Applying to 4 Yr College

Rolling Admissions means that as soon as the application is available, you may submit and then receive an admissions decision shortly thereafter (often in a few weeks or less!).

Your application is not being compared to other applications for admission, they are simply verifying that you meet or exceed their minimum admission requirements. 

However, the school may have a "priority" date by which you must apply to qualify for scholarships or other programs. 

Examples of Schools with Rolling Admissions – Mizzou, MO State, Truman, Central MO, University of Arkansas

Although colleges may offer rolling admissions, they will also often advertise a “priority” date.

This means your application must be in by that date to receive full consideration for scholarships. 

For Example – A school may say that you need to meet a November 1st application deadline to then meet the November 15th scholarship deadline. 

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to be eligible for scholarships or are applying for a special program, don't procrastinate to apply for that school - even if they have a "rolling admissions" policy

Early Action (EA) means you apply to a college by an earlier deadline and get your admission decision sooner—usually in December or January.

Here’s how it works:

• You submit your application by the school’s Early Action deadline.

• The college reviews all EA applications at the same time and makes decisions based on that group.

• It’s non-binding – if you’re accepted, you don’t have to attend. You still have until May 1 to decide.

• You should receive your admission decision earlier, often in December or January. 

• Because it’s competitive and there are no guaranteed formulas, strong academics help—but nothing is guaranteed.

Examples of Colleges with an Early Action Admission Option:
Indiana University, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Early Decision (ED) is a BINDING commitment to attend a particular college if accepted. Essentially, you're declaring the ED school as your top choice.

If you apply to a college "Early Decision", it means:

• If you're accepted, you MUST attend that school.

• You, a parent/guardian, and your counselor must sign a contract confirming this.

• You must withdraw all other college applications if admitted.

Important things to know:

• You can only apply Early Decision to ONE school
    However, you can and should apply to other schools through regular decision or rolling admissions in case you are not accepted or waitlisted by your ED school

• Your application is reviewed only against other ED applicants.

• There is no guaranteed formula for getting in—strong academics help, but admission is still competitive.

• You’re making your college decision BEFORE seeing your full financial aid offer, so it’s smart to use the school’s Net Price Calculator to estimate costs before applying ED.

Some colleges also offer Early Decision II, with the same rules but later deadlines (usually in January).

Regular Decision (RD) is another way to apply to college. Here's what to know:

• You submit your application by the school's Regular Decision deadline.

• The college reviews all RD applications at the same time and sends out decisions, usually in March or April.

• Your application is compared to all other RD applicants, so competition can be high.

• There are no guaranteed outcomes, even if you’re a strong student.

What if I already applied Early Action or Early Decision?
If the school isn’t ready to make a final decision, they might defer your application to Regular Decision. This means you’re still being considered, just in the later round.

The Common Black College Application (CBCA) lets you apply to over 60 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) at once with just one application. It’s easy to use and only costs $20. You can save time and stress while getting your info in front of multiple schools. Some colleges may even waive additional fees or offer scholarships. It's a great option if you're interested in attending an HBCU!

Go To the College Black Common App website

• UC Application for "UC" schools including UCLA and UC Berkeley
• Cal State Apply for the California State University system including Chico State, Cal State, San Diego State
• applySUNY for New York system including University at Albany and Fashion Institute of Technology
• ApplyTexas for any Texas public university, many community colleges and private schools including UT Austin, Texas A & M, TCU, and Baylor University

Some colleges still offer a separate application that ONLY applies to their institution. Most colleges who offer their own application will also accept the Common Application. These colleges typically do not have a preference which application a student chooses to submit. They provide the various options to make things simpler for you!

If you are only applying to 1 or 2 schools, then it might not be worth it to use the Common App. You could probably complete those individual applications much faster than filling out the Common App. 

If you are applying to 3 or more schools that all accept the Common App, then it would likely make more sense to use that method. 

Many schools are transitioning to having students self-report their high school grades and/or standardized test scores during the application process, and do not require official records until the student has been admitted and decides to attend.

Students should access a copy of their unofficial transcript through the "Documents" section of their Infinite Campus account to ensure they are entering accurate courses and grades into their application. 

Not all colleges require a personal statement/college essay.

College admissions that DO require a personal statement use it to get to know you. They don't want you to just restate your resume or list of activities.

The college may change their prompt from year to year. The Common App gives a choice of several prompts that can change from year to year, although always included is a self-directed option.

 Below are links to various resources to assist you in prepping for, beginning, and completing your college essays.

The Mentors 4 College Essay Writing Course is a FREE 4-day course designed to help you write a complete, persuasive college or scholarship application essay that will capture the attention and imagination of admissions officers. 

Learn More and Enroll in M4C Essay Course

Web Resources

Essay Writing Guidebook
Approach to Writing the College Essay
How to Write an Extracurricular Activity Essay 
How to Combine Your College Essay Prompts

Submitting ACT or SAT Test Scores

• If a college/university requires a student to send their official test scores directly from the testing agency, the students will need to log into their ACT and/or College Board web account and pay to send their scores to the colleges to which they are applying. This should be done well in advance of the application deadlines to ensure the college receives them on time.  Delivery is not based upon request, but upon the established schedule the college has with the testing agency.
• As mentioned above, many colleges are shifting to allowing students to "self-report" their test scores within their application, and only require students to submit official scores if they are admitted and choose to attend.

