College advising office
Greetings Families!
The Ambrose School’s College Advising Office provides beneficial services to students as they prepare for college. The school administers the PSAT, hosts multiple college representative visits, and offers a College Bootcamp course for juniors. As the on-staff college advisor, I meet one-on-one with juniors and seniors to help them navigate the world of applications, deadlines, scholarships, and career choices. I invite students to discuss their future plans and to ask questions about the college admissions process.
Students are often encouraged to pursue a career and then choose a college that fits that career. We encourage our students to first seek God’s calling in the school that will prepare them for a life in service to Christ. This could involve a state school, an Ivy League school, military academy, Christian college, or any other alternative.
I encourage both students and parents to take an active role in the college preparation journey. God’s vision for each of us is unique and I want to walk alongside of you. Get involved early. Much of the early work as freshmen and sophomores will pay off later as students apply to colleges and for financial aid. Hard work and early involvement will pay dividends down the road.
Best,
Nicole Ingersoll
College Advising Office
Students who need official transcripts of concurrent credit through NNU or CCU need to contact those schools directly. Be sure that grades have posted (2-3 weeks after the end of the semester) before ordering an official transcript.
Fill out the following form to have your Ambrose transcript sent to colleges:
College entrance exams are standardized aptitude tests used to evaluate students for college admissions purposes. In short, they measure what you need to succeed in college and your potential to perform in the future. The PSAT, SAT and ACT tests focus on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education. The PSAT is a practice test given in grades 10 and 11; it offers a preview of the SAT. Colleges and universities accept either the SAT or ACT; there is no preference given to one over the other. The Classical Learning Test (CLT) is aligned more with the Classical education and might be a better reflection of your skills.
Students should take the SAT or ACT at least once by spring of their junior year. Become familiar with the format and timing on these tests by clicking on the tabs for each test. Many colleges and universities ‘superscore’ these exams—they look at the highest subject area score among your tests and combine them for an overall ‘superscore.’ Therefore, it beneficial to take the test 2 or 3 times.
PSAT
The PSAT is offered in October to TAS students in grades 10 and 11. It provides students a preview of the SAT and is a National Merit qualifier for juniors. The school covers the cost of registration for this test.
SAT/ACT
Students should take the SAT or ACT by spring of their junior year. TAS will offer the SAT in the spring to all juniors. The SAT has 2 sections: Reading/Writing and Math. The ACT has 3 core sections: Reading, Writing and Math; Science is optional. Students should plan in advance to sign up for these tests as local testing facilities are limited.
CLT
The CLT is administered at home and remotely proctored. There are 3 sections: verbal reasoning, grammar/writing, and quantitative reasoning. It is accepted by hundreds of higher education institutions and many of those institutions offer CLT-based scholarships.
The following are comprehensive college databases. You can search for the ‘best fit’ school using a variety of criteria.
Applications
Letters of Recommendation
College and scholarship applications will usually ask for at least one Letter of Recommendation as part of the application process. The agency requesting this is looking for something specific, some extra, rounded-out information about you from someone who knows you. Reviewers want to know how others perceived you when you were faced with a task, a difficult situation, or some challenge that impacted or impressed them as they worked with you. Reviewers want to see what others see when you’re around. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) your parents cannot give you a Letter of Recommendation for these applications; you will need to ask someone else who knows you almost as well. You will want to ask a teacher, youth group leader, mentor, coach, pastor, or an employer–someone who has observed you, your work, and your character. Usually college admissions committees look for recommendations from those who have worked with you in your junior and senior years.
Once you’ve thought about whom you might ask to write your recommendation, remember that you are making a request for this person to do you a favor. No recommender gets paid to do this, nor is it a part of anyone’s job description! It’s a pretty big deal to write about someone and their character, hoping that the letter is accurate, clear, and concise. Writing important character compositions takes a lot of concentrated time and effort, and your recommender needs at least two weeks to plan and write about you. Never assume anyone will write you a recommendation at the last minute—most people will decline your late request. Besides, what kind of character would you be exhibiting if you presume a favor?
Your recommender needs several things from you:
your resume
a copy of your transcript
a definite deadline
the specific application instructions for the Recommendation section
It is important that your recommender have all the tools he or she needs to write the best letter about you. Help them do this by providing all the information needed before you ask. Do not assume that he or she knows or remembers everything about you.
And because your character counts in every way, you don’t want to forget to thank your recommenders in a special way. Writing a thoughtful, appreciative note of thanks to each recommender is the best way to let them know they contributed to your future, and not wasted their precious family time. Honor them by sincerely thanking them.
Advice on putting together your application
Go to Yale University’s admissions website for the most comprehensive advice on essays, interviews, activities, and more.
You may apply directly through the college or via Common Application if your college participates.
1. Read the application instructions carefully. Each college may ask for different information, so it’s important to read the instructions carefully and make sure you provide everything that’s required.
2. Submit your high school transcripts. Transcripts are almost always required and provide admissions officers with an overview of your academic performance. Email Mrs. Ingersoll for an unofficial copy of your transcript or request an official transcript be sent directly to the school.
3. Write a college essay/short answer. Essays are a key part of your application and give you a chance to express yourself, why you want to attend the institute, and what you will bring to the school community.
4. Get letters of recommendation if they are required. Letters of recommendation from teachers, a pastor, coach or counselor can help contextualize your application and show that you’ve earned respect from others.
5. Consider taking standardized tests (SAT, ACT, CLT).Most colleges in the US require standardized tests to assess your academic knowledge and proficiency.
6. Meet application deadlinesIt’s important to submit your applications by the correct deadline. Early action or early decision applications can be less competitive than regular applications.
7. Consider completing the FAFSA. You may need to complete the FAFSA if you’re looking for financial aid and your school participates in federal student aid.
The majority of merit-based funding historically comes directly from the college/university. Please check the The Ambrose School’s Scholarship Tracker for trustworthy and reliable in-state and out-of state scholarship opportunities.
Other scholarship databases:
Big Future: College Board
CollegeBoard is probably best known for its administration of college entrance exams but it also has a tool to help you find scholarships. Its website has a database of more than 6,000 scholarship opportunities. After you make an account, you’ll be able to search its opportunities through various filters. The CollegeBoard search tool is free to use.
Scholarships.com
Scholarships.com uses an algorithm to pair you with scholarships you may be eligible for, with millions of opportunities available. To put the algorithm to work for you, you’ll need to create an account, inputting your current grade in school, your birthday, zip code, and email address. You can also search through its database of scholarships yourself, filtering by criteria such as academic major, GPA, and military affiliation. The website is free to use.
Fastweb has an algorithm that uses your profile on its website to match you each day with scholarships you may want to apply for. Fastweb has more than 1.5 million scholarship opportunities.
Fastweb’s scholarship opportunities are updated daily, so check back frequently to see if you qualify for the latest batch. Professional scholarship researchers vet every scholarship in its database. The website is free to use.
Scholarship Owl
You’re able to use Scholarship Owl for free, but you’ll have to pay to access some features, including a personal account manager and the automatic submission of applications.
