Applying to college used to be easy. You submitted an application, sent in your test scores and official transcript and a decision was made.
But things have changed. These days, application requirements vary, but most schools require that you submit more than just a form. The supporting documents help the admissions committee decide if you and the school are a good fit.

Application Form
Most schools have at least two ways to complete the application form: paper or online. Some schools allow you to submit the Common Application. The Common Application is an application you complete once and submit to several schools. Information about this form is available at www.commonapp.org. The information on your form will help the committee match materials to the correct person, so make sure the information is correct. 

The forms for 2011-2012 are available August 1, 2011.  You can see a preview of the new form on the website and after July 1, 2011 an updated list of all the colleges that accept the Common Application.

High School Transcript
You must request copies of your high school transcript to be sent directly to the colleges to which you apply. If you earned college credit in high school or are applying as a transfer student, you must request transcripts from any college or university attended. The transcripts should show classes taken and grades earned. Committees will look at your overall grades and the progress you have made.

Standardized Test Score
Most colleges and universities require that you submit SAT or ACT test scores. Test scores help admissions committees measure your probable success in college. Some schools take your highest composite score, while others take the best combination of scores from different sections. Contact each school to which you are applying to see how they consider scores. It may determine whether or not you take the SAT or ACT and how many times you take the standardized test.  

Letters of Recommendation
Depending on a school’s requirements, a guidance counselor, a teacher, or another adult may write a letter or complete a form about you. Give your recommender the form or instructions well in advance of the application deadline. The letter should include your full name, in what capacity they know you, and the length of time they have known you. The person should attest to your capabilities and character.

Personal Essay
A personal essay may be the toughest and most time-consuming document to put together. It is important to find your voice because this is the chance for the committee to get to know you beyond the numbers. Read the questions carefully and follow directions. You will want to brainstorm ideas, create rough drafts, and have others read your essay. Certain characteristics are true for a number of students, so talk about what makes you special. It is not enough to just say you have lived in an interesting place or had a unique experience. You need to elaborate on what you learned or how you have changed because of this experience. Most importantly, proofread! proofread! proofread! 
If you are using the Common Application and sending the same essay to several colleges, make certain the essay is written so that it does not matter which school receives it.  The admission committee frowns upon finding a reference to wanting to attend a different school in the body of the essay (this happens a lot according to admission committee members).

Interviews
While not required by all schools, an interview can be another way for the committee to get to know you. Contact schools to find out if they offer interviews. Most interviews are done with an admission representative, and it is that person’s job to get to know you. Be prepared to answer questions about yourself. “Yes/no” answers will make the interview quite boring, so be ready to elaborate on answers and to have a real conversation with the other person. The representative may ask you if you have any questions. It is best to have a few questions prepared.
Deadlines
Make sure you meet all application deadlines. In most cases, you need to have a completed application file by the deadline, which means that all documents must be turned in by that date. Applications postmarked by the deadline may be OK, but you will want to contact a school to find out what their policy is.

Most high schools require multiple community service hours in order to graduate.  Colleges also require hours in order to apply.  How can your teen marry the two so s/he can satisfy both?

Many teens have a pet project or area of interest that they developed while in elementary or middle school and have extended that interest into high school.  If your teen does not have one, s/he must focus on finding one during high school.  Activities abound, once you determine what excites your teen, and how to take that passion and turn it into a service project.  Before beginning your project, check with your high school counselor that the project qualifies for the  graduation requirement, complete the necessary paperwork, and get started.  I have put a sample list of ideas together to help your teen.  There are endless possibilities.  Remember, be creative and have fun!!

Helping the Environment:

• Plant trees or wildflowers.
• Plant produce. Donate the harvest to a local food bank.
• Plant seeds. Sell the flowers or plants and donate the proceeds to a local organization in need.
• Pick up litter at a park.
• Put on a play at your school, a fair or festival about local environmental or human needs issues.
•Improve the school grounds.
•Develop and maintain a recycling program at school.

OLD SHOES: Put out notices and containers—and start collecting!!!

Ever thrown out a pair of worn-out athletic shoes? Did you know that IT TAKES ABOUT 1,000 YEARS for those sneakers to biodegrade? Wondering what to do with the ones you've already got? RECYCLE THEM.

 Every year, millions of pairs of athletic shoes are thrown away, not only wasting landfill space, but wasting tons of reusable material. Since 1993 Nike has been running a program called Reuse-a-Shoe. So far they've used 24 million pairs of athletic shoes to create sports surfaces. It’s part of the "Let Me Play" campaign, one of Nike’s longest-running environmental and community programs, where worn-out athletic shoes of any brand are collected, processed and recycled into material USED IN SPORT SURFACES like basketball courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds for young people around the world.

