Applications

Students will apply to college/universities, career and/or technical schools in the fall of their senior year. This is why it is very important for students to use the summers prior to their senior year visiting schools, investigating majors, writing essays, lining up letters of recommendation, etc. so they are ready to go when they return to the high school in the fall of their senior year.

Curie High School Counseling Department recommends students have all the applications completed by Thanksgiving and no later than Christmas break.

Not all colleges require essays or letters of recommendation; however check with the individual schools for their requirements. If a school doesn't require these items but recommends them, we advise students to provide the essay and/or letters of recommendation.

Letters of Recommendation: Having two or three letters from teachers, employers, church advisors, etc. is appropriate. Schools look for comments about work ethic, character, leadership, and classroom performance. Students may complete a Recommendation Request Form/Student Information Sheet to help the recommender write a good letter. These forms are available in the guidance office or online

College Admission Essay: The essay can range from a general personal statement to a specific topic or prompt. Each school's requirements are different. Students can get a lot of use from a good solid essay, because it can be tweaked for various scholarships and/or used for other college applications. If you are unsure of your essay, have your English teacher look it over and critique it for you.

The Common Application: 390 schools in 42 states use the same or "Common" Application. Students can complete and submit the application once on line and then "click" on the schools they would like to apply to. The counselor's portion of this Common Application can also be completed once online which includes uploading the transcript and other information. The student just provides the counselor's email address for this process to occur. This is a great time saver for students. To find out which schools use the Common Application and details about submission, please go to www.commonapp.org .