College Applications
Using SCOIR to Process College Applications
If you do not have a SCOIR account:
- You should have created your SCOIR account and Profile in WIN. If you did not, see Ms. Preston
Once you have registered your SCOIR account:
- Sign the FERPA Release Authorization and Waiver of Rights
- Located in upper right corner of your My Profile page
- Select Granted for both, and then sign at the bottom and submit
- Invite your teacher recommenders
- On your My Colleges page, click on Application Documents in upper right
- Click on Request a Recommendation
- Look up your teacher and subject
- Type a message thanking them for writing, and adding any details you wish
- Click Send
- Develop your Application List
- Click and drag colleges from your Following List to your Applying List
- Select your application method (Common App or College Website)
- Select your application type (Regular, Rolling, Early Action, Early Decision, etc.)
- Click and drag colleges from Applying List to Applied List as you submit applications
- Confirm application method and type, and add your major
- Click and drag your college choice from the Applied List up to the Enrollment box above
Counselor and Teacher Recommendations
Letters of recommendation are an important part of your college applications, and are read closely by college admissions officers. Counselor and teacher recommendations are usually both required as part of your 4-year college applications, but each requires a different process from you. Community colleges generally do not require letters of recommendation.
Counselor Recommendation
Ms. Preston will write a letter of recommendation for you automatically if you are applying to 4-year colleges. The School Counselor Recommendation is generally a more global, holistic look at the student as a whole person, not just an academic performer. As such, you will be required to fill out a Senior Brag Sheet through the google form located in Google Classroom, before I can start your recommendation. That form should be completed early in the fall so I can start your letter as soon as possible. Your Brag Sheet needs to be completed at least two weeks prior to your first college application deadline!!!
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
Teachers’ letters are extremely important, and are generally focused more on classroom performance and character attributes that impact academic performance. In order to secure a teacher recommendation, YOU MUST FIRST ASK YOUR TEACHER IN PERSON!!! Once they have agreed, you will then invite them to submit their letter of recommendation in SCOIR.
When Do I Ask Teachers?
Toward the end of your junior year or early in your senior year are ideal times to be soliciting letters of recommendation from teachers. The application season begins early in the fall for most students, and you do not want to be waiting around for your letters of recommendation from teachers who sometimes have dozens to write. So, try to line up your letters of recommendation at the end of your junior year, or first thing at the beginning of your senior year.
Finally, give your teachers plenty of time to write your letters of recommendation. Always try to submit your request at least two weeks prior to your first college application deadline!!!
Teacher Letter of Recommendation Guidelines
Here is a general set of guidelines when it comes to securing letters of recommendation from teachers:
If possible, always ask your teacher in person to write for you, and be sure to take the time to personally thank them! Try to avoid emailing your request unless there is no other way.
- Ask at least two (2) teachers to write letters for you. Different colleges have different requirements about how many letters can be submitted. Some only allow one, while others allow up to five. Coaches, managers, pastors, or other adults that have the ability to comment on your personal character can also provide letters of recommendation, although most colleges prioritize academic recommendations from core academic courses (i.e. English or math). More letters are not necessarily better. A couple of well written letters will be more readily recalled at decision time, and will be greeted with relief by letter-weary college admission officers who are reading literally hundreds of them!
- When it comes to whom to ask to write for you, try to remember the 3-R’s:
- Recent – Teachers from more recent, upper-level high school classes are preferred over freshman year introductory course teachers.
- Relevant – Try to choose teachers that have taught courses that are relevant to your choice of major. For instance, if you are going to study engineering in college, you would definitely want a high-level math teacher (i.e. Calculus) and a Physics teacher. Remember that English is ALWAYS a relevant course when it comes to college. You will be doing a significant amount of reading and writing in college no matter your major.
- Relationship – Obviously, the teachers with whom you have the best rapport will likely write the best letters. But not necessarily the teachers from whom you received the best grades. Sometimes a teacher that witnessed your struggle, work ethic, persistence, and ability to overcome can write the most persuasive letters.
College Application Deadline Options
Colleges offer an often-confusing array of application deadlines. Some colleges offer only one, while others may offer multiple options. The typical types of application deadlines are outlined below. Remember that all colleges offer either Regular Admissions, for which there is a firm deadline, or Rolling Admissions, for which there is no deadline. In addition to those, many colleges will also offer early options. You are responsible to determine what each of your college’s application deadline options are, and to select the appropriate one.
Regular Admissions
Under a Regular Admissions plan a college establishes an application deadline by which all applications must be received or postmarked, such as January 1, February 15, or March 1, etc. All students are then notified of the college’s decisions typically on or before April 1. While there is a hard application deadline, it can still be advantageous to apply earlier than the deadline, but never later!
Rolling Admissions
Under a Rolling Admissions plan a college considers a student’s application as soon as their application file is complete. Notification of acceptance or rejection is made as soon as a decision is made. Colleges that follow this practice make admissions decisions continuously over several months. The good news is that there are no deadlines; the bad news is that certain programs may fill up before you submit your application, so apply sooner rather than later!
Priority Admissions
Commonly associated with Rolling Admissions, it is a date by which the college highly suggests your application should be submitted for preferred admissions and financial aid consideration.
