Eden Prairie High School
Ideas for Success in the College Application Process
This list is intended to assist Eden Prairie students with the college
application process. It is not
a complete checklist, but it is intended to ensure that key considerations are
not overlooked as a student progresses through his/her high school years.
Moreover, students do not need to accomplish everything listed below.
Rather, students should find a balance where they are challenged but not
overwhelmed.
Freshman Year
Contact your Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator and/or your counselor if
you have questions about your schedule and your future class interests.
Go to the
Consider signing up for Careers 9/10 this year or next.
Take as rigorous a course load as you can without overextending yourself.
Plan the remaining three years of your schedule taking into account the
distribution of AP courses over the years.
Your grades begin to count towards your college application
Start keeping track of your activities.
Create a computer document to track them.
Colleges look for depth in your activities. Attend the Activities Rush in
October. Choose a few clubs that
interest you. Test-drive those activities in your freshman year.
Take note of Academic Clubs, Fine Arts Clubs, and Service
Clubs...anything that sparks your interest.
Keep track of all volunteer hours; use
Join or continue your favorite sport(s).
They can be JV or Varsity. Intramurals are also strong at EPHS.
Colleges look for a natural balance in your life.
For parents, attend the “What I Wish I Knew” PTO evening session offered in the
fall.
Join EPCGT to meet with other parents and students to learn and share ideas.
Sophomore Year
If you did not take Careers 9/10 in 9th grade, consider adding it to
your schedule for this year.
Double up in language (Levels 3 & 4) if this is an area of interest to you.
Once you have completed Level 4, any gaps in your language studies will
be less significant.
Consider taking AP Courses this year so that you don’t have so many AP tests to
take Junior and Senior Years. Take
these exams as seriously as your entrance exams.
Scores go directly on your application and may count towards college
credit.
Double up in science either this year or next in order to take advantage of all
AP Science offerings if that is an area of interest to you.
Online classes, while not free, can help fill in schedules for music students.
Take the PSAT test in October if you tend to score well on standardized tests.
The Careers class will cover the career aspect of the
You will start receiving college mailings.
Begin collecting them in two separate bags, those to consider and those
to donate to the
Touch base with your Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator or counselor if you
have questions.
Continue to visit the
on-site college admission
visits and all that the
Continue to study diligently so that you are building skills and so that your
GPA reflects your best effort. Get
help in the ACE or
Continue with your chosen sports and activities.
Get a summer job. Summer work
teaches you skills you can’t learn in school.
Start applying for summer work in December.
Schools are looking for the whole package --- excellent test scores, passionate
learners, great leaders, superb recommendations, well-written essays, and work
or activities inside and outside of school.
Follow your passions.
Passions are not necessarily what you are best at, but rather what gets you
fired up!
Junior Year
The summer before Junior Year is a great time to take the PSAT review class.
You can also take a course at the beginning of your junior year. If you
only need to focus on English or Math, discuss this with your course director.
He/she may tailor the course for you. Take your PSAT for National Merit
eligibility again in October.
You may also want to consider taking a course specific to ACT testing.
If you didn’t take Careers 9/10, consider taking Careers 11/12 this year.
Sign up for AP Courses as appropriate to spread them out over this year and
next.
Check the daily bulletin to see what colleges are visiting EPHS.
Schedule appointments with those you are interested in.
Continue checking the bulletin throughout this year and next.
Sign up to take the
You will want to take your 2-3 Subject Tests in your junior year if possible.
The highly rated colleges require these exams.
Purchase the Princeton Review Subject Test books at Barnes and Noble in
the areas you are focusing on. Give
yourself a few months to study.
Subject tests are given on the
Download the Common Application and begin completing it.
Ask two teachers of your choosing if they will write recommendations for you.
Let them know why you are choosing them.
Remember to thank them verbally if they are willing to do this for you.
They are not paid to do this extra service for students.
Provide information to them before summer begins or just as school starts
your senior year.
If you want to improve your
Consider taking the ACT with writing if you want to give a college more
confirmation of your abilities. If
you take this test, practice writing an essay in 25 minutes.
Time yourself so you realize what a challenge this is.
Be prepared to write a response even if the topic on the exam is not of
interest to you.
Visit colleges throughout your junior year while school is in progress.
