Declaring a Major, Early Action and Early Decision

Before I get into discussing financial aid options, there are two areas that I feel I need to address in this post to help seniors finalize their applications. Yes, "finalize".

When asked on a college application or the Common Application for a chosen major, many students do not know what to answer. The question becomes will choosing "Undecided" as your answer hurt your chances of admission? Some competitive colleges, such as New York University, are reputed to give an edge to applicants who are passionate about their chosen field of study. Declaring "undecided" does not connote passion. However, many students do not actually declare a major until their third or fourth semester sophomore year. Unless your chosen field is highly specialized, waiting may not alter your post declaration study schedule too drastically. For an informative discussion of this topic by professional college counselors and college administration professionals, go to www.unigoexpertnetwork/question9
.

Seniors also are unsure as to whether to apply for Early Decision or Early Action. The College Board states, "Early decision and early action allow you to apply early (usually in November) and get an admission decision from the college well before the usual spring notification date. You know by December or January whether you've been accepted at your first choice college." According to the Princeton Review's, The Best 373 Colleges, "Many selective colleges commit more than half of their admission spots to early decision applicants." Remember, early Decision Does bind. If accepted to the college, you must withdraw your applications to all other colleges. As the Review notes, this may make negotiating a financial aid offer difficult - more on that in a later post. Early action does not bind the applicant and you will still be notified of your status in December or January. Further information can be found at www.collegeboard.org.

Up to Speed - Review of Posts from January-June 2011

This post will also include some of the websites and books referred to.

January 8, 2011
Discussion of how students should use their PSAT results and prepare for the SAT. Websites of interest - www.collegeboard.org, www.grockit.com. SAT study guides are available at www.amazon.com.

January 19, 2011
Discussion of how to use www.collegeboard.org

January 26, 2011
Discussion of whether to choose a two or four year program

February 2, 2011
Information on NJ Boys and Girls State Programs www.boysandgirlsstate.org

February 16, 2011
Discussion of features of www.unigo.com, specifically College Match

March 2, 2011
Choosing a College, continued. The book, The Best 373 Colleges,
is featured.

March 16, 2011
Discussion of "feeder schools", undergraduate schools from which many graduate programs accept students

March 30, 2011
Virtual campus tours, college rep visits and college fairs www.campustour.com

April 13, 2011
College admission and the Naviance guidance delivery system www.naviance.com

April 27, 2011
Suggestions for how to get the most out of a campus visit
College Visit Checklist available at www.unigo.com

May 11, 2011
Campus Safety www.neighborhoodscout.com

May 25, 2011
Intellectual freedom on campus www.theFIRE.org
Closing of the American Mind

June 8, 2011
What juniors should do during summer vacation to prepare for senior year. Good review for those who need to catch up!

June 22, 2011
Writing the college application essay www.commonap.org, www.englishclub.com