Colleges are still accepting applications

If you missed the November 30th deadline for UC and CSU, all is not lost. Several CSUs have extended deadlines and many private and out-of-state schools have much later deadlines. A quick look at CSU Mentor shows that CSU Bakersfield, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Dominguez Hills, Cal State Stanislaus and Humboldt State are still accepting applications from first time freshmen. Students who wish to apply for Fall 2011 to any of these schools should apply immediately because we have no idea when extended application windows will close. http://www.csumentor.edu/

For a great way to locate private and independent colleges in California and to determine applicaiton deadlines for those schools visit AICCU (Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities) link: http://www.californiacolleges.edu/admissions/california-independent-colleges/california-independent-deadlines.asp

Students who did meet the deadline for admissions should be creating accounts at each of the college websites where they have applied. The college will communicate with prospective students via the "to do" list within each student's account. This account should be checked at least a couple times a week. Everything from transcript requests to housing applications will be sent via this website account. Regardless of whether its your number one choice or not, if you submitted an application to a college, your next step must be to follow up by creating the account at the college.

Students always want to know when to send a transcript after submitting an application. The UC does not want students to send transcripts until graduation and then only to the school where the student will enroll. The CSU has different transcript requests depending on the university and the applicant. Check your "to do" list to determine when a transcript should be sent to a CSU, and don't send one until it is requested.  Private and out-of-state schools often expect a transcript to accompany the application. For both private and out-of-California schools, send an official transcript with the application.

Final days to apply to CSU and UC

The clock is ticking for students planning to attend California State University or Unviersity of California in the fall of 2011. November 30th at midnight is the deadline. If you have waited until now to begin your application, you are probably feeling a bit of stress. While procrastination is rarely the best way to approach anything signifcant, if that is your reality today, I strongly recommend that you find an unofficial transcript and get going. You can still get your application in by the deadline.

The CSU application is remarkably simple. All you have to do is enter your college prep courses and the grades you've earned. Add your SAT or ACT scores, click submit, enter your credit card number to pay the application fee, and you're done. You have to apply to each of the 23 CSUs separately, but once you've completed one school's application, the next application will be pre-populated with all the information that you put on the first one. Just choose a major and you're practically finished.

The UC application is significantly more complicated, but a you can still complete it in a few hours. Along with that unofficial transcript you needed for the CSU, you'll also need to organize your high school history to begin. This includes lists of awards, leadership, activities, community service and employment. Then you'll also need to crank out two essays. (For information on those, see the previous blog.) Enter all your information, being careful with acronyms (explain them) and use description words to explain your roles within your activities. Remember, your activities are not limited to school. If you are heavily involved in an off campus sport, club or group (example a communtiy orchestra, church youth group, competitive skater, etc.) those belong on your UC application.

When working on a last-minute essay, first review the information provided on this website along with the UC website about what the UC wants to hear about in your essay. Then, start one essay by simply answering the prompt in one sentence. What do you have to say to that topic? Be sure that your one-sentence answer actually answers all the questions within the prompt. Once you are satisfied that you know what you want to say, then dress it up as an essay.

Once you've submitted an application to CSU or UC, be sure to have your SAT or ACT scores sent by the testing agency. If you are unsure if you've met the testing requirements for your school, check out the SAT information on this website. CSU and UC have DIFFERENT testing requirements. Most schools accept test scores through the December test date.

College is a place to gain the skills you need to live an independent, successful life. Don't wait another second to get started on your applicaiton.

The College Essay

The University of California Personal Statement often creates panic among college hopefuls. Just like any college essay, the purpose of the Personal Statement is to give the application depth and clarity. It's an opportunity for an applicant to show a theme on the application and demonstrate more than a long list of achievement. It's a way to take a black and white document and give it color.

One tip is for students to try to "show" rather than "tell" about their passions. Using active verbs and adjectives that weave emotion into the statement can spice up a topic.

For more information directly from the University of California office admissions, watch the video below.

Personal Statement

College application season

The college application filing season arrives with autumn, and frequently that includes a flurry of questions, concerns, last-minute testing and stress. Students often find themselves caught between college essay deadlines and homework deadlines, wondering how to manage it all.

Relax! Tackle the college application in manageable pieces. The CSU allows students to complete one application and have all the other CSU applications pre-populated. There is no essay on the CSU application, nor is there a section to list activites, awards, leadership or service. No recommendations are required.  http://www.csumentor.edu/

 The UC allows students to apply to all nine universities with one application and the same essay. The sections on activities, honors, leadership, service, employment and the essays are only entered once, regardless of how many schools the student is applying to. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/apply-online/index.html


Many schools are using the Common App which is the same application for over 400 colleges! Like the UC application, once you enter all the information, it remains the same for all the schools where it is sent. http://www.commonapp.org/

If you have questions about your college application, please drop by the College & Career Center. We don't know all the answers, but we probably know someone who does.

College Night Break Out Sessions

Our annual College Fair is October 14th from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the Rocklin High gyms. Admission is free. We are pleased to offer the following breakout sessions during the College Fair.

College Night Breakout Sessions - October 14th - Rocklin High School

Library

6:45 p.m.  NCAA Prospective Athletes Overview – If your student is an aspiring college athlete, this presentation is perfect for you. Josh Collins, Sac State NCAA Compliance Coordinator, will outline all you need to know about NCAA eligibility.

7:20  p.m.  Financial Aid Overview – This session is designed to help parents and students who are concerned about how to pay for college. Meet Veronica Nava and find out how to access all state and federal money for college.

7:55 p.m. Private College Overview – If your student is considering a private school, this session is designed for you. Meet Vance Pascua, who will outline the benefits of enrolling at a private college. Vance will explain how sometimes a private school might actually cost a family less than a public school.

