Main Deadlines:

Early Action Application (Offered by some schools but not all): Nov 1 Regular Decision Application: Varies among schools but generally the first week of January

Early Decision Application is generally due around Nov 1. The difference between Early Action (EA) and Early Decision is that ED is binding. You may only apply ED to one school, and if you are accepted, you are contractually obligated to attend, and you must withdraw all of your other applications. The positive side is that ED applicants have significantly higher acceptance rates, as you are showing the school that you are very committed. Additionally, you will often receive your decision before Christmas of 6th year, which takes away a lot of stress before the mocks. It is a good idea to consider ED if you have one dream school that you want to attend above all others, but make sure you are prepared to accept the offer. 

Applications

The very first thing you can (and should) do is create your common application account. You can do this at any time. It allows you to apply to almost any school using the same application. https://www.commonapp.org/. 

Many schools also offer the Coalition Application, which targets more underrepresented students although it may be used by anyone. https://applyweb.collegenet.com/account/new/create?origin=https://www.mycoalition.org/gk

For schools that do not offer either the Common Application or Coalition Application, you will need to complete a school-specific application, which will be available on the school’s website. 

What is on the common application?

In addition to all of the information about yourself (Name, DOB, address(s), etc.) you will need to provide information about your family, education, extracurricular activities, and more. Don’t underestimate the amount of time it takes to fill everything in, but it is an easy thing to slowly chip away at if you get started early. 

What do I need for the common application?

In addition to filling in the information, you will need to provide a counsellor reference and grade transcripts. Most schools require at least one additional teacher reference. 

Grade Transcripts:

This is a central part of the evaluation of your application, so it is important to make sure that your transcripts are accurate. You will need to talk to your school guidance counsellor about writing up your grades in a way that makes sense for the US system. The Irish grading system is generally more strict than the American system, so it is important to make sure you have noted that or equated the grades in your transcript. Your Junior Cert results and 5th-year grades will form the main part of your transcript, however, some schools will request grades from TY. In this case, it is important to make sure your counsellor includes a note explaining that TY is not an academic year and that that transcript should be given less weight.

Recommendations:

If you are applying for Early Action, your recommendations need to be submitted before November 1st. It is a good idea to talk to the teachers you think would be able to write a good reference as early as possible, to give them as much time as you can to write the reference. At the very least, you should give your teachers 3 weeks to complete your references. Your guidance counsellor will need to submit a written reference as well, and if possible you should give your counsellor even more time as they are also responsible for your transcripts. It is polite to ask your teachers and counsellor in person if you can, although you can write them a formal email if necessary.

How do the teachers submit the reference?

You are able to “invite” recommenders to your common application, and the teachers then receive an email with the form for reference. The teachers will submit their references directly through the common application, so you will not see them. It is important to respect the confidentiality of the references and you should not ask your teachers if you can see them.

Once the teachers submit the reference to the common application, you can submit it to as many schools as you need from there. The teacher will not have to submit it to each school individually. 

Many schools also provide an opportunity to submit references from music teachers, coaches, extracurricular directors, etc. in addition to the academic teacher references. 

This is a very comprehensive guide you can send to your teachers and counsellor: https://www.commonapp.org/counselors-and-recommenders/recommender-guide

Standardised Testing 

For the 2020, 2021, and 2022 applications, the large majority of schools were test optional due to covid, although many are considering leaving this policy in place permanently. Many schools will continue to allow students to apply without standardised tests for 2023 and possibly 2024, but it is worth checking for each school individually. If you decide to take either the SAT or ACT, you will need to locate a test centre and date as early as possible. You may take the exam in the last term of 5th year or the first term of 6th year. You will often be able to submit test scores to your Early Action applications after you have submitted the common application, so you may take the exam in November or December of 6th year if you have to. You may take these exams multiple times, and submit your best score. There are currently no open SAT centres in the Republic of Ireland, so you will need to travel to Belfast to complete the test. However, tests were available in St. Andrew’s College prior to covid, so it is possible they may reopen this year. There is an ACT test centre in The Exam Centre in Dublin City Centre.

