College Research
College Planning Account Log-In Information
SCOIR College and Career Platform
College “Fit” Considerations
College Application Strategies
College Visits
Virtual College Visits
College Application Essays
Standardized Tests in College Admissions
Community College/Trade School
Pre-Application Checklist
College Planning Account Login Information
There are at least four sites which require usernames and passwords which students will likely access in the course of their college planning activities. This page can be a place to record all of these credentials, or you can store them in the location of your own choice. It is highly recommended that you keep credentials together to avoid confusion in what can be a complex admissions process.
SCOIR (For Processing College Applications): www.app.scoir.com
SCOIR is the college and career planning site through which students and counselors will be required to process their college applications. Students set up their SCOIR account in WIN.
Username: ___________________________________________________________________________
Password: ___________________________________________________________________________
College Board (SAT):
Students will use their College Board account to access their SAT scores and SAT prep resources, and send their SAT, SAT Subject Test, and AP scores to colleges as required in the application process. For information on how to set up your College Board account go to pages 14-15. If you lose your login credentials, utilize Forgot Username? or Forgot Password? functions, or contact College Board at 866-392-4089.
Username: ___________________________________________________________________________
Password: ___________________________________________________________________________
ACT: www.actstudent.org
ACT is an alternative to SAT for college admissions, and is equally accepted for college admissions. Log-in credentials are established when you register for the ACT (see pages 14-15). Contact ACT if you have lost your credentials (319-337-1270).
Username: ___________________________________________________________________________
Password: ___________________________________________________________________________
Common Application: www.commonapp.org/login
The Common App is a universal college application subscribed to by many four-year colleges, and will be used by students applying to four-year colleges. Students define their own login credentials on the Common App login page. For more information on Common App, see page 24.
Username: ___________________________________________________________________________
Password: ___________________________________________________________________________
Scoir College Planning Platform
SCOIR is the college and career platform we use to complete the school side of college applications. It will be a necessary tool to use to navigate the college admissions process, as well as researching colleges. You will need to establish your SCOIR account to get started.
- Register your SCOIR account
- All students should have registered for an account on SCOIR and completed their SCOIR profile in WIN. If you have not done so already, see Ms. Preston to have a new invite sent.
- College Research = Discover Colleges
- Go to Discover page and enter your preferences for college matches
- Look up colleges directly using the search bar
- Explore similar colleges using the You May Also Like feature
- Compare colleges side by side using the College Compare feature
- Save colleges of interest to your list
- You can also use College Board’s Big Future site to research colleges
- Use College Search feature to research colleges
- Use your College Board Account (established when you take the SATor PSAT) to save colleges to your account.
*** For help with any SCOIR functions, simply click the light blue Help circle always located on the bottom right corner of the screen, and then select HELP CENTER for helpful instructions***
College “Fit” Considerations
In the process of your college research, consider the three broad areas that will help narrow down your list of potential colleges. The ultimate goal is a college that fits academically, financially, and personally.
Academic Fit
This is where a careful evaluation of each college’s SAT/ACT requirements, average GPA, and even rank come into play. Student rank is not available until senior year, but SAT/ACT scores and GPA should be enough to provide at least a ballpark idea of whether or not you are likely to be accepted at each college. SCOIR (www.app.scoir.com) or College Board Big Future (www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org) provide excellent tools to research and determine academic fit. Students can also access this information at each college’s website under Admission Requirements. Also important are the courses that students will be expected to take in college. One college’s Biology program may differ significantly from another’s in the types and titles of courses that students are expected to take. These curriculums can be found on college websites under the specific department the program of interest is housed in. Also remember that while it may be exciting to apply to and gain admission to a college that is an academic reach, it may also prove to be academically stressful if the rigors of the coursework exceed a student’s academic comfort zone.
Financial Fit
This is perhaps the most important determining factor in deciding which colleges a student may attend. While academic fit and personal fit may be good, if, after financial aid is awarded, the family cannot afford the college, then the student will not be attending that college, plain and simple. However, financial fit can be the most difficult to determine ahead of time in the research process. So much of financial fit is riding on the financial award package that often arrives at the same time as the admissions decision. One important consideration when determining financial fit is to remember that college sticker prices, that is, the cost of attendance featured on their website, is likely not the actual cost a family will pay. So, do not necessarily be scared off by the high costs of private colleges. Private colleges often possess considerable endowment funds and can offer more institutional financial aid than public colleges. Secondly, it is a critically important step in the financial aid process to complete and submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) in a timely fashion (and the CSS Profile if required by that college). This will ensure the maximum amount of financial aid available to the student. It is also important to understand the various forms of financial aid that are available to students. More financial aid does not necessarily equal more affordable! It could just mean more debt. Refer to the Introduction to Financial Aid section for more information.
