SchooLinks requires you to manually assign a letter of rec to each college you apply to. Double check that you have a letter going to every school. 

To easily see your letter of rec status, go to: "College" > "College Application Manager" > "Track Requests" in the top left. 

 If you need a counselor letter, follow up with your counselor via email or in person. 

Find more info on letters of rec in SchooLinks here.

Once you submit your applications, you won't need Common App anymore. All communication and tasks transition to a college applicant portal. You have a different portal for every college you apply to. If you apply to ten colleges, that means you have ten portals. These portals have different names: MyIllini, Demon Domain, NEIUport etc. 

You should receive an email shortly after submitting your application with a username and temporary password.  This email is the only way to access your portal, so be on the lookout!

In your portal you can track if application materials are missing, view acceptance decisions, and review your financial aid award. Please note that at many schools you may have one portal as an applicant, and once admitted, you need to set up a second portal for admitted students. 

If you applied to Univ. of Illinois- Urbana Champaign, you MUST upload your self reported academic record (SRAR) within a few days of the application deadline to have your application considered complete. Failure to do so will result in getting pushed to regular decision. More info can be found here

Double check your FAFSA or alternative app to ensure that you listed all of your colleges on there. That is the only way schools will receive your financial aid app. 

Additionally, some schools require the CSS Profile. Double check in your portal if your school requires it and complete it as soon as possible. 

Now that you've submitted a high quality application, it's time to turn your focus to additional scholarship opportunities!

Many colleges offer institutional scholarships. We strongly recommend applying for these because there's a smaller applicant pool, and if you've been accepted, there's a chance they have some more money set aside for you. 

Do a simple google search for: "College Name" + Scholarships. You'll find a site of all the scholarships available and can figure out which ones you're qualified for. Examples: Dominican University, Marquette University, Loyola University** The Senn/Loyola Scholarship is called the David Prasse Community Schools Scholarship. You can also find scholarships in your college portal

For more information on scholarships, click here!

As you start to receive acceptances or rejections, please keep SchooLinks updated. It's easy to edit your application status to reflect the decision. 

This is super important to help counselors review your options and identify if you need to apply to any additional schools. 

Acceptance letters generally include scholarship decisions. As you get these scholarship decisions, please upload them to SchooLinks as well (you'll be prompted to do so after confirming your acceptance).

Once you've been accepted, you should receive a financial aid award. This is the most important document because it outlines your personal expected cost to attend a university. It's important to collect all your award letters in one place so that you can easily compare them and identify which colleges are financially affordable. Learn more about award letters here. 

Some students may not receive a financial aid award until they complete a verification process. Verification means that colleges need to double check the information that you entered on your financial aid application. This most often happens for students who are not US Citizens or families who report a different household size on their taxes than on their financial aid application. 

While the most common admission decisions are accept/deny, many schools might defer your early application into the regular decision round. This is usually because they want to see grades from the first semester of senior year. 

Additionally, schools admit you on the condition that your academic performance will remain the same. If your grades drop significantly, they can rescind their offer. Don't let senioritis blow your chance of attending college!

As you hear back about where you're accepted, it's a great time to visit campus and attend any admitted student day events. Most of these will happen in late winter or early spring. 

Start thinking now about any trips you want to plan (sometimes colleges have funds to fly you out for a visit), and what criteria you're looking for in a college.

 You have the rest of senior year to commit to a school. Unless you applied under a binding, early decision agreement, you DO NOT (and SHOULD NOT) commit to a school until April. The national college decision deadline is May 1.

 Some schools might send you emails trying to trick you or rush you into making a decision to "save your spot." Ignore this. Take the time you need to make a decision, and wait until you see your financial aid award. 

You don't need to make a decision on where to attend college until May 1. That is National Decision Day. Failure to log into your portal and submit an enrollment deposit by this date may mean losing your seat. 

When you submit your intent to enroll at a college, you may be asked to pay an enrollment deposit. This can range from $25 to $450. The money gets credited to your account in the fall and is how colleges make sure that you're only committing to one school.  If you need a fee waiver, reach out to your admissions office at your specific school. 

Many colleges such as Northeastern Illinois or City Colleges of Chicago have deadlines past May 1, so we encourage you to double check the deposit date if you're not sure and need more time!

Once you decide on a college, make sure to follow through on all of their enrollment paperwork and processes! Every school is different in terms of what they require but most often you'll need:

• final transcript

• placement exams

• IB/AP scores

• housing contract

• orientation

• payment plan

• immunization records

• purchase health insurance or provide proof of coverage

• loan counseling

• meet with academic advisor

• register for courses

• IEP or 504 to request accommodations. Read more about the process here