Theatre

6:45 pm.  Sierra College Overview – Meet our rep, Alistair Turner and learn about all that Sierra College has to offer from certificate programs to transferring to top colleges across the U.S.

7:15 p.m. CSU Overview- Meet our Sac State rep, Alma Martinez, who will outline the California State University admission policies.

7:45 p.m. UC Overview – Meet our UC Davis reps Lia Young and Sheryl Blackshire who will tell us about the University of California.

College Night is Coming to Rocklin!

The 11th annual College Night will be October 14th, in the Rocklin High School gymnasiums. Over 100 college reps have been invited to showcase their schools. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.

College Night is sponsored by the Placer County Foothills High Schools Consortium, made up of Colfax, Foresthill, Placer, Del Oro, Wheatland, Lincoln, Whitney and Rocklin High Schools. The fair is part of the Northern California Transfer Day and College Night tour.

Break out sessions will be offered in six areas, UC Overview, CSU Overview, Private College Overview, Sierra College Overview, Financial Aid Overview and NCAA Overview.

College Night is a great way to visit with reps about admission policies and procedures. Students can expect to pick up a plethora of brochures from schools ranging from Stanford University to California Apprenticeship Programs. Dozens of out of state schools plan to attend College Night, along with military recruiters, who will be on hand to talk about education and training available through the Armed Services. Military Academy reps have also been invited.

Students can plan ahead by printing labels with their contact information to expedite registering at the many different college display tables. They should also plan to bring a shopping bag to pack all the of the recruiting information they collect.

Often students are confused about what questions are appropriate at a college fair. Since it's an arena style format and often a large crowd, this is not the setting to have an intimate conversation about how to choose your major. College Night questions should be centered on admissions policies, academics or campus life and specific to the rep's university. Always ask for the rep's contact information if you have more questions and follow up with an email to that rep to continue your conversation.

College Night is an exciting night of gathering college and career information. Don't miss it!

On the Spot Admission to UNR a great success!

The University of Nevada Reno held an on-the-spot admission event today in the College & Career Center. Over ten percent of the RHS senior class was admitted! University of Nevada Reno has become a popular four year comprehensive university choice for many Rocklin High students. As California universities continue to raise fees and increase other costs associated with college, students and parents alike are initially attracted to UNR for the lower costs. With the Western Undergraduate tuition discounts, UNR is very affordable. For many students, once they explore all that UNR has to offer, UNR becomes their number one college choice.

UNR admitted students now have the option to visit UNR, attend sports events, concerts, or other campus activities to get a real-life experience of being part of the Wolf Pack.

Congratulations to the seniors who were accepted today at UNR. If you'd like more information on applying to UNR visit http://www.unr.edu/.

Admission Application Begins NOW in California

The CSU application will open on October 1st. Students will be able to submit their applications to all 23 CSU campuses on one website: http://www.csumentor.edu/.  Students will self report their course work, grades and test scores on this website. Fees are $55 per school.

The UC applicaiton will go live on October 1st, but will begin accepting applications on November 1st. Students will submit course work, grades, test scores, activities, awards, leadership, community service, employment information and their essays to all nine campuses on this site. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply_to_uc.html

Cost is $60 per school.

The common deadline for both CSU and UC is November 30th.

UC Application Goes Live October 1st

The University of California will open their application on October 1st. Students will not be able to submit a completed application until November 1st, but will be able to begin to enter data on October 1st.

The UC deadline is November 30, 2010.

CSU Application Countdown

California State University will begin accepting applications on October 1st. Students must apply on the CSU application website http://www.csumentor.edu/  .   The CSU is made up of 23 campuses. Test scores can be sent to all 23 campuses by using the CSU Mentor code.

California State University is recognized for their "hands on" learning approach and for preparing students for careers within the industry their majors serve. Many CSUs have impressive statistics about job placement for their graduates.

The CSU application is simply a self report of course work and grades earned, along with SAT or ACT scores. No activities, awards, service or supplemental informaiton is required (except CalPoly which asks four questions regarding extra curricular activity). The CSU will not accept letters of recommendation.

There are many changes in CSU's admissions policies, especially for transferring from a community college. Students should research the preferred CSU thoroughly to determine their best options, if they plan to begin at the community college level first. Most CSUs now require all transfers to be full upper division transfers for eligibility (meaning, there is no course work left to complete at lower division) and some require lower division to be completed at the community college within their service area. Many CSUs offer transfer agreements with community colleges, and students can research that through the transfer centers at the communtiy college.

Rocklin High will host a CSU application workshop for our seniors on September 27th at 1 p.m. in the tech lecture hall.  The deadline for CSU application is November 30th.

Get involved!

Kids always ask me, "What can I do to get into a good college?" It makes me laugh. There are so many variables in that question... What defines a "good" college? And how do you define "look good?"

There are about a gazillion things a student can do to demonstrate passion, leadership, commitment and accomplishment.

I'm not about to assign tasks that will make students "look good" to a college. Students need to look inside to decide what talents or interests they want to develop and then look for ways to achieve success in those areas. High school should be academics, wrapped in activities, social growth and fun! The question always worries me a bit , because if students are plotting their high school years, choosing activities or courses based solely on what they think will "look good" to a college admissions office, they are going to miss out on a whole lot the fun involved in high school; and many great opportunities for personal growth.

It's been my observation over the years that the best thing anyone can "do" to impress a college is to get involved in something of interest; and then really get involved. You can start out as a member of a club, team or group or whatever, but if you step up with passion, before you know it, you'll be assuming leadership roles and become emotionally invested in your activity. Then you have evidence that you are a person who can make things happen; and afterall, that's what every campus is hoping to recruit - the "movers and shakers" of the next generation.

So don't ask me what you can do to get into a good college, instead ask yourself, "What are my passions, my talents and my interests?"