College Admissions

Question: I plan on applying to a California State university and I have grandparents living in California. I would like to use their address to apply as it would lower my tuition costs, but I currently live in Colorado. Will I be able to use my grandparents address in my application?

Definitely NOT!! Half of the high school students in the US would be heading to the Left Coast to bunk with Grandma or Grandpa, Aunt Edna or Uncle Earl, if the enticing (and outstanding) California colleges and universities allowed applicants to use their relatives’ addresses … or didn’t check carefully when applicant and high school zip codes are miles apart.

Here is a summary of CA residency requirements for tuition purposes:

To be considered a California resident for purposes of fees, an out-of-state student must have lived in California for more than one year preceding the residence determination date, relinquish residence in other states, show an intent to establish residency in California and demonstrate financial independence. Unmarried undergraduates from other states qualify as financially independent if they were not claimed by their parents or others as dependents for tax purposes for two preceding tax years and if their annual income is sufficient to meet their needs.

So, in order to attend a CA school as a resident, you would have to move in with your grandparents (or elsewhere in the Golden State) for two years for a purpose other than attending school. (Although there is officially only a one-year residency requirement, it takes two years for most students who have been named as dependents on parental tax forms through high school.) In other words, you would have to get a job and not only earn wages in CA but also be able to prove that you are self-supporting and no longer financially linked to your parents in Colorado. They couldn’t declare you as a dependent on their taxes; you would have to change your driver’s license (if you have one), your library card, and any other documentation that connects you to your current home.

I know it can be frustrating to pay high out-of-state tuition when one has ties to that state, but the rules are very strict and carefully scrutinized to protect the true residents. So I’m afraid you’ll have to rethink your plan.

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Question: For NJ students: is it mandatory that the high school send transcripts to colleges with SAT information?

It is not mandatory for New Jersey public high schools to include SAT scores on transcripts. Typically, high schools (or school districts) make their own policies about what a transcript includes, and I’d never heard that there were any statewide mandates. But just to be certain, I checked with one of the top admission pros in the Garden State– Scott White, Director of Guidance at Westfield High School and former Director at Montclair High School–who confirmed that there is no NJ rule that requires the scores on transcripts.

Many high schools choose to put the SAT (or ACT) scores on their transcripts in order to maintain all student records in one place for their convenience, to expedite the receipt of scores in admission offices, and to enable students to avoid paying unnecessary fees to the College Board, since many colleges will accept transcript SAT’s as “official.” On the other hand, some high schools refuse to put test results on transcripts, claiming that it a violation of privacy and that students have the right to determine who will see their scores.

When I am advising seniors who are applying to test-optional colleges and who don’t want admission officials to eyeball their test results, I caution them that the scores may be on their transcripts. Even if the colleges won’t officially “use” the transcript scores, if the scores are low and the admission folks see them anyway, it can spawn a bias against the candidate–albeit perhaps a subconscious one. I tell students in that situation to politely request that their scores be removed from the transcript before the transcript is sent. Some students report back to me that they’ve found resistance to this at their schools, but, in such cases, it’s because they’re bucking a local practice and not because they’re asking for a violation of any statewide regulation

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Question: In Mongolia, where I come from, there are no guidance counselors in high schools. To request an application fee waiver, from whom should I get the letter or request?

As with most things in the colleges-admissions world, there are no easy answers when it comes to international applicants and fee waivers. Perhaps ironically, some colleges automatically grant fee waivers to every international applicant, while other schools grant no fee waivers at all to internationals. Sometimes the fee is waived just for online applications; occasionally a waiver can only be used with a paper application! Confusing, isn’t it?

So first, you need to read the International Student instructions carefully for each college on your list to see what the waiver policy is. If the school does offer waivers to international students and you have no school counselor, no problem. Ideally, you will find a different school official (head of school, head teacher, etc.) who will write a brief note attesting to your family’s approximate annual income (converted into US dollars) and the hardship that an application fee will present. Alternatively, if no school administrator is appropriate, another adult who has inside knowledge of your family’s circumstances in some sort of “official” capacity (member of the clergy, social worker, etc.) could write the waiver request as well.

As I’m sure you’re already aware, getting any sort of financial aid from U.S. colleges and universities can be a discouraging process. Standards are set extremely high for internationals seeking aid, so be sure that your college list includes mostly those places where your grades and standardized test scores make you a far stronger candidate than the typical admitted domestic applicant. Good luck!

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Question: In the Common Application Future Plans section, we checked the box indicating we plan to apply for financial aid and submitted the applications. After more research, we may decide not to apply and to instead look for other ways to cover college costs. Is it a problem not applying for aid if we checked yes on the application? Should we call admission offices to let them know not to expect the forms, or just not file and not contact the schools at all? Thanks!

