WORDS OF WISDOM
Be visible in the College Office: two or three times in the junior year, once every other week in the fall of the senior year.
Read and follow the weekly email newsletters.
Save everything — if you throw it away or delete it, we can almost guarantee you will need it some time in the future. This is particularly true for papers with good grades and comments. Fill out your registration forms for SAT, ACT, and Subject Tests the same way every time — inserting a middle initial every now and then can confuse a computer and cause you grief. (Remember that you will also need a picture ID on test day.) By the same token, if you go by your middle name, be sure to be consistent in its use with all the colleges to which you apply. Milton Academy’s school code is 221430 . Put this number on every ACT/SAT/Subject Test registration. If you have a special talent — music, drama, athletics, physics, creative writing, etc. — pursue that interest with each college. This is not the time to be modest. If the admission committee doesn’t know about your talent, they can’t possibly react to it. Make appointments for interviews early. (June is a good time to make appointments, even for an October interview.) You will be given only two excused absences as your floating college days in senior fall. Plan to use late August and early September, the week before school, the floating college days, the Columbus Day long weekend, and/or the Monday after Parents’ Weekend for on-campus interviews. By mid-September some schools are booked completely for on-campus interviews. Develop a filing system for each college you are pursuing; create checklists with deadlines, things to be done, etc. Read the application requirements for each college thoroughly. Some have very specific requirements such as a required language or science Subject Test, three years of science, or a recommendation from a science or math teacher. You are responsible for knowing specific requirements. Treat each application as if that school were your first choice. Many schools are paying attention to a student’s level of interest. The colleges want to admit students who want them. A lackluster application can make a “Likely” school “Unlikely.” Meet all deadlines. In this business, deadlines are a serious matter. In fact, given the electronic jam-ups that can occur in the final hours before a deadline, we encourage you to submit applications a day or two early where possible, but never if that means the finished product appears rushed. Finally, give some serious thought about your readiness to apply to college and to go to college. If you are not ready, talk openly about that with your parents, your advisor, and one of the college counselors. Reports from students who took time off before college are extremely positive, and we would be happy to share perspectives with you.
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