Shelby County High School Counselor's Blog

10 Simple Steps to Apply for College Admission

1. Develop a short list of 3-5 colleges to which you will apply.
   – Dream school:
   – Realistic school:
   – Safety school:
2. Visit and compare each school on your list.
3. Apply online to your prospective school(s).
   – Go to the school/university website
   – Look for admission office/undergraduate tab
   – Complete application and/or set up student log-in
   – Be sure to pay the application fee with a credit card
4. Maintain a list of usernames or passwords for accounts created at colleges to which you apply.  If your prospective school creates an email account for you, check it regularly for updates and announcements.
5. Take or re-take ACT, SAT, or SAT II tests as needed.  Be sure ACT and SAT test scores are sent to all colleges to which you plan to apply.   Test results must be sent directly from the testing services.  SCHS does not send test scores.
6. Send official transcripts and test scores to each school to which you apply.  Request forms are available from the counseling office and the SCHS website.  Send ACT/SAT scores directly from the testing service when you sign up to take the test or from the ACT or College Board website.
7. Find out the scholarship procedures for each college including general scholarships, departmental scholarships, deadlines, etc.  Check for scholarships on the SCHS Counseling Blog.  In addition, sign up for scholarship information at www.fastweb.com, www.zinch.com, and www.scholarships.com.
8. Be sure that you have completed and submitted all information required before your deadlines.  Halloween is an easy to remember date that will meet the deadlines of many colleges.
9.  Apply for your FAFSA ID in late October or November. This was formerly the FAFSA PIN number.
10.  Apply for scholarships and federal aid.  Deadlines for scholarships may vary, but priority deadline for federal aid is March 1^st.

And finally, the fun part: Once you have been accepted to your school of choice, be sure to notify the college of your decision, pay any fees, apply for housing, and request a final transcript from SCHS.