I recommend that you do contact admission offices, whether by phone, snail-mail or e-mail, to explain your change in status. At the “need-conscious” institutions (those that take financial need into consideration when making admission decisions) it can be helpful to you to have the admission committees approach the application from the get-go with a “this kid doesn’t need any dough from us” mind-set.

Moreover, as you suggest, if you checked the “YES” box on the application and do not follow up with forms, you will be precipitating some unnecessary correspondence between admission officials and aid officials and between aid officials and you.

Note, however, that if a student applies as a “no-need” freshman applicant, there is usually a waiting period (two years is common) before the student can apply for aid down the road. So make sure you are comfortable with your change of heart before you commit to it.

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Question: On the Common Application, it asks for “any academic distinctions or honors you have received.” There are some organizations such as International Thespian Society that grant membership only after a lengthy qualification process. Would membership in such an organization be considered an “honor” or should it go in the Extracurricular Activities section?

A membership in an organization that requires a lengthy qualification process could certainly be listed under the “Honors and Awards” heading on a college application, although it could be called an extracurricular, too. However, the typical student has more extracurriculars than can fit on an application but not enough honors to fill all of those spaces. So, in such cases, it makes sense to count membership in a selective organization (such as the International Thespian Society) as an honor, which leaves more spaces in the Activities section, where they are probably needed.

Often the lines between activities and awards or honors can be blurred, and college admission officials understand this. So don’t stress over where your various undertakings end up on the application. The most important thing is to let the admission folks see what’s important to you and what you’ve achieved, without splitting hairs over exactly how that transpires.

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Question: Can a student be accepted into a university with a high school tech prep curriculum?

A student can definitely be accepted into a university coming from a high school with a tech prep curriculum, as long as the student has met the minimum requirements for admission to that institution. Moreover, some colleges have only “Recommended” courses of study for applicants, not Required ones. So, in such cases, even if your high school transcript falls short in one or more areas, you may be able to convince admission officials to take a chance on you, based on your grades and perhaps on your standardized test scores (SAT or ACT).

The easiest way to compare your high school transcript with entrance requirements or recommendations at the universities that interest you is to go to the College Board Web site at http://www.collegeboard.com/ and enter the name of a college on the left side of the page where it says, “Search by college name.” Click on “Search” and this will take you to that school’s profile. (If more than one college has a name that is similar to the one you entered, you may have to first choose among several options.)

Once you reach the profile page, click on “Admission” (next to “At a glance”). Then scroll down the Admission page until you see the “High School Preparation” heading. As I mentioned above, some colleges have “Required” high school classes and others have “Recommended” classes. You may find, too, that some of your target colleges have both. In such cases, the “Required” list represents those classes that you must have taken to be considered for admission, and the “Recommended” list is what will make you a stronger candidate.

If you don’t already have colleges in mind that you think you’d like to attend, you can use the College Board’s “Matchmaker” questionnaire to help you generate a list of places to research. Once you find some contenders, check their admission requirements as explained above to see if you will qualify.

However, even if you are lacking a couple mandatory classes that you think would make you a candidate at some of the schools that interest you, it’s sometimes possible to convince admission officials to consider you anyway, if your record is strong in other areas. You may get more of such “wiggle room” at private colleges than at public ones, since the latter may have less flexibility when it comes to bending rules.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your college search and application process.

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Question: Should my daughter send supplementary materials to colleges via Certified Mail so that she will know they have been received?

No! Most colleges don’t like having to deal with certified mail at a time when a gazillion other envelopes are pouring in … and even when the stuff is received, it can get lost in the filing process afterward, so any peace of mind you get from springing for certified mail could be premature. What I recommend, instead, is to wait 10 days to two weeks after you’ve mailed materials (or submitted them online) and then telephone colleges to confirm that everything arrived safely and made its way into your daughter’s folder. Don’t worry if those 10 to 14 days take you beyond the application deadlines. If materials are missing, and your daughter replaces them promptly, she will not be penalized. Also don’t panic if you’re told that something that you’re sure was sent never arrived. This happens all the time. Usually it’s due to admission-office backlog, and the materials do turn up eventually. But, again, don’t freak out if you get a missing-materials notice.

Some colleges will notify you when an application is complete … either via postcard or e-mail or by posting the information in a password-protected place on their Web site. (Your daughter should know if any of the schools on her list have asked her to register for online notification. This notification might just be for her final admission verdict but often can include materials-tracking as well.)

If you don’t hear from colleges with a couple weeks of sending materials, then it’s your daughter’s responsibility to follow-up to ascertain that everything arrived and found its way to the right file.

Of course, in order to expedite this process, make sure that your daughter’s name, school name, and date of birth are on every scrap she sends to every college. Some admission offices also appreciate it when students mark the outside of the envelope with an indication of what’s inside (e.g., “Supplementary materials for Alex Alexander. Early Action applicant to the Class of 2013. Chester A. Arthur High School, Backwater, Vermont)

Good luck with all of this … and, remember, don’t panic when those “Where the heck is your _____ ?” notices roll in!

