The college application season can be a stressful and overwhelming time. Here are some helpful tips to ease the process and give you some more information on financials, application windows, and resources at Enloe.

FAFSA

Complete the FAFSA form to be considered for federal aid money, grants, scholarships, and loans. The FAFSA form is required for most colleges; however, many also require the CSS Profile. The form opens on October 1 and apply early to receive the greatest chance for aid. Even if you believe you will not qualify for federal aid, complete the profile anyway.

Helpful Tips
– Ask trustworthy friends to edit your essay.
– Try not to get hooked on one school. Keep your options open.
– Apply to about 5-11 schools with a mix of reach, target, and safety.
– Create a calendar or spreadsheet of submission dates for applications.
– Follow on social media the main account and admission accounts of the colleges you are planning on applying to.
– Apply to schools where you are in the top 10-20% of applicants for the most merit scholarships.
– This is a stressful time. Don’t talk about college all the time, set boundaries with your friends, and take steps back from applications.

Free Application Week
From October 17-21 dozens of NC public colleges and universities will waive their application fees. The official list has not been posted for 2022 but the 2021 list includes: all community colleges, ECU, Meredith, UNC Greensboro, William & Peace, UNC Pembroke, Western Carolina, Shaw, Davidson, Elon, NC A&T, and dozens more. Click here for a full list of last year’s free week schools.

Should You Apply Early?

Regular Decision
– Submitted the latest of the 3 decisions and an unbinding decision. However, this decision has a lessened chance of acceptance, as it is submitted late fall/early winter.

Early Action
– A medium between the two decisions. Early action is not binding; however, it is submitted in early/mid fall and has a greater chance of acceptance than regular decision.

Early Decision
– Provides the greatest of acceptance; however, if accepted, you are binded to that school both financially and contractility. Early decision is submitted early/mid fall.

Enloe College Visits

September Visits
– Case Western
– Roanoke
– Rollins
– Dartmouth
– APP State
– USouth Carolina
– UGeorgia
– NC State
– and more

October Visits
– Davidson
– Fordham
– Boston College
– Vanderbilt
– Campbell University
– Swarthmore
– Kent State
– Boston University
– Temple U Japan
– Agnes Scott College
– Virginia U
and more

See the student services website for a full calendar.

Where to find Scholarships?
– scholarships.com
– wcpss specific scholarships linked on the Enloe Website and other Wake county High School
– cappex (scholarships linked through college board)
– US Department of Labor (federal aid)
– College/University specific merit scholarships

Best of luck to all of my fellow seniors! Remember, if you want to go to college, you will get into a college. And that is the goal, to go to college. Take a step back, take a deep breath, this dreaded season of college applications will come to an end.