Early Action
Early Action offers students the ability to apply early before regular admissions deadlines, and receive early notification of acceptance or rejection, typically a few weeks later. Early Action decisions are non-binding (in contrast to Early Decision below), and students are able to consider all their admissions’ offers before choosing on one. Some colleges have Single Choice Early Action plans where the colleges place some restrictions on the applicant’s right to apply to other schools. Always read each college’s specific policies with regard to Early Action or Early Decision (below). Early Action application deadlines typically start on November 1 and run through January 1.
Early Decision
Students who apply under Early Decision commit to enroll at that college if they are accepted and offered a satisfactory financial aid package. This is a legally binding commitment to attend that college, and students should not consider Early Decision unless they are absolutely certain that they want to attend that college above all others. The student also agrees to withdraw or forgo applications to all other colleges once notified of acceptance. A student should NEVER apply Early Decision to more than one college! Some colleges offer a second round of Early Decision, often called Early Decision II, usually in Dec/Jan, allowing students an opportunity to apply ED to a second college if they are not accepted to the first. One disadvantage of Early Decision is that while the student will receive an admission decision early, along with a financial aid package, they do not enjoy the luxury of being able to compare it to other financial aid packages offered by other schools. Typical Early Decision application deadlines are November 1, November 15, December 1, and sometimes December 15.
Common Application and FERPA Waiver
Introduction
Common Application, or “Common App” as it is known, is a one-size-fits-most college application that allows a student to complete one college application and submit it to multiple colleges. Over 500 colleges currently accept Common App, and students are encouraged to apply through Common App if the college accepts it. If a college does not accept Common App, then students must complete that college’s unique on-line application, often called an “institutional application,” or, occasionally, some colleges still require a paper application that can be downloaded from their website. Generally speaking, two-year community colleges do not accept Common App.
Establishing a Common App Account
Common App is open to seniors each year beginning in August. You are encouraged to open a Common App account as soon as possible by going to www.commonapp.org and clicking on “Create An Account.” Simply follow the directions, and when it asks for a username/email address, provide and email address that you use often. Pay special attention to the list of requirements for establishing a password! Record your username and password.
FERPA Waiver
The FERPA Waiver is a legal document that essentially releases all parties with a stake in your college application process to share your academic information. The FERPA Waiver must be signed early in the college application process as it frees up all parties to move forward with necessary parts of the college application process, even before the student completes their applications. Remember, it is advised that each student waive their right to access their letters of recommendation as a way of protecting the integrity of the process. The FERPA Waiver form is located in Common App, but there are a series of steps required to get there. It only needs to be signed once, and it will attach to any applications you submit through Common App. Follow the directions below to access and sign the FERPA Waiver:
- Log into Common App (www.commonapp.org)
- Click on the Common Application tab, and then click the Education tab to the left. This will bring up the Education section of the Common App. On the first question you must select Your High School before proceeding with the FERPA process. If your high school is not already provided in the drop-down box, you must enter your school’s CEEB Code which you recorded on your High School Information Form in Section 1: Jump Start.
- Once your high school has been selected in the Education section of your Common App, click on the College Search tab, and choose at least one college to which you intend to apply. This is also a good time to add any other college to which you intend to apply as well.
- Once you have chosen at least one college under the College Search tab, proceed to and click on the My Colleges tab. Then click on the Recommenders and FERPA tab to the left. Then click on the FERPA link which should appear in the middle of your page. Complete and sign the FERPA Waiver.
10 Step College Application Process
10-Step College Application Process Each task on this 10-step list must be completed in the college application process!!!!
- Complete Senior Brag Sheet (for counselor recommendation) in Google Classroom
- A link will be emailed to you for this
- Not necessary if applying to Community College or Trade School
- Officially invite Teacher Recommenders in SCOIR
- Not necessary if applying to Community College or Trade School
- Do not invite teachers via Common Application
- In SCOIR move all colleges to which you are applying from your Following List to your Applying List
- Sign your Common App FERPA Waiver in your Common Application and SCOIR
- Scoir FERPA waiver should come up automatically at sign in for seniors
- Not necessary if applying to Community College or Trade School or not using Common Application
- Sign your Common App FERPA Waiver in your Common Application and SCOIR
- Complete and hand in your transcript request forms to the school counseling office
- One transcript request needed for every college you apply to
- Complete and submit Common App and any other college applications according to the application deadlines you selected.
- Send standardized test scores to any colleges that require them
- Must use College Board or ACT accounts to send scores – School counseling does not have the ability to send scores for you
- Not necessary for Community Colleges or Trade Schools
- If you have taken AP courses and want to send scores to colleges, do so through your College Board account.
- If you have taken dual-enrollment college courses while in high school, contact the colleges’ registrars offices and have your transcript sent to all colleges to which you have applied. Many schools have a link online to complete this step. (Note: Many colleges will charge a small fee to send transcripts)
- Complete Financial Aid Checklist
Application Fee Waivers
College application fees can run from $25-$75, although some colleges do provide free on-line applications. Application fee waivers are available from your school counselor if you meet any of the following Criteria:
- Student receives free and reduced lunch
- Student received or is eligible to receive an ACT or SAT fee waiver
- Student is enrolled in Upward Bound
- Student’s family receives public assistance, lives in federally subsidized public housing, a foster home, is homeless, or is a ward of the state