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FAQs

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What is the total cost of attendance at Washington state’s public universities?

What is the total cost of attendance for public universities outside Washington State? What about international universities?

What is the total cost of attendance at U.S. private colleges and universities?

What is a “merit scholarship?”

Is it true there is no cost to attend a military academy?

What is the difference between Division I (D-1) and Division 3 schools (D-3)?

What are “club” and “intramural” teams?

How does a student become a top recruit in their sport?

How do students earn merit scholarships from colleges?

What is the largest factor in determining eligibility for financial aid?

What is “need-based” financial aid?

Aside from colleges, are there other ways students can earn merit money?

Does home equity affect financial aid?

What role do assets place in the financial aid process?

What other factors impact financial aid eligibility?

If a family has consumer debt, will colleges consider that? Are there expenses they will disregard?

How do retirement funds affect financial aid?

If a student qualifies for aid at Lakeside, does that mean they will qualify for aid from colleges?

What are “Net-Price” calculators? Are they effective indicators of the type of aid students will receive?

How does a student apply for need-based financial aid?

What does a financial aid package look like? Do most packages include loans?

What if a student is contacted by a college coach before they are assigned a college counselor in winter of 11th grade?

Some recruiting forms ask for grade-point-average (GPA). How should students answer?

Should a student's Lakeside coach reach out to college coaches? Should parents and guardians?

If a coach recruits a student, does that mean they will get an athletic scholarship?

If a student verbally commits to a coach, do they have to attend that college and play if admitted?

What role does a club or elite-team coach play in the recruiting process?

What is the ACT?

What is the SAT?

What is the PSAT?

What are Advanced Placement (AP) exams?

Do any colleges require students to take both the ACT and SAT? Is it true that most colleges don't require any testing?

When should students take the tests for the first time? When should each test be taken?

How do students know which AP tests they are prepared to take?

Should students hire a tutor to prepare for the tests?

Is taking the ACT or SAT prior to second semester of junior year a wise idea?

How do students report their test scores to colleges?

What does an athletic resume look like?

Are there examples of introductory emails to a college coach?

What are the options for pursuing the arts (dance, music, theater, visual arts) in college?

What is the admissions process for conservatories and schools of the arts?

What role will the arts have in students' college applications if they aren’t applying to a conservatory or school of the arts?

How does Lakeside support students applying to schools of the arts?

Is it true that students who major in the arts will struggle financially – and are destined to be “starving artists?”

Should families hire a consultant to help with the portfolio or to prepare for the audition?

How important are Accelerated, Advanced, and/or Honors classes in the college application process?

Is it better to get a “B” in a more rigorous class (like an Honors or Advanced class) or an “A” in a less rigorous class?

Do colleges see grades and comments from every quarter?

How do colleges regard Lakeside Summer School classes?

Is it okay for students to take two classes (or "double-up") in a subject they love?

Is Calculus important to colleges?

If a student completes level III of language at the end of 10th grade and wants to discontinue the subject, how will this affect their applications?

If a student earns a C in a class, is that a deal breaker at very selective schools?

Which year do colleges weight the heaviest when reviewing applications?

If a student withdraws from a class after the drop/add period and has a “W” (withdrew) on their transcript, will that affect their chances of admission?

If a student had lower grades as a freshman, but their grades have risen, will colleges notice?

For schools that are test-optional, how does a student decide whether or not to submit scores? Isn't a student disadvantaged if they don't submit scores?

If a student has always liked tinkering and building: should they apply to engineering schools?

If a student wants to study engineering, must they attend an engineering or tech school?

What is a 3-2 program?

How should students select an engineering program?

What are typical admissions requirements for engineering programs?

Can a student apply to many programs and find their best match after they are accepted?

What are the components of a college application?

Who is responsible for submitting the different parts of the application?

How are the documents that make up the application submitted?

Why doesn’t Lakeside send standardized test scores?

Application fees are steep; is there financial aid for college applications?

What if a student wants to submit additional recommendations?

If a student is very creative, can they submit a portfolio or video?

If a student involved in the arts wants an art teacher to write one of the teacher recommendations, is that possible?

If a parent/guardian graduated from a college to which their student is applying, how does that get communicated to the school?

The college search process seems really overwhelming. What is the right order to go about doing things?

The College Counseling Office talks a lot about the importance of self-reflection in the college application process. Why is it important and how should students approach reflecting?

What are some basic factors to think about to start the college search?

What are the differences between public and private universities?

How does college size impact students' experiences?

What does “liberal arts” mean?

What is the difference between a liberal arts college and a research university?

How does location impact students' experiences?

What is the best way to research a major or area of interest? What should a student look for?

When researching colleges, how should a student consider cost?

How does the school calendar impact a student's college experience?

