This is where the course starts. In about 15 minutes, you will see how applying to college works from start to finish. Then you will begin your College Plan with the part only you can write: who you are.
In this lesson 5 sections
By the end, you should be able to
- 1.1 Name the main steps from choosing colleges to starting at one.
- 1.2 Name the parts of an application, and find how much a college says each part counts.
How long it takes: about 15 minutes. Here is what is in it:
- A short question from a student, which you answer first
- Two short sections, 1.1 and 1.2
- The first page of your College Plan
- The checkpoint
The readings are recommended, not required. The checkpoint does not test them, and Lesson 2 does not depend on them.
Before we teach you anything, try this
Nothing here is graded, and nobody at 24/7 Teach reads it, on purpose. Your answers stay in this browser, so you can try this the way you would if nobody were watching.
Step 1 of 2
Maya is a fictional student. Read her message.
Subject: Should I quit robotics?
Write your answer to continue.
Compare the two
Your answer
What an experienced counselor would say
Don't quit yet. Most colleges look at several parts of an application, and many rate your grades in hard classes above test scores. Find out what your colleges say they weigh, then plan SAT practice around robotics, not instead of it.
Is your answer close to that?
Step 2 of 2
Which move is best for Maya?
What about the other options?
- A. Trusts a rumor about one number.
- B (best answer). Keeps the activity, plans the test, and checks the facts.
- C. Trades one rumor for another; test rules differ by college.
- D. Picks activities for looks instead of interest.
How a 24/7 Teach counselor would think about it.
The rumor is about one number
The real question is what Maya's colleges weigh. If she quits, she loses the activity where she leads. That is hard to rebuild in 11th grade. And she would be chasing a score that may count less than she thinks.
Why this matters
The rest of this lesson gives you the map Maya needed: the steps, the parts of an application, and where a college tells you what it weighs.
Your first answer was: Section 1.2 comes back to Maya.
1.1 The steps, from first look to first day
Applying to college follows the same general steps almost everywhere in the United States. The details change by college, but the order holds.
- Explore colleges. Learn what is out there: size, place, programs, cost.
- Take tests where needed. Some colleges require the SAT or ACT, two admission tests. Others let you choose whether to send scores. That is called test-optional.
- Apply. Most students apply online, either on each college's site or on a shared platform such as the Common App. The Common App lets you send one application to many colleges.
- Ask for recommendations. Many colleges want letters from teachers or a school counselor who know your work.
- Plan how to pay. This includes the FAFSA, the federal form for financial aid. It asks for your family's tax information, so a parent helps.
- Get decisions. Colleges send their answers, usually weeks or months after you apply.
- Choose and enroll. You pick one college and pay a deposit, a payment that holds your place. Many colleges let you decide by May 1.
Check yourself: Which step usually needs a parent at the table, and why?
Planning how to pay. The FAFSA asks for family tax information, and cost is a family decision.
Want to see these steps through one student's eyes? Everything I did to apply and get accepted to my dream college(opens in a new tab) (5 minutes). Recommended, not required. The checkpoint does not test it, and Lesson 2 does not depend on it.
1.2 What colleges look at, and how to check
Most applications have the same main parts. Each one shows a college something different about you.
| Part | What it shows a college |
|---|---|
| Your grades and the classes you took | How you do in school, and whether you chose a challenge |
| Test scores (where required or sent) | One more view of your skills in reading, writing and math |
| Essays | Your voice, and what matters to you |
| Activities | What you do outside class, and where you lead or help |
| Recommendations | How teachers and counselors see you |
| Interview or interest (some colleges) | Whether you have shown real interest in that college |
How much does each part count? It differs at every college, and you do not have to guess. Most colleges publish a Common Data Set, a yearly report in the same format at every school. Find it by searching the college's name plus "Common Data Set". Then look for question C7. There, the college marks each part as Very Important, Important, Considered or Not Considered.
Back to Maya. If her top colleges mark grades and class difficulty Very Important, and test scores only Considered, quitting robotics to study all afternoon makes little sense. If a college marks scores Very Important, she plans more practice. Either way, she decides from facts.
Check yourself: A college marks activities as "Considered". Does that mean activities do not matter there?
No. "Considered" means the college looks at them. They count, just less than the parts it marks Very Important or Important.
1.3 Your why, part 1: who you are
The checkpoint does not test this section. It is the start of your College Plan.
Before you choose colleges or write an essay, you need words for who you are. Your essay will come from here. This part of your plan uses the High School Graduation Plan's own prompts.
A rough first version is fine. Save it, and the next lesson opens. Part 2, your vision, mission, purpose and core values, comes in Week 2.
Want help for part 2 next week? What are College Admission's Vision and Mission Statements and Why do You Need Them(opens in a new tab) (8 minutes) and What are Core Values, and How to Identify and Develop Yours(opens in a new tab) (6 minutes). Recommended, not required.
Before the checkpoint
The checkpoint has five questions on 1.1 and 1.2. You need 4 of 5 to pass, and you can retake it as often as you like; the answers are shown after each try.
You are ready if you can, from memory:
- put the main steps of applying in order, from exploring to enrolling;
- say which step needs family tax information;
- name the main parts of an application and what each one shows;
- explain where a college says how much each part counts, and what its four ratings mean.
Sources named in this lesson: NACAC's glossary of college admission terms, for test-optional and the May 1 reply date; the Common Data Set template, for question C7 and its four ratings; Common App, for what it is. Maya is fictional. Check the primary source before citing any of these.
What you can do now.
- Name the steps from exploring colleges to enrolling (1.1).
- Name the parts of an application, and find what a college weighs (1.2).
Next: Lesson 2, also free, about 15 minutes. It turns this map into your own calendar, with your first real deadline on it.