Writing

For both the Common and Coalition application, you will need to submit a personal essay, of approximately 650 words. This is required by almost every school. The prompts are very broad, and both applications include the prompt, “write an essay on a topic of your choice.” You can find many examples and resources online for how to write a good essay.

Many schools will require additional ‘supplemental’ essays. These can range from just 50 words to over 1000. Depending on how many schools you are applying to (the Common App supports up to twenty) the supplemental essays can often be the most time-consuming part of the process. Get started on this as early as possible if you can; it is good to give yourself a good few months to get them all done, as it can be a very exhausting process. There will often be overlap between the essays, so it is a good idea to make a list of all of the essays you have to write and start by planning out topics such as influential experiences, extracurriculars, etc. that you can use in multiple essays. Being an international student makes you unique, so it is a good idea to include this somewhere in your application if you can. 

Financial Aid

There are two types of financial aid: need-based and merit-based aid.

In order to apply for need-based financial aid, you will need to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and a CSS profile form. These would generally be completed by your parents/guardian. The final deadline for the FAFSA is not until June, and the deadline for the CSS profile varies between schools. However, many schools ask for these earlier as they use them for school-specific scholarships. It is a good idea to have them filled out by January if possible: make sure to check the deadline for each school! However, don’t panic if you miss a deadline, the admissions officers are generally very accommodating for the financial aid forms. Also, even if you don’t think you are eligible for need-based aid, make sure to submit the forms, as they are sometimes used for merit-based aid, and you may be surprised with need-based aid you did not expect.

Many schools will consider all applicants automatically for merit-based aid, however, some scholarships require a separate application. Make sure to check the deadlines for these. They can occur throughout the academic year, however, it is uncommon that there will be any scholarship deadlines before the EA deadline (Nov 1st). Larger scholarships like Trustee or Presidential scholarships often have deadlines in November or December.

Most of the Ivy League schools do not offer merit-based aid, only need-based aid. 

How many schools should I apply to?

There is no limit to the number of schools you can apply to. The common application supports twenty, and there is no limit on the coalition application. However, most students apply to around 5-8 colleges. The main downside of applying to too many schools is that it is significantly more work. Many schools can require multiple supplemental essays, and you have to keep track of multiple dates and deadlines for each. It is a good idea to do thorough research and make sure you are really excited about all of the schools on your list. 

I really want to go to an Ivy League school!

It’s easy to get your heart set on a big name school, but remember that the most prestigious schools are often the least generous with merit aid. They may provide you with connections but overall studies have shown that your career success is down to your own attitude and motivation much more than the college on your diploma. There are a lot of fantastic smaller universities. It is worth researching what schools have the best programs for the area you want to study. There are hundreds of colleges out there, so consider other factors like student life/extracurriculars, location, weather, school politics, etc. Colleges look for motivation, so you should look for colleges that seem like a great fit for YOU!

Do I have to decide what I want to study before I apply? How does that work?

Many schools ask you to select your preferred major, however, you can often select multiple options, or “Undecided.” Additionally, once you are in college there is a lot of freedom to transfer between degrees in the US system, so you have time to figure out exactly what you want to do. You also often have the option of a double major, dual degree, or a major and minor, so you have plenty of flexibility to study multiple widely different subjects.

What do I need to do for music and art applications?

For most colleges, music and art applications require an additional application with a portfolio. Many schools require an audition or interview. Music and art applications are very intensive and come with another entire set of deadlines and requirements, so start early and do your research! Many auditions require a specific repertoire so you want to make sure to give yourself a couple of months to prepare it. The pre-screening deadline is usually around December 1st, and auditions and interviews take place in January and February. Pre-screening usually consists of a portfolio or video of you performing a specific repertoire.