Personal Fit
Personal fit refers to a multitude of personal preferences that may or may not be important to a particular student. SCOIR or Big Future provide tools for students to indicate personal preferences in order to produce a tailored list of colleges. It is important to be as honest as possible when completing these assessments. The following might be factors that influence student fit: student-body size, college location (rural, suburban, urban), ethnicity, private versus public, gender mix, student activities and organizations, special services, ROTC program, disability services, fraternities or sororities, sports, political leanings, religious affiliation, GLBT-friendly, etc. It is not important to weigh-in on all these factors, but it is important to evaluate which ones matter to you, and make sure the colleges you apply to can meet those criteria. Finally, it is essential to visit a college before deciding to attend! (See College Visits in this section.)
College Application Strategies
Once you have determined the colleges that are a good fit for you on an academic, personal, and financial level, you should narrow down that list according to the following 3-level approach to your college applications. Ultimately, your list of colleges to which you will apply should include approximately 3-8 colleges, although there is not one “magic number.” Do not go overboard on college applications. At $20-$75 per application, applying can be expensive, and you could be denying other deserving students of an acceptance at some of those schools.
Safety Schools
Safety schools are those, based on your research of their admission requirements, to which you are 90-100% sure of being accepted, and sure you will be able to afford attending. These may or may not be your “first choice” schools, although it is perfectly acceptable that they may be, but can offer a solid back-up plan if all else fails. These are schools in which you place in the top 25th percentile of GPA and standardized test score range, are most likely to succeed, and to the degree that each school can, the most likely to invest in you with preferable financial aid packages. The quality of the college applicant pool shifts from year to year and school to school, making predictions of acceptance a risky venture. It simply makes good sense to plan for all contingencies. Think of these schools as your safety net, but also ones at which you will enjoy success and attractive financial aid packages. At least one to two schools in this category is a good idea.
Target Schools
Target schools are those, based on your research of their admission requirements, to which you are reasonably (50-90%) sure of being accepted. These are also schools you are reasonably sure you could afford attending. It will likely require some comparative analyses of financial aid awards to make the final determination of whether or not they are affordable for you to attend. These are schools in which you fall in their mid-50% standardized test score and GPA range. Target schools should comprise the majority of schools to which you are applying; at least 3-4 schools.
Reach Schools
Reach schools are those, based on your research of their admission requirements, which are probably on the upper margins of your academic credentials. These should not be schools that are downright impossible to get into, but colleges to which you are 25-50% sure of being accepted, or a “reach.” These are schools in which you place in the bottom 25th percentile of GPA and standardized test score range. Financially, these are often schools which will likely require significant grant or scholarship money, in addition to loans, to be affordable to attend. Often these schools are least likely to offer a favorable financial aid package due to marginal student academics. It is okay to include 1-2 reach schools in your application list, but not required. Be aware that college admissions decisions can be highly unpredictable, and many private schools provide significant amounts of grant and scholarship money to students. You will most likely need to carefully consider reach schools’ financial aid packages to determine if they will be affordable.
College Visits
A critically important piece to the college admissions puzzle is the college visit, particularly when evaluating 4-year colleges for the right “fit.” While some colleges may sound good, look good on-line, and enjoy excellent reputations, you will not ultimately know if that college is a good fit without setting feet and eyeballs on the campus and finding out for yourself if you like the place or not. Many colleges award “admissions points” for items like visits, phone calls, interviews, etc. Some colleges may be located too far from home to realistically plan a visit prior to applying, but NEVER accept admission to a college without first scheduling a visit to campus. With the cost of college attendance spiraling out of control, even a one-semester or one-year “mistake” can be financially devastating.
Admissions Visits to Our School
College Admissions counselors visit OOBHS on a regular basis. Each week the visits are in the morning announcements and you can sign up in SCOIR to attend any college visits to our school.
Admissions Tour
When you “visit” a college, it is important to call the admissions office and schedule a tour. Simply walking around the campus on your own is not adequate. The admissions tour will give you the chance to see the dorms, eat in the cafeteria, visit the library, possibly sit-in on a class or meet a professor from the department of the major in which you are interested (upon request). Often portions of these tours are led by college students, providing an opportunity for you to get information from a student’s perspective. Most students will have a firm opinion about a college after one of these tours.
Open Houses
Colleges also hold “Open Houses” for either prospective or incoming freshmen. These are usually day-long sessions in which the college goes all-out to impress you and encourage you to apply. There are usually informative and entertaining events scheduled throughout the day, and multiple options for activities. Many are held on weekends so as not to interfere with high school classes. Some open houses also offer a chance for you to stay overnight in dorms. More than an admissions tour, an open house provides you with a real feel for life on that college campus.
