Senior year at LAS marks an important academic and personal transitional for all students as most prepare to attend university overseas. It is also the time for students to be asking themselves some questions as they begin to put together an initial list of schools to investigate. Four years is a long time to spend at a university and this is an important and life changing decision.

Important questions to consider include :

		Location
		The size of the school
		Preparation for a future career choice
		The cost and availability of financial aid

For most students deciding where to apply is a complicated process. The decision will be influenced heavily by number of factors over which they have no control, including grades already earned. It will also be influenced by factors which are entirely personal and it is normal to have a change of mind several times as they decide where to apply. There is no step-by-step process that will allow students to choose that one perfect university as there are many which offer a high quality education and students will need to keep an open mind as they begin their search.

When students are considering their school choices, they should divide them into three (3) categories as follows :

Match Schools				A match school is one where your academic credentials fall well within (or even exceed) the school's range for the average freshman. There are no guarantees, but it's not unreasonable to be confident that you will be accepted to your match school.
Reach Schools				A reach school is one where your academic credentials fall below the school's range for the average freshman. Reach schools are long-shots, but should still be possible.
Safety Schools				A safety school is one where your academic credentials fall above the school's range for the average freshman. You can be reasonably certain that you will be admitted to your safety schools.

Apply to a few schools from each of the above categories (many applicants apply to three of each).

Although senior year is very hectic for students, there are steps they can take to assist them: 

Step 1				Naviance Sign into Naviance and ensure that all data is current. Explore and get familiar with Naviance tools. All students must read and sign the FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) waiver.
Step 2				Resume Students need to complete their online resume found on their Naviance pages. The information from the resume will help teachers when writing letters of recommendation for the student. Also, the resume will help students highlight their academic strengths and talents.
Step 3				Email Students need to ensure that they have simple and professional email addresses to provide to universities. For example, 'lastname.firstname'..
Step 4				Student Name It is crucial that the student's name is consistent on all documents used throughout the application process including transcripts, report cards, SAT exams, financial documents etc.
Step 5				Research Universities and Create a List There is no rule that dictates how many universities you may apply to. If you are willing to pay the application fees, you can apply to dozens. However, this is a poor strategy. Take the time to research and keep your list to a manageable number of universities. Once you know what you are looking for, you can start crafting a list of universities that fits your specifications. Don't include a school on your list that you wouldn't be willing to attend. As your list takes shape, include schools that fall into one of the above defined three categories, match, reach and safety. LAS limits the number of applications to North American universities to 12.

		An Official LAS transcript.
		An LAS school profile that includes a brief summary of LAS's history, past performance, accreditation status, curriculum and a definition of purpose.
		A secondary school report and counselor's report with a letter of recommendation.
		Teachers' letters of recommendation.
		A mid-year report and updated transcript provided after the first semester grades are recorded.
		A final transcript provided after the second semester grades are recorded.
		A copy of a student's Diploma following graduation.

Teacher recommendations are a necessary part of a student's university application process. At LAS, teachers requested by students to write letters for them will need to complete two (2) forms. Universities look for specific information about a student in a teacher letter of recommendation that does not appear on the transcript or anywhere else in their application.

Students are advised to keep in mind the following when determining who would be the best choice of teacher to write a recommendation for them:

		Ask a teacher they had in their junior or senior year.
		Ask a math or science teacher if they are planning on majoring in engineering, architecture or a science strand. Business majors may also want to ask a math teacher.
		Ask a fine art teacher in their area of discipline if they are planning on majoring in music or fine arts.
		For all other majors including undecided, ask a teacher who know them well academically and who can answer the following questions : What distinguished them from other students?   What kind of a learner are they?   Did they do any special projects for a class?   Did they go above and beyond what was required of them?

Once a student has made an informed decision on which teachers they will approach for a letter of recommendation, they will need to ask the teacher in person and invite the teacher through Naviance. The teacher will send his or her recommendation and evaluation through Naviance. The student will not receive a copy of the recommendation.

Personal statements and esssays are an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to write well. In addition to the basics, including accurate spelling and grammar, prospective schools will be looking for higher-level composition skills. Most universities require at least one (1) essay or personal statement, but others may require three (3) or more.

