CAMPUS VISITS 
I have been really happy to hear how many of you are visiting campuses this summer!  As those who have done so can attest, a visit really helps you understand what a college or university is all about: the good, the bad and everything in between. Please use these next weeks to make visits. You can even tie a visit into your summer vacation. If at all possible, avoid starting your visits in the fall. Between Long Trail’s busy academic and athletic schedules, homework, theater, ACT and SAT testing, and college application deadlines that are earlier each year, beginning to look at schools in the fall will not give you the time to properly search for and apply to schools. This is the #1 piece of advice from students and parents recently completing the college process--do not put off campus visits. If you liked a college or university you saw this summer, then I recommend visiting again once classes are in session as this will give you the truest sense of a school. Seniors are allowed to miss a handful of school days to visit colleges and there will also be a long weekend in October during which you could see campuses.

WEBSITE
My website is a helpful resource. It is being enhanced and updated for 2019-2020, and I will continue to add information, articles and other websites throughout the year. I welcome contributions and suggestions.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
These letters play an important role in the application process so you should give a decent amount of thought to which teacher(s) you will ask. The teacher should, in most cases, be from one of your 11th or 12th grade core/academic classes (potential art and music majors could use their art or music teacher). Most colleges require one recommendation from a counselor (me) and one to two recommendations from an academic teacher. More is NOT better. Additional recommendations, academic or non-academic (employer, coach, clergy), should be sent only if requested.  As the director of college counseling, I will write letters for all students and can plan accordingly. Many of you made arrangements with your teachers before leaving for summer but the final deadline to make recommendation requests and submit the form to me will be August 30.  Arrangements made after this date could result in the letters not being ready by an application deadline! A form will be available in my office and on my website starting the first week of school.

RESUMES
Please send me a copy of your resume or a list of your accomplishments and participation (jobs, sports, awards). The resume helps me and other recommendation writers have a complete picture about you as an individual and as a student. The resumes should be completed by September 6.

APPLICATION DEADLINES
To give me time to compile the necessary supporting documents for an application, I must be informed of a student’s intent to submit an application at least one week in advance. The first application deadline will be November 1 followed by several more in November and December.  For applications due January 1, the deadline will be a week before the start of Holiday Vacation. Any application material requests submitted to me after this one week window cannot be guaranteed to be fulfilled in time, which could jeopardize your chances of admission. The toughest aspect to the application process is getting started. The more you do now, the less you will have to do later….when you have soccer games, homework, rehearsals, etc.

COLLEGE AND FINANCIAL AID NIGHTS
To help students get the best start to their senior year, we will hold Senior College Night on Thurs., Sept. 5 at 6:30 pm, following Back to School Night.  More details will follow as school begins.

SUMMER MEETINGS
With its slightly less hectic pace, summer has proven to be a great time to discuss college. I have met with several parents and students. I have more meetings scheduled for August but also have some openings, Monday through Friday, to sit with parents and students to review progress and strategize about upcoming steps. I have also performed mock interviews with students to help them feel more comfortable and confident in the interview process. If you would like to schedule a meeting, or even time to talk on the phone, please call me at school, on my cell at 610-955-2463, or email me at smagrath@longtrailschool.org.

TESTING
Students should plan on taking the ACT and/or SAT at least once this fall and early winter. The ACT has been offering a September test date the last few years. This early test date provides a nice opportunity to those students who did not test in the spring or those students who feel they could use a jump on their fall testing. Long Trail is not an ACT test center so the most local options tend to be Bennington, Brattleboro, Castleton, Manchester, and Granville, NY. The registration deadline is August 16 for the September 14 administration. The late deadline, with added fee, is September 1.  You can register at www.act.org

The first SAT and SAT Subject Tests will be August 24. If you have not yet registered, you still can.  The late deadline is August 13. Long Trail will be a test center for this administration and for some of the other fall dates. You can register at www.collegeboard.org.

Students applying early action or early decision have the August, September, and October test administrations as viable options.  Scores from the November dates may not arrive in time to meet some early deadlines so it is important to plan accordingly.

There are now only three colleges and universities still requiring SAT Subject tests for all applicants. There are 15-20 colleges and universities that “highly recommend” the SAT Subject tests so they could still be a factor in admissions within that small group. Please check with me before registering for those tests. There is a good chance they are no longer needed in your application process: you could save yourself time, money, and the stress of taking a test you will not need.

Similarly, and as you can read in this article , fewer colleges and universities are requiring the essay portion of the SAT or ACT. There are fewer than 20 colleges and universities (nine of those are in the University of California system) that require the essay.  As I was writing this, Brown, Duke, and University of Michigan removed the essay for admissions. Students should check if any of their universities requires this option before registering.

Students have access to online test prep through Method Test Prep, Khan Academy, and ACT Academy.  Maple Street School is also hosting a test prep class the week of August 13. The cost is $375 and you may contact Joy Stewart at 802-733-7636 to register.

Finally, keep in mind that nearly 1,000 colleges and universities no longer require standardized testing for admission. A student can apply to several excellent colleges or universities without needing these tests. Please contact me if you would like a more individualized testing plan.

COMMON APPLICATION, COALITION APPLICATION, AND ESSAYS
The Common Application  is used by over 800 public and private colleges and universities, many to which Long Trail students have historically applied. It allows you to apply electronically to those hundreds of institutions (not that you should ever, ever do that) with one central, or common, application. The 2019-2020 application became available on August 1. It was significantly redesigned recently. I recommend using the next several weeks to become familiar with the application by visiting the website. An alternative to the Common Application has emerged. Known as the Coalition Application, it debuted a few years ago but really only became a viable option last year.  There are currently over 140 colleges and universities using the Coalition App though many of these institutions are already on the Common App. It is important to note that there are two (down from three) universities who exclusively use the Coalition App:  the University of Maryland and the University of Washington. Personally, I prefer the Common App but students should decide which application platform is the best and most efficient option based on their college list. I will be happy to help determine the best strategy.

Writing samples/essays are a very important piece of the application, especially as colleges move away from requiring the essay section on the ACT and SAT. Students should anticipate writing at least one longer essay (250-650 words) and possibly some shorter ones (1-2 paragraphs). Take your time, write a couple of drafts and have your writing proofread by someone who knows you. The writing samples must be completed by October 4.  Long Trail will offer essay writing workshops in August and September but my advice is to start writing NOW!  Furthermore, at a recent conference, a dean of admission at a selective college said that students should devote a good amount of time, thought, and energy to the short answer questions in the application supplements. She said that colleges are paying a lot more attention to these shorter writing samples. You can find these essay prompts on the Common App and Coalition App websites.

HAVE FUN!
Senior year is special. I want you to have fun (but still work hard) in your final year of high school and I hope you are excited about the amazing opportunities awaiting you next fall.