Understand the Vocabulary: College Admission Glossary

What's a transcript?  What's the difference between early action and early decision?  When applying to college, you are bound to come across unfamiliar terms.  This glossary provided by Collegeboard can help you make sense of all the information you are sorting through.  Some of the terms listed are:
  • ACT
  • College Application essay (personal statement)
  • Common Application
  • Early Action (EA)
  • Early Decision (ED)
  • Financial Aid
  • Placement Tests
  • Priority Date or Deadline
  • Registrar
  • SAT
  • SAT Subject Tests
  • Transcript
  • Weighted Grade Point Average (GPA)
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How Many Colleges Should I Research?

Many school counselors suggest putting together a list of ten to twelve schools, with three to four in each of the following categories:

Likely or Safety Schools:
  • Your GPA  and Test Scores are above the school's ranges for GPA and test scores
Target or Foundational Schools:
  • You are solidly in the middle of the school's range for GPA and test scores
Reach or Dream Schools:
  • It would be a stretch to get accepted into one of these schools
Remember, many students start their college search in the fall with aspirational dreams that end in the spring with a cold reality:  you might only get into your "likely schools," so be sure they are colleges you would want to attend and not just placeholders on a list.

Organize Your Search


It's recommended to take some time and organize your search process.  Basic information regarding deadlines, academics, cost, acceptance rates and "to do" lists can be a little cumbersome.  The Santiago Counseling Department has put together a "College Search Spreadsheet" to help you out. 

You will want to:
1.  Click Here to access the College Search Spreadsheet.
2.  Once you have the Spreadsheet, click on "File" and "Make a copy".
3.  Rename the Spreadsheet (suggestion YOUR NAME's college search spreadsheet")

How Do I Find the Right College for Me?

The first step to identifying the correct college for the student is identifying priorities.  On the right, you will see a handout from CollegeBoard that lists some characteristics to consider:
  • Size of Student Body
  • Location
  • Academic Programs
  • Campus Life
  • Cost
  • Diversity
  • Retention and Graduation Rates

College board has an interactive step-by-step guide to identify the correct college for you.  Click here to access it.
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Online Resources

 The College Board has two excellent resources to utilize.  
  • BigFuture College Search: This college search engine will allow you to apply different "filters" to find colleges that match your personal requirements.  The filters include:
    • ​Test Scores & Selectivity
    • Type of School
    • Location
    • Campus and Housing
    • Majors and Learning Environment
    • Sports and Activities
    • Academic Credit
    • Paying
    • Additional Support Programs
    • Diversity
  • College Search Step-by-Step:  This search engine will ask you questions to help you:​
    • ​Learn about some key college search categories
    • Answer Questions to discover what's important to you
    • Get advice from college students and educators
  • Additionally, the Federal Government has information available through College Scorecard
    • The College Scorecard is an online tool, created by the United States government, for consumers to compare the cost and value of higher education institutions in the United States. It displays data in five areas: cost, graduation rate, employment rate, average amount borrowed, and loan default rate.

College Websites



The most reliable source for information about a college is its own website.  
Typically, college websites contain:
  • Admission requirements
  • Application Deadlines
  • Dates and times for tours and info sessions
  • Virtual tours of the campus
  • Academic Departments
  • Live chats with current students
  • Podcasts from the admission department
  • Videos of campus events
Start your online search with what a college says about itself.  By starting with the facts you will be much less swayed by other people's opinions.
Don't forget to:
  • Sign up as a prospective student so you will receive information from the schools that interest you
  • Make sure to check out other sections of the website
    • School newspaper
    • Web pages of academic departments
    • On-campus events
    • Student groups of interest

College Website Links
​      

Data for Top 384 College in the US

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Advanced Tips

Make Social Media Work for You

It's very easy for admission officers and employers to check your social media accounts to use in evaluating your application.  On the right, you will see a handout from CollegeBoard that lists ways that social media could help you by:
  • Indicating your interests and passions
  • Highlighting volunteer work and special projects
  • Indicating special interests, hobbies, talents and abilities
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Your High School Resume

A resume provides a quick summary of your extracurricular activities, special abilities and talents and leadership skills.  On the right you will see a handout from Collegeboard that explains the importance of a resume.

Who could use information from your resume?
  • Colleges
  • Scholarship Organizations
  • Educators
  • Teachers
  • Counselors
  • Interviewers
your_high_school_resume.pdf
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