It’s that time of the year, seniors. That’s right, time to apply for college, and the Nov. 30 deadline is quickly approaching.

“It’s a very stressful process and, honestly, it’s a reality check,” says Maria Rodriguez, a senior at CI. “I’m applying to Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Bakersfield, because they have the best nursing programs. I want to apply to UCLA, but I’m not quite sure yet.”

There are 10 UC (University of California) schools and 23 CSUs. UC schools tend to be bigger, more expensive, have more students, and have bigger class sizes. The biggest difference is that UCs focus more on research-based learning, while the CSUs combine theoretical learning with practical applications.

Mr. Chris Gillian, an Academic Enrichment and Pre-Calculus teacher, says, “Don’t procrastinate. Students should try to finish the application before Thanksgiving Break, because during that last week before the November 30th deadline, you won’t have teachers and counselors to help you.”

The UCs are looking for the top 8 percent of high school students to accept into their school, while the CSUs are looking for the top 33 percent. CSUs will accept students that have a GPA of 2.0 or higher; however, UCs will accept students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. All students for both colleges need to complete their A-G requirements with a C or better in every class.

“All students need to check up with their counselors every year about their A-G requirements and make sure they are keeping up with them,” says Ms. Shirley Moore, a counselor at CI.

“The application for the UC schools takes about an hour and a half if you’ve finished the Personal Statement,” says Mr. Gillian.

He advises that when applying, students have their current transcripts accessible and that they list all of their extracurricular activities and volunteer work.

“Don’t sell yourself short. List everything, even if you only volunteered once,” Mr. Gillian advises.

“The CSU application takes about 50 minutes,” Mr. Gillian says. He advises students while applying to have their current transcripts. “It’s one application for all 23 schools, so you don’t have to do all of them separately,” he said.

Ms. Moore’s advice to freshman is to start early. “Make a list of the places you have volunteered,” she said. “Be involved and be a team player. Be a leader, those traits will strengthen your application.”

CI counselor Ms. Carri McDevitt says senior should definitely “apply right now and attend the application workshops on campus.”

When applying for both UCs and CSUs, students need to take either the SAT or ACT test. Colleges will take your best score and do not have a preference on which one you take. The last chances to take the SAT and ACT are in December; that’s the latest colleges will accept your scores being sent in. The last SAT date is Dec. 7 and the last ACT date is December 14th. The deadline for registration for both tests is November 8th.

“I’m applying to UCLA, Cal Lutheran University, and UC Davis. I’d like to study Economics and Business,” says Dylan Barrera a senior at CI. “It feels good having help from counselors like Ms. Moore with the application and stuff, because otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do,” he adds.

UC’s have one big requirement that CSUs don’t — the Personal Statement. This helps the school get a holistic view of a student.

This is a 1,000-word essay, made up of two prompts, that basically gives the readers an understanding of who you are what makes you UC eligible.

“Make sure to have one person who knows you well read your Personal Statement and one person who doesn’t know you read it, if they both get the same impression about you, you’re on the right track,” said Mr. Gillian.

Ms. Moore’s tips for writing the Personal Statement is, “Never use quotes, be clear and to the point, make sure and have people read it for feedback, and focus on you not others.”