Preparing to submit your applications

• Sign up for to attend College Rep visits here at Stone Bridge- sign up in SchooLink at top of home page (School Events)

• Set up appointment with your school counselor using Bookings 

• Learn about the application process for SBHS

  • application checklist

  • Watch the College Application Night presentation

  • Advice from our College & Career Specialist

• Log onto SchooLinks- Explore colleges, majors and scholarships and finalize your list of schools

  • • Getting started; also, click on the Help icon in the top right corner for additional help

    • College Application Manager for SchooLinks

  • Insider's Guide to College Admissions- overview of the application process from a Dean of Admissions

  • How can you make your college application stand out?

  • Researching colleges at a deeper level

• Explore the resources on the Stone Bridge School Counseling website

  • • College & Career – lots of excellent resources including scholarships

    • Prepare for College PowerPoint (download)

    • College Planning Guide

    • College Application Information (Class of 2021)

      • Additional resources

        • BigFuture by College Board

        • Explore college majors

        • Fair Test Org

• Refine and balance your college list; consider cost, location and other factors. Subscribe to their social media and take virtual tours of interested colleges/schools. Learn about Demonstrated Interest

• Excellent video about creating your college list

• College application help- every Wednesday from 1:30-4:15 in the Career Center during the fall

• If applying to a University of California System school- be aware of the A-G course entrance requirements, pay close attention to the Fine Arts requirement

• Considering studying in the UK?- Know the academic and testing requirements 

• SBHS college representative visits-log onto SchooLinks then click on School Events in the top toolbar, review list of schools and sign up.  Additionally, take some virtual college tours:

  • • Watch these interviews with Admissions Officers:  UVA and V Tech

    • Plan to attend College Fairs to learn more about the schools and make connections with Admissions Representatives

    • LCPS Connect U- explore over 150 colleges/universities, take virtual tours and connect with  Admissions Representatives

    • Coalition For College Access- virtual college fair

    • You Visit

    • Campus Tours

• NOVA Admissions informational session- check with our College & Career Specialist, Mrs. Jones

• Student Athletes (DI & DII)- confirm registration on the NCAA Eligibility Center (Certification Account) 

  • Excellent video addressing the NCAA initial eligibility adjustments due to COVID-19 

  • Benefits of playing at a Junior College

  • VHSL eligibility for high school sports

• Consider advantages of college admissions types; Early Decision or Early Action 

  • Applying Early Decision

• Be aware of earlier deadlines and audition dates for pre-professional and performance majors as well as supplemental applications-including portfolios, also scholarship deadlines

• Confirm your college or university's policies for the SAT or ACT 

  • • Visit the ACT or College Board websites for updates, the School Counseling department will share information as it becomes available. Consider taking the ACT or SAT in the fall or early winter

    • How Test-Optional Works that are test optional 

    • Review the resources on the SBHS Counseling website

• Request Letters of Recommendation – you'll need to give your teachers as much time as possible to write their letter (2 weeks recommended)

  • download and complete the Student & Parent profile sheets for teacher and counselor recommendations

  • tell teachers the dates of your deadlines and how you prefer them to submit (SchooLinks or direct to a school)

  • request a recommendation letter for each of your colleges through SchooLinks 

    • Other Recommenders (non teacher) can be requested directly through your Common Application

• Complete the SRAR if required by the college/university- check the school's website for assistance (ie: PSU). Virginia Tech now uses the SRAR

  • see which schools require the SRAR and how to link to your schools

  • You will need to submit your college application first because you will use the credentials for the Applicant Portal to link with the SRAR

• Finalize the Common Application, HBCU Application and college specific applications- official GPA and class rank is available by ordering an unofficial transcript to yourself by downloading it through StudentVue (click on the Documents link)

  • Remember to connect your Common Application to your SchooLink account.  You'll add colleges to the Common Application and request recommendations through SchooLinks

  • Finish your essay and writing prompts- Common Application, Coalition Application, school application

  • For the Common Application under the 'Education' section: 

    • • if you took a dual enrollment course at SBHS through our NOVA, GMU, JMU or Shenandoah partnerships;  mark '0' for If you have ever taken coursework at a college or university, please indicate the number of colleges  (grade will appear on SBHS transcript)

      • report GPA as 'weighted' on a 4.0 scale

      • graduating class size is 434

      • class rank is weighted and reported as 'exact'- you can download an unofficial transcript from your StudentVUe account to see your GPA and Class Rank

      • Use 'College Prep' when adding courses that are our 'academic level' classes- if required to enter coursework in the Common Application

      • Writing Center is considered an elective course

• Discuss financial aid with parents/guardians-learn about the FAFSA, verify if your universities of interest require the CSS Profile, deadlines may differ from admissions. FAFSA will open up December 2023.

