College & University

• Admission requirements may be limited or non-existent
• No cost to apply
• No GPA or test score requirements
• No essays or letters of recommendation
• No deadlines

• Tend to have a few dozen students per class as opposed to hundreds
   

• Can often find a school closer to home, ski resorts, etc.

• Certificate programs generally take a year or less
• Associate degrees generally take two years

• Many  of those less expensive courses are guaranteed to transfer to a public Colorado institution
• Programs like Bridge to Bachelor's can ensure admission to certain four-year Colorado schools 
• Students who attend to community college first tend to perform better than students who start at 4-year schools

Colleges consider several factors when deciding which students to admit. To increase your chances, you should be working to improve the quality (not the quantity) of these aspects of your application.

• Grades / GPA
  • Schools will strongly consider your performance in advanced and college-level courses
• Curriculum Rigor
  • Having a good GPA is less significant if you weren't taking challenging classes!
• Test Scores
  • Many colleges are test optional -- so you should only submit these scores if it is above the school average and will improve your chances!
• Extracurricular Activities
  • What are you doing outside of school?
  • Clubs / Sports / Volunteering
    • Commitment and depth of involvement is more important than a number here
    • How do these relate to your educational goals or who you are as a person?
  • You can also discuss barriers to engaging in activities here -- like working a job to support your family or taking care of younger siblings!
• Letters of Recommendation
  • Be the person you want your teachers and recommenders to write about in their letters
  • Take the time to build a relationship with those you connect to and can help advance your future
• Personal Essays
  • Write a draft early on and get feedback from many different perspectives (parents, teachers, friends, counselors)
  • This is a great place to speak to why you are so interested in their institution

These tasks are especially important the summer before senior year, but students can start working toward these things at any time!

1. Explore your interests - Start building your resume with experiences, classes, internships, and events that relate to what it is you want to study. It's okay if you change your mind -- explain how your experiences have led to where you are at today.
2. Decide where you might want to go - start visiting campuses early and think about what is important to you when looking at schools. If you can visit campus while classes are in session, even better! Different colleges will have different recommendations and requirements to bolster your chances of admission. Check out the 'College & University Recommendations / Requirements' section of our 'Graduating at Legacy' page to learn more.
3. Determine who will be writing letters of recommendation for you - as you think about where you are going to apply, research what they require in terms of letters of recommendation. Some schools don't require or allow any letters, whereas some may asked for three! Some schools will also limit how many letters you can send, so be intentional in building those relationships and who can be best speak to your potential.
4. Look into scholarships and funding sources now - school is expensive! The sooner you start considering opportunities to help pay for school, the better.

There is no magic number, as it depends on your goals. However, five tends to be the average.

• One or two reach schools (small chance of acceptance)
• Two or three ideal schools
• One safe school (almost guaranteed acceptance)

An ideal number of letters to have is two, although some schools won't allow any or only one. It is rare that you will need more than two. Try to have these letters come from adults who know you in different environments (e.g. English teacher and science teacher; L2k teacher and volunteer coordinator)

This is something you should research when looking into schools. While all Colorado schools are test optional, your scores may help with your admission chances if you perform above average. As well, there are schools in other states that require test scores.

SAT is offered for free to all students in April of their Junior year. You should take the ACT if your school requires it or you think your score might look better given the addition of a science section on the ACT.

Students should use College Board's AP Credit Policy search engine to see how their AP scores will translate to different universities.

• Don't treat this like high school. You may be surprised by the change in expectations and pacing, so it's better to do too much work and then pull back later. Read the texts and study over many days. Maybe start by taking fewer classes your first semester and then increasing as you feel comfortable.
• Know your syllabus and how your grade will be determined. Even though some classes may never take attendance, showing up is like homework and will improve your performance on exams.
• Find ways to connect on campus. The more time you spend on campus, the better you will do in classes and the more motivated you will be in general. Life on campus should be an appropriate balance of focus and fun.
• Take electives that interest you! There are many incredible classes you can take outside of your degree focus that can help you crystallize your interests, maintain your hobbies, or learn things you've always been curious about.

Yes -- students should realize that meeting high school graduation requirements does not mean they will automatically meet requirements or recommendations to be eligible or competitive at every school. Students should consult with their counselor or check out the 'College & University Recommendations / Requirements' section of our 'Graduating at Legacy' page to learn more.

Most commonly, this applies to students applying to California schools and their A-G Requirements. Many students will not meet the F) Visual & Performing Art requirement unless they intentionally sign up for qualifying courses.

Students applying to undergraduate programs are strongly encouraged to meet Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR) when applying to any Colorado four-year public college or university.