College Applications/Platforms
CSU Apply - Freshman Applicants | CSU (calstate.edu) This is a shared application for use from October 1st to November 30th of senior year to apply to any of the 23 public Cal State University campuses. It may take a student from a couple to a few hours to complete the application, and no essays are required. You will need your unofficial transcript handy for this and can get it in Infinite Campus under "Documents". Letters of recommendation from counselors and teachers will not be needed. See here: Common Questions About Applying to the CSU. Remember to input your 12th grade courses as well and "IP" for in progress now and "PL" for planned for 2nd semester. Our high school English 12th course "ERWC" is listed within the application as "CSU Expository Reading & Writing Course." Here is the CSU application guide: Freshman Application Guide 2023-2024. Here are the CSU majors and impacted ones: Undergraduate Majors Impaction Matrix 2022-23. If your family's annual income is below a certain CSU-determined threshold, you will automatically get fee waivers to apply to 4 campuses for free when you go to submit the application.
Completing the Educational Programs & Work Experience
This section is specific to freshman Fall 2023 admissions. To assist programs in evaluating the student’s admissions eligibility, the Cal State Apply application is collecting this supporting information of all freshman applicants. If you do not have additional information to provide in this section, this does not automatically make you ineligible for admission to a CSU campus. For more information, please visit the Cal State Apply Fall 2023 High School Guidance page.
Common App - Apply to college with Common App This is a shared application for use from October/November to January/February to apply multiple colleges and universities at once, mostly private and out-of-state ones. Letters of recommendation from counselors (10/17/22 request deadline) and teachers will likely be needed. Once a letter is uploaded into the platform, it will be shared with all the schools you selected, "one and done". This application differs from Coalition App in some ways and partners with more colleges and universities. Register for an account early as a junior student and take a look.
The AXS Companion is a free, open online resource designed by professional consultants to be used side-by-side with Common App as you work through your application. Each section includes explanatory videos, helpful tips, a glossary of application terms, and links to resources mentioned in the videos.
The AXS Companion is a collaborative effort of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and Oregon State University E-campus, with the goal of helping you navigate and apply to a wider selection of colleges and universities.
The 2023-24 Common App Essay Prompts Are Here
Coalition/Scoir App - Coalition for College This is a shared application for use from October/November to January/February to apply to multiple colleges and universities at once, mostly private and out-of-state ones. Letters of recommendation from counselors (10/17/22 request deadline) and teachers will likely be needed. Once a letter is uploaded into the platform, it will be shared with all the schools you selected. Register for an account early and take a look. Depending on which universities you are interested in, you may prefer the Common App or the Coalition/Scoir App. Hopefully, you won't have to use both, which can be extra work. Since Common App has all of the colleges and more that are in SCOIR, it's best to stick with Common App, which is my advice.
However, Coalition hosts many live events and provides past event recordings about college admissions that you might find informative.
CCC Apply - CCCApply.org Use this application in the late winter and early spring of senior year to apply to one of over a hundred California Community College (CCC) campuses. Letters of recommendation from counselors and teachers will not be needed. This route can be a great plan A, B or C. If you don't get into a 4-year university of your choice as a freshman applicant after you have heard back from them in February to March, CCC is a good strategic and economical back-up plan. You can begin applying to a CCC in the April/May. Be sure to watch out for a school email about Ohlone College Freshman Days when you can meet with a college counselor and have priority registration for fall courses. Also be familiar with the UC's TAG Program (Community College Transfers) and Transfers by major | UC.
If you have any questions, please stop by the SRC at school on Mon., Wed., and Thurs. from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM to see Mr. Haywad Nawabi from Ohlone College.
UC Application - UC Application This is a shared application for use from October 1st to November 30th to apply to any of the 9 public undergraduate University of California campuses. While the submission period has been expanded to two-months long, students should be aware that once the application has been submitted to a particular campus, very few things can be changed, so double check before you submit.
It may take a student several to tens of hours to complete the application, so plan ahead and manage your time well. There are 4 essays and an activities list, among other things, that are required. Letters of recommendation from counselors and teachers will not be needed. See here: Applying as a Freshman. Here is a student guide, Presenting Yourself on the UC Application. If your family's annual income is below a certain UC-determined threshold, you will automatically get to apply to 4 campuses for free when you go to submit the application.
Accuracy of Details:
•Academic History: MUST be accurately reported--all enrollment, every school/college, all courses and grades (even/especially if a course was repeated). If a student accepts an offer of admission, UC requires official academic records to verify the information reported.
•“Additional Comments” box in the Academic History section can be used to provide detailed information or explanations about specific academic issues –declining grades, course selection issues, etc.
•Examination scores: SAT/ACT results, not required for admission. Report results for AP, IB, and International exams already completed and dates for planned exams (including A-Levels).
•Activities/Awards: Applicants should not exaggerate or fabricate awards or activities because the information submitted is subject to verification. In fact, UC does verify information that students report on the application. It is critical that students do not misrepresent or falsify information, as this is a serious offense and will result in serious consequences. Honesty is the best policy.
Statement of Academic Integrity
Source for the above excerpt on Accuracy of Details from 2022 UC Counselor Conference
UC Personal Insight Question (PIQ) essay prompts for the UC application. Choose 4 out of 8 to submit with your application, and you may start writing them as soon as a rising senior in the summer: Personal insight questions | UC Admissions; new-uc-piq-worksheet-2022_freshman. Begin a draft in a GoogleDoc and save every version of it as a separate document, in case you would like to refer back and see your progress or copy and paste from older drafts. PIQs are more like interview-style questions, and direct and succinct answers are preferred by the UC.
Like the PIQs, the UC Activities List on the UC Application can also be started before the fall college admission process for seniors. Begin a draft in a GoogleDoc and include Hours Per Week/Weeks Per Year, Position and Organization Name (60 characters max with spaces), and the Description, including responsibilities, honors, and accomplishments (max. 350 characters with spaces) from any of these six categories: Award or Honors, Educational Preparation Programs, Extracurricular Activities, Other Coursework, Volunteering / Community Service, and Work Experience. Use action verbs and quantifiable data in the descriptions.
Source for the above excerpt on UC Activities List: Collegeessayguy.com
After Submitting a UC Application
After submission, applicants can log in to their UC application to pay any remaining fees due, to view and print a PDF of their application and to make updates to certain information such as their personal information. All personal information updates such as name, email or mailing address should be made online in their UC application.
Students can see when their application was forwarded to the campus. Each UC campus will download applications and import them into individual systems for review. No later than January will students receive confirmation emails from each campus sharing that their application was received and is being reviewed. NOTE: if students need to add complete SAT or ACT test scores for purposes of meeting A-G requirements, they can do so from the application status page.
Beyond personal information, applicants should be advised that very little information can be updated in the UC application after submission. Applicants are unable to update information included in the “Activities and awards” section or their Personal Insight Question responses.
Students can apply to additional campuses if they're still open. Additionally, under application status tab, California resident students are notified if they meet the Top 9% Eligibity Local Context (ELC) criteria.
Minor changes to activities, awards, volunteer work, employment or personal insight responses are unlikely to have an impact on the admission decision. However, if a student has significant updates in any of these areas, they should notify each campus directly.
Source for the above : UC.