UHS Prepares Students for Early Action Deadlines and University Preparations

Across the United States, approximately 2.3 million high school seniors apply to colleges and universities each year. With a large applicant pool cycling through applications each year, admission to prestigious universities is becoming more competitive, while the broader college market is becoming more accessible. Today, students entering their senior year may not fully understand the pressure that comes along with the challenging application process.

Here at Unionville, the college and career readiness counselor, Mrs. Anne Davis, begins scheduling small-group meetings for students midway through their junior year. The purpose of the first meeting is to introduce students to the college application process. First, students create their Common Application accounts. Then, they learn guidelines to consider when applying and different admission plans before creating an ideal college list. During the first few weeks of senior year, Mrs. Davis dives into the Common Application process. The Common Application is an online platform that allows students to apply to over 1,000 different colleges and universities within one website. Students can apply to a maximum of twenty schools through the application, but most high school seniors apply to around eight to twelve schools.

Another essential part of the college application process is senior conferences. Students are required to meet with their counselors to discuss potential schools, future plans, ask questions, and brainstorm admissions strategies.

UHS also offers a variety of college visits and a guided Financial Aid Night. First, throughout the fall, UHS hosts college visits from schools all around the country. The local admissions officer, who is the first person to read a student’s application, visits to gauge student interest and presents a preview of the school. Schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Florida State University, University of Delaware, Pennsylvania State University, University of Illinois, and many more visit Unionville each year. Senior Sunday Marcantuno shares, “College visits are very beneficial to meet the admissions officers from the schools I’ve applied to and learn more about the schools’ majors and programs!”

Additionally, at the beginning of September, UHS hosted a guided Financial Aid night for junior and senior parents, offering tutorials and advice for setting up the FAFSA and financial aid estimates. As October concludes, the majority of “Early Action” students have submitted most of their applications for October 15, November 1, and November 15 deadlines. Students from Unionville favor Early Action to hear back from schools by the middle of January and enable additional time to narrow down their college list, visit schools, and make final decisions. For now, UHS seniors are impatiently waiting to hear back from their top schools!