Class of 2014 Application Instructions

Please read the following instructions carefully and in full.  The Gatton Academy Admissions Application is not a standard paper application.  Think of your application as more of an online portfolio about yourself.

The admissions process for all applicants begins with the completion of the online Online Application Account Request.

Before submitting this form, please ensure your email client will not reject messages from mailer@email.naviance.com as spam. Some students have not received messages with their username and password because of this.

Please complete this form in full. Once your account has been created, you will receive an email from a Gatton Academy staff member with the subject line "Family Connection Account Information" with the student-specific email and password required for log-in. This online system serves as the repository of information for students pursuing admission to the Gatton Academy.

Once you receive your password, visit https://connection.naviance.com/gatton to begin the online application.

Completing the Online Application Portfolio

When completing your application online using Naviance, you need only complete the sections listed below. Other areas and tabs such as "Colleges" and "Career Plan" should be ignored.

Profile

Please visit the "About Me" tab to begin entering information about yourself. Please ensure the accuracy of the information location in the "Profile" page under the "Official Things" heading. You will also enter information about your parents and/or guardians. Please complete all fields for your parent(s) or guardian(s).

Resume

Engagement outside of the classroom is an important component in becoming a well-rounded student. Please share the extracurricular activities, both organized and individual, you have been involved since high school, or middle school if notable (e.g., chess club, newspaper staff, scouting, music, academic teams, community service, etc.). Please include any summer workshops, camps, or programs. Students are encouraged to note any leadership opportunities or information that would be useful for the Admissions Committee. Please also list any awards and honors that you have received, both in and out of school, since middle school (e.g., academics, music, athletics, forensics, publications, scouts, etc.).  Not all sections of the resume are required.  Complete only those elements that you feel will provide the review committee with insights into your activities and interests.  Applicants do not need to print a copy of their resume, as all elements are available for review to staff.

Test Scores

Include scores for the PSAT, SAT, EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT, or AP exams if available. The Academy will use the highest score in each individual section of the ACT and SAT rather than the highest overall scores. PSAT, PLAN, and AP scores are not required for admission; however, they do provide a more complete portrait of you as an applicant. All public high school students are required to take the PLAN test during the fall semester of their sophomore year.

You are required to have an official ACT or SAT score on file with Western Kentucky University. Students should consider doing testing in October, November, or December. The Gatton Academy advises applicants to test prior to January if possible. Please submit SAT and ACT scores directly to WKU. Submit ACT scores to code 1562 . Submit SAT scores to code 1901 .

The writing portion of the ACT and SAT is not required for admission to the Gatton Academy. Upcoming SAT and ACT dates are listed on the Timeline page.

February 2012 ACT

Students may take the February 2012 ACT as applicants for the Class of 2014; however, there are numerous considerations that must also be made.  Scores will likely be available to students online as our review committee completes its work.  Once students receive online score reports, they must immediately post that information in Family Connection.  WKU and the Gatton Academy receive official scores reports several weeks later.  Students should also share any PLAN or PSAT scores available, though an ACT or SAT score set is required for admission.  Students will not be offered interviews until an ACT or SAT score is reported.

Journal

Applicants are required to respond to the following questions. Responses are used by the Admissions Committee to gauge your maturity, individuality, and personality. The response to each question--excluding question four--should be no more than 500 words. Responses should be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font and double-spaced. Pages should have 1" margins on all sides.

Begin by clicking "Add Journal Entry". Under the "Share With" line, please ensure "Counselors" is selected. Otherwise, the admissions staff will be unable to read your essays.

Completed essays should be saved with a file name in the following format "[Student Name] Essay [Number]". Click "Add new entry" to begin the upload process. Under "Type," select "My Essays." Enter "Class of (Graduation Year) Admissions Essays" in the subject field. Select the document via the "Browse" button. Click "Attach". Finally, click the "Add Journal Entry" button to complete the upload.

Answer the following questions fully and with detail:

1. If you are selected for the Gatton Academy, you will be asked to live, study, and work in a community in which all members contribute. Why do you want to attend the Gatton Academy? Describe the contributions you feel you will make to the Gatton Academy through your presence and studies within STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines.
2. Living away from home may present significant challenges. Describe a situation in which you have experienced difficulty, overcome adversity, or faced an ethical question. Explain how you coped with this situation and what you learned from it.
3. What specific field of science and math interests you the most? (Subjects include, though certainly are not limited to, agriculture, architecture, astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geography, geology, health sciences, manufacturing, mathematics, meteorology, physics, or interdisciplinary fields.) In which of these areas do you intend to focus your studies at the Gatton Academy and beyond?
4. Twitter is a social network and microblogging platform in which thoughts are shared as "tweets." Each tweet consists of no more than 140 characters. For some people, expressing their thoughts in such a compact space can be a challenge. For others, it becomes an expression of creativity while using multiple tools to convey a rich message. In no more than a tweet: how do you plan to change the world?

