testing program, a two-hour version of the three-hour SAT. The results of the PSAT are also used by the Merit Corporation to determine national semi-finalists as candidates for scholarships. If you have not taken many standardized tests, or you do not do well at them, you may wish to register to take the PSAT in the spring of your sophomore year also. Taking the PSAT in 10th grade is only for practice; you cannot qualify for a National Merit Scholarship no matter what you score.

SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST (SAT I)
This is a three-hour test, primarily multiple-choice, which measures verbal and mathematical abilities. The verbal section consists of two 30-minute sections and one 15-minute section that tests your vocabulary, verbal reasoning, and critical reading skills. The math section also has two 30-minute sections and one 15-minute section, testing your ability to solve problems involving arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. You will also take one 30-minute section that does not count towards your final score. Beginning in March of 2005, the College Board is adding a new writing section and changing their math and verbal section (now to be called critical reading). The new writing section will be 50-55 minutes and include grammar, usage and word choice. There will be multiple choice and a student written essay. The new math section will be two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Number and operations, Algebra I & II and functions, geometry, statistics, probability and data analysis will be included, and quantitative comparisons will be omitted. The critical reading section will be made up of two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Critical reading and sentence level reading will be covered. Analogies will be omitted. If you sign up for the Student Search Service (SSS), the College Board will send your name and some specific demographic information, but not your scores, to colleges, universities, and scholarship programs. In turn, you will receive free college and scholarship information from them.

SAT II
You may be required to take up to three of these tests by colleges to which you are applying. Check the college catalog to be sure. The fee depends upon the number of exams you take. There are 23 different subject tests. Check the SAT information book carefully for the dates of the tests you plan to take.

Students who plan to apply to selective four-year private colleges (e.g. Harvard, Cornell, Union, or RPI) may consider taking SAT IIs at the end of 9th, 10th, and/ or 11th grades. These are one- hour exams designed to measure your knowledge in a specific academic area.

You should take SAT IIs when you are best prepared to do a good job with the material, providing, of course, the test results are really needed. For example, at the end of a biology course you are probably best prepared to take the biology test.

Some students tend to take too many tests, especially achievement tests. Perhaps you can save time, money, and anxiety by seeing your counselor before registering. Ask yourself “Do I really need to take this test?”

AMERICAN COLLEGE TEST (ACT)
This is a three-hour achievement test that measures your knowledge in four subject areas: English, reading, mathematics, and science reasoning. Career interests and college majors are also examined. This test uses grade level norms, so most students take it at the end of their junior year. Check with your college or your school counselor to find out if they prefer you to take the SAT or the ACT. You can find the application booklet for the ACT in the school counseling office.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) TESTS
Advanced Placement tests are given in May to test the knowledge you have gained in taking college level courses taught at DCS. Advanced Placement courses are taught in Calculus, Art, US History, World History, Economics, and Psychology. See your school counselor if you are interested in signing up for any of these courses. Usually the AP tests are taken for college credit. Many, but not all, colleges will award credit for the courses taken, based on your AP exam grades.

COLLEGE CREDIT COURSES
DCS offers a variety of courses in which students can pay a minimum tuition fee and receive college credit. The following courses are eligible for college credit: French V, Spanish V, Math 12/Pre-Calculus, Keying, Business Law, Marketing, Internet & Web Design, Computer Science and Design & Drawing for Production.


COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS

CEEB
College Entrance Examination Board tests are given annually in November, December, January, May and June. The CEEB tests include the SAT I and SAT II. Duanesburg Central School District’s code is 331585. Check in the school counseling office for the exact test date in each case. Registration forms are available in the counseling office and must be mailed in to the Testing Center according to the deadlines noted on the application form or on-line. The College Board provides late registration processing for an additional fee, and also walk-in registration for a higher fee. If you are unable to afford the fee to take the SATs, see your school counselor, who can help you apply for a fee waver.

ACT
The American College Tests are given annually in October, December, April and June. Again, DCS’ school code is 331585. Registration forms are due four weeks prior to the test date. Check in the school counseling office for the exact dates and registration forms or online.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A Social Security number is needed on applications for scholarships and testing. Contact the Social Security Administration office to obtain the application form.

In order to take the ACT and SAT you will need to bring your admission ticket and a picture ID to the test site. The admission ticket should arrive in the mail in plenty of time for the test. If you have not received it within two weeks of the test date, contact the testing company.


A RECOMMENDED TESTING SCHEDULE

Grade 10: October PLAN

Grade 11: October PSAT/ NMSQT, May or June SAT I, SAT II and/or ACT

Grade 12: October, November SAT I, SAT II and/or or December ACT

NOTE: The above is a suggested schedule for college-bound students. Special situations may require additional testing or a variation in the timetable. Exceptions could be for early decision candidates, engineering and science majors, students seeking admission to highly selective (Ivy League) schools, two-year college-bound students and students who simply do not test well.
Some 10th graders may take the PSAT for the practice effect only, but these results will not be considered for merit-based scholarships.

Discussions can now turn from what colleges look for in applicants, to what you should look for in a college. While you want to be prepared to fulfill the college’s requirements for admission, it is just as important that the college fulfills your requirements. Let’s take some time now to decide what is important to you, and how to make sure that the college has what you are looking for.