If you missed the window to apply for a Fall Term Early College course because, well–it was summer–you are in luck! There are still a number of late start courses available Fall 2023- Late Start Online Course Options.xlsx
Don’t delay applying if you are interested–slots are filling quickly!
https://www.maine.edu/early-college/resources/explorec-portal/
See your School Counselor if you have questions.
There’s just no way around it; supporting kids applying to college is a huge aspect of what we have going on right now. So let’s dive in…
Remember, YOUR deadline to turn in your completed Red Folder materials is 10 SCHOOL DAYS prior to your submission deadline. That can sneak up on you pretty quickly, especially as we start having holidays off from school.
For those of you playing along at home, here are the dates so you can get them into your calendar or spreadsheet that you’re using to track everything (ahem, that’s a hint; if you are not yet doing this, you should start)
October 15 College Deadline: September 28 Red Folder Deadline
November 1 College Deadline: October 18 Red Folder Deadline
November 15 College Deadline: October 31 Red Folder Deadline
December 1 College Deadline: November 9 Red Folder Deadline
December 15 College Deadline: December 1 Red Folder Deadline
January 1 College Deadline: December 7 Red Folder Deadline
If you plan to apply to community college, you might be wondering about your Red Folder deadlines. The community college application process is infinitely simpler. You fill out your application online. You hit send. You request that CHILLS send a transcript to the school to which you are applying. Done!
However, you may want to apply ASAP so that you can get on the housing list. The 30% rise in Community College enrollment since April of 2022 has stretched the capacity of the entire Community College system to provide housing. This is especially true at SMCC. Unless you’re OK with commuting every day, get this taken care of ASAP. The MCCS applications are rolling; they act on them as they receive them. So in the span of a couple of weeks you’ll have an admissions decision.
If you plan to apply for scholarships, you will need to complete your Red Folder if you want your counselor to write a recommendation, but that can wait until January or so.
Remember that a deadline is a deadline is a deadline in the college world. If you submit at 12:00:01 AM the day after it’s due, you are too late. Too bad, so sad. This could cost you a spot at your heart’s desire school or some serious scholarship money, so plan ahead.
It’s hard for the list crosser-offers among us to understand those of you who rely on the rush of the last minute to do your best work; there will be a lot of nagging and hand wringing as you tick down your available time if you wait until the last minute. Maybe, just maybe, could you do it a little bit ahead of the deadline so that the adults that care about you don’t exacerbate existing medical conditions?
FAFSA “Simplification”
So, the Federal DOE decided to “simplify” the FAFSA. And it’s going great… if you consider a two month delay to be simpler than being able to rely on it being open October 1. Here’s a list of 10 Ways the FAFSA is Changing
It you want to play along while this drama unfolds before your very eyes, follow FAME Maine: FAMEmaine.com/FAFSA
If school(s) that you are applying to require the CSS Profile, that DOES open on October 1 and will be heavily weighted given that it is the only data that colleges will have to work with until the FAFSA rights itself.
And while we’re talking FAFSA… It will not ask students to indicate that they are transgender
Lists
Speaking of lists, here are some that may interest you:
Common App Schools That Don't Require Essays
Colleges With Test Blind Admissions
Keeping Track of 23-23 Application Requirements
New York Times College Access Index
And a College Kick Start Webinar (sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas)
Bowdoin Webinars
Bowdoin has a bunch of webinars coming up:
So Your Student is a High School Senior
Insight and Advice for College Application Writing
Optional Application Materials
Beyond Bowdoin: Outcomes and Pathways for Alumni
Parents’ Guide to Student Life at Bowdoin
From Jeff Selingo, author of “Who Gets In and Why”
Reshuffling the Deck of Elite Colleges
New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) Tuition Break
You know how fire departments from adjacent towns support each other in the event of a fire that exceeds one department’s ability to respond adequately? The New England states have a similar program for college majors.
If the state that you live in doesn’t have a particular major that you’re interested in and another state does, you become eligible to attend at a lesser rate (usually in between the in-state cost and the out of state cost). It’s definitely worth integrating into your research.
Fiske Guide to Colleges
Back in the day, before college information was so easily accessible online, print resources ruled. There was then, and still is, one book that stood head and shoulders above the rest, The Fiske Guide to Colleges. It is the ONLY print resource that I replenish every year because it includes relevant updates every year.
This book helps with Goldiloxin’. Just leave it out in a prominent place in your home so that it’s easily accessible. When you have 15 minutes to kill, read about a school, then put it down until the urge strikes again. Perfect bite-sized chunks of information. It’s a huge help determining which colleges you want to investigate further and those that you don’t have any interest in.
If you buy only one college search resource, this would be the one!
We have a few copies of the 2022 Fiske in the Counseling Department that are free for families that can’t otherwise afford them. Contact ellen.dowd @fivetowns.net if you would like one.
College web-cams
Do you want to see what’s happening at Bucknell at this very moment?
How about Wake Forest?
College web cams are becoming a thing. Next time you do a college visit, ask if they have one!