{"id":141,"date":"2023-05-08T15:44:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T15:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fusd.dev.apppresser.com\/washington\/college-admission-and-research\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T12:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T19:44:26","slug":"college-admission-and-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fremontunified.org\/washington\/students-community\/student-support\/college-and-career-resource-center\/college-admission-and-research\/","title":{"rendered":"College Admission and Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Where Do Students Begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some students ask where to begin when thinking about college. In general, do well academically<\/strong> in the classes that you are in. For intellectual curiosity, take rigorous courses<\/strong> which you can commit to and earn A’s and B’s in. Practice academic integrity and stay true to your morals and ethics. Participate in extracurricular activities that will allow you to grow personally, socially, athletically, creatively, etc. Practice leadership, teamwork, organization, communication, and time management skills, as well as perseverance, diligence, empathy, kindness, and good sleep hygiene. Be respectful in your social media posts. Try not to over-schedule both academically and in extracurricular activities, which can lead to stress and burn out. Have fun and make the most of your time in high school.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More specifically, you should have been or can be doing\u00a0some planning<\/strong>\u00a0to reach your academic goals each year in high school and\u00a0working with your school counselor<\/strong> (assigned by your last name) on the WHS Four Year Plan<\/a><\/strong> toward college admission eligibility (e.g., for the California State University and University of California systems). Here are the WHS registration materials<\/a> <\/strong>for each grade level that usually go live in February to register for classes in the next school year.<\/p>\n

Then, regularly make sure you are on track to graduate<\/strong> from Washington High School\/FUSD. Here is the link for\u00a0the\u00a0graduation requirements<\/a><\/strong>. Take part in extracurricular activities<\/strong> that are meaningful and enjoyable to you whether they be in sports, leadership, arts, community service, hobbies\/interests, academic enrichment, etc. year-round or in the summer when you have more time.<\/p>\n

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Are You Eligible to Apply to the CSU\/UC System?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are aiming to be eligible for admission to the Cal State University\u00a0or University of California\u00a0systems, you should meet\/exceed<\/strong> these\u00a0CSU requirements<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0UC\u00a0requirements<\/strong> (see\u00a0“A\u00a0to G” Course List<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0“A\u00a0to G” Requirements<\/a><\/strong>)\u00a0depending on how impacted your intended college major is. As you can see here in the UC Information Center<\/a><\/strong>, the competition is tough, especially for certain majors such as Computer Science, Engineering, Nursing, Biology, and Business Administration, so prepare a Plan A and Plan B. For many private colleges and universities, meeting the UC recommended requirements will suffice, but the more selective private schools will expect more beyond these requirements, such as additional rigorous or higher-level courses and extracurricular achievements.<\/p>\n

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Click here for the school’s general fall<\/strong>\u00a0Career, College & Counseling Presentation<\/a><\/strong>. This presentation is beneficial to students in all high school grade levels.<\/p>\n

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Click here for the Junior students’ spring<\/strong>\u00a0College & Career Presentation<\/a><\/strong>, which has a lot of useful content and resources, so be sure to sort through it all. This can be beneficial for sophomore and freshman students to review as well.<\/p>\n

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Click here for the Senior students’ fall<\/strong> Private College Application Presentation<\/a><\/strong>, which addresses questions about private colleges, letters of recommendation from a teacher and\/or a counselor, deadlines, applications, and admissions. It can be beneficial for junior and sophomore students to review as well.<\/p>\n

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QuestBridge<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a powerful platform that connects the nation’s brightest students from low-income backgrounds with leading institutions of higher education and further opportunities. By facilitating these exchanges, QuestBridge aims to increase the percentage of talented low-income students attending the nation’s best universities and the ranks of national leadership itself.<\/p>\n

Are you a low-income high school senior who has excelled academically, but feels that the nation’s best colleges are financially out of reach?\u00a0<\/strong>The QuestBridge National College Match can be your pathway to a top college. Through this college and scholarship application process, you can apply for free to\u00a0the nation’s best colleges<\/a>\u00a0and be considered for early admission and a full four-year scholarship. See\u00a0Quest Bridge College Match<\/a> to learn more. For financial qualifications and eligibility questions, see here:\u00a0Who should apply<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Do You Need Standardized Test Scores?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It depends on the college and your interested major, but they are not needed for the California Community Colleges (CCC’s) nor California public universities. See admissions testing guidance here related to the SAT or ACT<\/strong> for the\u00a0CSU testing requirements<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<\/strong>UC testing requirements<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a rising senior student based on your planned major or program of study, the colleges you will apply to, and you have decided to take the standardized tests, it might be a good idea to take the SAT and ACT test at least once each and see which exam you will score better at, since colleges are indifferent to either test.<\/p>\n

