FAQ

When do students take the SAT? Hide

Fifth formers take the SAT Reasoning Test in January; seniors, in October and again in November or December. Three sittings are generally recommended, since the three sets of scores permit a college to take the applicant's best math and best critical reading score during application review.

What should competitive applicants write for their college essay? Hide

Essays can be the most demanding element of the entire application process. An essay can often make or break an application for a student whose application is "on the bubble." The essay should be a window into the applicant’s mind and spirit.

Well-written, carefully crafted essays reveal a student’s skills, style, creativity and originality, personal outlook, and thought processes. A serious applicant will devote significant time and energy to composing a strong and effective response. As students prepare early drafts of their writing during the summer, they may email them to the College Office so that we may peruse them and recommend corrections and revision.

When should students submit applications? Hide

Seniors will submit an updated application, as well as a revised activities table and essay, to the Asheville School College Office in August. Colleges will notice your attention to detail, thoroughness, accuracy, and neatness. By the beginning of the semester, your efforts should produce documents that require only minimal revision. We urge you to request applications from colleges or download them as soon as possible (often available after mid-July). College application deadlines are serious dates. While Asheville School offers students flexibility, whenever possible, colleges and universities are not obligated to extend such a favor.

We will offer our best assistance in meeting these various deadlines, while providing our utmost care to produce error-free packages. Therefore, we require that students submit applications to us one month prior to the college deadline so that we can review the work and allow sufficient time for corrections and revisions. Students with October 15 deadlines must submit initial drafts by September 15; those for November 1, by October 1, and so on. (Application deadlines vary! Keep a checklist of your different deadlines. These dates can be found on each school’s admission web page.)

We strongly encourage students to submit all applications to us by Thanksgiving at the latest. We also advise the submission of a completed application to each college by the school’s earliest non-binding deadline. As the number of applicants at any given school increases each year, the number of spaces available decreases rapidly. The early bird gets the nod in many instances. We know that each year a few students are wait-listed or denied admission simply because the application was submitted for the final deadline and the freshman class was already full.

Does my interest in a school matter; should I tell them? Hide

More and more we are hearing from our college counterparts that a student’s interest in the school really does matter. College admission committees consider the probabilities of whether an accepted student really might enroll at their school or if their institution’s application was just one of many that the student has submitted to multiple colleges. Interest can be tracked in many ways. Your personal visits to their campus – for an interview, information session, tour, open house, athletic meeting, or overnight – are entered into their database and tracked. Colleges also keep track of electronic correspondence – has the student emailed his/her admission representative, participated in an online chat, or accessed special websites? We do not advocate making yourself a nuisance to the admission staff – that kind of “interest” can offer a negative impact (!), but you should follow up with representatives from those schools that interest you most.

If I am recruited by an athletic program, does the admission office know? Hide

As you know, NCAA guidelines dictate the rules by which coaches may recruit you. The rules differ for Division I programs versus Division III programs and so on. It is still your responsibility, however, to ensure your admission process with the institution. You want to be certain that the college's Admission Office knows of your interest in the institution and the athletic program. Don’t assume that the coaching staff is advocating for you – they may very well be, but it’s an awful chance to take with your educational prospects. Get to know your admission representative too. Make certain that he or she knows you’re in contact with the coach. When planning an official visit to the campus, plan to meet with your admission contact or participate in the college's open house programs. It is important that you declare your interest loud and clear! You may be interested in your position on the team, but it’s equally important that you voice your interest as a prospective student. Remember this is your process, not the coach’s process. Take responsibility for your admission decisions!

How do I file for financial aid? Hide

Apply for financial aid through www.fafsa.ed.gov and through www.collegeboard.com for the CSS PROFILE.

The FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is required by all schools for financial aid applications and cannot be submitted before January 1.

The CSS PROFILE form must be submitted to private colleges and may need to be submitted for the same deadline as the application for admission. Each form can be downloaded from the websites listed.

