The Ultimate Application Checklist for College Admissions

Completing the school years and getting ready to enter the next amazing phase of your academic journey, there are various confusions and doubts that surface in the mind of high school graduates. From selecting an ideal course and university to going through the rigorous admissions process, the few months before getting into a college are incremental steps to beginning your higher education after school. This is why seeking expert guidance from admission counsellors becomes important at this stage as they can guide you throughout this process, from finding the right academic institution to getting successfully shortlisted and kickstarting your glorious college years! This blog brings you a comprehensive college application checklist and college admissions step by step process to ensure that this phase is as smoother for you as possible!

Finding the Right College/University

The prerequisite to college admissions and curating an application checklist is finding the right college for your chosen course. This is where you need to carefully research all the options you have in terms of courses and universities. The best way to navigate through this primary step of your college application and admissions is to reach out to an admissions expert and get all your queries and doubts cleared regarding your course and university preferences. Whether you are planning to study in India or abroad, an educational counsellor can guide you throughout the process, taking care of every little detail and assisting you through every intricacy. 

Our Leverage Edu admissions experts are here to hold your hand throughout this process, from finding the right course as well as college to curating the right application checklist, keeping in mind the exam preparation, admission formalities and more! Taking a student-first approach, our head coaches and mentors specialise in crafting winning Statements of Purpose (SOPs), Letters of Recommendation (LORs), getting you the right scholarship and financial aid to taking care of all the admission formalities especially the visa process if you are planning to study abroad!

Checklist

Here is a tabulated version of the checklist you must have and follow for your college admissions. 

• Create a list of colleges you can apply to and which are within the range of marks you scored
• Find the eligibility criteria for your chosen courses and colleges
• Download application forms and list down the documents and exam(s) required
• Ready all the admission documents like your Highschool transcript, admission test scores, essays, etc.
• Request your teachers for recommendation letters. 
• Fill up the application forms within time and wait for the results
• Appear for the interview if required
• Once you get the admission letter or notification, prepare for the orientation.

The checklist for college admissions has several parts to it. Mentioned below are the main essentials in the college admission checklist and who needs to submit what. 

Documents Required

Here are the major documents required for college admissions:

• Application Form: While there is a common application form for most colleges, specific colleges have their own application form. The application form asks for details which you have to provide. They are mentioned below.
• Personal Information: You will be required to provide your name, along with your email address, high school certificates, mobile number, standardized test scores, etc. 
• Essays: You will be required to write essays and submit them.
• Extracurricular Activities: Colleges and universities will require you to explain what activities you have done outside of class. You can also mention any part-time jobs you may have taken up.
• Awards: You may be asked to mention the awards and honours you received if any during your school time. 
• Application Fees: Along with submitting your college admission form, you must remember to pay your college application fees. 
• Academic recommendation: All colleges ask for a recommendation letter by teachers outlining your qualities and weaknesses. They must provide a brief insight in your academic journey in school.

College Application Form

Once you have found the right college and course, you can move towards understanding the application process and admission criteria of the same. Gather all the required documents and explore the college website where you will generally find the application form. Remember this is the first stage of the college admissions process so don’t just fill the application form right away. Go through the required documents, details you need to fulfil as well as other essentials you will be required to upload. As every college and university is conducting their admission process online, you can just visit their official website and download the application form or read the required documents, admission criteria and other details. Generally, the college application form would require you to ensure that the following details and documents are ready before you start the application process:

• Your Personal information
• Academic transcripts
• Provisional certificate issued by your school
• Application fee
• An SOP and LORs (if you are planning to study abroad)
• Exam results (course-specific entrance exams such as Engineering entrance exams (JEE MAINS, AIEEE, GRE, etc); MBA entrance exams (GMAT, GRE), undergraduate entrance exams (IPU CET, SAT, etc.)

Standardized Test Scores

Most of the colleges demand a particular aptitude test or entrance exam specified for particular courses to select the right applications and simplify the college admissions. Depending on your scope, various colleges demand certain tests to test your potential and skills. These entrance exams can vary as per the course as well as the university/college or whether you are aiming to pursue higher studies in India or abroad. The major entrance exams for undergraduate and postgraduate programs are:

• Engineering Entrance Exams: AIEEE, JEE Mains and Advanced, GATE, GRE
• Medical Entrance Exams: NEET (UG and PG), MCAT
• Architecture: NATA
• Law Entrance Exams: CLAT, AILET, LSAT, etc.
• Entrance Exams for Fashion & Design courses in India: NID Entrance exam, NIFT Entrance Exam, CEED, etc.
• Management Entrance Exams: CAT, MAT, XAT, GMAT, etc.
• Language Proficiency Tests: IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, DELE (Spanish Diploma), TestDAF, GOETHE, etc.
• Standardized Test for Undergraduate Admissions abroad: SAT, ACT
• Standardized Test for Postgraduate Admissions abroad: GMAT, GRE

If you aspire to study abroad and are preparing for standardized tests like IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, SAT, etc., Leverage Live is here to help you achieve your dream scores through the guidance of our certified exam experts, premium study materials, exclusive online live classes, and doubt clearance sessions! Sign up for a free demo session with us today!

Official High School Transcripts & Academic Documents

The transcript is proof of your education which includes the entire record of your course, all the subjects you have studied, and their scores (Marks/Grades). It is essential that you provide all the official transcripts to the college/university you want to get admission into. Along with the transcripts, universities also require applicants to submit the school provisional certificate, migration certificate, school leaving certificate, extra-curricular certificates, etc. for college admissions.

SOP & LORs

These two documents are essentially needed for higher studies abroad as well as for postgraduate admissions in India such as MBA, PhD, etc. While a Statement of Purpose (SOP) mainly familiarises the university admissions committee with the candidate’s academic profile as well as career aspirations and why they have chosen the particular university or course, a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is from academic or professional references of an applicant like a previous professor or employer who is well-versed with the person who can act as a potential mediator and suggests the organization to shortlist the candidate. Usually, many colleges demand 2-3 LORs depending on the choice of course.

Apart from these essentials, you must also explore the right scholarships offered for your course and university along with other financial aid alternatives as they also constitute a key part of the college checklist.

Thus, this wraps up the essential college admissions process and checklist! If you have also completed your senior secondary education and need expert guidance for your college admissions, our Leverage Edu experts are here to hold your hand throughout the entire procedure from selecting an ideal course and university to sorting out the admission essentials! Sign up for a free session with us today!