Getting Started

College Application Timelines

Different Degrees and Deadlines

Step-By-Step Guide to Setting up your Common App through Naviance

Building a Balanced College List

Attend College Events

Post-Secondary Pathway Programs

College Application Timelines

Junior Year

1. Research Colleges and Majors, Build an Initial College List/Program List
2. Decide whether you wish to pursue an arts major in college
3. Research fully funded Scholarships
4. Draft College Essay
5. Ensure previous year's taxes are filed for FAFSA Application
6. Take PSAT and SAT

Senior Year

4 Year Degree: Early Action/Decision

1. September
  1. Meet with Guidance
  2. Create a Common App account and Match it with Naviance
  3. Construct a final college list, enter it into Common App
  4. Fill out the Common Application and Fee Waiver
  5. If applying to an arts program, speak with your arts teacher about special requirements for admission. These might include preparing an audition or creating or portfolio.
2. October
  1. Complete the Brag Sheet
  2. Request Letters of Recommendation (by the 2nd week)
  3. Complete FAFSA and CSS Profile if applicable
  4. Edit a Final Draft of the College Essay
  5. Complete Supplemental Essays
  6. Complete relevant arts audition or portfolio components if applicable (deadlines range)
3. November/December
  1. Submit Application! You can usually expect results in the next couple of months.
  2. Transcripts will be sent by Guidance office, and letters of recommendation will be sent through Naviance.
4. Spring
  1. Complete any other applications
  2. Apply for Scholarships
  3. Review Financial Aid Letters
  4. Submit Deposit at your chosen school!

4 Year Degree: Regular Decision

1. September
  1. Meet with Guidance
  2. Create a Common App account and Match it with Naviance
  3. If applying to an arts program, speak with your arts teacher about special requirements for admission. These might include preparing an audition or creating or portfolio.
2. October
  1. Construct a final college list, enter it into Common App
  2. Fill out the Common Application and Fee Waiver
  3. Complete FAFSA and CSS Profile (if applicable).
  4. Edit a Final Draft of the College Essay
  5. Complete or continue work on arts audition or portfolio components if applicable.
3. November
  1. Edit the College Essay
  2. Complete the Brag Sheet
  3. Request Letters of Recommendation (before Thanksgiving break)
  4. Draft all Supplemental Essays
  5. Auditions/Portfolio (deadlines range)
4. December
  1. Complete a final draft of the College Essay
  2. Complete a final draft of supplemental essays
  3. Review all required application materials
  4. Auditions/Portfolio (deadlines range)
5. Spring
  1. Submit Applications! You can expect results in April
  2. Transcripts will be sent by Guidance office, and letters of recommendation will be sent through Naviance.
  3. Apply for Scholarships
  4. Review your financial aid letter in April and pick a school
  5. Submit your deposit at your chosen school!

2 Year Degree: Associates of Arts or Science

October/November
1. Meet with Guidance
2. Complete the FAFSA
3. Build a list of community colleges and majors— if interested in a selective program, research the requirements.
4. Consider if you intend to transfer to a 4 year program or not.
December-February
1. Complete applications for community colleges for the Fall semester through their individual portals (not Common App)
2. Let Guidance know when you complete them so we can submit transcripts
Spring
1. Apply for Scholarships
2. Enroll in Tuition-Free Community College if eligible

Alternative Pathways

September
1. Meet with Guidance
2. Narrow down interests for careers
3. Research programs that match your career interests
October-December
1. Apply to programs—materials needed vary. Work with Guidance if you need support.
2. If these programs cost money and are FAFSA eligible, apply for FAFSA. If not, apply for scholarships.
Spring
1. Decide which pathway works best for you based on results, consult with Guidance if you're unsure!

Different Degrees and Deadlines

There's a lot of new information that comes with the college process, and to start you should familiarize yourself with the vocabulary.

Types of Post-Secondary Degrees

Bachelor's Degree
- This is the typical undergraduate degree offered by colleges and universities. It is a 4 year degree, and there are different types of bachelors depending upon a student's area of study, such as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Art or Bachelor of Music.
Associates Degree
- This is the typical degree offered by community colleges. It is a 2 year degree, and can be used as a stepping stone to a 4 year bachelor's degree. Much like the different bachelors degree, there are is an Associates of Arts and Associates of Science.
Certificate
- Certificate programs are offered at community colleges, trade schools, and other job training programs. Some examples include real estate, cosmetology, HVAC repair and more. These certificates offer a quick path into a career, and while they do have a cost, there is sometimes financial aid available (especially for certificates at community college).

Applications Deadlines

Early Decision
- These application deadlines are the earliest, often in October, November, or December, and often notify a student of acceptance by January. The most important thing to know about Early Decision is that it is BINDING. Meaning, if a student is accepted Early Decision to a school, they are agreeing to withdraw their application to all other institutions. Since you will hear back quickly, this often means you do not get to see the results of your other applications. The only exception is if a student has financial need, they can wait until receiving their financial aid award letter— if the financial award is not enough and the college is unwilling to negotiate, only then can the student can back out of the Early Decision agreement. The benefit of Early Decision is that the college knows you will enroll there if they accept you, and therefore you clearly demonstrate your interest.
Early Action I and II
- Early Action sometimes has two different deadlines, but both have the same effect. Like Early Decision, these deadlines range from October to December, with some in early January. Early Action is a smaller pool of applicants than regular decision, but often equally or even more competitive. Like Early Decision, students will hear back sooner, but unlike Early Decision the application isn't binding.
Regular Decision
- This is usually the largest application pool, so demonstrating interest in a school is extra important. These deadlines range, with most falling between January and March. Decisions are usually released in late March or early April, and students are expected to decide by May 1st.
Rolling
- A rolling application cycle means that students can apply at any time when the application is open up until a late deadline (often it is in the summer after senior year), and hear back fairly quickly. It is better not to wait until the actual deadline, since space and scholarships are often first-come first-serve.

