Ramaz Upper School

A Guide to the Application Process

INTRODUCTION
SOME HELPFUL HINTS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED

DECIDING WHEN TO APPLY

APPLICATION MATERIALS
I. PERSONAL PART OF THE APPLICATION

II. COLLEGE LIST FORMS
III. SECONDARY SCHOOL REPORT/COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION FORM
IV. TEACHER RECOMMENDATION FORM
V. MID-YEAR SCHOOL REPORT/REPORT OF SENIOR GRADES
VI. FINANCIAL AID FORMS
VII. SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS
VIII. THE BUCKLEY AMENDMENT
IX. SENDING YOUR STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS
X. INTERVIEWS

XI. SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT ITEMS

This document is given out to seniors and parents at the family meeting with the college adviser in the spring of junior year or fall of senior year. If you are interested, you may also link to our position paper on ethics in the college application process. This paper is also provided to seniors and parents at the family meeting.

INTRODUCTION

College applications are an important part of the admissions process because they reflect you as a person and as a student. Indeed, unlike any other information colleges receive about you, the application comes directly from you. Standardized test scores, grades, and recommendations are all other people's comments about your performance and about you; the application can allow others to see you as you want to present yourself. The neatness, organization, and timeliness of submission of your application all contribute to the evaluation process, which centers, of course, on content. It is therefore very important that you do a first‑rate job and take the utmost care in completing each application. Do not wait until the last minute to complete your applications.

While the application process is not a difficult one, it can be confusing at times since applications vary from one college to another, and it certainly can be time‑consuming. What follows is designed to help ease your way through some of the more technical aspects of filling out an application.

Even if you are not going to fill out applications immediately, we strongly urge you to read through this material now. There are numerous things you need to do, deadlines to plan for, and people you might need to speak to long before you ever actually sit down to fill out an application.

1. The computer is the preferred means for completing applications. It may still be advisable to secure a paper application from any college willing to send you one in case you have computer problems. In all likelihood, however, you will apply electronically through the college’s own website, the Common Application website, or another college applications website (see our own page of links to such sites). You should fill in your applications online, save them, print them out for proofreading purposes, and send them electronically. Remember to keep printed copies for yourself.

Important: See Part III of this guide for how to submit transcripts and handle adviser and teacher forms.

2. If you are using a paper application, check to make sure that it is not defective and that it contains all of the appropriate material.

3. Many colleges will accept the Common Application, available online at www.commonapp.org. Pay careful attention to the fine print, however. The Common Application is a generic application. It is somewhat difficult to change the information on your application (different major, different essay) to suit different colleges. Also, be aware that many colleges will require a supplement to the Common Application, which must be completed and submitted in a manner prescribed by each school. For example, NYU requires electronic submission of the supplement when the Common Application has been submitted electronically. In all cases, be sure that the supplement to your application is done neatly on a computer rather than hand-written.

DECIDING WHEN TO APPLY

Colleges use various deadlines and terminology, and it is important to understand the terms and meet these deadlines to maximize your chances for admission. Students are permitted to apply to only one private college under an early plan. “Early Decision” is a binding commitment to enroll at a particular college if you are offered admission. If admitted under an early decision plan, you must withdraw all other applications. “Early Action” allows you to receive a decision early in the process. If admitted to a private college under an early action plan, you are expected to withdraw all other applications. Early deadlines usually are in November. Please see Ethical Issues in the Application Process (a separate document) for more information about applying early.

“Regular Decision” uses a set deadline, often January 1 or January 15, and students learn their results in March or April. “Rolling Decision” schools (such as Michigan, Pittsburgh and UMass) send decisions on a rolling basis, usually within six weeks of the college receiving a completed application.

“Priority” deadlines (such as Maryland’s) are typically in November and give students priority in the review process and the best chance for admission, though applications may be submitted later. Many state schools (such as Binghamton and Michigan) use the term Early Action to refer to their priority deadline. We urge students to meet these early deadlines when applying to state schools because late applicants may not be admitted, even with sufficiently strong academic records.

Early decision applicants may also wish to meet non-binding, early priority reading deadlines at another private school (such as Harvard or Princeton), but they may apply to only one private college under the early decision or early action plan. See your college adviser to discuss the details.