Once a student has developed preferences for size, major, location, cost, and calendar, how do they begin to search for colleges?

Once a student has a list of colleges, how do they go about researching them?

College websites are very dense. How do students know where to look for information that will help them understand colleges?

It would be really helpful to hear from college students. Where can Lakesiders get feedback from actual students?

How can students stay organized when doing college research?

Why should students visit colleges?

When should students visit colleges?

How do students schedule a college visit?

What should students do while on campus?

What types of questions should students ask their tour guides?

What things should students consider and observe while on tour?

What is the best way to keep track of the colleges a student visits?

Do the college counselors have recommendations of colleges to visit by region or city?

How do students separate their opinions of their tour guide and their opinions of the college?

What should 9th-graders be doing in the classroom?

What should 9th-graders be doing regarding standardized testing?

What should 9th-graders be doing regarding college research?

How should 9th grade families be preparing to finance their student’s college education?

What should 10th-graders be doing in the classroom?

What should 10th-graders be doing regarding standardized testing?

What should 10th-graders be doing regarding college research?

How should 10th grade families be preparing to finance their student’s college education?

What should 11th-graders be doing in the classroom?

What should 11th-graders be doing regarding standardized testing?

How should 11th grade families be preparing to finance their student’s college education?

What should 11th-graders be doing regarding college research?

What should 12th-graders be doing in the classroom?

What should 12th-graders be doing regarding standardized testing?

What should 12th-graders be doing regarding the college process?

How should 12th grade families be preparing to finance their student’s college education?

How many activities should students engage in?

When will students receive their Grade-Point-Average (GPA)?

If a student wants to manually compute their GPA before November of 11th grade, how do they?

Do colleges prefer certain activities?

How many activities/commitments should students assume over summer?

Do colleges look more highly on certain summer commitments?

Do student-athletes wanting to be recruited need to attend summer camps or showcases to be noticed by colleges?

What should 9th-graders be doing outside of the classroom?

What should 10th-graders be doing outside of the classroom?

When registering for the SAT/ACT, it asks for Lakeside's "CEEB" code? What is that?

What should 11th-graders be doing outside of the classroom?

What should 12th-graders be doing outside of the classroom?

I've heard the phrase, "Historically Black Colleges & Universities." What schools does that refer to?

What is a "Hispanic Serving Institution?"

Do Lakeside students attend universities abroad? Are international universities' requirements different from U.S. schools?

What is the timeline for athletic recruitment for colleges? Does it vary by sport?

What if students are unable to visit colleges?

What does Lakeside report to colleges regarding student health, attendance, and ethical behavior?

If a student wants to pursue computer science in college, what courses should they take at Lakeside to prepare?

I've heard that it's more selective to be admitted to Engineering and Computer Science programs. Is this true?

College Counseling Blog

When research becomes trite: dispelling the myth that “academic research” is important to college admission offices

Mar 27 2026

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

Rethinking small liberal arts colleges: Questions worth asking

Feb 26 2026

by Frances Nan, associate director of college counseling

What’s the deal with demonstrated interest?

Jan 30 2026

by Erin Foster, associate director of college counseling

How to think deeply: Prompts for younger students considering college “fit”

Jan 5 2026

by Bonnie Singh, college counselor

Athletic recruiting: Learning to play the game

Oct 23 2025

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

AI and College Counseling: A tool for expressing personality in college applications

Sep 25 2025

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

Make your student a great college applicant: Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race

Apr 29 2025

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

What to expect from college financial aid offices this year

Mar 28 2025

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

A refresher on summer activities in the college process

Feb 28 2025

by Erin Foster, associate director of college counseling

Changing the culture around student engagement: parents and guardians’ role

Feb 3 2025

by Bonnie Singh, college counselor and writing specialist

What does a “good” activities list look like?

Jan 7 2025

by Frances Nan, associate director of college counseling

Choosing activities: passion, obligation, and college admissions

Oct 29 2024

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

Changing our culture: Let’s start with wiping the slate clean

Sep 26 2024

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

31 Lakeside seniors named as National Merit semifinalists

Sep 11 2024

Changing our culture: the first steps

Aug 28 2024

by Ari Worthman, director of college counseling

Summer activities in the college process

Apr 27 2024

by Erin Foster, associate director of college counseling

“Because it’s a women’s college”

Mar 28 2024

by Bonnie Singh, college counselor and writing specialist

Life after Lakeside: Reflections from recent Lakeside alumni

Feb 28 2024

by Frances Nan, associate director of college counseling

Too many cooks in the kitchen

Jan 2 2024

by Bonnie Singh, college counselor and writing specialist

The role of student voice in the college application

Oct 30 2023

by Frances Nan, associate director of college counseling

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