Weekly Counseling News, 6/17/08

IN THIS ISSUE:
I. Reminder: Miss M out of office, Wednesday 6/18 through Monday 6/23
II. Websites to know and love: the Common Application and ApplyTexas

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I. Reminder: Miss M out of office, Wednesday 6/18 through Monday 6/23
As I mentioned last week, I’ll be out of the office this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and I’ll also be out next Monday. I will be back at STES on Tuesday. I will have limited availability by email, so if you have an urgent issue that can’t wait until next week, please contact Mrs Pearsall in the front office. She’ll be happy to assist you. Thank you for your understanding!


II. Websites to know and love: the Common Application and ApplyTexas
As you may know, most college applications are submitted online these days, and it’s good to find out early on what they’ll entail. It can be helpful to print out the applications so you can fill out a draft copy; that way, you can take your time gathering the information on paper and input it to the application site all at once.

There are two important application sites you need to know about: ApplyTexas and the Common Application. ApplyTexas is a site that lets you fill out one application that’s accepted by all of the public schools in Texas, including UT, A&M, Tech, and UH. You can create an account and start exploring the site at http://www.applytexas.org. The Common Application is an online application accepted by more than 300 colleges and universities around the country. Many private universities—including the Ivies, Rice, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and many others—use this application in addition to a school-specific supplemental form. Check it out and see what you’ll need to do to submit your application. Explore the site at http://www.commonapp.org.

Some colleges have their own online applications to fill out, too. As you assemble your final list of schools for your application process, check out the format and requirements for each college on your list and get a sense of what you’ll need to submit and the way to use their online application.

As you get started on these applications, be sure to check the web browser requirements for each website you’ll use to submit applications. My experience as a Mac user is that some college-specific online applications will prefer one browser over another (e.g. Internet Explorer over Safari or Firefox); make sure to use an approved browser so your application will be submitted correctly. This is not the case with all sites, but it's worth checking on. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions on this subject—I’ll be glad to help.

Keep in mind that sites like these will require you to create an account. In all cases, you can create an account at no charge. Make sure to write down your login ID and your password when you create these accounts; while it doesn’t cost anything to create a new account if you forget your password, it’s just a hassle to have to re-enter all of your information.