As Middletown High School North students along with students from other high schools around the country prepare for college, counselors and their students are meeting weekly to discuss the finalizations of their application process.

Many students are submitting early applications to the schools of their choice, while many are actually applying early decision, binding. Admissions representatives from colleges around New Jersey have been visiting the high school to meet with students who are interested in applying or being informed of the school before they set out to visit the it itself.

Students are submitting their applications for the many different November deadlines: getting their transcript cards into guidance, essays uploaded to Common App, and starting to file FAFSA.

Teacher helping and students applying are rushing to get applications in by their deadlines while submitted their scores, grades, and AP/college credits.

After students apply for early action, most schools inform students by January of their denial or acceptance.

Sending Their Scores

Students attempting to send their scores to colleges can do so directly through signing into their College Board accounts. AP scores are accepted and transferred specifically by each college into credits for the school; see the college’s website to determine this.

Transcripts and grades must be submitted directly to the college and is done so by your counselor within 10 school days to when the application is due. Most counselors prefer it earlier, along with your application being completed.

Most colleges vary on SAT and ACT scores, and some do not even require them, only requesting a GPA and transcript of a student’s high school courses. Class ranking- those within a specific percentile, SAT scores, and essay submissions, in an addition to the application, are often also used on scholarships or grants specific to a school.

Where to Get Help

According to seniors at Middletown North, teachers have been extremely helpful in the college application process. Seeing students flood in and out of guidance on a daily basis more often within the last few weeks is proof to how much pressure is also put on the counselors and faculty within the high schools.

Since most students at North are independent in the application process, they have been informing parents of the meetings that they have set up with their counselors, school visitations or tours, etc.

Scholarships are being emailed to students to apply to, many of which were or are due in October and the beginning of November.

Utilizing Common App, the online college application, is a student’s best bet when applying to multiple colleges that are enrolled on the cite. The website offers one application and essay that will be distributed to multiple schools, in an addition to particular and specific questions under the section of each individual school.

Seniors ahead in the process are willing to help others as well, with most of their schools being EA and done already.

Mrs. McGowan’s senior classes have been peer editing and submitting Common App essays in preparation to submit their essays on the website.

One student claims that Mrs. McGowan answered her email and edited an essay at 10 o’clock at night before an application was due. “It was extremely appreciated.”

After Getting An Acceptance Letter

Students have gotten this far and have been accepted into their colleges come late December through April, now what?

After getting accepted it is time to choose what school you will be attending in the fall of next year. The factors to determine which school is the right fit for each individual varies on a basic foundation such as dorming, campus, campus life, student body and pep, academics, faculty, scholarships and aid.

May 1, students around the country have decided what school they are going to be enrolled in, submitting their final papers and down payments.

With this once again comes the help of faculty and counselors at the student’s high school, where, like at Middletown North, they remain in close contact until graduation day.

Taking these points into consideration as application and decision due dates approach in the senior’s life quicker than ever, it is important to follow the regulated rules and guideline to assure that they remain on task and up to speed.

Sending scores, getting help and aid from teachers and counselors, and finalizing the process all need to be done correctly in order to have a successful future.