What opportunities are available for college campus visits? Hide

School-Sponsored College Tours: During fall break, an endowed trip for approximately ten students offers fourth and fifth formers an opportunity to visit selective institutions in the Northeast, Midwest, or Mid-Atlantic regions. During the first week of spring break, the College Office may sponsor (pending interest) a tour of Southeast regional colleges and universities. Open to fourth and fifth formers, the spring trip alternates between schools in North Carolina / Virginia and schools in Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Family Campus Tours: In addition to these school-sponsored trips, we encourage families to make official visits to schools which they and their son or daughter are considering. In fact, touring schools that you may not have previously considered can often heighten interest in schools with highly desirable qualities. Spring Break, Fall Weekend, and Fall Break are ideal times for visits.

Summer Vacation Tours: Many families plan college tours during summer vacation. If you travel during this time, realize that you will often be included in large tour groups, because the admission staff is slim during summer. If, however, your son or daughter becomes interested in a college during a summer visit, we urge a return visit during the school year.

How many applications should I submit? Hide

Sadly, no magical formula exists to determine the number of applications a student should submit. Generally, we encourage a student to submit five to eight, but some students have actually submitted as few as one and as many as twenty. We do not recommend either of these extremes, for submitting only one is "playing with fire" and submitting more than ten suggests that a student has not sufficiently "done his homework."

Finding the right colleges to apply to is primarily a matter of knowing oneself and researching a list of colleges thoroughly. When a student can compare his or her own profile to the Freshman Class Profile of a college, a picture emerges regarding how that student fits into the current student body. By determining whether a school is a reach, a likely, or a good bet, a student can decide how many schools in the three categories he might apply to. We think two or three in each range is a sensible plan.

It is imperative that students demonstrate their genuine interest in a school – through their essays, visits, contacts, etc. It is impossible to do this when applying to a large number of schools. Granted, it is quite easy to demonstrate sincere interest to a single school, but in case the student has not planned as carefully as he thinks he has, that single choice approach can boomerang and the student might find him or herself "homeless" when early decision letters are received.

So… what is the right number? A student can reach this decision only by studying the characteristics of a number of colleges and selecting a small handful of schools where he or she would particularly enjoy spending the next four years.

What services does the College Office provide? Hide

Certainly, we focus on seniors as they complete applications during the fall semester; however, our work begins much sooner in a student's high school career. The Office offers comprehensive programs and services. Specifically, we:

Provide individual advising throughout all phases of the college admission process.
Sponsor college tours in the fall (4th and 5th form students) and spring (pending interest, 4th and 5th form students).
Host representatives from over fifty colleges and universities each year (see College Office calendar for visit dates).
Schedule and conduct standardized testing-ERB, PSAT, SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Test, and Advanced Placement (AP) examinations.
Contract for on-campus SAT prep classes (extra fee).
Review, package, and mail all student admission and scholarship applications.
Write personal recommendations on behalf of every graduating senior.
Read and offer feedback on college essays.
Maintain a calendar of relevant events and deadlines on the school's website.
Teach the College Preview Project seminars to 5th form students, introducing students to college search, application, and selection.
Publish newsletters updating upper form parents on key trends and dates.
Sponsor parent information sessions.
Nominate students for Governors' School and key merit scholarships.

What documents will the College Office submit for applicants? Hide

When seniors submit applications to colleges and universities in the fall, we will include in each application package these additional essential elements:

Asheville School transcript indicating courses and level (R, H, AP) of each, and year-end grades as well as the student's transcript from high schools attended prior to entering Asheville School;
a complimentary copy of standardized test scores;
school report of GPA, test scores, etc, and a recommendation from the college advisor;
two recommendations from teachers, of junior or senior level courses;
the Asheville School Academic Profile and a stamped, addressed return card by which the college can verify receipt of the application.

What colleges or universities will visit Asheville School this year? Hide

More than fifty college representatives will visit our campus this fall. National and regional colleges and universities offering a range of admission selectivity meet with our students. Seniors, fifth formers and fourth formers are encouraged to meet with these admission officers, who are eager to share news about their schools. Students receive weekly emails listing the reps scheduled to visit that week. Parents may also access this list from the Asheville School website.