Hidden details in application instructions may matter

My son is applying to Oberlin Conservatory, or at least that's the current plan. I made a binder of college application materials and dutifully printed out the four-and-a-fraction pages of Conservatory Application Instructions, in a tiny though elegant type font. Of course I meant to read every single word, but hadn't quite gotten to it.

The part that registered with me seemed pretty clear: "Applicants in jazz are required to submit a screening CD, DVD, audiotape, or videotape..." (by the Dec. 1 deadline, it indicated in several places). So plans were underway to get him together with other applicants for a rush recording session.

Then a mom whose daughter is also applying pointed out the brief, buried sentence, which we had missed: "Regional auditions do not require a screening recording." Oberlin holds a regional audition in San Francisco in January.

A good lesson in reading the fine print (in this case the entire set of instructions is in fine print).

And just now, when I called up the website again to link to it, I discovered that it had been redesigned since I printed out those pages six weeks ago, and looks much more user-friendly. So now there are two lessons: Read every word, and recheck the websites every so often.

One week to get your CSU, UC apps in!

If you have an unofficial transcript, your high school report cards or a good memory you can do your CSU application with no further fuss or muss, right now, in a few minutes.

Nov. 30 is not strictly the drop-dead deadline for all CSUs, but here's why it's important, from the CSUMentor website:

Priority filing deadline for Fall 2009 is

Nov. 30, 2008

Why is this important?

With California State budget cuts and fewer enrollment spaces available,
applications submitted by Nov. 30 will receive priority consideration.

For UC applications, be working on those personal statements.

By the way, a parent mentioned to me that her senior was working on his CSU app but was stalled for two reasons.

First, the website wouldn't accept the page on which his grades were listed, because one requirement technically was not met (the grade is being raised after he made up work). But he hadn't noticed a checkbox allowing the applicant to override and file the application anyway.

Second, he needed the family's financial information to complete the Educational Opportunity Program part of the application. But actually, the EOP is a specific program with clear-cut income caps that didn't apply to that family (maximum family income for a dependent is $42,900 for a family of four). Applicants know that other types of financial aid allow for more flexibility, and that many middle-class families are eligible, but that wasn't the case with this specific program.

So the family was able to submit the application immediately after all. Applicants are strongly urged to apply to their service-area CSU as a backup, if it's not their first choice. For residents of San Francisco and San Mateo counties, that's San Francisco State.

Two-week alert: 14 days to get UC, CSU apps in!

The deadline is Nov. 30! CSU applications are automated and easy — there's no essay needed and the only legwork is getting an informal transcript so you can plug in classes and grades in the dropdown format. Don't delay!

Application deadlines have been flexible in the past for most CSUs, but with looming budget cuts threatening to limit the number of applicants they can accept, take this one seriously.

New urgency: Get those CSU applications in

All 23 California State University campuses may have to turn away applicants for next fall after being slammed by the state's budget crisis, news reports tell us.

"Preferential admission would be given to entering freshmen within each campus' local community or "service area" as well as transfer students from nearby community colleges who have successfully completed their lower-division requirements," yesterday's Chronicle reported.

Application deadline for oversubscribed ("impacted"); campuses is Nov. 30; for the others, it's March 1. There isn't a first-come-first-served policy, but with some qualified applicants possibly subject to being waitlisted, it still seems like there might be some benefit to not getting an application in at the last minute.

The online CSU application does not require an essay or teacher recommendations, and is entirely fill-in-the-blank and check-box — it's easy. The only legwork beforehand is getting a copy of the transcript, unless you have scrupulously saved all the report cards or have a really good memory.

College admissions calendar for seniors

When I helped start this blog, I had the notion I would be describing our actual experiences as my family went through the college admission process. Of course, I kind of forgot that that would mean publicly discussing a lot of personal details about my child and our family, which doesn't work for all of us. So that concept has been truncated somewhat. There are things I wish I could share, but I just can't.

So I'll just note that Oct. 1-Nov. 30 is the magic period for applying to California State University campuses. It's Nov. 1-30 for UC's . My senior is currently applying to two CSU campuses — the ones known for the top jazz studies programs, Northridge and Long Beach. It was like pulling teeth, but we have filed those applications (go to www.csumentor.com). He is currently not planning to apply to any UC's, though there's a brief window to change his mind.

The CSU applications don't require an essay or recommendations, so the only legwork needed is acquiring a transcript so as to enter the grades accurately. In fact, there IS no place on the application to describe an extenuating or unusual circumstance. (For example, at my son's school, San Francisco School of the Arts, students are required to take 10 units — double credits — in their arts discipline every semester. On the CSU form, the school counselor told us, that means listing Band (in our case) under arts and again under electives — but this needs to be explained somehow. I called the admissions offices and faxed an explanation of that and a couple of other things.

Newsweek puts out a publication every year, "How to Get Into College." (I bought a copy at the Lucky on Sloat in San Francisco.) The 2009 version has a useful checklist: The Ultimate Planning Calendar. With full credit to the publication, I'm excerpting the October items that are still relevant, and quoting most of the November items:

October:
Check out www.commonapp.org to see which colleges accept the Common Application.

Start contacting financial aid offices and discuss aid options with your college counselor.

Many colleges use data from CSS/Financial Aid Profile to provide nonfederal financial aid. Begin applying online at https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp

Finish a draft of your essay.

Some Early Decision or Early Action deadlines were Nov. 1, so that's past, but some are Nov. 15 — heads up.

November

Time to start preparing if you're taking the Jan. 24 SAT or SAT Subject Tests. Make sure colleges will accept those scores.

Follow up with your teachers and coaches to ensure that recommendations are sent in on time.

Mail applications for colleges with "rolling" deadlines ASAP.

Continue polishing your college essay. Make sure to proofread!

For those taking SAT Subject Tests, remember that Language Tests With Listening are offered in November only.

It's not too late for campus visits. Check to see if any nearby colleges are in session.

Nov. 5: Registration deadline for Dec. 6 SAT and SAT Subject Tests.

Nov. 7: Registration deadline for Dec. 13 ACT.

Nov. 18: Late-registration deadline for Dec. 6 SAT and SAT Subject Tests.

Nov. 20: Late-registration deadline for Dec. 13 ACT.