Applicants to the City University of New York (CUNY) are encouraged to apply early. CUNY uses a rolling decision model and has a limited number of spaces at each campus. Furthermore, the student portion of the application must be submitted online before the College Office can send the transcript, so a delay in applying online will mean even more of a delay before the application can be reviewed. See Section III.A. for more information about CUNY applications.

It’s never too early to start! We’ve seen too many people ruin their Thanksgiving and/or winter vacations because they left applications for the last minute. Start collecting all the information that you need now (social security number, family history, a list of extracurricular activities, etc.) and keep it on a separate sheet of paper. Start thinking about the essays that individual colleges require. Remember that fall and winter will be filled with chagim, midterms, papers, and exams, as well as applications.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Applications usually consist of a number of different forms, each of which must be at least partially filled out by you. Some of them must then be given to other people for completion. Here are instructions for completing these forms.

I. PERSONAL PART OF THE APPLICATION

Make sure that you proofread very carefully before submitting your application.

Read the instructions carefully. If you are asked to restrict yourself to a particular space or particular number of words, you should do so. If you have any questions, ask your friendly college adviser.

Keep a list handy of the standard information that almost every school requires. Take time to find the most honest, yet impressive way of listing your extracurricular activities and work, volunteer, and travel experiences.

If you are asked to list your senior courses, remember to list all of them, including Judaic and General Studies, despite the space limitations.

The personal essay is probably the most important, but not the only important, section of this part of the application. Start early!

II. COLLEGE LIST FORMS

The Ramaz College Office requires students to submit a list of the schools to which they intend to apply, signed by a parent. College List forms are available in the College Office. The list allows the advisers to accurately keep track of students’ applications and ensures that materials are processed on time. Early decision/action/priority/rolling applicants must submit the Early College List form by Tuesday, September 21, 2010. All applicants must submit the College List form for their regular decision schools (including the early schools) by November 1, 2010. While these lists may be revised if necessary, it may be difficult to ensure timely processing if colleges are added after the deadlines listed below.

The Early College List form is due to the College Office by Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

The regular College List form is due to the College Office by Monday, November 1, 2010.

III. SECONDARY SCHOOL REPORT/COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION FORM

This is a two-step process. First, students submit the Secondary School Report (SSR) form to their college advisers. Second, the college advisers complete their portion and submit the SSR to colleges with the official transcript.

Early decision/action applicants must submit the Secondary School Report for the early school by Tuesday, September 21, 2010.
All candidates must submit all other (regular decision) SSR’s by Monday, November 1, 2010.
If you are meeting non-binding, early priority deadlines, SSR’s for those schools must be submitted by Tuesday, September 21, 2010, as well.

College advisers will submit Secondary School Reports for state school applications by the early (priority) deadlines, even for those students applying early decision elsewhere. Students admitted under binding early decision plans must immediately withdraw all other applications by writing to each college. Secondary School Reports must be accompanied by the College List form.

Forms not handed in to your college adviser by the above dates may not be processed in time for your applications to be considered by the colleges.

A. For Schools that Include These Forms

Fill out the information required at the top (usually your name, address, and school). Sometimes a list of your senior courses for each trimester is requested on the form. You may print in ink if you have neat handwriting. Otherwise, type or fill in the form online and print it out.

Because we do not have a trimester system, use one column to list fall General Studies classes, one column to list fall Judaic Studies classes, and one column to list spring classes. See the example below:

Fall General Studies:	Fall Judaic Studies:	Spring semester:
Honors English	Accelerated Talmud (double class)	Honors English
Honors Calculus	Israeli Media (Hebrew)	Honors Calculus
French 4	Between the Lines (Bible)	Accelerated Talmud (double class)
Astronomy		Electives to be determined
Utopia (History)

If there is a section asking whether or not you wish to waive your right of access to the recommendation (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974), read it carefully. Ramaz School recommends, although it does not require, that all students waive their rights. If you would like more information about this issue, see your college adviser. (See also Part VIII of this guide, "The Buckley Amendment.")

Submit to your college adviser all secondary school reports and the list of colleges to which you are applying as soon as possible, but certainly by the deadlines noted above. It is preferable that you give your adviser all of the forms together. If this is not possible, then hand in as many as you can as soon as you can. Be aware that no work whatsoever will be done on your behalf until you have submitted your forms.

These forms will be completed by your adviser. Then, a transcript and school letter of recommendation will be attached and sent by Ramaz to the college.

