College Applications
University of Notre Dame
College Application Requirements
Letter(s) of Recommendation
Official High School Transcript
SAT/ACT Test Scores or Test-Optional Portfolio
Update SCOIR
SCOIR is an incredibly helpful tool in keeping your college admissions and enrollment tasks organized! Plus, it allows counselors to collect helpful college data. Before you request high school transcripts, etc. it will be important to update your SCOIR account to reflect the colleges you're interested in applying to! Here's how:
Login to SCOIR here.
Select Colleges I'm Applying To in the My Favorites navigation.
Click red + in the top right corner of the screen.
Type in the name of the college/university you're applying to in the dropdown box.
Select the school you're applying to in the dropdown box then select the app type and whether you're submitting your application through the Common Application or directly to the institution (using the school application).
Note if you've already submitted your application. (If you have not submitted your application do not check the box.)
Then select Add Application, if you'd like to add this application to Naviance only. Or select Add and Request Transcript, if you'd like to add this application to Naviance AND request your transcript.
Letter(s) of Recommendation
Letter(s) of recommendation (LOR) are super helpful in providing additional context to the admissions committee reviewing your college application. Although you don't have control over the actual letter being written on your behalf you can help teachers and counselors create a great recommendation by following these steps:
Complete your Teacher Preferences Survey and About Me Survey.
Wait to be assigned your LOR writer(s) by Ms. Grasinger + Ms. Harper.
Request your writer(s) on Naviance by logging into Naviance here.
Select Colleges in the toolbar at the top of the page.
Select Manage Letters of Recommendation
Click Add Request then select a teacher from the drop-down box
Next select the schools you'd like that teacher's letter of recommendation to go to or click Select All to send the letter of recommendation to all your schools.
Finally, Submit Request.
One last tip, do not ask family members or friends to write a letter of recommendation!
Official High School Transcript
Sending an official high school transcript to the colleges and universities you're applying to is extremely important. Without your official transcript your application will not be complete and will not be reviewed by the admissions committee. To request a transcript follow these steps:
Login to Naviance here.
Select Colleges I'm Applying To in the My Favorites navigation.
Then select + Request Transcripts
Indicate what type of transcript you're requesting (initial transcript includes junior year grades, mid-year includes junior grades and first semester senior year grades, final transcript is your completed transcript with graduation date).
Indicate if you'd like to include your SAT scores on your transcript.
Select the schools you'd like your transcripts sent to.
Click Request and Finish
SAT/ACT Test Scores or Test-Optional Portfolio
If you are not submitting test scores when applying to college be sure to check if there are additional requirements you need to submit. Some universities will require an additional essay or a portfolio of your work. You can find this information by visiting the university admissions webpage and looking at application requirements.
Deadline Types
Early Decision: Early decision plans are binding — a student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college.
Early Action: Early action plans are nonbinding — students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until the normal reply date of May 1.
Single-Choice Early Action: Some colleges offer a nonbinding option called single-choice early action, under which applicants may not apply ED or EA to any other college.
Things to think about when you're considering applying for Early Decision or Early Action.
Regular Decision: Regular decision is the normal process by which students apply by published deadlines, with promise of receiving an admissions decision no later that April 1 of their senior year.
Rolling Admission: Rolling admission means colleges review applications as they're sent in; there is no hard deadline by which you need to submit your application. In contrast, schools with a regular decision policy require you to submit your application by a certain deadline — usually in late December or January.
Kenyon College
If you're wondering why you need to submit all of these components? Or what happens after you click SUBMIT, this College Essay Guy webinar offers an incredibly in-depth view of how colleges evaluate your college application!