WELCOME TO THE GRADE 12 PAGE!
|
Admission Anxiety and Ten Steps to Reduce It by Jeff Schiffman, Director of Admission at Tulane University. Resources will be added throughout the year. Please scroll down for important documents and reminders. |
University Application Deadlines - Fall Semester 2020
Following deadlines and activities can be found in the SFS University Application Timeline. Feel free to print it and post it on your refrigerator or home bulletin board.
27 August: Preliminary "short-list" due (add schools to "Applying List" in MaiaLearning)
28 August-18 September: Senior Check-In Meeting with your counselor- review college list, applications, essays, etc
5 September: College Essay Boot Camp (please follow the link to sign up so we know to expect you)
7 September: High School transcript verification (pick up transcript from Mrs. Koh in HS Office)
7 September: Internal deadline for Cambridge if you plan to interview in Singapore (remote interview only)
9 September: Junior Interview Survey and Parent Brag Sheet updates due
10 September: Intent Notification Form for Oxbridge/UK Medicine and US EA/ED
16 September: Oxbridge Admissions Test Registration Form due to Mrs. Chi (Forms: BMAT, MAT, TMUA, Cambridge, Oxford)
18 September: Counselors get predicted grades from teachers for UK Oxbridge/medicine applicants
22 September: SFS University Application Agreement due to your counselor (signed by parent and student)
22 September: University final short-list due (finalized “Applying List” in MaiaLearning)
21-25 September: Predicted grades meeting with counselor for students applying to Oxbridge or medicine in the UK
1 October: SFS internal deadline for:
15 October: UCAS deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, and medical, dental and veterinary science courses
19 October: SFS internal deadline for US EA/ED applications
28 October: First day you can ask your counselor to send supporting documents
October-February: US Passport holders and Permanent residents begin Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and CSS Profile. These applications are required to be considered for financial aid.
2 November: SFS internal deadline for applications due November 15
15 November: Deadline for sending your essay/personal statement to your counselor for feedback
16 November: SFS internal deadline for applications due November 30/December 1
30 November: University of California and California State University deadline
1 December: University of Texas system deadline (all documentation must physically ARRIVE by due date)
2 December: SFS internal deadline for all North American applications and all other applications with deadlines before January 15
December-April: University decision notifications
Following deadlines and activities can be found in the SFS University Application Timeline. Feel free to print it and post it on your refrigerator or home bulletin board.
27 August: Preliminary "short-list" due (add schools to "Applying List" in MaiaLearning)
28 August-18 September: Senior Check-In Meeting with your counselor- review college list, applications, essays, etc
5 September: College Essay Boot Camp (please follow the link to sign up so we know to expect you)
7 September: High School transcript verification (pick up transcript from Mrs. Koh in HS Office)
7 September: Internal deadline for Cambridge if you plan to interview in Singapore (remote interview only)
9 September: Junior Interview Survey and Parent Brag Sheet updates due
10 September: Intent Notification Form for Oxbridge/UK Medicine and US EA/ED
16 September: Oxbridge Admissions Test Registration Form due to Mrs. Chi (Forms: BMAT, MAT, TMUA, Cambridge, Oxford)
18 September: Counselors get predicted grades from teachers for UK Oxbridge/medicine applicants
22 September: SFS University Application Agreement due to your counselor (signed by parent and student)
22 September: University final short-list due (finalized “Applying List” in MaiaLearning)
21-25 September: Predicted grades meeting with counselor for students applying to Oxbridge or medicine in the UK
1 October: SFS internal deadline for:
- Oxford, Cambridge and UK medical, dental and veterinary science courses
- All other universities with deadlines between October 15-31
15 October: UCAS deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, and medical, dental and veterinary science courses
19 October: SFS internal deadline for US EA/ED applications
28 October: First day you can ask your counselor to send supporting documents
October-February: US Passport holders and Permanent residents begin Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and CSS Profile. These applications are required to be considered for financial aid.
2 November: SFS internal deadline for applications due November 15
15 November: Deadline for sending your essay/personal statement to your counselor for feedback
16 November: SFS internal deadline for applications due November 30/December 1
30 November: University of California and California State University deadline
1 December: University of Texas system deadline (all documentation must physically ARRIVE by due date)
2 December: SFS internal deadline for all North American applications and all other applications with deadlines before January 15
December-April: University decision notifications
Helpful SFS Documents & Instructions
- SFS University Application Agreement (Class of 2021)
- SFS University Application Timeline (Class of 2021)
- How to link your Common App and MaiaLearning accounts - you must link your accounts
- Information you need for the Common App
- SFS instructions for UC application (including how to report your IB courses and grades)
- What to do AFTER you pay for & submit your application - please follow these instructions
- SFS Essay Verification Form (Please make a copy of the document. This file is view-only for SFS students only.)
