RESTON, Va., Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Deadlines are nearing to get college
applications into the hands of admissions officers. Sallie Mae, the nation's
leading provider of education funding, offers free interactive tools and tips
to help prospective students successfully complete the college-application
process.
"A well-prepared college application that meets a school's deadline is
vital in the admissions process," said David Cooper, managing director of
wiredscholar.com, the premier online resource for going-to-college
information. "It's important for students to stay organized to ensure they
provide complete and accurate information to their school choices on time."
Wiredscholar.com helps students achieve each step of the application
process, including:
Application Forms
Different schools use different types of application forms.
Wiredscholar.com helps students determine which application is required for
their top choices. Students should first make a copy of the application form
and use it for a rough draft. They should be sure to double-check their
answers, making sure they have answered all the questions, and keep a copy of
the final version for their records.
Official Transcripts
A transcript is the official high school academic record that contains a
list of courses and grades, an explanation of the school's grading scale and a
list of the school's course offerings. Students should check with their
guidance counselor to determine requirements for sending transcripts to
selected schools. It is important to request transcripts well in advance to
avoid delays in meeting a deadline.
Test Scores
Students list the names of several schools when taking standardized tests
such as the SAT or ACT. The testing organization then sends the scores
directly to those schools. For a small fee, students can have their scores
forwarded to new schools by contacting the Educational Testing Service (ETS)
at 609-771-7600 to forward SAT scores and ACT at 319-337-1270 to forward ACT
scores.
Recommendations
Most college applications require at least two letters of recommendation.
The letter writers should be people that are familiar with the student's
strengths, such as teachers or counselors. Recommendation letters should be
requested well in advance in order to submit them before deadline. To help
the writer, students should provide a list of activities, awards and a stamped
envelope addressed to the school. Lastly, students should send thank-you
notes and keep writers updated on their applications status.
Essays
The essay is a student's chance to stand out from other college
applicants. Essays help admissions officers understand a student's strengths,
motivations and creativity. When writing an essay, students should answer the
question(s) being asked and stay within the guidelines, but also provide
answers that are personal and reveal aspects of their personality. Once the
essay is drafted, students should revise as necessary, solicit feedback and
proofread thoroughly before submission. Therefore, it is important to begin
writing essays as early as possible.
Schools consider a variety of factors when admitting students. Beyond
grades and test scores, schools also evaluate a student's choice of electives,
extracurricular activities and community and campus involvement. To help
students get detailed information about the preferences of their target
schools, wiredscholar.com offers a free School Comparison tool that allows
students to view information on admissions and other school information.
Students can view up to three schools at once, side-by-side from
wiredscholar.com's database of nearly 4,000 schools. To find out what
criteria are most important to today's admission counselors, wiredscholar.com
also offers Inside Admissions reports for a small fee. Inside Admissions was
created by the nation's leading college counselors to offer admission reports
that clearly explain how top colleges judge applicants.
For more information on the college-application process, please visit
http://www.wiredscholar.com.
About Sallie Mae
SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation's
leading provider of education funding, managing more than $85 billion in
student loans for more than seven million borrowers. The company primarily
provides federally guaranteed student loans originated under the Federal
Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), and offers comprehensive information
and resources to guide students, parents and guidance professionals through
the financial aid process. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the
company opened its doors in May 1973 as a government-sponsored enterprise
(GSE) called the Student Loan Marketing Association, and began the
privatization process in 1997. Since then, Sallie Mae's parent company name
has changed, most recently to SLM Corporation. Through its specialized
subsidiaries and divisions, the company also provides an array of consumer
credit loans, including those for lifelong learning and K-12 education, and
business and technical outsourcing services for colleges and universities.
More information is available at http://www.salliemae.com. SLM Corporation
and its subsidiaries, other than the Student Loan Marketing Association, are
not sponsored by or agencies of the United States.
About wiredscholar.com
Wiredscholar.com is the foremost online resource for planning-for-college
information for students, parents and guidance professionals. Launched in
spring 2000, the site is the most comprehensive and objective resource on the
Web for information and interactive tools to assist with college preparation,
evaluation, selection, application and financing, all in one online location.
The site is a four-time Forbes Favorite in the college-planning category in
Forbes.com's "Best of the Web." Wiredscholar.com is an independent brand of
Sallie Mae, the nation's largest source of education funding, which extends
the company's commitment to helping students achieve a higher education. For
more information, visit http://www.wiredscholar.com.
SOURCE wiredscholar.com
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Related links:
http://www.wiredscholar.com
http://www.salliemae.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/147826.html
CONTACT:
Jemarion Jones of Sallie Mae,
+1-703-810-5637, or jemarion.jones@slma.com
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