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Question: I am deaf and hear with a cochlear implant. I don’t need much in the way of accommodations … just the teacher to wear a mic. I have the grades and test scores to get into a highly selective college. Should I disclose the physical disability? Some people have said yes because it shows overcoming a hurdle and diversity; others say schools will shy away because they worry it will cost them money to accommodate. Any advice on how to handle this on the apps?

Absolutely do disclose … no gray area here, in my opinion. Not only are those “hurdle” and “diversity” factors true, but your cochlear implant is an important part of who you are … albeit, probably not the most important part. In fact, I recommend that you write a supplementary essay or letter that explains your situation to colleges but make your primary essay about something unrelated. This way, you’ll be sending a message to admission committees that proclaims, “My disability has been a formative part of my life, but it doesn’t define me.” Of course, if you’ve already written your main essay about your implant or about any deaf-culture issues (e.g., the pro-implant vs. anti-implant controversy), that’s fine, too. My advice certainly is just that …. a suggestion, not an imperative.

Sometimes I do recommend that students withhold certain information about disabilities, if these disabilities aren’t reflected in fluctuating grades and frequent absences and if, by withholding them, the student won’t be deprived of necessary services or might be endangering other members of the community. However, in your case, I think that you should forge ahead and proudly tell your target colleges what you’ve overcome in order to achieve the success you’ve had.

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Question: I’d like to apply for a college application fee waiver but my situation is unusual so I’m not sure how to proceed. I’m a US citizen, born and raised, but since 2005 I’ve lived in China with my dad, a retiree, and my mother, who is a housewife. I’m also home-schooled. I’m taking the SAT in December but I used money from my part time job to pay for it instead of applying for a fee waiver.

I know my family’s annual income qualifies for the waiver, but how do I, a home-schooled student living in China, apply? Thanks for your time.

Many colleges are pretty flexible when it comes to granting fee waivers, at least when it comes to proof of student need. Some go strictly by standardized test waivers and thus give application waivers only to those who have also qualified for waivers for admission testing, too. Most colleges, however–especially the more selective ones–grant a lot more wiggle room when it comes to determining which candidates need not pay their fees.

Below are the fee-waiver eligibility guidelines from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). However, these figures are not set in stone and may vary depending on many factors including cost-of-living in the applicant’s home city or country. Also, since your family’s income sounds low, you need to also verify to colleges that your parents don’t have assets that might make you ineligible for a waiver. Certainly it’s hard to offer proof of what you don’t have, but do be aware that colleges will want to know about family resources beyond the household income.

Number in Family —-Family Income

5 ———————————— $47,400

If it sounds as if your family should qualify for a waiver, and since you are a home-schooled candidate and have no guidance counselor to vouch for your financial situation, here’s what you should do:

1) Write colleges a brief letter (e-mail is fine, too) explaining your situation (as you have done here —including the fact that you worked to cover your testing costs) and also providing a specific annual income and an explanation of other assets. If there is some other “authority figure” (e.g., a minister or social worker) who is involved with your family and can write to corroborate your letter, so much the better, although it is not mandatory.

2) If your family pays US taxes, include a copy of your parents’ most recent tax return. (If you are applying for financial aid–and it sounds as if you must be–you will need this anyway. If you are NOT applying for financial aid, you will not receive a fee waiver.)

In some cases, you’ll find a fee-waiver application form on college Web sites, but it’s not common. So, typically, it’s up to you to present your situation to colleges and hope that they’ll let you off the hook.

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Question: Is there a chance that I can transfer into a college that already denied me?

Yes, it’s definitely possible to be admitted as a transfer student to a college that already said “No” to you. However, here are some things to keep in mind:

1) You will probably need a full year of college grades to show to your prospective transfer school, so if you try to transfer as a freshman–depending on the application deadline–you may only have one semester of college grades to submit. So you’re probably better off aiming to transfer as a junior (or perhaps halfway through your sophomore year).

3) Ivies and a handful of other hyper-selective schools (Stanford, MIT, etc.) are in a class by themselves. They turn away many highly qualified freshman applicants for no apparent reason, so it can be tough to “do better” and then reapply. They also take very few transfers. Typically, Ivies and their ilk don’t admit students they already turned down. Sure, there are exceptions, but it isn’t common unless the applicant can point to some big-time achievements since the denial.

So, if you have your sights set on a school that already refused you, it may be possible that you’ll get another chance. Meanwhile, try to recognize the pluses of your current situation and be sure that, if you do decide to transfer, it’s really for the right reasons and not just to prove to anyone–including yourself—that the folks who said, “No thanks” really made a huge mistake.

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