- Oxbridge Admissions Test Registration Forms (DUE by September 16 to Mrs. Chi):
More Helpful Resources and Links
- How to add your digital signature to the SFS Essay Verification Form
- How to make your Common Application a lot less common - a Common App guide by Collegewise
- A brief guide to using the "Additional Information Section" on the Common App - from the College Essay Guy
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Application Help - how to report your IB courses & grades into the Education Section of your application
- How to request supporting documents on the Coalition App
- IB Statistical Bulletin - shows percentage of students getting each IB scores in each subject
- Historical US Colleges Waiting List Data (2017-2019)
College Visits/Presentations
Due to travel restrictions and safety regulations caused by COVID-19, traditional campus visits by university representatives will not take place this Fall. As we receive information from universities about virtual programs, we will add the events to the University/College Virtual Visit Opportunities document. We will send an email to all 12th graders and their parents each week with updates to this document. While many of these programs are open to all students, there are some programs that only SFS students or students in Seoul/Korea can attend. Pay close attention to these programs as they are designed specifically for you. Also, if you have not already signed up to be a part of the mailing list at the universities you are interested in, now is the time to join as you will receive direct communication regarding their admission programs. You can find this link on the admission pages of university websites.
Due to travel restrictions and safety regulations caused by COVID-19, traditional campus visits by university representatives will not take place this Fall. As we receive information from universities about virtual programs, we will add the events to the University/College Virtual Visit Opportunities document. We will send an email to all 12th graders and their parents each week with updates to this document. While many of these programs are open to all students, there are some programs that only SFS students or students in Seoul/Korea can attend. Pay close attention to these programs as they are designed specifically for you. Also, if you have not already signed up to be a part of the mailing list at the universities you are interested in, now is the time to join as you will receive direct communication regarding their admission programs. You can find this link on the admission pages of university websites.
Seminar & Application Resources
- The Big Picture Presentation - August 21 (Blue/Red) and Aug 27 (Gold/Green)
- College Essay Workshop Presentation by Mr. Callaghan
- Common App Refresher - September 21, 2020 (plus information you will need for the Common App)
- University of California Application - September 25, 2020
- Dealing with Stress
Parent Presentations
- G12 Parent University Application Night - September 3, 2020
- FAFSA Information Session - October 21, 2020
SFS Student Resource Links
Please click here for the SFS student resources page. You will need to be logged into your SFS email to access the apps page.
Another resource you will most certainly need is MaiaLearning.
Please click here for the SFS student resources page. You will need to be logged into your SFS email to access the apps page.
Another resource you will most certainly need is MaiaLearning.
A note on Teacher Recommendation Letters
If you are applying to the US, then you should have asked two teachers to write for you. The only exceptions would be if you are applying to some art, drama, or music related programs in addition to other more academic programs or if you are registering for NCAA eligibility for athletics. If that is true for you, then please ask your counselor if you should request a third letter. Universities want to hear from teachers that have taught you recently (Grade 11-12) and they generally prefer letters from core teachers (e.g. math, science, social science/history, English, and/or foreign language). Sometimes (really not often) universities specify what subject teachers they want to hear from (Math/Science and Humanities at MIT for example) and then you don't really have a choice anymore. If you are applying to universities in Australia and/or UK only then you don't need to ask any teachers to write for you. If you are applying to Canada only then you can ask for one letter (some programs do require a letter). If you are applying to any university that have a specific recommendation letter format/form that they want your teacher to use then please contact your counselor and we will guide you through that process. Please contact your counselor if you are still confused about what teachers to approach with your letter request. Here is more information on how to decide on which teachers you want to ask to write for you from Vanderbilt University. Most other US universities would give you the same or similar guidelines.
If you are applying to the US, then you should have asked two teachers to write for you. The only exceptions would be if you are applying to some art, drama, or music related programs in addition to other more academic programs or if you are registering for NCAA eligibility for athletics. If that is true for you, then please ask your counselor if you should request a third letter. Universities want to hear from teachers that have taught you recently (Grade 11-12) and they generally prefer letters from core teachers (e.g. math, science, social science/history, English, and/or foreign language). Sometimes (really not often) universities specify what subject teachers they want to hear from (Math/Science and Humanities at MIT for example) and then you don't really have a choice anymore. If you are applying to universities in Australia and/or UK only then you don't need to ask any teachers to write for you. If you are applying to Canada only then you can ask for one letter (some programs do require a letter). If you are applying to any university that have a specific recommendation letter format/form that they want your teacher to use then please contact your counselor and we will guide you through that process. Please contact your counselor if you are still confused about what teachers to approach with your letter request. Here is more information on how to decide on which teachers you want to ask to write for you from Vanderbilt University. Most other US universities would give you the same or similar guidelines.