Admissions Interviews
Although not used as much in the admissions process as they once were, admissions interviews are still very important components of some college’s admissions decisions, and can be important for others, even if they do not require them. A required interview simply means that you must meet with an admissions representative as part of the application process, either in-person or via phone or Zoom, and you cannot be accepted without having done so. Alternatively, some colleges leave the admissions interview as optional and it may not be a needed part of the admissions process.
Alumni Interviews
Extremely competitive private colleges will sometimes utilize alumni Interviews in their assessment of students who have applied for admission. Ivy League colleges are well known for this admissions strategy. As part of the admission process, these schools have a network of alumni (people who have graduated from that college) around the country who are responsible for conducting student interviews on behalf of the college, often at your high school or nearby location. These interviews are valued quite heavily in the admissions process for schools that require them, and help admissions committees get a sense of who you are on a personal level, and eliminate or advance you in the admissions process.
When to Visit Colleges
The prevailing wisdom dictates that the prime-time for college visits is in the spring of your junior year while college is in session. While high school spring break is a nice block of time-off, be sure that the colleges you are visiting have classes in session. This gives you a good idea for the feel, energy and vibe of the campus when it is functioning normally, and allows you to see all facilities including the dining commons. Try to avoid visits during college breaks, as the campus is likely to feel like a ghost town, and will not reflect the natural energy of the place. Early autumn during your senior year is also a great time to schedule visits, but must be done prior to application deadlines which start early in November.
Interview Preparation
Treat your admissions interview like a job interview. Other than your college application itself, the interview will likely be the only other opportunity you have to impress the admissions officer. While it is highly encouraged for your parent(s) to accompany you to the interview, it is important that you be in charge, take initiative and demonstrate you are ready for the increased responsibility and independence that college will offer and demand.
It is important to be prepared by doing the following:
- Call the college’s Admissions Office to officially schedule your visit and tour
- Bring copies of your high school transcript, current schedule, and resume (if you have one)
- Arrive early
- Take initiative in the meeting. Do not depend on a parent to ask questions or lead the discussion.
- Dress Sharply
- Maintain eye contact
- Shake hands firmly
- Demonstrate interest and enthusiasm
- Ask questions – come prepared with list of questions
- Make copies of the College Visit Worksheet on the next page, and use it to track your college visits
- Thank the admissions officer for the opportunity, and follow-up with an email thanking them again
All colleges will provide some means of visiting their college by means of their own tours and visit links which can be found on their individual websites. Each college’s approach to this is individualized, but all will provide an opportunity through these virtual visits and tours to gather information, ask questions, tour the campus, etc. You will find these links on each college’s website’s admissions page.
Campus On-Site Visits
While you may choose to do virtual visits rather than official on-campus tours, etc., it is a very good idea to drive to the campus anyway, walk around campus, check out the local town, and determine if the physical location, surrounding region and its amenities and attractions, and the distance from home are things that you find attractive about the school, or that might be considered detractions. This will be an important step in properly evaluating the college for fit.
College Application Essay
College application essays are required on most, but not all, college applications. The essay is also required on the Common Application, although only for those colleges that require it. Each college makes its own determination on how important the essay is in the admissions process. For many, the essay is a critically important piece of the admissions puzzle because it is, perhaps, the only opportunity they have to get an intimate look at who you are as a person, aside from your grades, statistics, activities, etc. Who are you at your core is the question that admissions officers hope you will answer in your essay. They also want to see that you can write well and build a logical argument with supporting ideas, as you will be doing a lot of that in college!
Common Application Essay Prompts (2026-2027)
You will most likely be using the Common Application (Common App) to submit your college applications to multiple colleges. Common App allows you to complete just one application to be used in the process providing that all of your chosen colleges accept it. Most 4-year colleges accept Common App in the northeast. The following are the 2024-2025 Common App college application essay prompts. These are the exact prompts from which you will ultimately choose one on which you will base your college application essay. Reflect on these options, choose one, and get started now…it is one less thing you will have to do in the fall when the college application crunch is upon you!
- Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
- Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
For more information on writing your college application essays, please consult this pdf.
Standardized Tests in College Application
Should I Take a Standardized Test?
Standardized tests generally play an important role in the 4-year college admissions process. There has been a recent trend in the college admissions industry away from placing heavy weighting on standardized test scores in the admissions process, and the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in many colleges going to a “test-optional” policy in their admissions policies. However, a number of colleges still currently require standardized test scores, and many have been returning to their historical policies of requiring them so it is important to check each school’s admissions practices. It is my recommendation that students interested in 4 year colleges should consider taking a standardized test.