Secondary school reports go by various names: secondary school report, school report, counselor recommendation form, or even, simply, request for transcript. If you are applying to a college with the Common Application, use the Common Application Secondary School Report. You must still submit one form for each college. Write the college’s name neatly at the top of each form.

The City University of New York (CUNY) refers to this form as a High School Transcript Request Form. Once a student has completed and submitted the CUNY application online, a link to the confirmation/summary section will appear. You must open this link and find the Transcript Request Form (which includes the Application Control Number); print and give this document to your college adviser.

Not all colleges have a secondary school report form. See the section below.

B. For Colleges That Do Not Include Separate Secondary School Reports

Some colleges may not have a separate form that your high school must complete. You must still give your adviser a written request for a transcript and list the college on your college list form by November 1.

Paper applications for state schools may still have a small section on your part of the application that must be filled in and/or signed by your college adviser. If this is the case, you must submit the entire application to your adviser together with a check and whatever other materials are required. In some cases, this includes a personal essay. Your adviser will then send in the entire application with your transcript and Ramaz letter of recommendation. The deadline for submitting these applications to your adviser is the same as that for transcript requests or secondary school reports and the list of applications.

In Summary:

By September 21, 2010, all early decision/action/priority applicants must submit the Secondary School Reports for the early school(s) and the Early College List form to the adviser.

By November 1, 2010, all applicants, early or regular, must submit the following:

All secondary school reports.

A list of all colleges to which you are applying (the College List form). This list must be signed by a parent.

For paper applications to state schools, completed applications with a check or credit card information, personal essay, and other supporting documentation.

Written requests for transcripts for all schools that do not have a Secondary School Report or do not have a college adviser's section on the application (e.g., Israeli universities and some state schools to which you have applied online).

Materials for an early applicant’s other non-binding early state school applications will be submitted so as not to jeopardize chances for admission. Materials for an early applicant’s other private colleges will be held until a decision is rendered by the early school. Early decision applicants who are accepted must withdraw all other applications by writing to each college.

In-house teacher reports are not forwarded to colleges by the College Office. You must now formally ask the same or different teachers to write directly to the colleges for you. If you haven't already done so, consult with your college adviser about whom to ask for teacher recommendations. Check your applications for instructions regarding the number of teacher recommendations required and whether the recommendations must be given to a teacher of a particular discipline (humanities, sciences, math, etc.). So long as such requirements are fulfilled, it is perfectly acceptable to ask the same teacher(s) to write to all colleges to which you apply.

Use College Office deadlines for secondary school reports as a guide. We suggest asking teachers to write recommendations for early decision/action colleges by September 21 or at least by early October. We suggest requesting regular decision teacher letters some time in October. Do not delay making this request beyond November 1.

If you are using an online application, such as the Common Application, ask the teacher if he or she prefers to submit the recommendation electronically or by paper. If the teacher wishes to use the online option, submit his or her email address, and an online invitation will be sent directly to the teacher. Be sure to list the teacher’s email early in the process.

If the teacher wishes to send a paper recommendation:

Fill out whatever information is required at the top of the form, including the waiver of rights (see Section III.A.4).
Give the form to the teacher together with a stamped envelope addressed to the college. Do not put your own return address on the envelope. Be sure to attach a note identifying you as the subject of the recommendation and stating the deadline for submission.
It is preferable to give the teacher all of the forms at the same time, though it is not absolutely necessary. However, make sure that you inform the teacher that other forms will be forthcoming. Include a list of all your schools and their deadlines in your packet of recommendation forms, as well as stamped, addressed envelopes.

Very important: Thank the teachers who write for you, preferably in writing, and remember to inform them of your college decisions.

B. For Colleges That Do Not Require Teacher Recommendations

Not all schools require teacher recommendations. Ramaz always includes the school letter of recommendation whenever a copy of your transcript is sent out. There may be times when it is to your advantage to have a teacher recommendation sent to a college, too, with the hope that the admissions officers will read it. Consult with your college adviser about the particular school involved.

If your adviser does recommend that a letter be sent, follow all of the guidelines listed in the preceding section. In the absence of a recommendation form or online submission option, ask the teacher to use Ramaz stationery. You must still provide the teacher with a stamped, addressed envelope as described above. Be sure to attach a note to the teacher identifying you as the subject of the recommendation and stating the deadline for submission.

Yes, your senior grades do count! Ramaz will automatically send midyear or seventh term grades to all colleges to which you are applying. You may disregard this form.

