Apply For Financial Aid And Scholarships
If you know you’ll need some help with money in order to attend college, these months of waiting for decisions to come out are an ideal time to shift your focus from college applications to FAFSA and scholarships.
Applying for FAFSA makes you eligible to receive federal-, state-, and/or college-sponsored financial aid, including loans, grants, and work-study.
If you’re interested in winning free scholarship money, I’d advise you to do some research on any college scholarships you might be eligible for. These scholarships can be based on merit, such as your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, or financial need .
For more tips on how to find and apply for scholarships, check out our financial aid blog posts as well as our most popular scholarship and aid guides:
College Acceptance Dates 2021
We have a general understanding of when college acceptance letters arrive. But when do college decisions come out in 2021? And how do these decision dates differ depending on the college?
To answer these two questions, we put together an extensive list of popular schools and their reported or estimated college acceptance dates for 2021.
All dates below represent the last day by which you should receive an admissions decision notification thus, it’s possible you could receive a decision earlier.
All schools are listed alphabetically.
| School |
| RD: January 2, 2021 |
*Estimated Ivy Day 2021 based on the patterns of previous years. Ivy Day is always at the end of March. See our guide to Ivy Day for more info about how we came up with this date.
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How To Send High School Transcripts To A College
Whether you’re a new high school graduate or you have some college credits, you will need to send some transcripts when you apply to universities. Institutions require official transcripts, which must come directly from the school that issued the credits in the first place. So, how do you submit a transcript request and get your information in the right hands?
The answer depends on the school from which you came, the institution you want to attend and the type of application you complete. Be sure to understand the steps for submitting transcripts so you can apply with relative ease and meet all of your application deadlines.
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Write In Your Real Voice
Whether you are writing an admissions officer at Columbia University with its 3.7% acceptance rate or someone at Columbia College in South Carolina with its 97% acceptance rate, you want to come across like a nice and respectful young person. This means not addressing the admissions professional in the same manner in which you would text your best friend.
Hey Paul, I was wondering if ur engineering school lets you double major. LMK.
First names, slapped together thoughts, and text-speak are definitely on the list of things not to do. On the other hand, you also dont want to try overly hard to impress an admissions rep with your expansive vocabulary and mature style of composition that you end up sounding like a pretentious octogenarian:
It is my asservation that this correspondence will not leave you in a state of sheer lassitude
An admissions officer receiving that message might mistakenly conclude that they were somehow receiving spam email from a British officer in the Crimean War.
Aim to be a slightly-polished version of yourself. Your email should sound like it comes from a teenager who is interested in a particular university because, well, thats what it actually is!
Why Schools Do It In 2021
In part, a simple equation drives this mass marketing phenomenonmore marketing leads to more applications which leads to a lower acceptance rate which leads to an increased selectivity ranking. The rankings systems such as U.S. News did include the ratio of students admitted to applicants as part of their algorithm, however, it only counted for a minuscule 1.25% of the total rating . In 2019, U.S News actually eliminated any inclusion of acceptance rate into their formula and dropped selectivity to a mere 10% of the total score. Perhaps this will lead to slightly less post-secondary junk mail, however, the push to increase applicants is about more than just a selectivity rating in a periodicalit is also about enhancing the universitys brand in an effort to increase alumni donations, recruit top-caliber professors, and keep an institutions bond rating and perception of financial health strong.
Now, lets get to what this mail means to you. Spoiler alert: the answers are surprisingly terse.
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Scenario : Assign Recommenders Through Your School Application
In this scenario, you’re applying to school through its individual online application system. Schools in the University of Texas system, for example, use their own applications and don’t participate in the Common App.
If your college allows or requires recommendation letters, then it will have a page on which you can invite your recommenders. Typically you’ll be asked to fill in their first and last names, position , and email address.
The University of Texas application has its own “Document Upload System.” If your college doesn’t want you to send recommendation letters, like University of California schools, then you won’t find this function on your application.
Some school applications will also prompt you to respond to a question about FERPA. Generally speaking, you should go ahead and waive your right to view recommendation letters, as they’re expected to be confidential between letter writers and the admissions officers who read them.
