College Counseling

Some students may decide to defer their enrollment to their college of choice by a year. This year between graduating high school and matriculating to college is colloquially known as a "gap year." During this voluntary window of time, students may seek internships, travel, volunteer, or simply elect to get a job to save money for when they do go to college. There are also programs and companies available to help students tailor a gap year experience to their interests and goals.

What the Best College Students Do, by Ken Bain

Colleges That Change Lives, by Loren Pope

Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, by Frank Bruni

The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown

Early Action (EA) is when students apply to a school, typically before a November 1 or 15 deadline, and are usually notified of the committee’s decision in mid- to late-December or January. During that time, students are allowed to apply early action or early decision to other schools. If accepted, students are not bound by a contract to attend, and can wait for all pending decisions to come in before they select their college of choice by May 1.

Restrictive Early Action (Single Choice Plan) is a plan under which students apply to a school early, but are not allowed to apply Early Action or Early Decision to another institution. (There are some exceptions if a student is also applying to public universities.) If accepted, students are not bound by a contract to attend, and can wait for all pending decisions to come in before they select their college of choice by May 1.

Early Decision I (ED) is a binding contract agreement under which a student applies and, if accepted, must immediately withdraw other applications and attend that college or university. The deadline is usually November 1 or November 15. Admissions decisions are usually communicated in mid- to late-December.

Early Decision II (ED II) is a binding agreement whose deadline usually follows the Early Decision-1 option. ED II is for students who were not prepared to commit to an institution in November, but are ready by January, or who were denied from their No. 1 ED choice and are now considering the ED II option for their second choice. The ED II deadline is usually in January, and the decision is returned in approximately one month. Students must be sure to meet the regular decision deadlines for the remaining schools on their college list while they wait for a response from the ED II school.

Rolling Admission refers to an admission plan that reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once an application is received and reviewed, the decisions are mailed to the student. Please note that it is important to apply early to “rolling” schools because available space in the freshman class is often limited as spring approaches.

Regular Decision is the basic college admission process. Deadlines vary from January to March, and committee decisions are usually mailed in bulk by the end of March. The national notification and enrollment deadline is May 1.

Colleges are beginning to look for talented athletes earlier and earlier. Students that are not Division I Blue Chip (highly recruited) athletes can work to become a recruited athlete at many outstanding colleges and universities with great traditions in athletics. If you are a varsity athlete and you think you may want to continue playing in college, here are a several tips:

1. Let GFA Athletic Director Eric Lee and your coaches know of your interest in pursuing intercollegiate athletics, and ask for honest feedback on your progress as an athlete. (This includes notifying GFA varsity coaches as well as club coaches, if any.)

2. Be prepared for feedback and criticism. You can make a difference in your prospects by heeding advice.

3. Create and establish a video portfolio that highlights your athletic talents. This portfolio could feature clips from across multiple games and may also include complete footage from an entire game.

4. Prepare/update your athletic resumé. You can contact the GFA Athletic Director or a member of the college guidance team for assistance preparing a resume that contains the most essential information.

5. If you are a starting player, you can begin e-mailing coaches as well as utilizing online school recruitment websites at select schools giving them preliminary information about your schedule and your intention to continue in college. (This list can be broad, but should include input from your coaches and College Guidance.)

6. Keep your grades up. The better student you are, the more options you will have based on your ability to contribute to the teams and the college community.

7. Plan to attend a camp, showcase, or other event where college coaches will get a chance to see you compete. Advice from coaches should be sought.

Visual and performing artists may share additional information with the admissions committees in the form of portfolios and auditions. For the most talented students, the supplemental aspects of the application process can help the student overcome weaker standardized test scores and some aspects of the academic performance. If applying to a fine arts program or a conservatory, students will undergo a review process that is much different than their peers who may be applying to the same college or university, but are being reviewed solely through the school’s traditional admission process requirements.

Portfolios and auditions are significant factors in the review process for artists. Students need to prepare well in advance of senior year for such evaluations if they know that they will be applying to art, music, or dance schools.

VISUAL ARTISTS

(Fine art, photography, graphic design, architecture)

Most art-specific institutions require portfolio submission. Requirements and timelines may vary, so students are encouraged to review each school’s process and submit a portfolio of their work on time. Additionally, students should seek the assistance of their art teacher if preparing a portfolio.

It is important to note that even if you are not applying to an art-specific school, some admission committees may accept submission of excellent portfolios as a way for you to distinguish yourself and your talents from the rest of the applicant pool.

THEATRE STUDENTS

Students who wish to apply to a competitive collegiate theatre program will be asked to audition. Auditions are intense, and your admission is based primarily on how well you perform. Requirements and timelines may vary so students are encouraged to review each school’s process. The school’s application usually has an earlier deadline, as the college then needs to schedule auditions from January through March.

Similar to the Visual Arts, a student not applying to a theatre program may have the opportunity to include a portfolio or other sample of their work as part of the general application process.

MUSICIANS

If applying to a conservatory or specific music program at a college, students will be asked to submit a recording of performances and/or undergo an on-campus audition. Requirements and timelines may vary so students are encouraged to review each school’s process.

Similar to the Visual Arts and Theatre, a student not applying to an arts-specific program may have the opportunity to submit recordings of their talent to admission offices as a supplementary piece of their application.