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US University Application Process
Quote from daisy-may on May 4, 2018, 12:09 pmI have a plot bunny for a fic but need some extra information before I can work it out.
I know the US university/collage application system is very different from the British and while I can get a general idea of it from Mr Google I'm struggling to find details of it during the 70s/80s and how much it has changed.
I'm also a little confused with the difference between collage and university in the US especially since folk tend to talk about 'collage' in very general terms whereas in the UK there's a great difference between the two: only Universities may award degrees. Collages award diplomas of various sorts in a much wider range of subjects to Universities and are generally shorter that the three years for an undergrad degree (BA, BSc) and you do GCSEs (I think that's what they're still called) and A levels at school (and sometimes local Further Education Collages)
Back in the 80s when I applied to University we made a paper application (through an organisation called UCCA, now UCAS) to 5 or 6 universities and were generally invited for an interview if a University was interested in you. Open Days were held by Universities when anyone could go to look round. We were then made an 'offer' - what grades we needed to get to be accepted eg ABC, AAA, DDD etc or occasionally given an unconditional offer - 'we'll take you whatever your grades'.
More elite Universities (Oxford, Cambridge and, I think, Durham) had entrance exams and stringent interviews though I think this has also changed.
I'd be very grateful for any information on the process back then for the US.
Thank you
Daisy
I have a plot bunny for a fic but need some extra information before I can work it out.
I know the US university/collage application system is very different from the British and while I can get a general idea of it from Mr Google I'm struggling to find details of it during the 70s/80s and how much it has changed.
I'm also a little confused with the difference between collage and university in the US especially since folk tend to talk about 'collage' in very general terms whereas in the UK there's a great difference between the two: only Universities may award degrees. Collages award diplomas of various sorts in a much wider range of subjects to Universities and are generally shorter that the three years for an undergrad degree (BA, BSc) and you do GCSEs (I think that's what they're still called) and A levels at school (and sometimes local Further Education Collages)
Back in the 80s when I applied to University we made a paper application (through an organisation called UCCA, now UCAS) to 5 or 6 universities and were generally invited for an interview if a University was interested in you. Open Days were held by Universities when anyone could go to look round. We were then made an 'offer' - what grades we needed to get to be accepted eg ABC, AAA, DDD etc or occasionally given an unconditional offer - 'we'll take you whatever your grades'.
More elite Universities (Oxford, Cambridge and, I think, Durham) had entrance exams and stringent interviews though I think this has also changed.
I'd be very grateful for any information on the process back then for the US.
Thank you
Daisy
Quote from Greeneyesblue on May 4, 2018, 3:10 pmIn the US we use the term “college” in a coloquial way to refer generally to secondary education (after high school.) Colleges and universities here are accredited and structured differently. US colleges and universities both award undergraduate degrees (Associates and Bachelors,) while usually only universities offer graduate degrees (Masters and Doctorates.) Although some schools that are technically universities may still use college in their name (i.e. Boston College.) We also have various technical schools and colleges that offer specialized certifications and degrees for specific trades and careers.
I applied for college in the early 2000’s, but there are probably some similarities to the 70s/80s. In the US, students send individual applications to schools in which they are interested, usually during their last year of high school. This usually involves some sort of application form, your high school transcripts, ACT and/or SAT test scores, and sometimes an essay or other additional material. If someone is being recruited to play sports or is applying to a specific program that is more specialized, the application process may be more involved. Once you send off your applications, you just sit around twiddling your thumbs until they mail you a letter of acceptance or rejection. When you are accepted to one or more schools, then you pick where you'd like to go.
In the US we use the term “college” in a coloquial way to refer generally to secondary education (after high school.) Colleges and universities here are accredited and structured differently. US colleges and universities both award undergraduate degrees (Associates and Bachelors,) while usually only universities offer graduate degrees (Masters and Doctorates.) Although some schools that are technically universities may still use college in their name (i.e. Boston College.) We also have various technical schools and colleges that offer specialized certifications and degrees for specific trades and careers.
I applied for college in the early 2000’s, but there are probably some similarities to the 70s/80s. In the US, students send individual applications to schools in which they are interested, usually during their last year of high school. This usually involves some sort of application form, your high school transcripts, ACT and/or SAT test scores, and sometimes an essay or other additional material. If someone is being recruited to play sports or is applying to a specific program that is more specialized, the application process may be more involved. Once you send off your applications, you just sit around twiddling your thumbs until they mail you a letter of acceptance or rejection. When you are accepted to one or more schools, then you pick where you'd like to go.
Quote from startabby on May 5, 2018, 12:52 amI graduated around the same time as the previous poster (early 2000s), and I'd say that the procedure was similar in my memory. Keep in mind that in the US there are two pieces to university/college application - getting into the school that you want, and getting the funding to go to that school. Sometimes, you could get accepted to a school, but then they don't offer enough grants or scholarships to make it work.
