Q&A GVHS Counselors & College Admission Reps

Application Materials- What Colleges Need 1. Application  Submitted online by student individually to each school  Often includes a resume or list of activities and essay(s) 2. Test Scores  Unless the school has a test-optional policy, scores must be submitted by student from the testing agency websites (College Board and/or ACT) directly to each school  Colleges that do not require test scores can be found at School Packet (details next slide)

Application Materials- What Colleges Need School Packet  Sent by the Counseling Office when requested by student  Request made by turning in Transcript Request form (allow 15 days for processing and sending materials to school)  Includes Official Transcript, Counselor Letter of Rec, School Profile, Teacher/Counselor Checklists and Requested Teacher Letter(s) of Rec  Students must speak with teachers regarding their letter ASAP  Official Transcript includes final grades in 9-11, and senior year courses. Whenever a school packet is requested, the college will also automatically receive a mid-year report, which includes marking period grades and midterm exams from 1 st semester (sent after 2 nd MP report cards are distributed)

How to Access the Application  Applications as well as instructions and requirements can be found on the individual colleges’ admission web pages.  To determine if a college will accept the Common Application, look on the college’s admission page or on NAVIANCE under “Colleges I’m Thinking About” (CA means that the school accepts the Common Application).  For colleges that do not accept the Common Application, acess and submit the application directly from the college’s website.  If the college allows students to use the Common Application to apply, students can access the application at and they may apply to multiple schools using this one application. In the common application, students must create an account and add their schools of interest. Each school may have supplemental requirement (essays, additional questions, etc.).

When Are Materials Due?  BEFORE the College’s Deadline!!  No Deadline/Rolling- submit materials by the end of Oct.  Early Action/Early Decision- check for Oct/Nov. deadlines  Regular Decision- check for Dec-Feb deadlines  IMPORTANT: your application materials are arriving in separate pieces from you, the testing agencies and our high school. It is your responsibility to ensure that all pieces arrive to the college before the application due date.

Review of Deadline Policies  Rolling- students may submit application materials anytime and applications will be reviewed as they are received  Early Action- students must submit application materials before the EA deadline, and applications are reviewed after this date with decisions being released before winter break  Early Action Single Action- college’s with this policy limit how many applications can be submitted early by a student, and only allow applicants to apply early to their school- check your college’s policies  Early Decision- students must submit application materials and an ED agreement by the ED deadline, and they commit to attend the school if accepted. Decisions are released before winter break.  Regular Decision- students must submit application materials by the RD deadline, and applications are reviewed after this date with decisions being released by the end of March.

What Happens After I Get Accepted?  Students will receive responses from colleges throughout the year (October – late March) depending on the college’s application review procedures and deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to notify all colleges of whether or not they will attend by May 1, 2016 at the latest. They should commit to one school, and notify the other schools of their choice.  If a student is admitted under the Early Decision plan, they must withdraw their applications to other schools as soon as they are made aware of their acceptance, and in this case, Counselors cannot continue to submit transcripts to any additional schools.

What about Financial Aid?  Students/Families should complete the FAFSA at as soon as possible after January 1,  Students should check each college’s financial aid webpage for details on additional application forms required for financial aid consideration, as well as special deadlines  Complete the CSS profile (information on Fin Aid web pages and at profile) for schools with this requirement and by the college’s deadline datehttps://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid- profile  Local Scholarship Applications will be made available in March, and students can access applications via NAVIANCE

Admission Process from the College-Side! How are Applications Reviewed?  Representatives  Lauren Lane, West Chester University  Carol Rowland, Lafayette College

Q & A What Questions Do You Have? This PowerPoint will be posted on the High School Counseling Website!