SUNY, CUNY and New York State Private Schools
This is background on Wednesday, October 14th’s College Institute Lesson. Please read through all
information before our class but DON’T submit any applications until after we meet on Wednesday! I
want to make sure that everything is clear before you start submitting applications.
A note on my individual appointment(s) with you…
Please submit your guidance counselor recommendation form, the “where are you now” form and the
contact information form so that I can schedule you for your 15 minute guidance appointment.
Additional appointments will be scheduled for you as you need them. If you have lost any of your
forms, they are also available at MuseumSchoolCollegeOffice.wikispaces.com.
Everyone should have completed profiles on fastweb.com, cappex.com and scholarships.com so that
you start receiving scholarship information that is specific to your interests.
A note on teacher recommendations…
If you request teacher recommendations by October 30th, you can request that teachers complete their
recommendations by Thanksgiving Break. Please refer to the handout about teacher recommendations
so that you know what should be included in the Teacher Recommendation Packet. The absolute
minimum for the packet is:
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The teacher recommendation form
Your Essay
Your Transcript
Your 2 paragraph statement of purpose
EOP, HEOP and SEEK/College Discovery…
There is a program that is funded through the Federal Government that is operated on the State level.
At CUNY it is called SEEK/College Discovery. At SUNY it is called EOP. At NY State Private Schools it is
called HEOP. Not all NY State Private Schools participate in HEOP, but most do. The colleges that have
these programs have limited seats, so you should apply to them sooner rather than later. To qualify for
these programs you have to:
1. Demonstrate financial need. Students who receive free lunch are usually eligible because they
will probably qualify for a Pell Grant when they submit their FAFSA in January. There is specific
information on the SUNY and CUNY websites about the income maximums.
2. Have grades and/or test scores (SAT or ACT) that are slightly below the school’s regular
admission requirements.
You must meet BOTH of the prerequisites to be eligible for these programs. They are not scholarship
programs, but a way to be accepted to colleges if you have lower grades and/or test scores than what
their admission requirements AND you demonstrate financial need. If accepted to a college through
one of these programs you will receive additional support (tutoring and classes) that will help you be
successful in college. The scholarship money would come from the fact that you are eligible for a Pell
Grant. Students might not meet SEEK/College Discovery, EOP or HEOP requirements because their
academic averages and/or test scores are too high, but they would still be eligible for a Pell Grant.
When you apply to these colleges you will need to apply to SEEK/College Discovery, EOP, and/or HEOP
when you submit your application. If you don’t meet the requirements to be considered for the
program, you would just be bumped into the regular decision pool, so it doesn’t hurt to apply to the
programs if you think that you might be eligible.
CUNY Application
To apply to CUNY schools you will need to first pick up a CUNY packet from my office. There is
information in the packet about the different CUNY schools and the programs that they offer. There is
also information about submitting an application and about SEEK/College Discovery. It is very important
that you read through the information in the packet before starting to fill out your application on line at
CUNY.edu. You should fill out the worksheet before going on line to submit your application. Be very
careful to NOT make a mistake when filling out your application because it is very difficult to fix any
errors. The cost to apply is $65, and if you follow instructions carefully, you are guaranteed acceptance
into at least one CUNY.
When you fill out your application, you will need to select 4 four year colleges and 2 two year colleges.
If you do this, you are guaranteed acceptance into at least one of your choices. Please enter your NY
DOE Student ID Number (OSIS), which you will find on your transcript. CUNY will receive your transcript
electronically. Arrange to have your SAT and/or ACT scores sent electronically to CUNY. Also apply for
SEEK/College Discovery (if you are eligible) before submitting your application. You may pay with a
credit card or, when you print your submitted application, you will also be generating a fee receipt that
you can mail in with a check or money order.
Several CUNY colleges require essays and/or teacher recommendations. After you submit your
application, you can find out if the colleges you have applied to have additional requirements by going
to the CUNY website or by going to each individual college’s website.
Once you submit your application, print out a copy and bring a copy of the Document Return Receipt to
my office. I will need this form in the event that I need to mail anything to CUNY on your behalf. It also
has your applicant ID number (W#) on it so I can contact CUNY directly on your behalf. Anything mailed
to CUNY has to have a copy of the Document Return Receipt as a cover sheet.