Students should keep in mind the following suggestions:

		A student needs to be him/herself.
		A student needs to take the time to go beyond the obvious and consider what the majority of students might write and then try something a little different.
		A student needs to concentrate on topics with true significance to him/her.
		A student needs to proofread accurately and ensure that his/her writing is of a high standard with correct spelling and grammar.
		A student needs to keep his/her statement brief, concise and to the point.
		A student needs to write thoughtfully and from their heart. It will be clear whether he/she believes in what he or she are saying versus simply saying what he/she think the school wants to hear.

A well expressed and accurately completed application will communicate to an admissions office that a student's interest is genuine. The application must be in their own words and no longer than requested.

No subject is more fraught with anxiety for the high school senior than the essay on the university application. Whether it is as bizarre as the University of Chicago's "How do you feel about Wednesday?"; the University of Pennsylvania's "You have just completed your 300-page autobiography, please submit page 217."; or Tufts University's "Are We Alone?"or a more mundane question about a formative experience you've had in your life or some controversial social or political issue, students tremble at the very thought of writing the essay and being judged on it.

We wondered what tips could be offered to ease the pain. For advice, we turned to visiting blogger Jonathan Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, who previously was the senior associate director of admissions (and humanities instructor) at Stanford University. He should know; he's been on both sides of the high school/college door. Here are his 10 best tips:

		Be concise. Even though the Common Application main essay has only a suggested minimum of 250 words and no upper limit, every admissions officer has a big stack to read every day. He or she expects to spend only a couple of minutes on the essay. If you go over 700 words, you are straining their patience, which no one should want to do.
		Be honest. Don't embellish your achievements, titles and offices. It's just fine to be the copy editor of the newspaper or the treasurer of the Green Club instead of the president. Not everyone has to be the star at everything. You will feel better if you don't strain to inflate yourself.
		Be an individual. In writing the essay, ask yourself, "How can I distinguish myself from those thousands of others applying to College X whom I don't know and even the ones I do know?" It's not in your activities or interests. If you're going straight from high school to college, you're just a teenager doing teenage things. It is your mind and how it works that are distinctive. How do you think? Sure, that's hard to explain, but that's the key to the whole exercise.
		Be coherent. Obviously, you don't want to babble, but I mean write about just one subject at a time. Don't try to cover everything in an essay. Doing so can make you sound busy, but at the same time, scattered and superficial. The whole application is a series of snapshots of what you do. It is inevitably incomplete. The colleges expect this. Go along with them.
		Be accurate. I don't mean just use spell check (that goes without saying). Attend to the other mechanics of good writing, including conventional punctuation in the use of commas, semi-colons, etc. If you are writing about Dickens, don't say he wrote Wuthering Heights. If you write about Nietzsche, spell his name right.
		Be vivid. A good essay is often compared to a story: In many cases it's an anecdote of an important moment. Provide some details to help the reader see the setting. Use the names (or invent them) for the other people in the story, including your brother, teacher, or coach. This makes it all more human and humane. It also shows the reader that you are thinking about his or her appreciation of your writing, which is something you'll surely want to do.
		Be likable. Colleges see themselves as communities, where people have to get along with others, in dorms, classes, etc. Are you someone they would like to have dinner with, hang out with, have in a discussion section? Think, "How can I communicate this without just standing up and saying it, which is corny." Subtlety is good.
		Be cautious in your use of humor. You never know how someone you don't know is going to respond to you, especially if you offer something humorous. Humor is always in the eye of the beholder. Be funny only if you think you have to. Then think again.
		Be controversial (if you can). So many kids write bland essays that don't take a stand on anything. It is fine to write about politics, religion, something serious, as long as you are balanced and thoughtful. Don't pretend you have the final truth and don't just get up on your soapbox and spout off on a sensitive subject. Instead, give reasons and arguments for your view and consider other perspectives (if appropriate). Colleges are places for the discussion of ideas and admissions officers look for diversity of mind.
		Be smart. Colleges are intellectual places, a fact they almost always keep a secret when they talk about their dorms, climbing walls and how many sports you can play. It is helpful to show your intellectual vitality. What turns your mind on? This is not the same thing as declaring an intended major, what matters is why that subject interests you.