Step-By-Step Guide to Setting up your Common App through Naviance

The Common App is the website you'll use to apply to most colleges. To get started on putting together your college list on Common App, you'll have to set it up through Naviance, which you already have access to through your Clever Login.

Students MUST match their Common App and Naviance account in order for transcripts and letters of recommendation to be sent to their Common App colleges. Follow the guide below, and reach out if you have any questions!

Copy of Naviance/Common App Action Steps for Seniors to Complete 2022

Building a Balanced College List

Match and Fit

Creating a balanced college list starts with thinking about what colleges are a match and a fit for you.

Match refers to the relationship between your academic profile (GPA, test scores, transcript) and the competitiveness of the college/university.

Fit refers to what you need from a college to be happy and successful from a personal, social, and financial perspective. This could include the out-of-pocket cost of college, socio-emotional needs, major or career interests, cultural resources, proximity to your home, as well as retention and graduation rates.

Some questions you can ask yourself as you research schools that are a match and fit for you:

Can this school support your specific career interests?
Do you want to be close to home?
How much can you afford to pay out-of-pocket, and what kind of scholarships or financial aid will you need to attend?
Can the college support your specific needs?
Will this school challenge you and help you grow?

Likely, Target, and Reach

Once you've got some idea of which colleges are a match and fit for you, you might notice that some schools are more or less of an academic match than others, even though they have a great fit for you. This is normal, and your college list should consist of a variety of schools that range in their competitiveness.

You can look at a college's admitted student profiles to see whether a college is most likely to admit you, likely to admit you, or less likely to admit you.

A college that is most likely to admit you is one where your academic profile ranks higher than the school's range of the average accepted student. These are often referred to as safety schools. The average college list should have at minimum 2-3 safety schools.

A college that is likely to admit you is one where your academic profile is within the school's range of the average accepted student. These are often referred to as target schools. The average college list should have at minimum 4-6 target schools.

A college that is less likely to admit you is one where your academic profile is less than the school's range of the average accepted student. These are often referred to as reach schools. The average college list should have at minimum 2-3 reach schools.

A Financial Safety is a college that is both likely to accept you and highly likely to be affordable for you. It is important to not only have schools that range in competitiveness, but to make sure you have some schools that are financially safe and most likely to admit you.

When looking at whether a school is a financial safety, students should consult a school’s Net Price Calculator, which gives students a rough estimate of the cost of attendance. Students should also look at what percentage of students receive financial aid grants, and whether there are any scholarships for students from Boston (this is the case for many in-state schools).

There are many schools that meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, but these schools also receive a high volume of competitive applications as a result of this. These schools are often hard to get into, and are very academically competitive, but if you do get admitted they will provide all of the financial aid you need, often without loans!

It's important to remember that you're not guaranteed entry into any school, nor are you guaranteed to be rejected from any school, but building a balanced list in gives a much higher chance of multiple acceptances that can work for you, creating a greater range of options for your Decision Day!

Multiple Options

Your final college list should ideally include at least 10 colleges, but even if you just have three, that can be enough to really make a difference. While still making sure that the schools you're applying to are a fit for you, you should be including multiple financial safety schools, which will often be state or local schools which have programs that will for you and your interests, several schools that you're really excited about that seem like a good academic match, and a couple schools that might be less likely to admit you, but would be great for what you're interested in!

Attend College Events

Learning more about a college is best done at the source, whether it's a virtual visit with an Admissions Counselor, or an in-person student tour. The 2022 College and Career Google Classroom will keep an up to date list of available virtual events for schools that BAA students have applied to in the past, but you can always do your own research and touring! When you go to a virtual or in-person event, try to come with at least one question tailored to your needs and interests.

Outside of individual college events, there are also events such as College Fairs, National Portfolio Day, and the Visual and Performing Arts Fair that you can attend to further explore your college options!

Tip: If you're really excited about a particular college or program, reach out to the Admissions office or the department itself and ask if you can speak with a current student in the program. Current students are a valuable source of information, they're usually happy to share their real experience with you, so you can better decide if it's a good fit for you!

Post-Secondary Pathway Programs

Explore this document to see if any of these programs sound like a good fit for you. Many of these programs have application deadlines in the Spring, so there's plenty of time to consider your many options in these programs. Some things to consider when researching these are

What does it cost? Is there any sort of aid or stipend available?
How long is the time-commitment?
Does it offer on-the-job training?
Does it have a pathway into an Associates or Bachelors degree?
What kind of starting salary can you expect after completing it?

docs.google.com/document/d/1qVf-NXTKz1HLzSb6QrqmrfWO9lzvoa9u1bGgzBq2CvU

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