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VI. FINANCIAL AID FORMS

Be aware that some colleges (Brandeis and Boston University, for example) require applicants to fill out financial aid forms in order to be considered for merit awards, as well as need-based aid.

Some schools have their own financial aid form that is part of the application. If you intend to apply for financial aid, you should complete this form and submit it with your application. Do not wait to send it in until after you have been accepted. Failure to meet deadlines for financial aid applications will result in no aid for the applicant. Students applying for financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available on the Internet: www.fafsa.ed.gov. Aid applicants may also have to complete the College Scholarship Service's Profile Form (application available on the Internet at www.profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp) in addition to the FAFSA and whatever other forms the individual colleges may request. The College Office advises delaying submission of the initial Profile request until your list of schools is somewhat firm. Profile requests, however, may not be filed later than January 15.

Please note: Early decision applicants must also file early for financial aid. We recommend sending in both the application for admission and the CSS Profile at the same time. Check the college admissions office for deadlines and details.

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VII. SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS AND OTHER MATERIALS

Unfortunately, there are horror stories about college applications that were sent but never received. Therefore, we strongly advise you to take these precautions:

Photocopy every piece of paper that you send to a college or print a copy of any applications completed by computer. Save any online confirmations or emailed receipts you receive from colleges.

Find some way to insure that you know whether the colleges received all of the material that you sent them. There are a number of ways to do this: insert a self-addressed, stamped postcard in your paper application with a note asking that the card be sent back to you upon receipt of materials; send the paper application by registered mail at the post office; after allowing reasonable time for processing (about three weeks), call the admissions offices or go online to find out whether anything is missing from your file.

If something appears to be missing, or even if you receive a notice from the college stating that something is missing, investigate further, but do not panic. Be aware that colleges may take weeks to update their records.

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VIII. THE BUCKLEY AMENDMENT

The Buckley Amendment is legislation designed in part to guarantee a student the right to view any document in his or her application dossier. Many college Secondary School Reports and teacher recommendation forms include a statement that an applicant can sign to waive his or her right to view that particular document. We feel that it is important for colleges to know that the SSR and the teacher recommendation were completed with the knowledge that they would not be read by the applicant, and we therefore suggest that the Buckley Amendment waiver be signed. Students who object to signing such a waiver should speak to their college adviser.

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IX. SENDING YOUR STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS

It is the individual student's responsibility to have his or her SAT I Reasoning Test and SAT II Subject Test or ACT test results officially sent to colleges. Writing the scores on the application is not sufficient. Students must request that the College Board (SAT) or the American College Testing Program (ACT) send score reports to the colleges involved.

You can indicate the colleges to which you want all your scores sent on the application form for your last test; you can notify the College Board or ACT online.

It is imperative to save all score reports, correspondence, and acknowledgements of sent scores that you receive from SAT or ACT.

Again, Ramaz will not forward standardized test results to colleges. Only the student is authorized to release these scores.

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X. INTERVIEWS

For many colleges, interviews are an optional part of the application process. Some colleges do not offer interviews at all; others offer only informational rather than evaluative interviews. A few colleges still require interviews.

Students should not seek interviews unless conversation is a particular strong point. To learn more about the interview process at particular schools, consult your college adviser. While a few colleges offer on-campus interviews, some selective colleges offer only local alumni interviews. If a college admission or alumni representative contacts you and asks to interview you, agree, and please do all of the following:

When the individual calls, make a note of his or her full name and get his or her telephone number and email address just in case you need to reach him or her.

Most alumni interviews will take place in public places. The interviewer's office, an alumni club, or even a Starbucks are appropriate places for interviews to take place. Under no circumstances should you agree to meet any stranger at his or her apartment. Should an interviewer suggest that you come to his or her home, please let your adviser know immediately.

After the interview, write a brief thank-you note to your interviewer.

XI. SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT ITEMS

Plan ahead, start early.

Be sure to meet the internal deadlines set by the Ramaz College Office.

Strongly consider meeting early (priority) application deadlines for state schools. Discuss this plan with your adviser.

Proofread everything you submit very carefully.

Make sure your name and social security number appear on every page of your applications.

Don't forget to have your test scores sent to your colleges by the appropriate testing agency (College Board or ACT).

Ask your teachers for recommendations by our deadlines.

If you have any questions about the information contained herein, please do not hesitate to approach a friendly college adviser. We are here to help you.

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