What do colleges look at when admitting students?

ACADEMICS

Colleges want to see a strong GPA. They also want to see that you are taking challenging classes (like AP or Community College classes).

While your senior year grades do not get considered (you won’t have any final grades by when you apply to colleges), colleges still want to see you taking challenging classes. Colleges can also take away your admission if you fail (D or F) any of your senior year classes.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Besides your academics, colleges want to see that you are getting involved! Join clubs, play sports, volunteer, and take part in summer programs.

Volunteer

Are there animal shelters, community centers, YMCA, clinics, after school programs, or non-profits/organizations that you can volunteer at? Reach out to them to see if they have volunteer opportunities.

Colleges like to see that you are involved in things you are passionate about. For example, if you want to be a veterinarian, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you want to go into education, volunteer with an after school program, as a tutor, or at the local YMCA/Boys & Girls Club.

You can also try to find volunteer opportunities through these websites:

teenvolunteer.org

handsonbayarea.org

justserve.org

Summer programs

Summer programs are a great opportunity to get involved. You can find summer programs that focus on leadership, preparing you for college, or area/topic that you might be interested in like coding, animation, social justice, creative writing, etc.

There are many free summer programs out there, as well as many virtual options.

Here is a list of summer programs and their application deadlines.

AWARDS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, & TALENTS

Include any awards or achievements you’ve received, academic or in a particular field like athletics, arts, music, debate, etc.

Some colleges are also interested in your special talents, skills, and interests. Here are some things you can share: Have you started your own community service projects? Do you speak or are you learning multiple languages? Do you play musical instruments? Have you dedicated yourself to researching a particular area of study?

OTHER ITEMS

Essays

Essays are a chance for you to demonstrate your writing ability, but most importantly your personality and share things about yourself that you haven't yet.

The reason you want to take part in activities you are passionate about is so you will have things to write about. Colleges want to see what excites you, what makes you unique, and what you would bring to their campus.

Letters of Recommendation

Not all colleges require letters of recommendation. But for those that do:

They want to see what people around you (teachers, coaches, mentors, etc.) have to say about your academic capabilities, social skills, and character. Make sure to develop those relationships so when the time comes, they can write outstanding letters of rec.

When exploring your college options, it is important to make sure that you apply to colleges with a good college fit. College fit means that college or university meets your academic, social, and financial needs. College fit is important because a good college fit means you are more likely to graduate.

Once you’ve identified colleges that are a good college fit, work on creating your college list (a list of schools you will be applying to). When making your college list keep in mind Reach, Target, and Safety schools.

Reach schools are schools where there is less than a 25% change that you will be accepted. This may be because the schools themselves have very low acceptance rates. For example: Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia have less than 8% acceptance rates, meaning these are incredibly hard to get into no matter how strong of a GPA you have and how involved you are. Or it can be based off the schools average GPA for admitted students compared to yours. For example: UC Berkeley’s average GPA for incoming students is around 4.15-4.30; if your GPA was a 3.85 UC Berkeley would be a reach school for you.

Target schools are schools where you have a 50% chance of being accepted. This means that your GPA and the schools average GPA for admitted students are similar. For example, if you have a 3.85 GPA San Diego State might be a good target school since their average GPA is 3.77-3.97.

Safety schools are schools where you have a 75% chance of being accepted. This means your GPA is well above the average GPA and therefore you will most likely be accepted. For example: if you have a 3.5 GPA, CSU East Bay would be a safety school since their average GPA is a 3.27.

Always make sure you have a safety school on your college list!

College tours are a great way to get a feel for the campus and see if you can envision yourself attending these colleges. Distance and cost can make it hard to tour, but luckily we live in a digital age. Here is a virtual tour resources with 100s if not 1,000s of colleges you can tour virtually: youvisit.com.

