The College Application Process
FIRST: Research and Plan
Research and Develop Your College List
Researching through campus visits, virtual visits, and/or using Naviance tools such as SuperMatch (video); check out The College Tour episides for insights
Build your list in Naviance under Colleges I'm Applying To (video)
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 (video)
Completing the Application
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.
Overview of College Application Platforms (video)
Common Application (application guide) *Closely review special transcript ordering information for Common App below.
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
Essays and Short Answers
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:
During your summer College Jump Start session
Senior Workdays during PIT
Contact your English teachers
Letters of Recommendation
Determine if Letters of Recommendation are required/optional and if so, are there restrictions as to who writes these (counselor, core academic teacher, or can it be anyone?).
Decide who you will ask to write your letter and ask them as early as possible (no less than 4 weeks prior to your application deadline).
Instructions - Counselor Letter of Recommendation
Referring to the university's website, confirm a counselor letter of recommendation is required for admission.
Talk with your counselor and ask if they are able to write a letter of recommendation for you. This step is critical - submission of the brag sheet alone will not result in a letter of recommendation.
Your request must be submitted at least FOUR WEEKS before your earliest application deadline.
Open the VHS Brag Sheet and create a copy. Add your full name to the title of the new document: format - Last Name, First Name - VHS Brag Sheet
Share the named copy with your parent/guardian who will be completing that section.
Submit your completed VHS Brag Sheet via the Senior Pathway Info Form (editable through Sept 15).
Instructions - Teacher/Advisor Letter of Recommendation (can also be used for outside recommenders)
Ask your teacher if they are willing to write you a letter of recommendation.
Submit a completed Request for a Teacher Letter of Recommendation Request Form to your recommender.
Add your recommender's information to the applications/portals to generate emails allowing your recommender to submit the letter electronically. (ex: Common Application or directly to institution - reference the Quick Guide below for further details)
Allow your recommender 3-4 weeks to write the recommendation.
Submitting Letters of Recommendation
Reference this Quick Guide to Submitting Letters of Recommendation and feel free to share with your recommenders. Note that for some schools you may not be able to generate a link to your recommenders until you have 1) submitted your application 2) set up your applicant portal and 3) input your recommender's contact information to generate an emailed request/link.
Ordering Transcripts / Self-Reporting Academics
All transcripts can be viewed for free or ordered to be sent to a college or organization through Parchment.
First, order a transcript to be emailed directly to you via Parchment. Review your transcript for accuracy.
Next, determine if you intend to withhold rank. If you intend to withhold rank, the online Withhold Rank Form must be completed prior to placing transcript orders. Be sure to consider schools with Assured Admissions (ex: Assured Admission for Texas schools Class of 2022).
Determine if transcripts are required, or if you will be self-reporting your academic record (required for Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of Houston, University of California system, etc. and typically is an additional requirement for schools on Common Application and Coalition).
If transcripts are required, place orders via Parchment. **For all Common Application schools, you must order the transcript to be sent directly to Common Application (not the individual schools) after you have added your counselor to Common App. This enables the counselor to complete the required School Report and verify the transcript. You will also need to complete the Senior Pathway Info Form (Class of 2024 link coming soon) for your counselor. For all other application platforms, you will order it directly to the institution, NCAA, etc.
ACC transcripts can be ordered for free following these instructions, or watching these How To videos: sent electronically or sent by mail).
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
Sending Test Scores (ACT, SAT)
VHS does not send test scores. Students must order test scores directly from:
Resource:
Reporting & Sending Test Scores (video)
Set up and Check your Applicant Portal(s)
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
Applying for Financial Aid: FAFSA, CSS Profile, Scholarships
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)
Midyear Reports
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.
Admissions Decisions & College Wall
Update your admission decisions in Naviance:
Log into Naviance and navigate to the Colleges tab
Click on Colleges I'm Applying To
Be sure you have added your schools, then click on the pencil icon to update the Results section to say Accepted
In the drop-down, choose the school from College I'm Attending
Vandegrift College Wall
Update your results in Naviance, being sure you have identified where you were accepted
Then, from the drop-down choose the college you're planning to attend
Sending AP Scores
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.
Final Transcripts
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.