Random Thoughts for September 2013

• Review the Top
  Ten Urban Legends about UGA Admissions, so you do not have to worry
  about the myths concerning what major you should put down, if EA is easier
  for admissions chances, etc.
• Please be patient with our office this year, as we are
  using a whole new student system (it will change Admissions, Registration,
  Student Financial Aid, Bursar’s Office, etc.) It is a big project, but we
  hope it will cause as few ripples as possible in your admissions process.
• Take your time completing the application, so you do
  not have to send us an email asking us to fix your name, your SSN, your
  address, etc. Review the application, especially the 8-10 key fields we
  list out for you at the end of the application, before hitting submit.
• Go by your favorite high school teacher’s classroom and
  tell them how much they have meant to you. It is senior year, and I don’t
  want this to slip by without you telling them.
• Review the database of the UGA Admissions
  Counselors fall travel schedule (updated each week), and send your
  counselor a quick email with suggestions on what to do/where to eat/etc.
  in your hometown. You can find the counselor for your area at https://www.admissions.uga.edu/meetthestaff.
  
• Remember that if you are applying for Early Action, the
  deadline for taking an SAT/ACT is the EA deadline of 10/15, and that you
  need to have requested the scores be sent by 10/15. Also remember that if
  you submit an ACT, we need an ACT Writing score!
• The materials deadlines are one week after the application
  deadlines, so EA materials need to be sent by October 22.
• You are responsible for your application! We have a
  number of parents who are calling us now saying “My son/daughter and
  I are completing the application…”. While your parents want to
  review the application with you, and maybe look at it before you hit
  submit, they should not be completing any part of the application. In
  addition, you need to make sure your SAT/ACT scores are sent, your
  counselor has submitted the School Evaluation (after you apply!) and
  transcript, and that you are checking the myStatus page.
• Read a book for pleasure! I know that it is senior
  year, and life is crazy, but try to read something (I am about to purchase
  the new Malcolm Gladwell book David
  and Goliath).
• If you had a conduct issue or a bad grade in high
  school, tell us about it, and how you have moved forward from it. As your
  parents would say, if you make a mistake, don’t compound it by trying to
  cover it up. The worst thing you can ever do is try to hide something, as
  we then are not sure what other issues there might be in the application.
• Senior year is important, so make sure you keep up your
  grades. Every year, we have had to rescind offers of admission due to low
  senior grades, so do not let it happen to you!
• Go out and perform a random act of kindness for a
  freshman in your high school! Remember what it felt like to be a freshman,
  and then make their day a little better. My daughter just started her freshman
  year (go OCHS!), and while she is doing great, I know it would make a
  difference in her day, so go find a freshman!
• When you are entering your self-reported grades, make
  sure you have a copy of your transcript in front of you. We want an
  accurate representation of your high school grades, and this is the best
  way (in addition to reading the instructions).
• If you make a minor mistake on a non-crucial part of
  the application (punctuation error in your activities list, wrong date for
  a test score, or forgot one senior class), do not worry. We are not that
  overzealous, and we do not review files with a red pen.
• After you submit the application, be patient. Our
  office still needs time to import your application, match up documents,
  download test scores, etc. Patience is not easy, but it is key.
• Enjoy your senior year!