All of the above instructions should work for the Common Application too. The only difference is that you’ll probably have to assign recommenders for more than one college.
Handwritten College Recruiting Letters Customized Graphics And Personal Contact Information
If youre receiving handwritten college recruiting letters and custom graphics, thats a clear sign you are a high-value recruit. Congratulations! By sending you personalized mail, the coach is trying to impress you and show that you are high on their list of recruits. However, this is not the time to coast! You still have to show the coach why you would be a great addition to their team.
Dear Chris,
Our staff has identified you as one of the top junior recruits this year. We enjoyed watching you compete in San Diego. With the graduation of 11 seniors from this years team, we are interested in and are in need of bright young athletes to carry on our tradition of excellence.
Please fill out the attached player profile as fully as possible. We look forward to seeing you compete again soon. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at 345-009-4545, 345-777-7777, or 544-666-7777.
Your next move: Thank the coach for their letter and/or the graphics. Ideally, respond with a handwritten letter. If the coach gave you their phone number, give them a call or text to let them know you received their message and appreciate the letter and you are very interested in their program.
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How Do I Stop Receiving Mail And Email From Colleges
If youre still in the process of deciding on the college or university that is best for you, we recommend you continue to participate in Student Search Service and only opt out from the specific colleges that youre no longer interested in. You can typically opt out or unsubscribe from future mailings at the bottom of the colleges email or on their website.
In order to make the most of the service, we recommend that you opt out only when youve chosen a college and been accepted. If youve made your decision, you can opt out at any time by visiting this page and updating your information.
How To Get These 200 Companies To Send You Free Stuff
by Lauren Bennett – Last Updated November 25, 2019
How do you get brands and companies to send you free samples and full-size products for free?
Im not talking about getting free T-shirts or a few free perfume samples from manufacturers by doing fake complaints.
Im sure youve seen people on Instagram or YouTube talking about how they get freebies from brands to review and how you can get companies to send you free stuff by mail to review.
Weve actually covered a few ways such as as well as product testing stuff for free.
But today were going to show you the simple secret to getting companies to give you totally free stuff without surveys, doing reviews or testing products.
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Surprisingly, a lot of companies out there will send you absolutely free stuff with no strings attached or participation required.
All you need to know is how to get started and which companies are willing to mail out freebies.
Below, we give you ways to get free stuff from companies.
But thats not all.
Well also give you a list of 200 companies that have been known to send out freebies.
So if youve ever wondered, where can I get free stuff? then read on!
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I Sent My Scores Last Year Do I Need To Send Them Again To The Same College
If you havent taken any AP Exams since you sent your last official AP score report, then you probably dont need to send your scores again.
You can see a history of all AP scores youve sent to colleges, universities, and scholarship programs by signing in to our score reporting system and clicking Your past score orders.
Ways You Can Get Companies To Give You Freebies
Before we get onto the list of companies, lets take a look at how to get started.
If you want free stuff, then youll need to get in touch with companies.
Some companies make it easy and have forms that are solely for requesting freebies. It may be a free sample form featured on their website.
So you fill out the form and get the freebie promised on the form simple right?
In our list, weve included such companies.
Other companies have links on their product pages that you can click to request free samples of a certain item.
Again, easy, and weve included these companies as well.
But what if your favorite brand doesnt have a sample form for you to fill out?
Does it simply mean that this brand doesnt offer free stuff?
Heck no!
Many companies dont have a specific form or page for handing out freebies many brands dont even advertise that they send out free stuff.
But tons of them do!
Just because a brand or a company doesnt advertise on its website that it gives out free stuff, it doesnt mean that it doesnt have it to offer.
You just need to contact them directly!
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Keep It About The School Not You
Some students attempt to use their email as a chance to make an elevator speech about how awesome they are. Unfortunately, this really isnt the appropriate venue in which to chronicle your accomplishments.
Youll have ample opportunity to impress the admissions office with your GPA, SAT scores, and extracurricular achievements during the application phase. When writing the admissions office, keep the focus on the school, not on yourself.
Work Outside Of School
Colleges look for students who are doing worthwhile work outside of school. For example, students who participate in community service either through their school or other organization are attractive recruits for colleges.