In addition, we have tour videos created by colleges below sorted by state:

ALABAMA

University of Alabama (Public)

ARIZONA

Arizona State University (Public)

CALIFORNIA

Cal Poly SLO (Public, CSU)

Occidental College (Private)

Pitzer College (Private)

UC Riverside (Public, UC)

COLORADO

University of Colorado Boulder (Public)

CONNECTICUT

University of Connecticut (Public)

DELAWARE

Delware State University (Public, HBCU)

FLORIDA

Florida Atlantic University (Public)

Florida International University (Public)

Florida Tech (Private)

Jacksonville University (Private)

Rollins College (Private)

GEORGIA

Clark Atlanta University (Private, Religious, HBCU)

Georgia Southern University (Public)

University of Georgia (Public)

ILLINOIS

DePaul College (Private, Religious)

Illinois Wesleyan University (Private)

Wheaton College (Private, Religious)

University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign (Public)

INDIANA

Hanover College (Private, Religious)

IOWA

Cornell College (Private, Religious)

KANSAS

University of Kansas (Public)

KENTUCKY

University of Kentucky (Public)

LOUISIANA

Tulane University (Private)

MARYLAND

Bowie State University (Public, HBCU)

Townson University (Public)

MASSACHUSSETTS

Amherst College (Private)

Boston College (Private, Religious)

Mt. Holyoke College (Private, Women’s College)

Williams College (Private)

MONTANA

University of Montana (Public)

MICHIGAN

Hillsdale College (Private, Religious)

Hope College (Private, Religious)

MINNESOTA

Macalester College (Private)

MISSOURI

Missouri Valley College (Private, Religious)

University of Central Missouri (Public)

NEW HAMPSHIRE

University of New Hampshire (Public)

NEW JERSEY

St. Peter’s University (Private, Religious)

NEW YORK

Columbia University (Private, Ivy League)

Cornell University (Private, Ivy League)

Queens College (Public)

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (Private)

Skidmore College (Private)

NORTH CAROLINA

Duke University (Private, Religious)

Johnson C. Smith University (Private, HBCU)

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (Public)

OHIO

Central State University (Public, HBCU)

Franciscan University of Steubenville (Private, Religious)

Oberlin College (Private)

University of Cincinnati (Public)

OKLAHOMA

University of Oklahoma (Public)

University of Tulsa (Private)

OREGON

University of Oregon (Public)

PENNSYLVANIA

Dickenson College (Private)

St. Vincent College (Private, Religious)

Temple University (Public)

Thomas Jefferson University (Private)

Ursinus College (Private)

RHODE ISLAND

Roger Williams University (Private)

University of Rhode Island (Public)

SOUTH CAROLINA

Clemson University (Public)

Coastal Carolina University (Public)

College of Charleston (Public)

Wofford College (Private)

University of South Carolina (Public)

TENNESSEE

American Baptist College (Private, HBCU)

Belmont University (Private, Religious)

TEXAS

Baylor University (Private, Religious)

Rice University (Private)

Sam Houston State University (Public)

Southern Methodist University (Private, Religious)

St. Edwards University (Private, Religious)

Tarleton State University (Public)

Texas Christian University (Private, Religious)

University of North Texas (Public)

University of Texas at Austin (Public)

UTAH

University of Utah (Public)

VERMONT

Middleburry College (Private)

VIRGINIA

Hampton University (Private, HBCU)

Virginia Union University (Private, Religious, HBCU)

WASHINGTON DC

Catholic University (Private, Religious)

If you are interested in going to college out of state, but do not want to pay the much higher out-of-state tuition. Consider going to a WUE college.

160+ colleges from 15 states and various territories participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange, which allows students from participating states (California is one of them!) to pay discounted tuition rates.

To see what colleges participate go to wiche.edu.

Find your HBCU match based on your major/ area of study

Attend the Black College Expo, next one is Feb 4, 2023! There, you can get: 1) Accepted to colleges on the Spot, 2) College Application Fees Waived, 3) Scholarships on the Spot, and 4) Informative Seminars and Workshops

Apply to 65 member HBCUs for only $20 total using The Common Black College Application.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you MUST to fill out to get financial aid to help pay for college. The colleges you apply to, use your FAFSA information to calculate how much aid (federal, state, and institutional) you qualify for in order to create your financial aid award. The FAFSA is FREE to fill out and asks for information about you and your family’s finances, including tax returns, so you’ll need your parents’ help to complete it.

