College Application
College Application
| Alignment with Standards: | Essential Academic Learning Requirements Grades 9/10 Grade Level Expectations: This lesson is aligned with Writing 3.3.5, 4.1.2, and 4.2.1. Students will prepare clear and coherent writing samples that follow usage rules. They will evaluate and edit their writing and will rewrite as needed. This lesson is aligned with Writing 4.1.2 and Educational Technology 1.3.2 and 1.3.3. Students will complete an application form using established criteria. They will locate, analyze, and use information from college web sites or application sites.
Common Core State Standards Grades 11-12: This lesson is aligned with English Language Arts Language 1a and 1b and Writing 5. Students will prepare a writing sample using appropriate usage, grammar, and conventions. They will develop and strengthen their writing as needed, by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting. American School Counselor Association National Standards: This lesson is aligned with ASCA Academic B2.7 and C1.5 and with Personal & Social B1.12. Students will identify postsecondary options that are consistent with their interest, achievement, aptitude, and abilities. They will demonstrate understanding that school success is necessary for postsecondary success and will develop an action plan (in this case through an essay) to achieve their goals. 21st Century Skills:
| ||
| Materials: |
· Teacher Lesson | ·
Copies of hand outs:
College_Admissiontips Examples_College Apps RecipeforCollege_Admin._Essay Senior_Calendar-Timeline College_essay_prompts Saving_screenshots |
· Computer/Internet Access |
| Implementation: | Class Session 1:
**IMPORTANT NOTE: Nearly every college today either requires or strongly encourages students to complete an application online. This lesson includes several paper applications just to give students a sense of the type of information that will be required when they complete a real (online) application. Please show students examples of online applications so that they can get a sense of how to find an application form on a college’s web site. Because colleges do not keep their application forms live all year, it is recommended that you schedule this lesson during October, November, or December.
Class Session 2: · Ask students to share their ideas about what information they will need for an application & list on the board/poster at the front of the class. · Using your projector, show students one or two online applications so they can see how they will navigate and find an application. You may wish to use one or more of the following: o Western Washington University (http://admissions.wwu.edu/freshman/f_apply.html ) o CTC Application ( https://www.public.ctc.edu/ApplicantWebClient/Applicant/ApplWelcome.aspx ) o Common App (www.commonapp.org ) · Preview a sample application on paper. (Examples_College Apps) · Distribute the paper copies of either the Uniform Application for Washington Community and Technical Colleges or the Western Washington University application. · Point out the types of information students will be required to provide. · Ask students to work provide insights on what they notice about the applications. *You will need computers for the next part of this lesson. · Locate an online application & ask them to go to the web site of a college that interests them. · Ask them to navigate through the college’s web site to find the application form, which may be an application unique to that college or may be a link to the Common App or a statewide application form. · After each student (or group) has found an application, ask for volunteers to share: o (1) the application due date (or dates) o (2) the format for the application (individual college application, Common App, etc. o (3) the materials that must be submitted along with the application (test scores, letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc.) · Fill out as much as students can on the online application and have them follow the instructions for taking a screenshot (Saving_screenshots) of their work, pasting it in to Microsoft Word for upload to Moodle. · When students have completed their screenshot they will need to UPLOAD it with their name to the class Moodle site. Class Session 3: · Review admissions essay requirements letting students know, each college they apply to will require at least one written essay. · Distribute the Recipe for a College Admissions Essay ( RecipeforCollege_Admin._Essay) handout with examples and note that most admissions essays will be on one of three different topics: o (1) who are you o (2) why us o (3) a creative approach to a question. ** It is VERY IMPORTANT that their main goal should be to share information about themselves in a clear, engaging way. · Review successful essays examples and choose one (or more) for a full group discussion. Or you may distribute one essay each to small groups of students. · Ask students to discuss how the essay is organized and why they think it was successful. · After your review and discussion of successful essays, have students refer back to the Recipe for a College Admissions Essay ( RecipeforCollege_Admin._Essay) handout. · Provide students with the hand out (College_essay_prompts) for their assignment for writing a draft of their college admissions essay. Please write an essay of 250 – 500 words on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below, and attach it to your application before submission. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. · When students have completed their college admissions essay draft, they will need to UPLOAD it with their name to the class Moodle site. | ||
| Additional Resources: |
· College Board: www.collegeboard.org | ||