There are a very, very limited number of CUNY fee waivers. They will be distributed to students on a
first come/first served basis to students who I have a FREE LUNCH LETTER on file for, and who bring in
their Document Return Receipt and Fee Receipt. Fee waivers will only be distributed During Lunch and
at 2:35. In this way everyone has the same opportunity to receive a fee waiver.
CUNY will not process your application until they have processed your payment (or fee waiver). It takes
6 to 8 weeks to process anything that they receive regarding your application. The deadline for regular
decision is February 1st, so everything needs to be in by December 15th to ensure sufficient processing
time. I recommend a target date of November 30th for you to have submitted your CUNY application.
If you are applying for Macaulay Honors College or any of the other specialized programs (such as
Sophie Davis) pay close attention to instructions and deadlines. Remember, it is recommended that
everything be submitted 2 weeks in advance of any deadline.
Please read all of the information and instructions very carefully before submitting any application.
SUNY Application
If you have not already received one, please pick up a SUNY Viewbook from my office. There are 64
colleges in the SUNY system. Many of them use the Common Application, and most of them use the
SUNY Online Application. There is a fee to apply to each SUNY campus unless you are eligible for a fee
waiver. Students eligible for a fee waiver can apply for up to 4 SUNY campuses with the fee waiver.
Some of the community colleges have their own application, and it is often free to complete.
Information about EOP is available in the SUNY Viewbook and at SUNY.edu.
If all of the SUNY campuses that you are applying to use the Common Application, you should use
Naviance to submit your SUNY applications using the Common Application. If some do but some don’t,
then it might be easier for you to apply on the SUNY website. If you apply using the SUNY website, once
you submit your application you will need to print out and bring in the 2016 ONLINE APPLICATION
SCHOOL COUNSELOR FORM, which will be populated with your personal information and the schools
you have applied to. If you are eligible for a fee waiver, you should also print out and complete a SUNY
fee waiver form, complete it and bring it to me for mailing. The eligibility guidelines for a SUNY fee
waiver are on the SUNY website. The SUNY fee waiver form is needed whether you are using the
Common Application or applying on the SUNY website.
You should arrange to have your SUNY campuses receive your SAT and/or ACT scores electronically. If
you are using the SUNY website I will be mailing your transcript to the application processing center. If
you are applying through the Common Application using Naviance, each school will receive your
transcript electronically.
Most SUNY campuses require a supplemental application (essays and recommendations). If you are
applying to SUNY using the Common Application (through Naviance) the essays and recommendations
are taken care of for you by using the Common Application. If you are applying through SUNY.edu, you
will have to submit a supplemental application and I will have to mail your teacher recommendations to
each campus.
If you are applying to any ED or EA programs, please pay strict attention to deadlines. I recommend a
target date for submitting your SUNY application as December 4th. If you are applying through the
SUNY website, you can work on your supplemental application over the Christmas break.
Please read all of the information very carefully before submitting any application.
New York State Private Schools
If you are interested in applying to New York State Private Schools, please pick up the YOUR COLLEGE
SEARCH book in my office. Read through the general information in the book then read the information
is available for specific colleges. Some colleges use the Common Application (through Naviance) and
some have their own, often free, applications. If you are not using the Common Application (through
Naviance) to submit an application, there is often a counselor form that needs to be printed out and
brought to me so that I can submit a copy of your transcript and teacher recommendations.
If you would be eligible for HEOP and the college you are interested in applying to offers it, you should
start the HEOP application process when you submit your application to the school. If you are applying
ED or EA or to a special program at a school (such as St. John’s University’s Pharmacy Program), please
make sure that you take care to meet deadlines (2 weeks in advance to ensure processing time, if
possible) and you bring in any cover sheets that need to be attached to anything that is mailed in.
If you have taken the SAT with a fee waiver, you are eligible for 4 College Board college application fee
waivers to schools that participate in the SAT college application fee waiver service. That list of schools
can be found on the College Board website.
I recommend a target date for submitting New York State Private Schools applications as December
4th. Many have rolling admissions, so you can add to the list of colleges you are interested in applying to
should the need arise.
Please read through all of the information very carefully before submitting any application.
Please remember that I am here to help you. Please see me before school, during lunch period, or at 2:35
if you have any questions. If you need an appointment to see me, please stop by my office before first
period so that I can give you a pass from one of your classes. You can also email me at
PThiede@schools.nyc.gov if you have any questions. Please make sure to write a subject in the “re”
section so that I don’t think that it is spam, and give me complete information, and your full name, in the
email.