Seniors
Type of Admissions –
Rolling, Early Action, Early Decision I and II, Regular
SAT/ACT Calendar dates –
the link shows 2025 and 2026 -[Link]
If you are planning Early admission process then please have your test scores ready. UCs and
CSU in California are test blind but most private schools and OOS are looking at test scores.
School Profile
You are evaluated with regards to your school. Applications are reviewed contextually and
students are compared to others in their graduating class.
The required school report and customized school profile provide the additional information
that colleges need to accurately determine where a student stands in the context of their
academic environment. From these documents admission can gain more insight into the
curriculum available at the high school, the college-going rate, average test scores, average GPA
of the graduating class, and the student’s level of academic rigor.
These documents are shared by the student’s high school counselor.
FERPA
Shortlisting colleges – understand buyer/seller mindset - Demonstrated
interest.
[Link]
Watch for following fit depending on the child and family, each of the following can be of
different weightage depending on the child’s needs.
-Financial
-Weather/Health conditions
-Academic
-Sports
-LGBTQ
Loans- Watch the movie borrowed future.
[Link]
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Evaluation Criteria for most colleges
GPA with Rigor, SAT/ACT, Recommendations, Extracurricular with leadership, Essays.
For GPA you are first evaluated within your school, so UC’s may use the school GPA before they
recalculate the GPA using their own formula.
UCs look at 10th and 11th GPA but all other schools will look at all the grades from 9th-12 th
Following websites help you to calculate the grades.
[Link]
Course List by school - [Link]
Repeating a subject due to bad grade – there are rules around this, if you completely fail then
you are allowed to repeat but if you get a B or C or D then you cannot repeat, you need to check
this with your counselor on the guidelines depending on the school district. Both grades usually
appear on the transcript, but only the higher grade may count toward the GPA
(depending on school policy).
Recommendations –
Most Colleges need 1 mandatory recommendation from Math/Science teacher from 11th grade.
Some colleges need 2 – One from Math/Science teacher and one from humanities (English and
social science is preferred over Spanish because many kids have less depth on the second
language)
Some colleges need 3- One from Math/Science teacher and one from humanities (English and
social science is preferred over Spanish because many kids have less depth on the second
language) and one from external organization.
Counselors also may write a recommendation. Each school has different ways to handle this so
check with your school
Make connection with the teachers, teachers have limit on how many recommendations they
will give. B is not better than an A, so if your grade is B then try to pick another teacher where
you have an A.
Prepare a word document with your profile, try to help the teacher to craft a good
recommendation. Some schools give a questionnaire to fill and students have to answer them.
External Counsellors –
You only need essay counsellors if your school counsellors are good, most private schools have a
good support system of counsellors and provide 1:1 guidance depending on the needs of the
family.
Senioritis
Lower grades or missing assignments
Reduced participation in class or extracurriculars
A general lack of motivation to finish the school year strong
Juniors
Toughest high school year as this is your last chance to lock in your grades
PSAT- This is the test which helps with National Merit Scholarships
Overview- [Link]
Read the links on Left side of above page -“When to take the test”, “Unable to take the test”,
“Program Recognition”, “Types of scholarship”, “Scholarship sponsors”
SAT/ACT – Parents need to book their own seats, understand super score and see what
colleges accept it. Don’t try to do SAT and ACT as you lose the chance of super score.
SAT Superscore - [Link]
ACT Superscore FAQ and Calculator - [Link]
parents/high-school-success/testing-advice-for-the-act/[Link]
List of colleges which superscore- [Link]
choice/
Spring Break – Identifying the major, Short list the colleges, have a backup plan.
Do a Rolling school, visit the colleges
General
Align with school curriculum.
Subject Selection - This is a good website to see how different subjects align with major. You
can take regular/honors/AP courses depending on the school offerings and your capabilities
If you are charting your future pathway then this website is very useful to show major and
subject co-relation.
[Link]
Avoiding skipping levels unless your child is doing external math
Be prepared colleges may make you repeat the AP’s because sometimes their subjects have
move depth and they need that depth as a foundation for the major
Be respectful to the teachers
Attend office hours and use the free resources
Summer activities and its purpose, publishing papers vs Medium/Linked in Articles.
Number of activities -depth is important over breadth.
Your current grades decide the next set of subjects
Languages – 2yrs is minimum graduation requirement. Some colleges need 3yrs some need
4yrs, you can see this information in the CDS data of the college. Google CDS and college name
and you will see the last academic years information
Demonstrated interest /Interviews – Please look at CDS data to understand if colleges are
looking at demonstrated interest and interview feedback in the process.
Sports families – the timeline for all activities is generally 4-6 months ahead, keep marketing
yourself, D1/D2/D3 , Ask your coach to judge the student.
