College Admissions Applications
UC Application
CSU Application
CSU Application
The UC schools bring in hundreds of thousands of Freshmen applicants each year and through their application you can apply to schools such as UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, and 6 more prestigious universities.
Some key facts about Applying to a UC
- You only submit one application per term and can select to apply to all of the UC’s through that one application.
- There are 7 parts to the UC application; About you, Campuses and Majors, Academic History, Test Scores, Activities and Awards, Scholarships and Programs, and Personal Insight Questions.
- Out of 8 Personal Insight Questions(PIQ’s) you must complete 4; maximum word count is 350.
- You do get the chance to apply for UC scholarships within the application.
- UC’s do not require or read letters of recommendation.
- At the time of applying you do not need to submit any transcripts; those will be asked of you once you are accepted.
- Each application fee is $70 for US students (as of 2020).
- You can check your eligibility for fee waivers within the application itself, and if you qualify, UC’s allow you to apply to 4 universities at no cost.
CSU Application
CSU Application
CSU Application
The CSU system consists of 23 universities like CSUN, CSUCI, Fresno, San Francisco, Humboldt, and 18 more! According to the Cal States themselves they admitted approximately
481, 929 students in Fall 2019.
Some key facts about Applying to a CSU
- Unlike other schools, SAT/ACT scores are not required for eligibility if you have a gpa of 3.0 or higher.
- Keep in mind, if the school is impacted with Freshmen enrollment the school could require it later from you as a supplement criteria.
- No letter of recommendations are required.
- No essays are needed when applying.
- The application itself is pretty brief and really only requires your personal information.
- You are allowed to list certain achievements.
Common Application
Coalition Application
Coalition Application
The Common Application is a college admissions application in which students can apply to nearly 900 colleges and universities around the world like the Ivy Leagues, USC, NYU, St.Mary’s University (England), University of West London, and hundreds more.
Some key facts about Applying through the Common App
- As the Common App offers hundreds of colleges and universities to offer, the applications can vary. Some colleges or universities might want an additional supplementary question answered, or allow more recommendations from a wide range of people. However, just like the UC and CSU applications you only apply once and can select the schools that you would like to apply to.
- With that, for all the schools that you will apply to, the Common App will ask that you write one essay for all.
- The Common app gives you seven different prompts for the one essay. Between those prompts you must choose one and write a 250-650 word essay.
- Of course, you will get the chance to include more information about yourself, any awards, achievements, etc.
- You cannot apply to more than 20 colleges through the Common App.
- The price of each app is dependent on the school, they tend to vary from $30-$75 for US applicants.
- Letters of recommendations can be submitted after you submit your application .
- Like all other applications you can request fee waivers within the Common App fee waiver section in the Profile Section.
Coalition Application
Coalition Application
Coalition Application
The Coalition Application is to say, the least known application of these 4 because it was established just a few years ago in 2015. It is quickly grabbing traction and is accepted by universities that the Common App does not such as: Texas A&M University, University of Washington Seattle, James Madison University, and more!
Some key facts about Applying through the Coalition App
- 150+ schools are members of the Coalition application and it is safe to say that more schools will soon join this application. To see a full list of their member schools, click this link: https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/our-members
- The Coalition Application requires that you write an essay of your choice from the 5 prompts that they give you; one being completely and entirely your choice! There is no maximum word count, but they do recommend that you keep it between 500-650 words.
- Like the Common App, the price does vary between schools but is the same if it were on another application. One of the schools that they offer is not cheaper on the Common App or vice versa.
- You will have a chance to record your achievements in high school.
- They allow letters of recommendations; if you receive a letter of recommendation, you can use it to apply to multiple universities of your choice.
- If your recommender has not completed their letter of recommendation, they can submit it after you submit the application.
- Fee waivers are offered by the coalition application.
Community College Applications
At community colleges students can get a 2 year degree, take courses to transfer to a 4 year university and take certificated/career programs. The Ventura County Community College District is here in Ventura County, and consists of three local colleges: Moorpark College, Oxnard College, and Ventura College!
Some key facts about Applying to go to a Ventura County Community College
- The cost of tuition to attend these colleges is $0! with the assistance of the California College Promise Grant.
- Some high school students prefer to attend these colleges instead so that they could save money considering the first two years of college are for students to complete their general education courses.
- Who gets to go to community colleges? Everyone! As long as you're a California resident with a high school diploma or GED, and space is available, you can enroll. You simply apply, enroll, and attend!
- Before enrolling you must have an OpenCCC account which allows you to access California Community Colleges. You can access this by going to the specific college you wish to attend and starting the "Apply-Enroll" process.
- To register for classes you must log in to the MyVCCCD student portal.
- Each college varies in programs and classes. For example: Moorpark has an Animal Science department whereas Oxnard and Ventura do not. Though, Oxnard College, unlike the other two colleges, has an American Sign Language department. On the other hand, Ventura College has a Diesel Mechanics department, whereas Oxnard and Moorpark do not have one. It all depends on what you lean towards most that should determine which school you attend! You can explore options on the specific college website's Programs & Courses tab.
- So, what is the difference between these colleges and other universities like UCSB, USC, or Cal Poly? Which is better? There is much controversy surrounding this topic, but in all honesty it’s up to you on where you go! The biggest difference is of course money. Going to a community college means that you don’t have to spend thousands in tuition while completing the same requirements as someone at another university or college. Another notable difference is the school atmosphere. Going to a university or a college gives you the opportunity to get that "college experience" of being independent, live in dorms, etc.