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Applying to college has many bustling
High school seniors deal with important details as deadlines near for many schools.
http://www.indystar.com/images/clear.gifBy Jon Murray
December 26, 2004
Winter break brings a respite for Indiana students, but many high school seniors have plenty of work ahead of them as they confront quickly approaching college application deadlines.
Many will spend their vacations knee-deep in writing essays, filling out forms and triple-checking every detail.
For Jared Wilkinson, a senior at Lawrence North High School, the end is in sight. The 18-year-old has mailed half of his six applications and has written essays for the rest.
“I’m pretty much just going through and proofreading everything and making sure everything’s in order before I send them off,” said Wilkinson, who lives in Lawrence’s Kensington Farms neighborhood.
Purdue University, which already accepted him, is among several schools in Indiana that have rolling admissions, meaning they start processing applications in the fall and don’t have firm deadlines.
But the deadlines for several of Wilkinson’s other choices, some of which are private universities in the Midwest, fall in the next few weeks.
Add in scholarship applications, and winter break doesn’t seem like much of a vacation.
Guidance directors commonly advise college-bound students to send out applications by the end of fall semester – a goal that can quickly fall by the wayside as classes, activities and sports compete for time.
Wilkinson said the applications themselves aren’t usually tough to complete, but chasing down transcripts, recommendations and other information takes time.
At Greenwood High School, some college-bound seniors finish an average of two applications by Thanksgiving, and more than half get theirs to the guidance office before winter break, director Bill Ronk said.
Still, he expects a surge in applications when students return to school next month.
“The sooner you get your decisions,” Ronk said, “the sooner you can begin the process of whittling down your choices so you can get your housing arrangements made, and those kind of things.”
At Ben Davis High School on Indianapolis’ Far Westside, about 700 students graduate each year. Half go on to four-year colleges and universities, and about 15 percent attend community colleges.
Guidance director Sally Klingerman said the increasing use of rolling admissions means some students can wait longer to finish applications.
But she doesn’t encourage waiting too long, she said, since scholarships sometimes dry up early.
Winter break is the last chance to tackle applications without the interference of school commitments. The next big deadline comes in March, when the federal government’s financial aid application is due.
Many high schools, including Lawrence North, excuse students from classes for a limited number of “college days,” so they can visit campuses. Their guidance offices offer assistance with applications and can help students find the right school.
North Central High School senior Tim Williams, 17, relied on his school’s guidance office very little this fall, preferring to handle most of the application process himself.
But one college counselor helped him zero in on his top prospect, Webster University in St. Louis.
He brought a mailing from Webster to the meeting, Williams said, and the counselor told him the school would be a great match for his musical theater aspirations. He visited Webster’s campus in September and submitted his application in person.
A month later, Webster accepted Williams, who lives near 51st Street and Michigan Road. He is spending winter break finishing an application to a college in Ohio and preparing for his audition next month at Webster’s Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts.
Though Lawrence North’s guidance office has been supportive, Wilkinson said, it has been difficult to pace himself as he completes applications.
“You really have to make sure you do it well,” Wilkinson said, “because you don’t get another shot at it.”
indystar.com/articles/6/204942-3596-009.html
High school seniors deal with important details as deadlines near for many schools.
http://www.indystar.com/images/clear.gifBy Jon Murray
December 26, 2004
Winter break brings a respite for Indiana students, but many high school seniors have plenty of work ahead of them as they confront quickly approaching college application deadlines.
Many will spend their vacations knee-deep in writing essays, filling out forms and triple-checking every detail.
For Jared Wilkinson, a senior at Lawrence North High School, the end is in sight. The 18-year-old has mailed half of his six applications and has written essays for the rest.
“I’m pretty much just going through and proofreading everything and making sure everything’s in order before I send them off,” said Wilkinson, who lives in Lawrence’s Kensington Farms neighborhood.
Purdue University, which already accepted him, is among several schools in Indiana that have rolling admissions, meaning they start processing applications in the fall and don’t have firm deadlines.
But the deadlines for several of Wilkinson’s other choices, some of which are private universities in the Midwest, fall in the next few weeks.
Add in scholarship applications, and winter break doesn’t seem like much of a vacation.
Guidance directors commonly advise college-bound students to send out applications by the end of fall semester – a goal that can quickly fall by the wayside as classes, activities and sports compete for time.
Wilkinson said the applications themselves aren’t usually tough to complete, but chasing down transcripts, recommendations and other information takes time.
At Greenwood High School, some college-bound seniors finish an average of two applications by Thanksgiving, and more than half get theirs to the guidance office before winter break, director Bill Ronk said.
Still, he expects a surge in applications when students return to school next month.
“The sooner you get your decisions,” Ronk said, “the sooner you can begin the process of whittling down your choices so you can get your housing arrangements made, and those kind of things.”
At Ben Davis High School on Indianapolis’ Far Westside, about 700 students graduate each year. Half go on to four-year colleges and universities, and about 15 percent attend community colleges.
Guidance director Sally Klingerman said the increasing use of rolling admissions means some students can wait longer to finish applications.
But she doesn’t encourage waiting too long, she said, since scholarships sometimes dry up early.
Winter break is the last chance to tackle applications without the interference of school commitments. The next big deadline comes in March, when the federal government’s financial aid application is due.
Many high schools, including Lawrence North, excuse students from classes for a limited number of “college days,” so they can visit campuses. Their guidance offices offer assistance with applications and can help students find the right school.
North Central High School senior Tim Williams, 17, relied on his school’s guidance office very little this fall, preferring to handle most of the application process himself.
But one college counselor helped him zero in on his top prospect, Webster University in St. Louis.
He brought a mailing from Webster to the meeting, Williams said, and the counselor told him the school would be a great match for his musical theater aspirations. He visited Webster’s campus in September and submitted his application in person.
A month later, Webster accepted Williams, who lives near 51st Street and Michigan Road. He is spending winter break finishing an application to a college in Ohio and preparing for his audition next month at Webster’s Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts.
Though Lawrence North’s guidance office has been supportive, Wilkinson said, it has been difficult to pace himself as he completes applications.
“You really have to make sure you do it well,” Wilkinson said, “because you don’t get another shot at it.”
indystar.com/articles/6/204942-3596-009.html