SAT
The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is the most widely used college admissions test in the northeast, and is designed to assess a student’s readiness for college. It is accepted by virtually all 4-year colleges and universities. Specifically, it tests critical reading skills and grammar usage, and a broad range of mathematics skills in algebra, geometry, statistics and probability. Test scores are broken down into the two areas of testing, along with a composite score. 800 is the highest score attainable in each area, with 1600 being the maximum composite score. The SAT also provides an opportunity to connect to scholarship opportunities and place out of certain college courses. For more information, or to sign up for an SAT, go to www.sat.collegeboard.org. Students in senior year who want to take the SAT must register for the test through the college board.
ACT The ACT (originally an abbreviation for American College Testing) is a curriculum and standards based educational test that assesses students’ academic readiness for college in four areas: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning. A Writing component is optional. Test scores reflect what students have learned throughout high school, and provide colleges and universities with information for admissions. ACT Test is not as popular as the SAT in the east, although it is now more widely used across the country than the SAT, and is accepted at all four-year colleges. Go to www.act.org for more information, or to sign up for an ACT.
SAT/ACT Testing and Registration You must register for each SAT or ACT through your College Board or ACT accounts. Go to www.sat.collegeboard.org or www.act.org to establish your own accounts. There is a complete list of upcoming SAT and ACT dates on the College Board and ACT websites.
Free On-line Study/Prep Resources
- SAT – Khan Academy has great resources for free SAT prep. You can also take full length practice tests through your college board account.
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/practice/practice-tests
- ACT – ACT also offers a free, interactive, test prep module. Go to www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/free-act-test-prep.html for more information.
SAT/ACT Test Plan and Timelines
Typical Timeline
- Test #1 Spring Junior
- Continue Prep/Studying Spring/Summer Junior/Senior
- Test #2 Summer/Early Fall Senior
Late Timeline
- Test #1 Summer/Early Fall Senior
- Continue Prep Fall Senior
- Test #2 Late Fall/Early Winter Senior
Submitting Your Standardized Test Scores to Colleges
Each student is responsible for making sure they submit their standardized test scores to the colleges that require them. You will submit your standardized test scores to colleges as part of your application process through your College Board or ACT accounts. It will cost around $12 per college for scores to be sent to colleges to which you apply.
SAT/ACT Fee Waivers
Fee waivers are available from your School Counselor for those eligible according to the following criteria:
- Student’s family receives public assistance, lives in federally subsidized public housing, a foster home, is homeless, or is a ward of the state
- Student’s family falls within the income range that would have traditionally qualified for a free/reduced lunch program
- Student’s family is in a particular financial hardship known to the school counselor
Community College and Trade Schools
General Information
In general, when we discuss two-year colleges, we are talking about community colleges. Most Old Orchard Beach graduates who go on to attend a two-year college choose to attend either YCCC in Wells, or SMCC in South Portland, although there are seven campuses in the Maine Community College System (www.mccs.me.edu). A student earns an Associate Degree after completing a course of study at a two-year college.
Community colleges often have an open-admission policy that requires only a high school diploma to be accepted. Community colleges offer an impressive array of courses and programs, both in academics and the trades, many of which are designed to provide immediately marketable employment skills in demand locally, or designed to prepare a student to transfer into a four-year college after earning their associate degree. Community college applicants are also fully eligible for all typical college financial aid programs. Community colleges in Maine are tuition free for high school graduates.
Community colleges are easy to apply to by accessing their on-line applications, which are simple and short. They do not accept Common Application. Community colleges use a variety of factors to determine student placement in math and english. They run almost exclusively rolling admissions, meaning that there are no hard application deadlines, applications are generally free of charge, and they do not generally require letters of recommendation or personal essays.
Potential Benefits of Starting at a Community College
Beginning your post-secondary education at a community college before transferring to a 4-year college can have a number of immediate and long-term benefits.
- Financial – Maine community colleges have free tuition for high school graduates. This means the cost of attending the college courses is free. Room and board are an additional cost if you plan to live on campus.
- Academic – There is a great deal of academic support at the community college level. This often provides an academic transition for students moving from high school to college.
- Personal – Community college can offer the extra time a student needs to mature, gain confidence, and be ready to make a definitive decision about their future, while still moving forward with their college education.
Transfer ME Program
Transfer ME is a pathway for Maine Community College System (MCCS) graduates to bypass the traditional transfer admissions process into the University of Maine System (UMS). Graduates from select UMS-MCCS transfer pathway programs are automatically admitted to one or more of Maine’s public universities based on academic performance and progress.