By Noah Buckley

Applying to college can be a daunting task. High school seniors will spend countless hours researching schools online and will receive hundreds of college brochures and letters in the mail. The stress of applying, finding ways to afford college, and making the transition from high school to college can be overwhelming.

The next few months are an incredibly important time for high school seniors who are considering attending college in the fall of 2009. Let me offer this timely advice to those students:

Apply for admission now!

While colleges and universities have different admissions processes and deadlines, most institutions actively encourage students to apply early in their senior year. At UW, we encourage students to apply before Jan. 1, whether UW is the student's top choice or not. While students can apply well in to the summer for the fall semester, completing the application process in the fall of their senior year in high school has its benefits.

Students who are admitted early will receive critical next step information when it becomes available. At UW, we begin sending information related to housing and orientation in January and February. Most options related to housing and orientation are first-come, first-served.

Students who wait to apply will not receive this information when it first comes out, and they may lose out on specialty floors in our residence halls or risk not getting their first-choice date for new student orientation in June.

An early admission to UW also allows students and their families to begin focusing on key financial aid and scholarship processes and deadlines. UW encourages completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by early February to ensure that the results are received at UW by our March 1 priority deadline. Students and families with high financial need should particularly plan to meet that deadline, as some aid programs run out quickly.

Students whose FAFSA results are received after March 1 will be considered for remaining financial aid resources. Student loans and some federal grants are available throughout the year. To learn more about the FAFSA, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov.

It seems obvious, but students must be admitted to UW to receive UW scholarships. UW also has a March 1 priority deadline for its scholarships. Students admitted after that date risk not qualifying for UW's competitive scholarships.

Additionally, admitted students can begin focusing on local and national scholarship searches. Many of these scholarships require time to apply, gather letters of recommendation, essays, etc. and have deadlines early in the calendar year.

The University of Wyoming Admissions Office is here to offer advice to students of all ages and their families as they consider, apply to, and prepare for college. We can be reached toll-free at 1-800 342-5996 or via e-mail at why-wyo@uwyo.edu.

Noah Buckley is director of admissions at the University of Wyoming.

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Noah Buckley

Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2008