Ideal exam dates are in July (ACT), August (SAT), September (ACT) and October (ACT\/SAT) of your senior year, so you will have the summer free to study and before senior year courses\/classes ramp up.<\/p>\n

Due to limited available test centers in Northern California, additional ideal test dates can be November (SAT), December (ACT\/SAT), February (ACT), March (SAT) and April (ACT) of your junior year, especially if you are in the double-accelerated math track and\/or in AP Calculus by then.<\/p>\n

There are many helpful and free resources to prepare with from the College Board, Khan Academy, YouTube, past exams, etc. Mainly, understand the format of the exam, manage your time well on each question and in each section, and take the practice exam multiple times in simulated test environment.<\/p>\n

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Q&As<\/strong> between a WHS sophomore and the College\/Career Specialist:<\/p>\n

1. Is taking the SAT a good idea since most colleges don’t require it currently, or does it come down to a personal decision?<\/p>\n

Generally, it’s a good idea at least once, but it depends on your personal situation. Public colleges and universities such as the CCC, UC and CSU systems in CA do not<\/strong> require it any longer. If you plan to apply to some out of state or private universities, then taking either the SAT or ACT at least once might be helpful, especially if you are a good test taker, in accelerated math classes<\/strong>, and don’t have to invest a lot of time or money to prepare for the exam. Consider taking the test in case you might need the score for your major, to join college athletic teams, or to appeal your college rejection later. Some colleges have returned to requiring the test scores, so take a look on the colleges’ websites and in CommonApp.org<\/strong><\/a>. Some colleges will allow the option of using the score for math or English course placement once you have enrolled there.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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2. If I were to take the SAT for the first time during my junior year, when should I sign up for it? And when will the test be taken?<\/p>\n

For students who want to do well on the NMSQT(PSAT) given at their school site in October of junior year<\/strong> so that they can qualify for the distinction as a NMS semifinalist or finalist as well as for the $2500 scholarship, they will start preparing for it the summer before junior year. It makes sense if you are in the double-accelerated math track. Otherwise, you will have to learn many new math concepts just for the exam, but some students can do it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Generally, preparing for the actual SAT or ACT exam in your junior or senior year<\/strong> is fine and before November of senior year, if you are not applying early action (EA) or early decision (ED) to a private university which would need scores earlier on the college application.<\/em><\/p>\n

Any SAT exam offered at our school site (usually in early October) you will hear about from school officials, and you will have to register in a Google form a few weeks in advance. You will also find the information on the FUSD website here: \u00a0FUSD testing info and registration link.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Otherwise, offsite SAT exams located at test centers across the state and country are found here, and the deadlines to register are also here: satsuite.collegeboard.org\/sat\/test-center-search<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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3. Is it possible to retake the SAT? If so how many times?<\/p>\n

Yes. Usually, it’s best not to take it more than 3 times.<\/em><\/p>\n

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4. Do you happen to know where the location of the SAT test will be held? And if so, what time?<\/p>\n

Yes. They are listed here on College Board: satsuite.collegeboard.org\/sat\/test-center-search<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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5. Since many\u00a0colleges don’t require SAT scores on the application, will that rule of not requiring to have SAT scores change instantly or will students be notified a year before the changes are made?<\/p>\n

Colleges will give some advance notice. Depending on the college, they may give a couple of school years or less of advance notice. It’s best to check their website frequently which will have the most up to date testing requirements for their freshman applicants. You can also check in CommonApp.org<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in the application season you are applying.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Permission to publish the questions was given by the student.)<\/p>\n

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Where Do I Find Data on Colleges?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Furthermore, based on the colleges and universities that you have heard of and\u00a0are interested in, use their websites<\/strong>\u00a0(especially for curriculum, program, major and course information) and these\u00a0databases<\/strong> below to do more research, and visit the schools\u00a0virtually or in-person, if possible.<\/p>\n

College Navigator – National Center for Education Statistics<\/a><\/p>\n

College Scorecard (ed.gov)<\/a><\/p>\n

CaliforniaColleges.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

CollegeData<\/a><\/p>\n

CollegeResults<\/a><\/p>\n

BigFuture | College Board<\/a><\/p>\n

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Virtual College Tours and Free Classes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The College Tour<\/a><\/p>\n

The College Tour – Free Classes<\/a><\/p>\n

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More Data in the Common Data Set<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colleges and universities all over the country produce their own\u00a0Common Data Set<\/strong> (CDS) every year. The CDS is a uniform document about 30 pages long and a tool for you to find statistics about specific colleges and universities. Just Google the term and the name of the school for the following data below. Here is an example for UC San Diego 2023-24<\/a>.<\/p>\n