January/February Action Items & Important Info Contact your counselor with questions after reviewing the information below.
ACTION ITEMS - Update SCOIR.
- After submitting applications, move those colleges into “Applied.” This is how your counselor tracks your progress and knows where to send first semester grades, a requirement for most Regular Decision (RD) applications.
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Indicate if you applied without testing. When you move colleges to “Applied” you’ll see a button to indicate you applied without testing. For schools already in “Applied:” click on the college, then “edit,” and you will see the button.
- As you receive decisions, be sure to email your counselor and enter them in SCOIR.
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If you were admitted ED1 or REA, you must withdraw your other applications through your applicant portal or via email and update SCOIR accordingly.
- Work on financial aid applications, if applicable.
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Research and apply for scholarships, if applicable. There are thousands of organizations that award merit scholarships, and, in the past, some Lakesiders have benefited from their generosity. (On the Resources Page, under the “Paying for College” FAQs, you can read more about scholarship opportunities and search databases.) In the past, Lakesiders who have invested a considerable amount of time and submitted many scholarship applications have amassed a couple of awards, but rarely have students been able to amass money that has exceeded five or six percent of the total cost of attendance. Email your counselor at least a week in advance if you need materials (transcripts, recommendations, etc.)
- (For deferred applicants) Write a letter of continued interest. Some colleges, such as Case Western, MIT, and Stanford, have forms, specific prompts, and instructions in their portals, which you should follow. For those that don’t, submit a letter to the college by mid-January following these instructions.
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Monitor your email –including junk/spam folders–for additional steps colleges might require. There are a handful of colleges and universities that require students to complete a Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) or other steps after submission (New York University, Northeastern, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are some examples).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION -
Missing Materials. All transcripts, recommendations, and school reports were sent before break. It can take a few weeks for colleges to process materials. If you receive any messages prior to January 12 about missing materials sent by our office, disregard them. After January 12, let your counselor know what appears to be missing, and they will contact the college about resending the materials.
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Midyear Reports & Grades. In late January, the college office will submit midyear reports with your first semester grades to all colleges requiring them. (If you were admitted Early Action or Decision, the office will send a report to that institution.) There is nothing you need to do to make this happen. Until then, disregard reminders you receive from colleges about these reports.
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Unnecessary Application Updates. Each spring, students ask about updating their RD applications – for example, when they earn recognition for service, earn a lead role in a school play, or a recognition as a scholar-athlete. College reps tell us that such granular updates are unimportant, and that unnecessary emails during their busiest time are irksome. Remember that colleges rarely even want third quarter grades. Thus, students should trust that their applications already represent their best selves.
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Second semester course changes. Talk to your counselor before making any course changes! Generally, admissions offices expect you will graduate with the same rigor of courses listed on your original transcript. To drop a course, you must receive permission from any colleges where you’ve been admitted (An exception: swapping history or English electives—e.g., replacing an English elective with another English—is fine. You don’t need your counselor’s or the college’s permission.)
- Senioritis. Remember that every offer of admission will state that your admission is contingent upon your finishing the year with similar grades to what you presented in your application. We highly advise that you take this admonition seriously. Occasionally, we have had students who have chosen to slack off or drop classes without permission. Some saw their admission offers rescinded in June, and others have entered college on academic probation.
UPCOMING DATES AND DEADLINES January 1-15: Regular decision deadlines for most colleges January 26: College Money Method Webinar on Understanding Loans
February 1: Lakeside will submit all midyear reports by this date; Financial Aid application deadline for many colleges Feb 1-15: Early Decision 2 notification timeframe for most colleges March 1-15: UW notification timeframe March 15-30: Regular Decision Notification timeframe for most colleges
March 25: College Money Method Webinar on Comparing Financial Aid Awards and Considering Appeals May 1: Deadline to enroll at the college of your choice |
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