Ask for the Erie Newspaper in the
Don’t disregard your “gut” feel about the college.
Create a resume independent of your common application.
It should include the following sections: Education, AP/College Level
Course, Activities, Leadership Experience, Community Service, Work Experience,
Awards and Honors, and Travel Experience. This resume will be used in several
ways: 1) As a discussion piece to review with the Gifted and Talented
Coordinator or school counselor so they get to know you better, 2) To provide to
the two teachers you have selected as references so they also get to know you
better, and 3) To provide to college interviewers if they want to use it during
the interview process.
Review everything you have written over the years for possible use as essay
material on your application. Make
sure your essay is a story and does more “show” then “tell”.
Make sure your essay answers the question asked.
Make sure you have a strong finish to Junior Year. Your initial application will
only include your first 3 years of high school.
Make every class count.
Write your common application essays the summer before senior year.
Ask an English teacher to review for grammar.
Hire or ask one to two people who are known for their writing skills to
read for content, but do not choose people who will change the voice of your
work. Ask the
You may be able to squeeze in a college visit just as summer is ending because
some of your college choices will have already begun classes.
If not, use
In the first week of school, e-mail the two teachers who are writing your
recommendations to thank them again for writing and to ask them for a time to
drop off your list of colleges, any paperwork the college needs completed,
envelopes to mail recommendations (if not completed on-line), and a copy of your
resume. Update your resume to
include everything through your junior year.
Write your teachers a cover letter that reminds them what classes you had
with them, what activities you have done together, and what qualities lead you
to choose the schools on your list.
Meet with your GT Program Coordinator or counselor to review your resume. Give
them a copy of your essays and resume. However, EPHS counselors use a template
for garnering information from students (http://ephs.edenpr.org/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=166#downloads).
The goal is to make sure your counselor knows you and can write a reference that
is genuine despite the fact they serve a huge number of EPHS seniors.
Narrow your college selections to 5-7 choices with one being “safe” and one or
two being “reach”. If money is an
issue, make sure you discuss how this affects your search.
Try very hard not to apply to more than 7 schools.
If you do, it will only take away from the good efforts you are putting
towards the schools you really want to attend.
More visits, more applications, more interviews...it all adds up.
Costs add up too, about $100 per school for the application fee and any
financial aid filings.
If you are being recruited for sports or anything else the school is seeking,
make sure you
don’t spend time on the
phone with colleges once you have decided they are not on your list.
You are wasting your time and theirs.
If you need help with interviewing skills, contact Mrs. Kerns in the
Your interview should be a discussion.
Make sure they see what “sparks” you.
Also, it is critical that you have studied the college you have applied
to and why it is of special interest to you.
Do your homework and ask questions.
Go to the
Early Decision is binding and is a great option if you know the college that is
for you. Make sure you can fully
afford the school; financial aid information is not available at the time of
Early Decision. Go to the
Early Action is non-binding and is a way to apply early without commitment.
If you are
satisfied with Early
Action offers, you can make your college decision by December instead of waiting
until April/May. As with Early
Decision, financial aid information is not available for Early Action decisions.
Go to the
Make sure you have fully investigated the academic scholarships available at
your colleges of choice. Most highly
competitive schools do not offer them, but many highly rated schools do.
Put time and effort into those essays.
Make sure your FAFSA is completed as soon as your tax return is completed for
the year (typically January/February).
Apply for financial aid no matter what. If you don’t qualify, it may still
result in a work study or other alternative monetary benefits offered by the
college.
Remember to write your counselor and teachers a thank you note for taking the
time to write those recommendations.
They are an important part of your application.
Don’t pick a school because it sounds like the right thing to do.
Pick the school that you truly believe is the right fit for you and your
family (e.g., fits your career goals and life goals).
Avoid competing with your peers.
This is your college choice.
There are a lot of bright students out there.
Your something “extra” that you offer a school (ex: newspaper editor,
swimmer, violinist) is what might be a key to entrance.
Schools need to keep their programs running.
Make sure these interests come through in your essays and interview.
If you don’t get into a school, do not take it personally.
Just make sure the 5-7 colleges you choose, whether a safe school or a
reach school, are acceptable (winners) to you.
Then, no matter what, your college search has been a success!