  • read about the major changes to the FAFSA coming this school year

  • What is the CSS Profile?

• College Events:

  • College Fair- Sunday, September 24th from 3pm-5pm @ Independence HS

  • SBHS Virtual Webinar "Finding the Best Fit College" - Monday, October 2 from 7-8pm

  • Financial Aid Night- Tuesday, October 3rd from 7-8:30 @ Broad Run HS

  • SBHS Virtual Webinar "Little Known Secrets of Paying for College" - Thursday, October 19th from 7-8:30

  • FAFSA Walkthrough hosted by NOVA - Saturday, December 2nd from 9-11am @ Riverside HS

• Ethics Day-  more information to follow

• Email your School Counselor with any questions

• Register in fall for AP® Exams. Show what you’ve learned in your AP classes. A successful score could even earn you credit, advanced placement, or both in college

  • Reference the information posted  on the College Board website to learn about the revised testing dates and preparation options

  • Indicate in My AP account the college, university or scholarship program where you'd like your cumulative AP  Score Report to be sent.  AP scores are not used for admissions!    You can order free AP Score Reports through June 20

  • Reference the College Board website to  see your  college or university's  transfer credit policies

  • Contact your School Counselor if you have any questions regarding the AP exams

Submitting your applications

• Submit your college/university applications- have a family member or trusted adult review your applications before submission

  • Submit Common Application- pay then go back and submit app

  • Watch deadlines, you need to submit your applications by the stated dates (some schools are earlier for scholarship, special programs or majors and housing considerations)

  • The letters of recommendation, test scores, transcript and counselor documents will be submitted separately so don't wait to submit your application, the deadline is for your application submission dates. 

• Confirm your Letters of Recommendation- you will need to share your Student & Parent profile sheets with the teachers and school counselors

  • They can submit their recommendations directly using SchooLink, Coalition Application or the school's own portal, you will need to invite them  

  • Provide your recommenders with deadlines for each of your schools

  • You can monitor status of recommendation submissions in your Common Application account and SchooLinks

• Review the SBHS application process

  • Fill out the Permission Click just once for parent/guardian authorization of release of records

  • Submit the transcript release form for each college/university to Mrs. Tafe at least 10 business days prior to the deadline and copy your School Counselor

    • • college release forms are available in the Counseling Office- we need this form to know where to send your transcripts

    • Some colleges/universities will not require an initial official transcript but we still need the transcript release form

    • Remember to submit a transcript release form for each additional college/university, we need to know of any updates 

  • School Counselors will submit the secondary school report, counselor evaluation and school profile with transcript through SchooLinks (may vary depending on college requirements)

  • Log into your SchooLinks account to order transcripts and request teacher recommendations

• Submit required SAT/ACT and AP scores- each college/university may have different policies (required or optional) but they will need official scores to come directly from the testing agencies not from the high school

  • some colleges still need SAT/ACT scores for Honors Programs, Business or STEM majors and /or scholarship considerations, you need to know the policies

Monitoring your applications

• Closely watch your email account for confirmation of applications by your colleges/universities- carefully follow their instructions (check your Junk Folder). Create an Applicant Portal if instructed in the email. You may be instructed to submit test scores, complete the SRAR and other important tasks

• Watch for colleges that request mid-year grades

• Monitor the submission status from your School Counselor and teachers through SchooLinks

• Communicate with your School Counselor throughout the process because we submit the transcript, counselor recommendation, school report and school profile through our side of SchooLinks

• Follow up with your recommenders to assure their submission and the receipt by the colleges/universities 

