1. Northside’s College Application Process
Northside College Prep. HS
September 23, 2009

2. Naviance/Common App
Find the link to Naviance on the old Northside webpage, under “news and notices” from counseling office.
Log on (please see Mrs. Fernandez for forgotten username and passwords for Naviance,)
Go to the Common Application link from your Naviance page
Create a user name and password for your common application account (Please keep this information safe)

3. Naviance/ Common App FERPA agreement
Go to “Family Connection” on Naviance under “My Colleges”
Find the Privacy Notice and click the appropriate boxes
Counselors always have your best interest in mind
Trust your counselor, build relationship
Red flag from colleges, they trust we will be frank and honest
Use your Common Application user name and password to complete the notice

4. Naviance/Transcript request
Find “Colleges to which I am Applying”, click “add to this list”
Add Colleges by using the "look up” feature
Click “request transcript”
Scroll down and add colleges
Fill out paper transcript request in the counseling center
Do not mark any test score information or mid year transcript info on the add school page.

5. Naviance/Transcript
Under the “About College” tab, click on “transcripts”
You will be able to request transcripts for scholarships and athletics, and for
Viewing the status of your transcript/counselor recommendation (ssr)

6. Test Scores
Remember you are responsible for sending your test scores directly from the ACT Corp. or the College Board to specific colleges and scholarships.
Advantages
You can chose which scores to send
Most colleges will not accept school sent scores
___________________________________
View test scores on Naviance
Go to “About me”, “My Test Scores” You will be able to view your scores only.

7. Letters of Rec. (Teacher) Naviance
Teachers have specific guidelines for requesting letter of rec.
Under “Colleges to which I am Applying” you will be able to request teacher recs. By clicking “add or cancel” request
Click on appropriate teacher name, add personal note and click request

8. Letters of Rec. (Counselor)
Counselors will not write a letter without a Self Assessment. If you need to add to your assessment, send your counselor an mail.
Request counselor recommendation by meeting with a parent volunteer, Mrs. Kato or Mrs. Fernandez in the counseling office
You will complete a checklist for each college, university or scholarship for which you are applying

9. Transcript Request Form

10. (Non) Common Application Schools and scholarships
See page 18 and 19 of the College Handbook or on the old Northside webpage under “dept” , “counseling” “Submitting college and scholarship applications ”

11. Envelope with Postage
Bring an envelope to the counseling dept. addressed to the college, with postage, for each application.
If the application requires only a Counselor’s Portion and a transcript, postage is typically 92 cents, and a regular business sized envelope is enough.
If the Counseling Office is mailing the full application, the postage is typically $1.14 for a simple application, but it needs a larger envelope.

12. Larger Envelopes
If the application is complex (for example, the UIC GPPA application), the postage is typically $1.83.

13. Return Address Don’t put your address as the return address.
Either leave that blank, or put the school’s address as the return address.

14. We will touch your paper application only one time
When you bring your application to the Counseling office, it must be complete (including an envelope with postage and anything that is to be sent with your application).
Incomplete applications will be returned to you. Applications will not be held for any reason.

15. Submitting (non) common applications and transcript requests
Submit your applications to the Counseling Office during your lunch, before school, or after school. 
You cannot leave class to submit college applications.  
When you are in the Counseling Office, you will have to watch the time, so you make it to your classes.  We will not issue passes.

16. Submit
We will review the applications, briefly, with you. You cannot put your application in your Counselor’s mailbox. If you do, it will be sent back to you through your advisory teacher. Counselors will not accept requests for recommendations.

17. Teacher Recommendations
For Teacher Recommendations (unless the college requires them to be in the same envelope as your application):
Ask the teachers to send the recommendations directly to the college. 
Provide them with envelopes addressed to the college, and with the correct postage.

18. Fee Waivers
If you want Northside to send an application fee waiver letter to the college, you must instruct us to do so when you turn in your application and transcript request.

19. Fee Waivers
The Counseling Office will send fee waiver letters only if you have already been approved for free or reduced lunch, and no more than 6 fee waiver letters for a student will be sent.
Note: not all colleges honor the application fee waiver letter. It is up to the college whether they accept it or not.

20. Naviance: Application Status
You can check online at Naviance ( to determine when the Counseling Department has mailed your submitted application.
Go to “About Colleges” on the Naviance page and click “transcripts” review status

21. Application Status
If you get a notice from the college that they did not receive your transcript or counselor’s recommendation, check online at Naviance ( to determine when the application was mailed, then call the admissions office at the college and confirm that they still do not have the item.
Make a note of the person to whom you spoke.

22. Application Status If they still do not have the item,
bring the notice they sent you to the Counseling Office,
along with your note about when you called the admissions office
and to whom you spoke.
The Counseling Office will follow up.

24. Application Submission
Applications will not be accepted during the following times: -Tuesdays, after school (Come before school or during lunch on Tuesdays.) -The week of Thanksgiving Break (11/23/09-11/27/09) at any time -The week before Winter Break (12/14/09-12/24/09) at any time.

25. Good Luck
Remember: All of this information can be found Northside’s web site under the Counseling Dept. and in your College Handbook.

26. We wish you well.
We will be here to support you in this very important process.
Do you have any questions at this point?