Applicant Recommendations

The Gatton Academy requires the following two recommendations:

• one from a current or former high school math or science teacher; and
• one from a guidance counselor, administrator, or someone else in the applicant's school or community (i.e., a scout leader, youth group coordinator, another teacher) who can comment on the applicant's general academic aptitude, leadership ability, emotional maturity, integrity, and preparation for the rigorous academic program offered by the Gatton Academy

Your recommendations may be written in one of two methods. All recommendations must be accompanied by the Cover for Recommendation.

Recommendations may be completed on the Gatton Academy Recommendation Form. Copies of this form should be made as needed. Recommendations may also be written as formal letters of recommendation. This option is to allow a person writing a recommendation with a unique relationship to you an opportunity to provide a picture from a more personal perspective than the standard recommendation form allows.

The Gatton Academy also encourages applicants to ask for recommendations from more than these two people to avoid missing the deadline and to ensure that the Admissions Committee receives the applicant's most representative academic profile; however, please send no more than four letters of recommendation .

Please be sure that those persons completing your recommendations understand the nature and rigor of the Gatton Academy. As a courtesy, please provide individuals writing letters of recommendation with as much time as possible before the deadline. You are encouraged to discuss the academic requirements of the Gatton Academy with those persons completing their recommendations and to direct them to the Gatton Academy website.

To ensure confidentiality and the utmost honesty in assessment, completed recommendations should be submitted directly to the Academy postmarked by February 1. Completed recommendations should not be returned to you. They should be mailed to

The Gatton Academy
Attn: Corey Alderdice
1906 College Heights Blvd. #71031
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1031
Other Materials

Official High School Transcript

A official transcript of grades from your freshman and sophomore year should be submitted to the Gatton Academy by your guidance counselor. Transcripts should be submitted in January of your application year to include grades for the Fall semester of your sophomore year. Transcripts should be mailed to

The Gatton Academy
Attn: Corey Alderdice
1906 College Heights Blvd. #71031
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1031

Release of Confidential Information

Both you and a parent should review and complete the Release of Confidential Information form. A completed copy will be emailed to you and the Gatton Academy.  Please note that the "digital signature" means simply typing in your names in the fields provided.

Optional Video Statement

Maturity, personality, and individuality are traits that are common among all Gatton Academy students. Grades, essays, and letters of recommendation do not always demonstrate the level of creativity, ingenuity, and talent among our student body. In order to better appreciate applicants as individuals, candidates are invited to submit a video of no more than two minutes in length for the Admissions Committee to review. Videos may be either edited or unedited. Videos should be uploaded to a standard video-sharing website (such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Blip.tv). A link to your video may be submitted via the Video Submission Form.

Confirmation of the Receipt of Materials

Please confirm all application materials have been received in advance of the February 1st  postmark deadline by visiting the "About Me" tab and clicking "Account" followed by "Inbox". Materials are logged online in a timely manner as they are received by the Gatton Academy. Should you be concerned that an item has not been received, please send an email to academy@wku.edu or telephone 270-745-6565 .

Students are responsible for the completion of the following viewable items:

• Applicant Information in "Profile"
• Applicant Activities and Accomplishments in "Resume"
• ACT, SAT, and/or other exam scores in "Scores"
• Essay Responses in "Journals"
• Optional Video Statement

Receipt of the following items sent by mail or otherwise will be noted in the "Private Comments" section:

• Recommendation from Math or Science Teacher
• Recommendation from Counselor, Principal, Administrator, or Community Leader
• Other Recommendations
• Official High School Transcript
• Release of Confidential Information
• Official ACT or SAT score report on file with WKU (review of receipt begins January 15)

When Finished with All Materials

Please note there is not a "submit button" to press once all materials have been completed.  All materials that you have submitted in the first list above are available to our review committee.  The additional items have been confirmed via comments from the second list above.  Think of your work as a porfolio rather than an assignment for submission.  We think this work will be useful for you both now and as you apply to college in your senior year.

Review of Applications and Notification

After the February 1st deadline, the Admissions Committee will review all applications and select students to participate in formal interviews in late March. Students will be notified by email regarding interviews as close to March 1st as possible. In early April, the Admissions Committee will select the final 60 students as part of the incoming class of students. Applicants will be notified of their final status by email on or before April 1st.