Thursday, November 29, 2012

December 1st is almost here!


Our early action deadline is approaching quickly!  Remember to submit your application as soon as possible so that you are in the first round of admission and scholarship decisions! 

A completed application includes the following pieces:
  •  application (our online application OR our paper application OR the Common Application OR the Universal Application)
  •  admissions essay
  •  student resume
  •  official high school transcript
  •  1 teacher or counselor recommendation
  •  official SAT or ACT scores
  •  TOEFL scores (required only for international students)

For transfer students with more than 30 credits:
  •  application (our online application OR our paper application OR the Common Application OR the Universal Application)
  •  admissions essay
  •  student resume
  • official college transcript
  • 1 teacher or counselor Recommendation
  • TOEFL scores (required only for international students)
When all of the pieces listed above are received in our office by December 1st, students are guaranteed an admissions decision by Christmas (and wouldn't a college acceptance be such a nice early gift??)!

There are still a few days left to get in under the deadline and we are anxious to learn even more about you!  If you have questions, need help, or just want to check in to make sure we have everything, please give us a call at 410-532-5330 or send an email to your counselor!  Ready, set, apply!!!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

SAT...More than Just a Test?

The fall season offers so many activities to which we all look forward.  Football games, pumpkin spice lattes, homecoming, SATs.  Wait…..SATs?  So maybe we aren’t exactly looking forward to that particular element of the fall, but it is important to be prepared for it and to understand what it does and does not mean.

For many, many years, students have dreaded the SAT and at some point it came to be viewed as the end all and be all of acceptance into college.  While the SAT is an important element to your college process, it is just that, ONE element.  At Notre Dame of Maryland University, your SAT scores are not the embodiment of you.  We use it as just one tool that allows us to get to know you.  You will read about and hear us discuss “minimum” and “average” scores, but please know that we look at more than just the score that is sent to us.

In the months and weeks ahead of the test (maybe even during your junior year!), be sure to take some time to prepare yourself.  Purchase an SAT prep book, use the practice tests to determine your strengths and weaknesses.  If your school offers an SAT prep class, use that as an opportunity to prepare yourself.  Learning about the kinds of questions to expect and the timing of the test will provide you with a sense of comfort and preparedness that will undoubtedly calm your nerves. 

At Notre Dame of Maryland, we suggest students take the SATs two to three times, and possibly even the ACT. In taking the test multiple times, your scores are likely to increase thus providing the best possible scores for your application.  Once we receive your scores from each test session you completed, we will work with your “super score,” which means that we will take your best math score (maybe from your second round of testing) and your best verbal score (maybe from your first round of testing) and combine those two to create your “super score” and work from there. 

During your school research, it is important to be aware of the minimum scores each institution requires for acceptance and what they indicate is the average score for their accepted students.  This information will help you to figure out your testing goals and practice needs.  It is also important for you to work closely with your admissions counselor as you go through the testing sessions.  Be sure to let her, or him, know about your current scores, your plans for future testing sessions and any issues you are encountering.

What matters the most with the SAT is that you are prepared and focused.  These qualities, along with a great night of sleep and a breakfast of champions, will help you find the success you have been working toward. 

Upcoming SAT test sessions: December 1, 2012; and January 26, 2013.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

It's That Time of Year Again!

It's that time of year again! Our admissions counselors are out on the road traveling to high schools all along the east coast and beyond, while students are working to narrow the huge list of schools they were once interested in down to the select few to which they will apply.  We know as well as you do that this time of year is as exciting as it is stressful, but it is important to stop and just enjoy the moments of your senior year of high school.  We have suggestions for you that might help you to make those big decisions, while still living in the moment of the amazing memories you will have for this year of your life.
   
1.      Research the schools you are interested in; decide what factors are most important to you in a college/university and start there.  What schools have the majors that are of the greatest interest to you?  What student life activities are important to you?  Do you want to be closer or farther away from home?  Are you looking for an urban campus, or something with a little more open space?  These are questions that will certainly help you to begin crossing off that long list of options. 

2.      With that smaller list, you are ready to begin your campus visits.  The importance of campus visits cannot be stressed enough.  It is through these visits that you will begin to determine and recognize the “perfect fit” for you.  Visiting college and university campuses is more than just walking around the campus for a little bit on your own.  They are about scheduling time with the admissions office and your personal admissions counselor, sitting in on a class or two, touring campus with a current student, even spending the night to get the true feel of residence life.  Taking the time to have a meal in the dining room and sitting down with a professor are also key elements to a meaningful campus visit. Many schools  host campus events that provide you, the prospective student, the opportunity to do all of these things; Notre Dame of Maryland University hosts several Get Acquainted Days every fall, welcoming students and opening the campus to them for the day. Click here to register for our next Get Acquainted Day on Friday, November 16th.  Through your visiting, you will begin to understand what truly matters to you and how each particular campus and school fits into those emerging values.

3.      Once you have visited the schools on your list and have maybe even paired it down a bit more, start your applications and work toward early application deadlines.  Many schools offer an early action/decision deadline of December 1st, as Notre Dame of Maryland does.  As a first year student, if you meet the December 1st deadline, you will receive your admissions decision by Christmas.  Transfer students have a priority deadline of December 15th for the spring semester and March 15th for fall semester. The earlier your application is completed, submitted, and reviewed, the earlier we can provide decisions on not only your acceptance, but about your qualifications for internal NDMU scholarships and financial aid opportunities.

     All schools have different requirements and procedures for completed applications.  At Notre Dame of Maryland, a completed application includes the following:
- application (paper, online or CommonApp)
- personal essay
- student resume 
- one letter of recommendation
- official high school transcript (not required for transfer students with over 30 credits)
- official SAT and/or ACT scores (not required for transfer students with over 30 credits)
- official college transcripts (transfer students only) 

4.      The final step in the application process begins January 1st – the day that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is made available.  With this completed document (based on your family’s tax information from the previous year), the federal government will determine what your family is able to contribute to your college education and the federal monies for which you are eligible.  Be sure to list all of the schools to which you have applied on the FAFSA so that each school is certain to receive your information and there are no delays in your financial aid decisions (Notre Dame of Maryland’s school code is 002065).  And don’t worry too much if you discover a mistake somewhere on the FAFSA, you have the ability to go back in and make changes!

The key to all of this?  One step at a time!  The admissions counselors and our entire Women’s College admissions staff is here to help you each step of the way.  Just take a minute to give us a call at 410-532-5330 or send a message to admiss@ndm.edu and we are happy to provide our guidance and insight.  Not sure who your admissions counselor is?  Take a look at our Meet Your Admission Counselor tab to meet your personal admissions counselor at Notre Dame of Maryland University.  We hope to hear from you soon and we would love to hear about your favorite memory of senior year so far!