Learn More About SAT and ACT

What is Test-Optional, Test-Blind, and Test-Free?

Test Optional

If a school is test-optional, the college will allow students to apply without submitting standardized test scores at all. My advice is to consider whether your current scores fall within the average range of admitted students at that university and whether you can be considered for merit scholarships without test scores. 

 Please check college websites for the most up-to-date information on what is required to apply and have full consideration for scholarships and competitive programs.

Test-Blind or Test-Free.

Two terms that mean the same thing. The college admissions department does not want, does not use, and will not consider an ACT or SAT score. If the student sends a score, it is not looked at and not used. One of the most well-known college networks that is Test-Blind is the University of California campuses

• Most colleges/universities require a fee to apply.
• Fee waivers are available for students who qualify for the Federal free/reduced lunch program.  Students may also show eligibility through their FAFSA Student Aid Report. 
• Students who are eligible to submit fee waivers should see Mrs. Klawiter, the PSH College & Career Coordinator,  to complete the required paperwork.
  Email: LKLAWITER@parkwayschools.net  Phone: (314) 415-7775

• Visual & Performing Arts – your application process will likely include the submission of portfolios or required tapes and/or auditions. Sometimes you may need to travel to the college for an audition. 
  Because each individual college/university will have different expectations and requirements, it is even more critical to stay organized and review the admission requirements and deadlines. 
   
• Athletes – if you are planning to consider NCAA Division 1 or 2 or NAIA athletics, you will need to register with the NCAA and/or NAIA eligibility and/or NJCAA center(s). Please ensure that you are communicating with Mrs. Klawiter (the PSH College & Career Counselor, your Comprehensive counselor, and your coaches about your intentions. 

Learn More about NCAA & NAIA & NJCAA

Parkway uses a weighted 4.0 grading scale based on an A-F grade.

Each letter grade has a number value: A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0.

If the class is an Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) class, a "bump" of 0.5 is added, making the letter grade number value: A = 4.5, B = 3.5, C = 2.5, D = 1.5, F = 0.

We have an A+ (previously H) as a possibility in Honors and AP classes; an A+/H is worth 5.0.

Parkway does NOT use a class rank.

Instead, Parkway uses the Latin Honors system:

• 4.0 and above = Summa Cum Laude
• 3.75 - 3.99 = Magna Cum Laude
• 3.5 - 3.74 = Cum Laud

Eliminating class rank does NOT make you less competitive when applying to selective and highly selective colleges. 

Parkway polled directors of admission  about the omission of class rank. These directors unanimously stated that a class rank was not necessary.

Parkway does NOT have an IB program or diploma option .

The IB Diploma is an internationally recognized, challenging pre-university course of study for students aged 16-19, offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Parkway does NOT list test scores on transcripts. 

If you need a score report sent somewhere, you'll need to request that through the company who sponsored the test (College Board for AP and SAT, ACT for ACT) 

There are approximately 385 students in the Class of 2026. 

There were approximately 402 students in the Class of 2025.

Not all colleges ask about suspension. If a college does NOT ask about discipline, you do NOT have to disclose the suspension or the details of the situation resulting in a suspension.

However, If a college directly asks, you DO need to report the suspension with an explanation. It would be best to work with Mrs. Klawiter (PSH College & Career Counselor) on your response. 

Mrs. Klawiter can be reached at lklawiter@parkwayschools.net or (314) 415-7775. 

A core grade point average (GPA) is calculated differently by different colleges.  Most of the time, it means "unweighting" the grades and only using the five core subjects to calculate the cumulative core GPA. The five core subjects are: English, Math, Social Students, Science and World Language.  

Mizzou, when determining a core GPA, uses the above five core subjects, but then adds 1.0 credit (two semesters) of fine arts.

NCAA and NAIA use only the five core subjects, but have a required number from different categories. For more information on NCAA and NAIA core GPA calculations,

Learn More About the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA

How many activities are the right number for college applications?

It is not the number of activities that matter, nor is there one activity that is the "right" one to join.

What IS important is that your activities demonstrate passion, growth, leadership, or curiosity. 

Activities include PSH or outside athletics, clubs, organizations, volunteering, employment, helping at home, community service, hobbies, shadowing, interning, developing a skill or honing a talent.

Acceptance 🥳

• Student is offered a place in the freshman class!  
• Early Decision applicants need to rescind their applications from all other schools

Denial  😢

• The college is unable to offer admission to the student
• If you receive a denial from a highly selective institution, DON'T feel like you weren't good enough or did something wrong.
  • These schools have so many applications and not enough spots in the freshman class to serve all qualified candidates
  • So they review applications to find which students meet the school's own needs/agenda (i.e., students from certain states, students with a specific major, students who enjoy doing certain hobbies, etc)
  • Highly Selective Schools do not share what they are looking for and it changes from year-to-year

Waitlist ⌛

• offered a spot on a waitlist,
• essentially a pool of qualified applicants who may be admitted if other accepted students do not enroll.

Deferral 🤞

• For Early Decision or Early Action applicants
• Will be reconsidered along with regular decision applications
• Released from Early Decision binding commitment
• Could apply Early Decision 2 for another university