College Hopefuls: New this year - UC Application Opens August 1!!

All students interested in attending college in the Fall of 2015, be ready!  On August 1, the Common Application will open for the next application cycle, signaling the beginning of college application season.

Great news for students interested in attending UC colleges: new this year, UC will open the 2015-16 application for undergraduate admission on August 1, two months earlier than in previous years, to give students more time to complete their applications. This will be a great help in the effort to balance your senior year course load, activities, college application deadlines and financial aid/scholarship deadlines.  The application filing period remains the same: you can file you application for Fall 2015 anytime between October 1-November 30. Keep in mind, early preparation and submission of the application do not impact admission decisions. The UC essay prompts for Fall 2015 can be found here.

Seniors: get a hard start on your essays NOW while you have some extra time in your schedule.  Your senior year will be a blurr with the demands of your regular schedule and college applications.  Essay prompts for colleges using the Common App will be available August 1 and University of California will also open the application this year on August 1. Hallelujah for prospective UC applicants! For those students interested in applying to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Early Action deadline is 10/15/14), they have also released their essay prompts much earlier this year to allow for that crucial head start on essay drafts.

Also, consider NOW which teachers you will want to ask to write your teacher recommendation letters.  Once the school year starts, you can approach those teachers to enlist their support.  The earlier you talk to your teachers the better!  First, you will have your recommendation letter earlier to file in your applications. Second, you will be most respectful of your teacher's extra time and they have more of it available in September than in October or November.

Finally, all high school students: keep those grades up. Your chances of merit aid and scholarships increase with your continued efforts toward your academic "best".  Athletic and performing arts scholarships are few, but there is ton of merit aid available to help families with the skyrocketing costs of college. Make your best, and balanced, efforts!!

Need help navigating the college application process and financial aid maze? I can help.  Check out my website and contact me for a consultation today. 

Lisa K. Olson, MA, PPS
College Gig www.thecollegegig.com
925.200.4336
lisa@thecollegegig.com