• Continue researching scholarship opportunities

• View the weekly College & Career email from Mrs. Jones

After submissions

•  Call, email or conduct an online meeting with Admissions Representatives to gather information before you decide-Many schools are posting FAQ on their websites to help with updated policies and "Admit Weekends" where you can visit the campus before deciding 

• Connect to the college or university social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to learn more about the campus and programs

• Reference the helpful articles on BigFuture by the College Board on Making a Decision

• Inform every college of your acceptance and/or decline of the offer of admission and/or financial aid by May 1 (see below).   If declining their offer, it is a courtesy to inform them and it leaves you in good standing if you ever decide to transfer to a “second choice” school. Colleges cannot require your deposit or your commitment to attend before May 1

  • Follow the college's instructions on how to accept their offer. The information will be in your applicant portal or on their website. You may need to register for a virtual/in-person Admitted Student Open House, pay the deposit, complete a Decision Inquiry Form, register for housing and submit medical records

  • Many college websites have important information about transitioning to the campus (ie: JMU)

• Understanding your financial aid awards: Not all financial aid awards are the same, so it’s important to choose the aid package that’s best for you and your family.  Ask the school's Financial Aid office if you have any questions (ie: can they adjust award due to employment change, will the institutional aid remain the same for subsequent years)

  • College Board BigFuture has a useful  Award Letter Comparison Tool to help you compare and contrast financial aid packages from the school that have admitted you

  • How to appeal your award

  • Continue to research scholarships

  • Send your deposit to only one college

• Waitlisted by a college? If you intend to enroll if you are accepted, tell the admission director your intent and ask how to strengthen your application

  • Some schools post information if you were Waitlisted (V Tech is a good example)

• Schools still accepting applications (spring). NACAC list here 

• Ask your high school to send a final transcript to your college or university

  • • You'll need to order the final transcript using your SBHS  Schoolinks account

  • If you earned Dual Enrollment credit, you'll need to request an official transcript from the participating university to be sent to your attending college/university.   Follow thier directions closely

    • NOVA

    • Shenandoah

    • GMU

    • JMU

• Work with your School  Counselor if you have any admission or financial aid questions

  • You are encouraged to directly contact the college or university admissions office or financial aid office for questions, once you have decided on the institution

• Division I or II Student-Athletes need to request the Final Amateurism Certification on their NCAA Eligibility Center account. You will need to submit your final transcript with proof of graduation once you have completed high school. SBHS transcripts will need to be ordered through SchooLinks. If you attended a different high school, the NCAA Eligibility Center will need official transcripts sent directly from those high schools

• Complete your Senior Graduation Survey in Naviance Student- specific directions will come out in the spring

• Send out “Thank you” notes to your teachers, especially if they wrote you a letter of recommendation.  This small effort on your part means a great deal to your teachers 

• Complete your 2024 Graduation Survey in SchooLinks- Directions will be sent out in the spring

• Getting ready for college:

  • Getting ready to go to college checklist

  • Transition to college advice

2-Year college, career schools, military enlistment or employment

• Complete your 2024 Graduation Survey in Naviance Student- Directions will be sent out in the spring

• Contact NOVA Admissions to learn about their admissions process and request a transcript

• Military recruiters and many employers require an official high school transcript.  See Mrs. Jones, our College & Career Specialist for more information

• Consider an apprenticeship as a way to jumpstart your career. Research Career Technical Education opportunities

  • Opportunities in the skilled trades industry

  • The value of trade schools

• Explore the career resources in SchooLinks and on our School Counseling website

Communicating with the School Counseling department

• It is important to stay in touch throughout the application process:

  •  School Counselors 

    • complete the Request to See School Counselor form located in the Counseling Office for an appointment or email your School Counselor

• • Remind- Mrs. Jones, our Career & College Specialist, will be sending regular messages to our students; sign-up instructions are on the College & Career Center page. She also sends out regular newsletters, so check your email 

  • SchooLinks- emails will be sent for general announcements, please read messages from Mrs. Jones and the School Counseling department.  Archived emails are visible in SchooLinks if you click on the Mail Icon on the top right side of your home page.

  • Mrs. Tafe- Our School Counseling Department Secretary is very helpful with many topics, especially transcript questions