As you begin college planning, you will need to consider the admission requirements of colleges of interest. Every college is different, so it is important to check the requirements well in advance of junior or senior year. A student's overall high school course of study should be designed with future goals and interests in mind. This article addresses general requirements for college applications. However, please see our 'Discerning the Best College Fit' Help Center Article for advice on exploring potential colleges.

 

Common Academic Requirements

Although Kolbe Academy's Recommended Track is modeled on common requirements, you will need to verify that our diploma requirements align with the admission requirements of the schools where you plan to apply. If you doubt whether you want to take an additional class to prepare or meet the requirements of a particular college, it is often prudent to choose the option that will keep the most doors open.

 

Other Admission Factors

Each college will have different requirements and will weigh various admission factors according to its own standards. Although there may be additional elements in various applications, colleges generally evaluate candidates based on five factors. 

 

• Colleges will look at your transcript to see what courses were taken, the progression of difficulty, and student performance/GPA.
• Many colleges will unweight and recalculate a student's GPA using their own system.
• Kolbe Academy's transcript includes both the weighted and unweighted GPA.
• Although many schools are test-optional, this could still be a factor in admission or provide an opportunity for a student to distinguish himself from his peers with outstanding test scores.

Note: Some colleges may require test scores for scholarships even if they are not required for admission.

• Letters of recommendation can provide strong support for a student's application. Although many colleges require a "counselor letter" which can be provided by the academic services department, it is also important for students to select other recommenders who know them well and are able to provide a strong letter of reference. For more information, please see our Letters of Recommendation Help Article. 
• A student's extracurricular activities will also be considered.

College Application - Student Portion

On a typical application, a student will need to provide the following information.

 

• Personal Information
• School Information
  • Information such as class size can be found in the senior packet that is sent out in the summer prior to senior year.
  • Kolbe students will select "N/A" when asked about ranking.
  • Your advisor will provide other information about Kolbe Academy in the School Profile portion of the application. To allow your advisor to support your applications in this way, select Kolbe Academy as your school and list your advisor as your school counselor. 
• Extracurriculars
  • Sports
  • Volunteer Work
  • Employment
  • Activities
• Awards
• Short Response Questions
• Essays

Sometimes there is a temptation to attempt to list everything a student has accomplished on the student's transcript. Instead, we encourage students to create a resume and parents to keep a robust extracurricular sheet. These wonderful resources will be a blessing when it comes time to fill out college applications. Please see our Building a Student Resume Help Article for more information on creating a student resume. 

 

 

Look at your application as a puzzle. You are bringing all the different and unique pieces together to create a whole picture. These puzzle pieces should not all be the same. Be sure to add valuable information to each component of the application. Try not to repeat everything in each puzzle piece. The content may overlap at times, and it should complement other puzzle pieces. You want to avoid replicating information multiple times. The pieces should not be exact copies. Still, some things may be worth repeating (a little), and that is okay.

 

College Application - Advisor Portion

We are here to help! During senior year, you will likely work closely with your assigned advisor. It is important to communicate regularly with your advisor about deadlines and any changes to your senior-year courses. In Common App and other portals, you will choose Kolbe as your school and share your advisor's information where a school counselor is required. You will not list your advisor as an "advisor" in Common App because doing this will not allow your advisor to support your application. Please see our Common Application Help Article for more details.

 

 

 

Your advisor is able to supply school details and a school profile, official transcripts, academic information, ratings, and a letter of recommendation. If you use Common App or another secure portal, the student's official transcript will be uploaded there. All other transcript requests are fulfilled via Parchment. 

 

Beyond these requirements for initial applications, families should be aware that many colleges require a mid-year report. If a student is taking any homeschool courses, please submit grades very soon after completion of the course so the student's transcript will be updated in time. Similarly, please submit outside transcripts as soon as they are available to transfer credits into Kolbe. 

 

Mid-year reports require an official transcript that shows first-semester grades. Many schools have mid-January to very early February deadlines for mid-year reports. It takes us approximately three weeks, excluding weekends and holidays, to process grade portfolios. Therefore, time is of the essence for students with mid-year reporting requirements.
 

Note: Please bear in mind, most of our seniors have similar needs and deadlines. Individual student records will not be expedited at the expense of others. We prioritize processing senior grade portfolios, but your student cannot “skip the line” in the senior queue. Out of fairness, we process portfolios in the order they are received within the senior queue. You can expect to hear back from us with your senior’s updated transcript within 3 weeks of receipt, excluding holidays and weekends. If you submit multiple years at once, please anticipate a longer processing time.