You can begin narrowing your search by selecting some key factors that are important to you. There are some helpful online tools that can give suggestions based on your criteria including the Naviance SuperMatch (under the "Colleges" tab), College Board's Big Future "Find your Future" search tool, or the Compare College TX website.
In the meantime, here are some factors you might consider:
In state vs. out-of-state
Small school vs. large school
Public vs. private
Selectivity - GPA, rank, ACT/SAT requirements
Specific major
Extracurricular organizations - intramural sports, Greek life, service organizations, clubs
Research and Develop Your College List
Researching through campus visits, virtual visits, and/or using Naviance tools such as SuperMatch; check out The College Tour episodes for insights
Build your list in Naviance under Colleges I'm Applying To.
Determine Academic Fit (Safety, Match, Reach)
Reflect on what you want out of a college; try this free Corsava website to get you thinking
Use the College/University Choice Worksheet to help you assess academic fit and categorize your colleges
We recommend you have at least 1 safety school, and 3+ colleges overall
Research Application Requirements
Referencing the colleges' freshmen admission websites, map out your requirements using the College Application Checklist.
Determine which application platforms you are required to use or are most efficient for you to use.
Create accounts for the application platform(s) and complete applications.
Get to work completing your profile, coursework, activities.
Common Application (application guide) *Closely review special transcript ordering information for Common App below.
(Ms. Hexter's cheat sheet for doing the Common App SRAR/STARS.)
The Activities Section
Use the Activity Spreadsheet for College Applications to aid you in compiling your activities
Reference the Conquering the Activities Section slides for additional guidance
Determine which essays/short answers are required, where do you have choice, where can you re-use essays for efficiency?
Brainstorm, outline, and draft your essay. Ask someone you trust to review and give you feedback along the way.
Tips:
Pay attention to word-count limits
Short answers = get to the point, don't turn this into a story
Resources:
Essay Prompts (Apply Texas, Common App, Coalition with tips on overlap)
UC Application personal insight questions - directions & guidance
Essay Review & Feedback opportunities:
Senior Workdays during DEN
With Ms. Hexter by appointment
Contact your English teachers
Determine which essays/short answers are required, where do you have choice, where can you re-use essays for efficiency?
Brainstorm, outline, and draft your essay. Ask someone you trust to review and give you feedback along the way.
Tips:
Pay attention to word-count limits
Short answers = get to the point, don't turn this into a story
Resources:
Essay Prompts (Apply Texas, Common App, Coalition with tips on overlap)
UC Application personal insight questions - directions & guidance
Essay Review & Feedback opportunities:
Senior Workdays during DEN
With Ms. Hexter by appointment
Contact your English teachers
Counselor Letters of Recommendation
There are 3 steps you should follow to obtain a letter of recommendation from your counselor.
Students should complete the CPHS Student Brag Sheet.
Parents should complete the CPHS Parent Brag Sheet.
Turn in the completed Request for Counselor Letter of Recommendation IN PERSON to YOUR COUNSELOR.
Be sure to include addressed, stamped envelopes as needed.
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
1. Ask your teacher if she/he is willing to write a letter of recommendation for you.
2. Print and complete the form and submit it to your teacher.
Be sure to include addressed, stamped envelopes as needed.
3. Follow up with a "Thank you" note.
*** Be sure to select the HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT button when submitting your request.
***Also be sure to allow 48 business hours for the transcript to be processed.
If you are applying to schools using the Common Application, you MUST see your counselor for additional documents such as the Secondary School Report and a counselor letter of recommendation.
What is a transcript?
A transcript is a detailed record of a student's high school academic career. Transcripts show courses a student has taken, semester grades for those courses, and credits earned. Transcripts may also show a student's GPA and rank. For details on GPA and rank, refer to the LISD Course Catalog.
Transcripts are only updated at the completion of each semester. Semester grades are included on the transcript, not individual cycle grades. Once GPA and rank are published in Naviance (for grades 11 & 12), placing an order in Parchment to the student's email is a good way to keep a current transcript available.
Leander ISD uses Parchment for students to access, send, and track delivery of their transcripts.
Creating a Parchment Account (all grade levels)
Using the CPHS Parchment link to create a "New Learner Account" will autofill Cedar Park High School as the home campus. If the CPHS logo is not visible on the Parchment home screen, it is important to add CPHS as the school from which to request your transcript. Click Profile/Account Settings/Transcripts to add Cedar Park High School.
Students can reference this brief Parchment tutorial slide deck for assistance in creating an account.
Requesting/Viewing Transcripts (all grade levels)
From their Parchment account, students can send their transcript to any destination.
Click the blue Order button
Send to College or Institution: Use the search bar to locate the school or institution (e.g. Texas State, NCAA, Common Application). Choose the correct destination, paying close attention to the full description (e.g. undergraduate or graduate admissions and campus location)
Send to yourself, a college coach, summer program, or scholarship: Click "I'm sending to myself or another individual" under the search bar and choose yourself or another individual. Choose to send your transcript electronically (by entering an email address) or by US Mail.