The other thing is that some schools have separate application processes for different 'colleges' within the school. For example, I knew people who had to decide between the general arts and sciences college and the engineering college for some of their applications, because getting into one could be more difficult than the other. This is often where the interview aspect kicks in, which was probably a phone interview back then.
Oh, and fun fact, sometimes once you do get in, if you're high enough rated for their statistics they may try to woo you. Like, campus visits and interviews, etc.
I graduated around the same time as the previous poster (early 2000s), and I'd say that the procedure was similar in my memory. Keep in mind that in the US there are two pieces to university/college application - getting into the school that you want, and getting the funding to go to that school. Sometimes, you could get accepted to a school, but then they don't offer enough grants or scholarships to make it work.
The other thing is that some schools have separate application processes for different 'colleges' within the school. For example, I knew people who had to decide between the general arts and sciences college and the engineering college for some of their applications, because getting into one could be more difficult than the other. This is often where the interview aspect kicks in, which was probably a phone interview back then.
Oh, and fun fact, sometimes once you do get in, if you're high enough rated for their statistics they may try to woo you. Like, campus visits and interviews, etc.
Quote from desertpoet on May 5, 2018, 11:51 amNow a lot of schools use something called the Common Application which can be submitted online, but even when I was applying in 2001 most schools required a specific paper application and an possibly an application fee. Though not all schools require you to pay an application fee. In the 80's individual paper applications would have been the norm. University and College was much cheaper then and it was possible to pay your way through school without finical aid in the 70's and 80's which is pretty much impossible now unless your family is rich. I asked my mother and she said she did have to write a short essay when she applied to Boston University in 73', but that the process was much less stressful than when I was doing it in 2001. She didn't go on an interview or anything like that. She only applied to University of Massachusetts Boston and Boston University and got in to both. Now people apply to at least 6-8 sometimes a lot more, and many only get in to 2 or 3. Although top students do often get offers form most if not all the schools they apply to.
Now a lot of schools use something called the Common Application which can be submitted online, but even when I was applying in 2001 most schools required a specific paper application and an possibly an application fee. Though not all schools require you to pay an application fee. In the 80's individual paper applications would have been the norm. University and College was much cheaper then and it was possible to pay your way through school without finical aid in the 70's and 80's which is pretty much impossible now unless your family is rich. I asked my mother and she said she did have to write a short essay when she applied to Boston University in 73', but that the process was much less stressful than when I was doing it in 2001. She didn't go on an interview or anything like that. She only applied to University of Massachusetts Boston and Boston University and got in to both. Now people apply to at least 6-8 sometimes a lot more, and many only get in to 2 or 3. Although top students do often get offers form most if not all the schools they apply to.
Quote from brenna on May 14, 2018, 9:46 pmI graduated high school in 92 so I think I'm closest to your time frame so far. I had paper applications for the university I applied to. My family was middle class but with divorced parents and 2 siblings following behind me, I didn't want to burden my parents or myself with huge debt so I chose an inexpensive state university. My first year tuition was $17k including room and board. Freshman were required to stay in the dorms if they weren't living at home. Tuition alone was around $6k. If I had attended a school outside my home state, the tuition would have been double or triple that. At that time you would also have filled out a FAFSA application. Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is required for pretty much any scholarship, grant or loan application. I think my school also required it as part of the application process. You would have submitted your SAT scores. ACT scores were more prevalent on the coasts. A one page essay and your transcripts.
I graduated high school in 92 so I think I'm closest to your time frame so far. I had paper applications for the university I applied to. My family was middle class but with divorced parents and 2 siblings following behind me, I didn't want to burden my parents or myself with huge debt so I chose an inexpensive state university. My first year tuition was $17k including room and board. Freshman were required to stay in the dorms if they weren't living at home. Tuition alone was around $6k. If I had attended a school outside my home state, the tuition would have been double or triple that. At that time you would also have filled out a FAFSA application. Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is required for pretty much any scholarship, grant or loan application. I think my school also required it as part of the application process. You would have submitted your SAT scores. ACT scores were more prevalent on the coasts. A one page essay and your transcripts.
Quote from ProfFrankly on May 24, 2018, 9:34 amI graduated from high school in 1990 and was what we call a first-generation college student; neither of my parents had graduated from college or university when I was applying. (My mother went back and graduated with a BFA in 1991.) People interested in going to college after high school took the appropriate ACT or SAT exams in their junior years--Fall 1988 ACT for me--and their scores sort of determined what universities they were qualified to do. You had those scores sent directly to the universities you were interested in. I had a high ACT score, and I was contacted by several universities and colleges via mail for recruitment. I got into all five universities that I applied to, (over my senior year), but ended up going to the most local one anyway because of financing. I got a four-year, full-tuition scholarship there that the other universities couldn't match. Base tuition in my freshman year cost $981 per semester, plus fees, housing and expenses, for an in-state resident. I went to a state college. A second scholarship paid for my housing my freshman year, but I worked part time all four years to cover my own fees, expenses, and later housing. I wrapped up in four because I had to--the money ran out. I was able to go a semester abroad to the UK my junior year for the same tuition under an agreement the my university and with the UK institution.
