College Exploration Process

There are a number of steps throughout the college exploration process and some may differ between students. However, there are some universal steps that can benefit all students.

Researching Colleges

• One of the best ways to begin researching colleges is to utilize some of the wonderful web sites available to all students, such as GA College 411 , GCIS, or US News and World Report . These web sites can serve as a starting point in researching schools and determining what is the best fit for you.
  
  • AHS login for GCIS: alpharettahs
  • AHS password for GCIS: gcis2513
    
    
    
• When you are researching colleges, you should be thinking about some of the ways to determine what is the best fit for you:
  
• AHS Senior Stats 2008 gives you an idea of the grades, test scores, and rigor of curriculum that your peers have that are attending different colleges. Also, look at the Freshman Profile for each college of interest and make sure you are confident in your grades, test scores, and rigor of curriculum relative to the other students being selected by the college.
• Would you prefer or learn better in a smaller environment with less students or would you enjoy a larger college experience with more students?
• Would you prefer to be in in an urban area or in a smaller college town?
• Are college athletics, student organizations, or extracurricular activities very important to you?
  
  
  
• At the point that you can answer some of these questions, you may want to visit the College Matching Assistant on GA College 411 to help narrow down some of the schools that fit your criteria.
  

Applying to College

• When you determine the schools that you would like to apply to, make sure to look at the "Undergraduate Admissions" page of the schools' web site. You should make sure to identify the admissions deadline(s) and the materials required for submission.
  
  
  
• Different types of deadlines that you might see are early decision, early action, or regular decision
  
  • Early Decision is a legally binding agreement between yourself and the college. If you are admitted to a school through early decision, you MUST attend the school, regardless of financial aid, scholarships, or change of circumstance.
  • Early Action is an early deadline that is NON-binding. Students can apply to a college through early action and will receive an admissions decision earlier than students who apply through regular decision. Sometimes early action may require different materials than other deadlines, so make sure to check with the college.
  • Regular Decision is the regular deadline set by the college for admissions decisions.
  
  

• Make sure to set a time table for yourself when gathering materials for your school's deadline:
  
  • Mrs. Brenda Lewis, Counseling Suite 1310 will accept all Transcript Request forms, however, they must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the college deadline.
  • Teachers require at least two weeks notice to write and submit a teacher letter of recommendation.
  • If a student is sending teacher letters through the counseling department with their transcript request, you should give the teacher four weeks notice (two weeks to prepare the letters and then you give the counseling department two weeks to process materials and send everything together).
    
    
    
• Be sure to check for different deadlines that correspond to certain scholarships or certain types of financial aid! Some schools require you to apply at a certain time if you are also applying for scholarships or financial aid.