Information for students who plan to apply to a 4-year college or university
High school seniors must apply if they want to attend a four-year college or university the year after they graduate.
Each college reserves the right to select which applicants will be offered admission. In general terms, students with
the highest grades who took academically challenging classes have the best chance to be admitted to college. Grades
and the difficulty of a high school student’s coursework “count” the most in the admissions process, followed by
SAT or ACT scores.
Factors four-year colleges and universities consider when they receive a student’s application:
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Academic record - - GPA, class rank, consistency of effort and performance over time, improvement,
difficulty of classes taken, reputation/accreditation of high school. In short, a strong level of performance
in a challenging curriculum represents the ideal mix.
Testing - - SAT or ACT scores are required by almost all four-year colleges and universities. Some highly
selective schools also require scores from a specified number of SAT II subject-specific exams.
Extracurricular activities - - These tend to be weighted more heavily by private colleges but are important
to all. Many colleges value academically based activities versus social, such as yearbook versus pep club.
Letters of recommendation - - These serve to paint a broader, more subjective picture of the student. They
are important, when colleges ask for them. Some public colleges will not accept them, so do your research.
Do not send letters of recommendation if they are not asked for.
Honors and awards - - Recognition for outstanding skills or talents is desirable and you will want to
showcase any that you receive.
Essays/Personal statements - - Most applications require an essay. The essay is increasingly important in
the competitive selection process. Applicants should submit a carefully written essay with distinctive voice
and original thoughts that respond directly to the question(s) posed by the college.
Interviews - - While not always required by colleges, a personal interview with an admissions
representative can be an effective way for an applicant to give the college additional insights into his/her
qualifications for admission. An applicant may request a personal interview during the application process.
Recommended timeline:
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Second semester of junior year:
o Take the SAT and/or ACT for the first time. Check the requirements of colleges to which you plan to
apply to see if they require SAT II exams, as well. If so, take required SAT II exams.
o Identify and learn about colleges that match your interests and goals by these methods:
 Attend college fairs to learn about schools that offer campus demographics and location,
academic programs, extracurricular activities, athletics and services you are looking for.
Also, meet with admissions representatives who visit your high school’s career center.
 Personally visit colleges that interest you. Tour and ask questions of staff and students.
 Read colleges’ web sites.
 Obtain information about colleges in your high school’s career center.
o Apply for scholarships open to juniors.
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First semester of senior year:
o As soon as possible, re-take the SAT and/or ACT if your initial scores were not high enough to meet
admissions standards of colleges to which you plan to apply.
o Apply for scholarships for which seniors may apply.
o Attend college fairs to learn about schools that match your interests and goals. Also, meet with
admissions representatives when they visit your high school’s career center.
o Make campus visits colleges and universities that interest you. Tour and ask questions.
o Apply to colleges you would like to attend. Be sure to meet deadlines and double check that your
application packet contains all of the required components (in addition to the application form, letters
of recommendation, your high school transcript, a resume’ of your activities and awards, an essay,
etc. could be required).
o Attend a financial aid presentation at a college or university near you to get help in filling out your
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). In our area, Clark College and WSU Vancouver
offer evening sessions in December and January for students who plan to apply to any type of postsecondary college, university or accredited technical training school.
o In December, obtain your FAFSA worksheet from you high school’s career center. With your
parents/guardians, fill it out.
o As soon as possible after January 1, submit your FAFSA to the federal government.
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Second semester of senior year:
o Apply for scholarships available to seniors. Ask the financial aid/scholarship office at each college to
which you have applied which scholarships that college offers to its first-year students. For all those
you are eligible to apply for, submit your applications by the deadlines.
o Once you have received letters of admission, get more information about each college and revisit
campuses where you are considering attending, to help you make your final decision.
o As soon as possible after you decide which college to attend, apply for a dormitory room.
o May 1 is the deadline by which college applicants must notify schools that have offered them
admission whether they plan to attend that school or not.
o After you graduate, arrange for your final high school transcript to be mailed to the college you will
attend. See the clerk in the counseling center for assistance.
Use the resources and assistance in your high school’s career center!
The career center in each high school in the Vancouver School District offers a wealth of information and advice for
prospective college applicants and their parents. Information is readily available about all phases of the college
search, application and admission processes; scholarships and financial aid; job acquisition skills, and careers.
Juniors who plan to apply to one or more four-year colleges or universities are urged to make an appointment with
their school’s career specialist to discuss their post-high school plan and obtain desired assistance and resource
materials. Parents are welcome to attend advising sessions with their son/daughter!
Phone numbers for career specialists:
School of Arts & Academics: 313-4607
Fort Vancouver High School: 313-4055
Lewis & Clark High School: 313-4357
Columbia River High School: 313-3922
Hudson’s Bay High School: 313-4445
Skyview High School: 313-4227
Helpful web sites
College searching and admissions information:
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Each VSD high school career center has its own web site. To access it, go to the home page for the
student’s high school and follow the link to the career center.
www.getin2college.com – comprehensive college counseling information
www.princetonreview.com – all sorts of college information
www.collegeboard.com - register for SAT and obtain all types of college information
www.actstudent.org - register for the ACT
www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool - college Opportunities On-Line. Links to 7000 colleges.
www.wiredscholar.com – SallieMay site for financial aid
www.universities.com/On-Campus/Schools.html
www.mapping-your-future.org – planning website
www.collegenet.com – list of colleges that meet certain criteria
www.petersons.com – college search
www.gocollege.com – find colleges that match your goals and interests, tips, etc.
www.supercollege.com – a variety of college-related resources
Paying for college:
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www.studentaid.ed.gov - federal student aid website. Or call 1-800-433-3243; TTY 1-800-730-8913 for
hearing impaired)
www.fastweb.com – huge scholarship search engine
www.tuitionrx.com – variety of information about paying for college
www.finaid.org – student aid resource site
www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams (avoid scholarship scams)
www.scholarships.com – free college search site
www.lunch-money.com – search for scholarships, colleges and careers
www.scholarshiphelp.org – Lots of help to find out about and apply for scholarships
www.collegenet.com/mach25/ - scholarship finder