This is because colleges are a small community, and they believe anyone who distinguishes him or herself in the field of humanitarian efforts will be an asset to the college.
Once a student initiates contact with a college, they can expect to receive regular letters.
There are also other ways the college admission department may contact a student such as live chats, podcasts by faculty members about how the students main interest will be served in the college and through social media.
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How Do You Know If A College Coach Is Not Interested In You
Sometimes its more difficult to tell when a college coach is not interested in recruiting you, as opposed to when they are. Being direct and keeping a line of communication open will help prospects know where they stand, but college coaches arent always responsive. In this video, Gettysburg College basketball coach B.J. Dunne is back to break down how prospects can tell when coaches arent interested.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but if you havent heard anything from the coach or program, they likely dont have you on their radar or arent interested in you as a recruityet. While there are a number of ways to tell if a coach is interested in you, how do you know if a coach isnt interested?
Insider Tip: Coaches may not always have the time or budget to find and evaluate every prospect on their own. If you arent receiving the kind of communication you want from a program or coach, proactively reach out to them and show why you would be a great fit!
Keep Tabs On Your Email And Application Status
As you wait for college decisions to come out, it’s important that you routinely check your email and application status on the school’s website.
Some schools will only announce their decisions online through their application portals, some will email their decisions directly, and others will mail their decisions before sending out emails .
Even if you’re not expecting to get a college decision anytime soon, try to keep tabs on your inbox and application status. This will help ensure you’re not missing any application materials and that the college isn’t trying to contact you about any last-minute problems with your application.
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How Do I Submit Letters Of Recommendation
Hopefully, you have the perfect teachers in mind to ask for your letter of recommendation. Once you’ve asked these teachers, how do you actually get their letters to your colleges?
This guide will go over everything you need to know about submitting your recommendation letters, whether you’re using the Common Application, a customized school application, and/or Naviance. To start, what are the options for submission?
What Kinds Of Resources Do You Offer High School And Independent Counselors
Beyond the College Search, Scholarship Search, and expert articles available to you and your students on CollegeXpress, we offer numerous other resources used by college counselors across the country and around the globe! We also publish industry-leading college search resources just for counselors, including the annual . Additionally, we produce specialty magazines tailored to students higher education interests and goals.
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Why Is My Child Required To Register
By registering on our site, were able to match our student users with schools and scholarships that fit their profiles. We also reach out to our registered users via email with relevant opportunities and site updates. And, finally, only by registering are users eligible for our annual . However, registration is only required to see the full details of our school and scholarship listings you dont need to be registered to conduct college and scholarship searches or to view our and posts.
When Do College Acceptance Letters Arrive For Regular Decision For Early Decision Or Early Action
College Admissions , College Info
Applying to college is a confusing and stressful process, but waiting to hear back from the colleges you applied to can be just as anxiety-inducing. When do college acceptance letters arrive?
In this guide, we explain when to expect to receive your college decision notifications. We also give you a chart of estimated college acceptance dates for 2021 and offer helpful tips on what to do as you wait for your college acceptance letters.
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Other Universities That Give You Free Shirts
As you saw earlier in this article, many people have emailed thousands of colleges trying to get a free shirt. Usually, they only get a small percentage of responses back.
To make things easier for you, we compile of list of colleges that have been confirmed in the past to respond to t-shirt requests. That way, you dont have to waste your time contacting hundreds of colleges that wont answer back.
Some of them have free college t-shirt request form that you can fill out online to request yours. With others, you have to contact them by email or phone and ask for it.
Why Am I Getting So Many College Prospect Mailings
Youre getting so many college prospect mailings because these schools believe you are in the right demographic for their applicant pool. Everyone in the pool gets similar mailings.
The more complex answer has to do with standardized testing and the College Board.
The College Board mainly administers college entrance exams, or the PSAT and the SAT, but they also help connect universities to students and one another.
When you take the PSAT as a high school junior, you usually opt-in to something called the Student Search Service. This service from the College Board usually involves a short questionnaire asking you about yourself, which includes things like race, age, and religion.
This information simply gives the College Board, and colleges, a little bit more of a complete picture of who you are.
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