HOW TO APPLY TO COLLEGE IN THE UNITED STATES THE APPLICATION: REQUIRED PARTS SAT I The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude

Test) I is a three-part test covering Critical Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. It is the basic test required by most American colleges. The Mathematics section is based on geometry and algebra; it does not include calculus. The test is administered by the College Board (collegeboard.org). Note: students registering outside the United States may need to travel to nd a testing site. For all College Board-administered tests (SAT and AP), you must request that the College Board send the scores to each college to which you plan to apply. SAT II The SAT II tests are hour-long, subject-specic tests. 2-3 SAT II scores, in academic subjects of your choice, are required for application to some of the more selective colleges. The SAT II is also administered by the College Board. TOEFL The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required for all applicants whose native language is not English. It is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ets.org/toe). Common Application Most college applications are handled through the Common Application (commonapp.org), a standard application that is sent to multiple colleges. The application consists of a form and a 500-word personal essay and can be submitted online. The essay is considered an important part of the application, as U.S. colleges tend to take into account intangible qualities such as leadership and the ability to reect on life experiences. Even if you have excellent grades and test scores already, you should put thought into your essay and start writing it well ahead of time. Grades Grade report from previous years of secondary education. Mid-year grade report (due after the end of rst semester). Final grade report (due after the end of second semester). Letters of recommendation Two letters of recommendation from teachers, and a third letter from the school. See guidelines for the letters in the Common Application. Make sure to select teachers who will be able to speak well of you, and ask for letters well ahead of time. It is recommended that you get letters from teachers of different academic subjects. If the letter is written in Czech or Slovak, you will need to have them translated into English. All translations should be sent with a copy of the original letter and the name and contact information of the translator. Application supplements In addition to the Common Application, some colleges require application supplements. These usually consist of extra essays. It is important to check each individual college's website for application instructions. Alternate applications Some colleges do not use the Common Application. In this case, the application can usually be found

on the college's website. THE APPLICATION: OPTIONAL PARTS AP tests Advanced Placement tests are subject-specic tests. They are optional, but scoring well on them demonstrates advanced academic ability. Many of you who are taking a CTY Online course will be taking an AP test this spring. At some colleges, they can be used to skip introductory-level courses. IB tests The International Baccalaureate exams are considered to be the international equivalent of AP. IB scores are also highly regarded by colleges in the U.S. and in some cases can be used to skip introductory courses. Arts supplement / Athletic supplement / Rsum If you have special accomplishments in the arts, sports, or work that are not adequately represented in the rest of the application, you can send in additional materials such as a musical recording, a video, a rsum, or an extra letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, or boss. This part is by no means necessary, and if you have a strong academic record and a good essay you should be ne without it. A supplement is only recommended if you have exceptional achievements in some other area outside of school. Consult each college's application guidelines for what types of material are accepted. If you have to send anything in the mail, make sure to allow time for it to arrive. Interview The interview is another part of the application that is usually optional for international students. Since they are usually conducted by alumni volunteers, whether or not you have an interview depends on whether or not the college can nd an interviewer nearby. If you do get an interview, it is an important part of the application. They will probably ask you about your interests, your goals, and your reasons for applying to that particular college. While you don't have to be sure yet about what you will study, interviewers are looking for applicants who are thoughtful and articulate. You should also have researched the school and should be able to talk about your reasons for applying there. Early decision / Early action Some colleges offer the opportunity to apply early (in early November of the nal year of secondary education) and to receive an admissions decision by December. In some cases, your chances for admission could be higher with an early application. However, you are only allowed to apply early to one college. If the application is early decision, the decision is binding, which means that if the college accepts you, you must enroll there. If the decision is early action, the decision is non-binding. This means that you are able to compare offers from multiple colleges until the common reply date of April 30. For reasons of nancial aid (it is only possible to nd out the amount of nancial aid offers in the spring), it is recommended to avoid early decision applications and to keep your options open. Some schools will be much more generous with nancial aid than others. TEST PREPARATION RESOURCES ONLINE SAT I

http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-practice-test http://ineedapencil.com/ http://majortests.com/sat/

http://princetonreview.com/ http://proprofs.com/sat/ http://testprepreview.com/sat_practice.htm

TOEFL http://examenglish.com/TOEFL/ http://stuff.co.uk/toe.htm http://toepractice.ets.org/ http://testprepreview.com/toe_practice.htm English vocabulary and free books http://freerice.com/ http://gutenberg.org/ FINANCIAL AID While colleges in the U.S. tend to be more expensive, most offer stipends in the form of nancial aid to cover part or all of the cost of attending. Financial aid may be based on need or on academic merit. A small number of U.S. schools offer both need-blind admissions (they admit students without considering their ability to pay) and full nancial aid for international students. Financial aid offers are made in the spring, after students have been admitted but before they have to choose a school. In addition, many colleges can offer an estimate of nancial aid in advance, and some have nancial aid calculators on their websites. Students who are in the U.S. on a student visa are allowed to work part-time jobs at their universities to help cover the cost of tuition. Especially in the sciences, many students are able to nd paid research positions that relate to their studies. U.S. colleges that offer full nancial aid for international students (list in progress) Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Princeton University Yale University Dartmouth College Amherst College STUDENT VISAS In order to study at a university in the U.S., you will need to obtain an F-1 student visa. More information about visas can be found here: http://travel.state.gov/visa APPLICATION CALENDAR Note: this calendar begins in the second-to-last year of secondary school. January

Decide on a schedule for taking standardized tests. Start registering for tests.

February March April May June July August Have a draft of college essays nished before the school year begins. September Finalize list of colleges. Review application requirements and deadlines. Ask teachers for letters of recommendation. October Take SAT I and II tests now or earlier. Take TOEFL test now or earlier. Get recommendation letters translated to English. School: prepare school letter and prole. November Early decision/early action application deadlines. December Regular application deadlines. Receive early application decisions from colleges. School: send mid-year grade report. January Regular application deadlines. February Regular application deadlines. Take AP tests (optional). Start developing a list of colleges. Visit their websites and read about academic programs. Know the application requirements for each college: for instance, some may require 3 SAT II tests, while others require fewer. Make sure you are on track to meet these requirements. Start writing college essays.

March Receive regular application decisions. April Negotiate nancial aid package. Note: have ofcial/notarized copies of family tax information ready for applying for nancial aid. School: send nal grade report. Send enrollment decision to colleges. MORE INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Further online resources http://www.iefa.org/ http://www.internationalstudentloan.com/ http://www.edupass.org/ http://educationusa.state.gov/ http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/ http://clubs.harvard.edu/olc/pub/HAA/university/home.jsp?shortname=prague