FAQs
- How and when do I request a copy of my transcript? Hide
With the exception of the University of California and the California State University systems, colleges will want a copy of each applicant's official transcript to accompany his application. To request a transcript for each school to which you are applying, bring $5 to the Registrar's Office on the first floor of O'Donnell. You do not need to bring any forms or envelopes. Either Ms. Toohey or Ms. Pecchenino can help you. In the application instructions, schools will often direct you to submit a form called a Secondary School Report with your transcript. Bellarmine has its own form and will take care of this for you. You do NOT need to print out or bring in the Secondary School Report or Mid-Year Report. In many cases, your College Counselor's letter of recommendation will accompany your transcript. To allow your counselor enough time to write your letter, you must turn in your transcript request at least four weeks before the application deadline. Once you've ordered a transcript to be sent to a particular school, it will appear in the "Colleges to which I'm Applying" list in your "My Colleges" section of Naviance. You can use this list to double-check that you've ordered transcripts for every school.
- How and when do I request a letter of recommendation? Hide
Private colleges will almost always require at least one letter of recommendation in support of your application, either from your college counselor or a teacher who has taught you an academic subject junior or senior year. In many cases, they will require both.
The earlier that you can speak to your recommenders about this, the better. At the very least, you should get teachers the necessary materials at least four weeks before the deadline. These materials generally consist of an addressed business-size envelope with one stamp and the Request for Teacher Recommendation questionnaire that is given out during senior orientation (p. 33 of the Senior Handbook). You can ask the same teacher(s) to submit letters to all your schools, as long as you bring them sufficient addressed envelopes.
Letters of recommendation from your college counselor accompany your transcript, so it is also important to make transcript requests at least a month before the deadline for the same reason.
- How do colleges evaluate my application? Hide
In their annual survey, college admissions Deans and Directors consistently refer to the rigor of a student's curriculum, as well as his grades and overall GPA, as the top three factors in evaluating a prospective student's application. Since many colleges and universities, UC and CSU included, calculate and use a student's weighted GPA for evaluation purposes, it is important to consider Honors and AP courses when appropriate. In addition to the actual application and an official high school transcript, the various systems of higher education also require the following: California State University -- SAT Reasoning or ACT test University of California -- SAT Reasoning or ACT test, 2 personal statements (included in the UC application), and SAT Subject Tests in two disciplines. Private Colleges -- While they vary, most require an SAT Reasoning or ACT, a personal statement, a letter of recommendation from your college counselor, and a letter of recommendation from at least one of your junior or senior year teachers. Some very selective colleges may require SAT Subject Tests (see a list here) and/or an extra teacher recommendation. Yes, your college counselor will help you sort through all of this!
- Bellarmine doesn’t weight my GPA or give me a class rank. Why not? Hide
Bellarmine doesn’t weight GPA – that is, give bonus points for completing Honors or AP courses – for a couple of reasons. For one, we’ve found that weighting GPA tends to foster an atmosphere of overcompetitiveness among students that didn’t mesh with our Jesuit mission. While we want students to pursue AP and Honors courses, we want them to do so in subject fields that interest them, and in amounts that will not overwhelm them. We don’t want students to load up on every possible advanced course in a quest for the highest mathematically possible GPA, while refusing to explore classes in which they might get less than an A. That isn’t what learning is about. Colleges back us up on this.
- Will having an unweighted GPA hurt my chances of college admission? Will colleges weight it for me? Hide
No, colleges understand; a great number of secondary schools have moved away from weighted GPA and class rank. When you apply to a college, Bellarmine sends a great deal of supplementary information with your transcript; for example, a grade distribution chart for your class’s junior year courses and a school profile that explains exactly what advanced courses we offer. We feel this approach actually encourages colleges to take a more holistic view of your academic achievements in light of Bellarmine’s context, rather than simply comparing your class rank to that of other seniors. Most colleges have their own formulae for weighting grades and will do so once they’ve received your transcript. If you’ve taken AP or Honors courses, these will definitely be taken into account, one way or the other.
- How hard is it to get into a UC? An Ivy League school? Stanford? Hide
That isn’t really the first question you should be asking when it comes to colleges. The most important thing to figure out is if a college is the right fit for you academically and socially, if you’ll succeed and grow there. There are quite a lot of people who celebrate to learn that they’ve been admitted somewhere they feel they can brag about, then start attending and realize that, for whatever reason, it simply isn’t the right place. This can lead to heartache and academic struggles, as you might imagine. It’s vital to remember that getting into college isn’t an end in itself, it’s a beginning, a way to continue to grow – and different people grow in different ways. Talking with your counselor early in the spring of junior year is a great way to start to determine what schools will truly bring out your full potential, and eventually, to figure out your odds for admissions at those schools.
- How important is the SAT or ACT in college admissions? Hide
Every year, Deans and Directors of admissions reiterate that the most important criterion for admission is always the student’s transcript; that is, (a) how strong are his grades, and (b) how demanding was his curriculum? Test scores usually come next in order of importance.So while they are important, and should be taken seriously, the work you’ve done over the course of four years is certainly more valuable to schools that the work you did on one Saturday morning. In fact, certain schools have decided to make standardized testing optional in their admissions process. Learn more about test-optional policies here.
- Should I take a test prep course? Hide
Bellarmine's College Counselors recommend that students take one SAT or ACT in the spring of junior year without a test prep course or tutor. However, juniors are strongly advised to review their PSAT diagnostic report and take a full practice test before their SAT test date. College Board indicates that the single most important factor in SAT score improvement is becoming familiar with the structure of the test through practice , which students can do on their own.
- When do I have to finish taking standardized tests? Hide
For the University of California and private colleges and universities, testing should be completed by December of the senior year.
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo has set November of the senior year as their deadline for completing testing. Students applying for Early Action or Early Decision programs should also complete their testing by November of the senior year.- What can my college counselor do for me? Hide
During the start of the spring semester of the junior year, students take a college guidance class taught by the four College Counselors. Upon completion of the two-week class, students then begin working individually by appointment with their assigned counselors, who help students and their families as they formulate a college list, advise students regarding college visits, review college essays, discuss honestly potential colleges that would be a good fit, and help organize the components of the application. Many private colleges require a letter of recommendation from the student's College Counselor, and he or she will write this letter as well -- so get to know your counselor early in the process!