For information visit their website. To keep recycling equipment running smoothly, there are guidelines:

• Athletic shoes only (any brand)
• No shoes containing metal
• No cleats or dress shoes
• No wet or damp shoes
• Helping People in Need

•Collect food, warm clothing, toys, or personal care items for the needy. Deliver to shelters. Remember shelters are in need of supplies all year long!

•Hold a Teddy Bear and Friends (Stuffed Animals) Drive.

Donate the collected animals to a Homeless Shelter for new arrivals. Also...check with your local police station or fire station. Many are happy to take Teddy and Friends; a teddy bear can be a comfort to children in times of distress.

•Make treats for a local senior home.

Literacy Service Based ideas:
• Have kids practice reading a book and read it to a younger child who needs help learning how to read; a senior citizen who will benefit from companionship or a child in a special needs classroom in your school who is learning to read.
• Make a book on tape to contribute a local daycare center--or pediatric patients.
• Have youth read a book that will teach them how to do something to help others and then do it! Examples: building a birdhouse, making toys for animals at the animal shelter, or planting a garden).
• Read a newspaper to an elderly person who can no longer read the small print.

Adapted from Rahima Wade, service-learning instructor at the University of Iowa.

• LAMINATED BOOKMARKS for your school or hometown library

Make some pretty bookmarks; leave them in a basket on the library counter for other students to take one when they check out books. (Making Bookmarks page here...)

• Establish a PEN PAL PROJECT with senior citizens in a nursing home; children in a local hospital, or children in another country.

• Hold a USED BOOK SALE after school, or on an evening or Saturday at the school or the local library. Publicize the event to the school and local community.  Donate collected funds to a worthy cause.  

• A book drive can also be organized to collect new-- and excellent condition used books-- FOR CHILDREN WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS to many books (poverty or disaster areas in the U.S., other countries, a local Head Start or homeless shelter).

COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR ANIMALS AND ANIMAL SHELTERS

• Collect and donate items on animal organizations' wish lists: Example: Paper towels, dried dog food, milk substitute, portable cages, blankets and towels, cleansers, and food bowls.
• Raise money for homeless pets or sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife-- by collecting coins.
• Sponsor a walk-a-thon, bowl-a-thon, read-a-thon, etc. backed by pledges. Donate to local shelters or animal organizations.

Remember Service men and women ALL YEAR LONG---not just before the holidays!

There are three pages of suggestions for care packages at the adopt a platoon website.
They are listed by categories of: 
• Canned Items
• Condiments
• Ground Coffee / Tea / Hot Chocolate
• Microwavable Foods
• Powdered Drink Mix Singles
• Snacking Foods
• Items for Men
• Clothing 
• Items for Women

Many students are fearful of taking a challenging course load in ninth grade.  The rationale often used is that the student needs time to adjust to the new school and an easier course load will allow that to happen. Thinking in those terms can create long-term ramifications that can be deleterious to the student's high school career. It can also directly impact his/her college path as well.

Research shows that many middle school students don’t know what courses they need to graduate from high school, let alone be prepared for college. A college admission counselor should work with students to clearly communicate expectations about what college-prep courses they should take and, if students are not getting this support at their middle schools, a college admissions counselor should help students develop a four-year course plan that will prepare them for a four-year college.  Students also need to be explicitly taught the skills and behaviors that will help them navigate the unfamiliar and more demanding terrain of high school, including problem-solving skills, time management skills, organizational skills, self-advocacy, and understanding where and when to seek help.

Colleges look for a challenging curriculum when assessing a student's profile.  It is in the best interest of the teenager to take as many honor courses in ninth grade as he/she can handle well.  Why is this important?  By not starting out strong in ninth grade, the opportunity to excel in later grades is diminished.  The student will not be considered for AP courses in tenth grade and beyond. Not only will this hurt your teen's chances of gaining admittance into a competitive college, it could cost you money in the form of merit scholarships or additional courses in college to compete his/her academic major in four years.
However, your teenager needs to balance his/her academic rigors against overdoing it.  If his grades are poor in honors or AP classes, it is better to take the normal load and get good grades.  Not doing well in honors or AP classes will diminish his/her high school record. What to do?  Look carefully at the classes your teenager excels in throughout middle school.  If the math and science areas are strong, begin with honors classes in those areas.  If English and history are strong, take honor classes in those areas. 

When a student steps in the door of their new high school, they will have to contend with increased academic demands, as well as changes in the physical environment, the social environment and the way instruction is organized. Students will be better equipped to deal with these changes and challenges if they know ahead of time what the environment will be like and what is expected of them.