1. Go to https://www.maialearning.com/

2. In the top right corner click Log In

3. Click the "Sign in with Google" button

4. Log in using your school email credentials.

____________________________________________________________ADDING COLLEGES

1. On the left-side navigation menu, click Universities and select Applying from the top selection bar.

2. If you previously added colleges to Considering List, you can scroll to the bottom of a college and click on Move to Applying to move this school to your Applying List.

3. Once on the Applying List section, click on the blue +Add University tab. 

4. Begin typing in a college's full name (i.e. Portland State University not PSU)

5. Select the correct school and select the gold Add tab at the bottom.

6. You MUST fill in the application details below: 

1. Application Type: Common App, Online App, Coalition App, or Other App (i.e. paper application)

2. Term (i.e. fall 2024)

3. Application Plan: Regular Decision, Priority, Early Action, Early Decision, Rolling. Deadline will auto-populate once you select a plan.

4. Leave “status” blank and do not change/edit “internal deadline”

5. Please note, if teacher recommendations are required, it will be indicated here. Instructions for requesting teacher recommendations are below.

Note: You must request all documents you need from counselors and teachers through Maia: transcripts, letters of Recommendation, Common App forms. See instructions below.

_____________________________________________________________REQUESTING TEACHER LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Only request teacher letters of recommendation if the colleges you are applying to require them! State schools don't require letters of recommendation.

1. If you are applying to a college or colleges which require letters of recommendation, you should only request two teacher letters of rec. We recommend the letters be from one Language Arts or Social Studies teacher and the other from a Math or Science teacher. These should be teachers who know you and will be able to write about you in a positive way.

2. You should first ask the teachers verbally or through email whether they would be willing to write a letter for you. Do so at least 30 days before your deadline. Once a teacher has agreed to write a letter for you, follow these steps in Maia Learning:

3. On the left-side navigation menu, click Universities and select Recommendations from the above choices.

4. A list of recommenders (teachers) is at the top left of the page. Search by name or browse the list, and check the box next to those you want recommendations from.

1. Use this process only for TEACHER requests. If you need a letter of recommendation from a counselor, see instructions below

5. In the next box, select the universities you want these recommenders to write letters for.

1. You must identify the date you need a recommendation by. In Date Picker, select the WEEKDAY that is nearest the application deadline for which you are applying AND that does not fall over a school closure. For example, if your application is due Monday, November 30th, select Friday November 20th as the Date Picker.

2. Add a note to your teacher/counselor thanking them

6.. Repeat this process as needed with different universities and different recommenders. 

Tip: Do NOT request teacher recommendations through Common App. If you did this, please delete "manage recommenders" from your common app account.

_____________________________________________________________REQUESTING COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATIONS

You only need to do this if you are applying to a PRIVATE  university and/or a scholarship requires a counselor recommendation

See important notes below before you start the survey!

Students access surveys from their main student dashboard under the Activities and Tasks section. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view surveys, or click Filter by to just show Surveys.

You want to complete the “Counselor Recommendation” Survey. There might be two showing so if one doesn’t open you want to try to the second one. Click "Start" to begin a new survey, or "Continue" to keep working on a survey you started previously.

As you answer each question, click "Next" to move to the next question, or click "Finish Later" to save your work so that you can continue responding later. You must provide an answer to each question before you can click "Next". After the first question, you can also click "Previous" to return to earlier questions.

You can continue to edit your survey answers until the due date, or until you click "Finish and Close" on the last question. Clicking "Finish and Close" submits your answers as final, and you will no longer be able to edit. If you'd like to continue working on your responses, click "Finish Later" instead. 

Once you have submitted your final responses, the survey will be marked as completed. To view completed surveys, click "View Completed" at the top of the Activities and Tasks section of your dashboard. (This will change to "Hide Completed" once clicked.) Click "View" next to the survey to see your submitted responses)

Important Notes: 

1. You must request letters at least 2 weeks in advance of the date you need it by.

2. If you need a letter of recommendation from your COUNSELOR, you must 1. Complete the survey (see steps above) and 2. you must notify your counselor that you need a letter (via email). If you do not complete a survey, your counselor will not be able to write you a letter of recommendation.

_____________________________________________________________REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS

1. Under Universities, click on your Applying List to see the schools you plan to apply to

2. Check the box next to Request Transcript 

Important Note: If prompted to enter a date, select the WEEKDAY that is nearest the application deadline for which you are applying AND that does not fall over a school closure. For example, if your application is due Monday, November 30th, select Friday November 20th.

Shortcut Steps: Universities > Applying List > Request Transcript > Submit Application

_____________________________________________________________LINKING YOUR COMMON APP ACCOUNT TO MAIA LEARNING

If you are applying to colleges using the Common App, you MUST sync it with Maia BEFORE you can request any materials, including transcripts.  Follow the steps below in the order written.

PART 1: In the Common App

1.Create & log in to your Common App account at commonapp.org

2. Complete the required fields in the Profile section. In the high school portion, use our CEEB Code 380840 to find and select Benson HIgh School 

3. Enter at least one college on your My Colleges list. Go to "College Search" to add one if needed. Select one college from your list, click Recommenders and FERPA, and then Complete Release Authorization. 

4.Check the box next to “I have read and understood the FERPA Release...” and click on Continue

5.On the following screen, check the box "I acknowledge that every school I have attended may release all...". 

6. Check the box next to "I understand..." and enter your name and date. Click Save and Close.

Shortcut Steps: Select 1 college from your list > Recommenders and FERPA > Complete Release Authorization > Check the box next to “I have read and understood...” >  Continue > Check the box "I acknowledge that every school..." > Check the box next to "I understand..." > Name, date, Save and Close.

PART 2: In Maia

1.In your Maia account, click on your Profile

2.Scroll down to Application Systems and select the link Click to link your account

3. A pop up window will appear. Click Continue. You will be redirected to the Common App site. Log in using your Common App account username and password. In the pop-up, check the box next to "I Agree" to share your Common App information with MaiaLearning, and click Connect

Shortcut Steps: Profile > Application Systems > Click to link your account > Continue