It was all paper applications, too. Each had a separate fee. Two had essays. But admission criteria for each school really differed, and there were perks of state residence vs. non-state residence at the colleges and universities in my area.
My understanding today is that while ACT and SAT scores can be important criteria for some university admission requirements, others are more likely to look at high school GPA, class standing, and degree of difficulty in your college coursework, as well as service, than in the past. Tuition has gotten much more expensive, however. I looked it up--my alma mater now charges $4,450 base tuition per semester. Yikes.
I hope that's helpful.
I graduated from high school in 1990 and was what we call a first-generation college student; neither of my parents had graduated from college or university when I was applying. (My mother went back and graduated with a BFA in 1991.) People interested in going to college after high school took the appropriate ACT or SAT exams in their junior years--Fall 1988 ACT for me--and their scores sort of determined what universities they were qualified to do. You had those scores sent directly to the universities you were interested in. I had a high ACT score, and I was contacted by several universities and colleges via mail for recruitment. I got into all five universities that I applied to, (over my senior year), but ended up going to the most local one anyway because of financing. I got a four-year, full-tuition scholarship there that the other universities couldn't match. Base tuition in my freshman year cost $981 per semester, plus fees, housing and expenses, for an in-state resident. I went to a state college. A second scholarship paid for my housing my freshman year, but I worked part time all four years to cover my own fees, expenses, and later housing. I wrapped up in four because I had to--the money ran out. I was able to go a semester abroad to the UK my junior year for the same tuition under an agreement the my university and with the UK institution.
It was all paper applications, too. Each had a separate fee. Two had essays. But admission criteria for each school really differed, and there were perks of state residence vs. non-state residence at the colleges and universities in my area.
My understanding today is that while ACT and SAT scores can be important criteria for some university admission requirements, others are more likely to look at high school GPA, class standing, and degree of difficulty in your college coursework, as well as service, than in the past. Tuition has gotten much more expensive, however. I looked it up--my alma mater now charges $4,450 base tuition per semester. Yikes.
I hope that's helpful.
Quote from Jiltanith on May 26, 2018, 10:04 pmI was also a first-generation college grad, Dad's youngest sister was the only one in my parents' generation to do college. I graduated from high school in the mid '70s. I applied to just two schools, one private university and one state university, both local. Yes, paper applications, application fees, that _damned_ FAFSA, which since my father was self-employed was a nightmare, and the PSAT, SAT, ACT and the Washington Pre-College Test. I received enough aid that I was able to attend my first choice, the private university. My parents paid my first two terms of dorm fees, plus my car expenses. (Dad gave me a car, he paid $300 for an old used car that he fixed up for me, I drove it for over 20 years and it was 13 years old when it came to me. I think I got his money's worth out of it.) Four terms in a year, so it was called the quarter system, but it was normal to attend only three terms a year, fall, winter, and spring. I worked in the summer and had a part-time job during the school year (work-study, which means it was supplemented by the college) to pay my dorm fees and other expenses.
And the flipping FAFSA had to be done _every_ year. Six times, actually, because I did two years of grad school (at the state university) to get my Masters.
Then I had $200/quarter for ten years to pay back the loans that were part of the aid that I got (both for the BA and the Master's). (Yes, I do know that I got off lightly for the loans! ;) )
I was also a first-generation college grad, Dad's youngest sister was the only one in my parents' generation to do college. I graduated from high school in the mid '70s. I applied to just two schools, one private university and one state university, both local. Yes, paper applications, application fees, that _damned_ FAFSA, which since my father was self-employed was a nightmare, and the PSAT, SAT, ACT and the Washington Pre-College Test. I received enough aid that I was able to attend my first choice, the private university. My parents paid my first two terms of dorm fees, plus my car expenses. (Dad gave me a car, he paid $300 for an old used car that he fixed up for me, I drove it for over 20 years and it was 13 years old when it came to me. I think I got his money's worth out of it.) Four terms in a year, so it was called the quarter system, but it was normal to attend only three terms a year, fall, winter, and spring. I worked in the summer and had a part-time job during the school year (work-study, which means it was supplemented by the college) to pay my dorm fees and other expenses.
And the flipping FAFSA had to be done _every_ year. Six times, actually, because I did two years of grad school (at the state university) to get my Masters.
Then I had $200/quarter for ten years to pay back the loans that were part of the aid that I got (both for the BA and the Master's). (Yes, I do know that I got off lightly for the loans! ;) )