Application: What are you asking me?

By Yen Linh Duong

It’s senior year, and the time to apply to your dream school is finally here.  You’ve spent the last three years building up your profile and now it’s time to make your application shine.  You hop right into business only to find yourself asking, “What do they want from me?”  Don’t worry, the PHHS Legend is here to help.  Here are some of the definitions that can help make your life a little bit easier.

CBO (Community Based Organization)
– a non-profit organization that provides free advising for students

Common App ID (CAID)
– an 8 digit number ID that colleges use to identify students and the materials they submit for admission consideration

Counselor Recommendation
– a form filled out by your counselor that provide your basic profile of academic, extracurricular and personal characteristics

Early Action (EA)
– an application process where a student may apply and receive a decision earlier than the Regular Decision notification date.  The student then has until May 1 of senior year to make a decision on the offer.

Early Decision (ED)
– an application process where a student decides on enrollment upon a certain college.  Once that college admits the student, all of the student’s other applications to other colleges will be canceled.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
– a law that provides protection for the privacy of student educational records

Final Report
– a form submitted by a counselor that provides the student’s academic work until the end of senior year

Gap year
– a period of time between high school and college when a student pauses his or her education for other means

Member Questions
– unique set of questions that a student must answer upon admission to that specific college.  This may include additional writing prompts.

Mid Year Report
– a form submitted by counselors that provides academic achievement of a student through the middle of senior year

Restrictive Early Action (REA)
– similar to Early Action, a student might submit application and receive a decision early, but the colleges are allowed to place restrictions to your other early application process

Rolling
– a decision plan that allows the student to submit an application anytime during senior year

Writing Supplement
– additional writing prompts required by colleges