Students need a social security number in order to apply to the FAFSA (if you do NOT have a social security number, look at the CADAA instead).

Colleges use the information you provided on the FAFSA to create your financial aid award letter, which typically includes grants, work study, loans, and scholarships.

Fill out the FAFSA

The CA Dream Act Application allows undocumented and/or dreamer students interested in attending eligible California colleges and universities to apply for state financial aid. Undocumented and/ Dreamer students are unable to fill out the FAFSA or apply for federal aid, but there are still many financial aid opportunities from the state government and from the colleges and universities they are applying. There are plenty of grants and scholarships out there, so fill out the application!

Information is used ONLY to determine eligibility for state financial aid.

Information is NOT shared with the federal government, and it is NOT used for immigration enforcement.

Students do NOT need to have DACA status to attend college or receive state financial aid.

Fill out the CADAA (priority state aid deadline is March 2).

Scholarships are free money you can get to help cover college related expenses. This is money that does not have to be paid back! There are millions of nationwide and local scholarship to which you can apply (if you are eligible). But keep in mind that scholarships all have different eligibility requirements, applications, and deadlines. So stay organized!

Search for scholarships for students like you (you can look for scholarships based on your race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, interests, college major, career goals, extracurricular involvement, etc.)

Here are some helpful websites that can help you find scholarships for which you many eligible: Fastweb & Cappex

You can also click here for a list of Local & Nationwide Scholarships to start you off.

NOTE: You should NEVER pay to apply for a scholarship. If you are being asked to pay then it most likely a scam!

There are colleges and universities that meet full financial need without loans. That means that they will offer students enough financial aid to cover the difference between a college's price of attendance and a family's ability to pay, without including loans! The FAFSA calculates how much parents/guardians can reasonably contribute, then the college provides the rest of the money needed to attend through grants, scholarships, and work-study (which are all types of aid that do NOT have to be paid back).

Read the article “Here's Every College That Offers 100% Financial Aid”. It lists the schools that meet full financial need without loans, as well as those that meet full financial need with loans.

Most, if not all, should provide the same opportunity to undocumented students. If you are concerned about this or want to make sure, call their financial aid office to ask or reach out to Ms. Silva and she can ask on your behalf.

For eligible California residents, the California Community Colleges Promise Grant permits enrollment fees to be waived.

Rather than charge tuition like 4-year colleges, community colleges charge an enrollment fee per unit. For example, at Contra Costa College students pay $46 per unit. Most classes are anywhere between 3-5 units. The California Promise eliminates those enrollment fees for certain community colleges.

There may also be assistance to purchase books and supplies, though those must be applied for separately. Ask the community college if they provide that assistance and how to apply.

For more information, and a list of community colleges click here.

CalKIDS, a new State of California program, automatically provides eligible, low-income public school children in grades 1-12 in California with an initial seed deposit in a college savings account.

The State of California created the program to expand access to higher education and encourage families to jump start saving for college. Money can only be withdrawn to be sent directly to a college the student will be attending.

All eligible students will have a $500 deposit in their account. Eligible students who identify as foster youth and/or homeless will receive additional $500 deposits.

To access your CalKIDS account, eligible low-income students or their parents will need to register on the online CalKIDS portal. You will require your child’s Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), which can be asked for at the school’s main office.

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An apprenticeship program trains you to become skilled in a trade or profession. Apprenticeship training typically combines classroom learning with hands-on work. Because apprenticeships are considered full-time work, you do get paid though the average starting wage for a new apprentice is $15 an hour.

Apprenticeships are common in skilled trades like carpentry, plumbing, electrical, hairstyling, hospitality, transportation, and manufacturing.

To find an apprenticeship look at Calapprenticeship.org and Apprenticeship.gov.

Vocational Training is short term, hands-on training that focuses on training you for a specific job/ trade. Jobs that may require vocational training are: HVAC, automotive repair, plumbing, culinary arts, welding, and more.

There are for-profit vocational/trade schools, but there are also many vocational training programs available at your local community college.

Check out these local community colleges and the vocational training/certificates they provide:

Contra Costa College

Laney College

College of Marin

Diablo Valley College

Merritt College

Berkeley City College