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COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS Senior Parent Night Powerpoint Presentation Slides Click on the links here to jump to your area of interest.
Almost all colleges post applications online and prefer to receive the applications electronically. Students will create a username and password at each college website and then will be able to save and edit their application prior to submitting it. Students are advised to make sure the application is completed carefully and accurately; thorough editing is recommended. It is the student’s responsibility to submit the completed application to the college before the deadline posted on the college’s website. The student is responsible for any fees associated with the application. (Students who have used a fee waiver for the ACT or SAT may ask their counselor about the potential waiver of application fees on a limited number of applications.) Most colleges provide an “application checklist” on their website. It is important for students to refer to this information to ensure that the application will be complete by the deadline. Some colleges may indicate that the transcript and/or recommendation must be sent electronically. We do not send school documents electronically. The student should discuss this situation with the counselor so that appropriate measures can be taken to assure that our paper documents will be accepted. Many college applications provide an option for students to write a Personal Statement or to write an essay. Some colleges require one or more specific essays to be written. If an essay/statement is optional, it is advisable for students to provide one. Essays and statements should always be edited carefully, adhere to the topic requested, and be no longer than requested. Most electronic applications will allow a student to “paste” the essay from a word document. Be careful not to paste the wrong essay into the space provided! Seniors will be working on college essays in their English 12 classes. These websites may also be helpful:
Many colleges do not require recommendations at all. Some colleges require a specific number of recommendations from specific sources (i.e., one teacher or the counselor). With very few exceptions, it is NOT in the student’s best interests to submit more recommendations than requested. With a very high volume of applications, admissions committees do not have time to read repetitive letters! Recommendation letters are confidential and are not shared with the student or parent. TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS (click here for Teacher Recommendation Request Form Link (Word) (PDF) are generally requested verbally by the student at the end of junior year or very early in senior year. At least 3 weeks prior to the earliest application deadline, the student will provide the teacher with:
COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATIONS are requested by submitting a completed Counselor Recommendation Packet (see below for your counselor’s packet). Students must submit the request for a counselor recommendation at least 3 weeks prior to the earliest application deadline. The deadline for requesting a counselor recommendation for college applications is December 1. IMPORTANT: If your counselor has given you instructions that differ from these general guidelines, please follow your counselor’s instructions!
With few exceptions, colleges require SAT or ACT scores. HHS does not send these scores to colleges! Students can request the scores be sent to colleges at the time of registration for an upcoming test or by going to the website after testing to request that the scores be sent. Remember that colleges expect scores to be received by the application deadline, so make sure to allow several weeks for the processing of your request. There is a fee involved with requests made after testing is completed; have a credit card ready.
A college application is not complete without the official high school transcript and it should be received by the college by the application deadline. What we require from you by the transcript request deadline (see chart below):
What we include with each transcript packet:
What we do NOT include with the transcript packet:
Students are responsible for notifying the counselor when they wish for each transcript packet to be sent. MAKE SURE your counselor knows when you want your packet to be sent to each college. COMMUNICATION is imperative! Each counselor is assisting 50 or more seniors in this process. The student must inform the counselor in person or by email that he/she is ready for the packet to be sent. Students, make sure you know your counselor’s policy regarding notification!
Scholarship transcripts are requested by the student directly from the counselor and no fee is charged for sending them. The student must provide a prepared business envelope (addressed and stamped with 2 1st class postage stamps) along with any associated forms at least 10 school days prior to the scholarship deadline. If the counselor did not already write a recommendation and a recommendation is required for the scholarship, 3 week notification is required. Mid-year report / 7th semester transcripts are required by colleges so that they can evaluate a student’s grades midway through Senior year. The report shows only the semester grade with a recalculated cumulative GPA (weighted), not quarter grades. The 7th semester grade reports are automatically sent to each college to which a transcript has been sent. The student does not need to prompt the counselor to send this report and the student does not need to submit any report forms that the college may have provided (we do not send them). If a student wishes to have a copy of the 7th semester report, he/she may drop by the counselor’s office about two weeks after the end of 2nd quarter to request one. Final Transcripts are sent to the college the student has decided to attend and to any colleges where a decision may be pending (i.e., a student is active on a waitlist). This information is obtained when Seniors complete the Senior Survey in early May in a group meeting with counselors. VIRGINIA COLLEGE APPLICATION DEADLINES (This page will be updated soon) Click here for a comprehensive list of Virginia public and private colleges and universities. The list provides web addresses, early action and early decision options, approximate costs, application deadlines and financial aid deadlines. IMPERATIVE: verify all information, particularly deadline dates, on each college’s website. The Student Services Department has provided a senior timeline on the “Classes Page.” Click here to review the timeline. COLLEGE APPLICATIONS ORGANIZER There is a lot of information to keep track of in the college application process! Staying organized is the key to preparing excellent applications and meeting deadlines. Keeping track of vital information in one place will help you stay on top of your action plan. Virginia Education Wizard
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