Place all Parchment orders at least 2 school/business weeks prior to application deadlines. This may be much more than 2 calendar weeks. Reminder: Transcripts are updated at the completion of each semester, not each cycle.
Tips for Self-Reporting Academics
Order your transcript to be emailed directly to you via Parchment
Reference this Guide to Completing the Self-Reported Academic Record to be sure you are accurately and consistently reporting your information
Final High School Transcripts (Seniors or Alumni)
Transcripts are finalized in June of the student's graduation year. Parchment maintains alumni transcripts and can be used by all former CPHS students. If you are unable to login to your Parchment account, alumni can attempt to create a new account using the instructions above. If this results in an error, please contact Parchment to ask that your account be cleared so you can create a new one: Parchment Help for Alumni.
CPHS does not send test scores. Students must order test scores directly from:
After you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation with details to set up your applicant portal. Each college calls this something different, for example UT = My Status, Texas A&M = AIS, etc. This is where you will log in to:
Verify required and optional pieces of your application have been received
Upload supplemental documents such as resume and possibly input recommenders' information to generate emailed requests
View your admission decision
View and accept/edit your financial aid award letter
FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid // video overview
All colleges will require the FAFSA to be considered for need-based aid (grants, loans, work-study)
The FAFSA application opens each year on October 1 (by 12/31/23 for class of 2024) and must be completed annually
The Federal Student Aid Estimator can be used to estimate your eligibility for federal student aid using past tax information. For more information about financial aid, check out FinAid.
Some private institutions may require the FAFSA and CSS Profile
The CSS Profile opens each year on October 1 and must be completed annually
Scholarships
Scholarships are a form of financial aid, but are considered merit-based (and may have a need-based component)
Great search tools: Going Merry, Fastweb.com, Scholarships.com, Big Future, Access Scholarships
Scholarships (video)
Resources:
Understanding the Costs of College (video)
Some colleges require midyear reports (aka: 7th semester transcript) to check in on your senior year progress.
Common App - if any of your Common Application schools require a mid-year report, no further action is needed on your part for these schools. Your counselor will submit the report on your behalf once mid-year transcripts become available.
Coalition - if any of your Coalition schools require a mid-year report, your counselor will upload a mid-year transcript to your Coalition Locker once it is available. You (student) will need to then attach it to your applications.
School Specific Application - if you applied through a school specific portal and need a mid-year report, you will order a transcript via Parchment. Please be sure to select the "Hold for Grades" option. This will ensure the registrar sends the mid-year transcript to include 1st semester grades.
To get credit or placement for your AP exam scores, you have to request an official score report be sent to the college you are planning to attend.
Colleges/universities, as well as the military and technical schools, will require proof of graduation in the form of a final high school transcript. It is the student's responsibility to order the final high school transcript to be sent to the institution through Parchment. WARNING: Failure to submit a final high school transcript will result in issues for you!
The final transcript can be ordered through Parchment prior to graduation by selecting "hold for grades" when you order. If after graduation, you can choose "send immediately". Either way, know that transcripts are typically not finalized until mid-late June, and orders will be processed at that time.
Dual Credit students - be sure to order a transcript to be sent to ACC along with the college you're attending; otherwise ACC will place a hold on your account (which may mean a hold on transferring your ACC credits). On that note, be sure you have sent your most recent ACC transcript to the college you're attending to ensure those credits are evaluated for transfer.
Colleges/universities, as well as the military and technical schools, will require proof of graduation in the form of a final high school transcript. It is the student's responsibility to order the final high school transcript to be sent to the institution through Parchment. WARNING: Failure to submit a final high school transcript will result in issues for you!
The final transcript can be ordered through Parchment prior to graduation by selecting "hold for grades" when you order. If after graduation, you can choose "send immediately". Either way, know that transcripts are typically not finalized until mid-late June, and orders will be processed at that time.
Dual Credit students - be sure to order a transcript to be sent to ACC along with the college you're attending; otherwise ACC will place a hold on your account (which may mean a hold on transferring your ACC credits). On that note, be sure you have sent your most recent ACC transcript to the college you're attending to ensure those credits are evaluated for transfer.
Most colleges require vaccination against bacterial meningitis. If you need a copy of your immunization records from LISD, the only way they can be obtained is by submitting a records request to student.records@leanderisd.org.
When making a records request, please note the following:
A photo identification will be required for all record requests.
If the student is under the age of 18, their parent/guardian must make the request for the immunizations.
If the student is over the age of 18, the student must make the request for the immunizations, as the right to access the information transfers to the eligible student from the parent/guardian.
*** Please note: the campus nurse or staff cannot provide you with a copy. ***
Take a look at the links below for schools that have free or waived applications:
From Ivywise, see their complete list of "Colleges with No Application Fees" including links to that respective universities.
From Education Connection (US Dept of Ed National Center for Eduation Statistics), see their "Colleges with No Application Fee" list.
From Niche, Check out "2024 Best Colleges with No Application Fee in Texas."