Who? What? Where? How?
Who? ~ Build a balanced college list that includes likely, target, and reach/dream schools:
Likely - student's academic profile is significantly stronger than the middle 50% of admitted students
Target - student's academic profile is similar to the middle 50% of admitted students
Reach/Dream - student's academic profile is not as strong as the middle 50% of admitted students
What? ~ Decide what type of college to attend (4-year college vs. community college)
Where? ~ Determine the location (on-campus vs. off-campus and in-state vs. out-of-state)
How? ~ Research colleges of interest by using sites such as BigFuture.
* Use a notebook or Google Doc to create your list of colleges and note the following information:
> Major/s you are interested in at the university.
> Accepted applications/s (e.g. Common App, school app)
> SAT test optional? SAT needed for scholarship consideration?
> Application options (e.g. Regular Decision? Early Action? Rolling Admission?)
> Application deadline
Share this information with your School Counselor.
Letter of Recommendation
Reach out to recommenders (teachers, coach, trainer, pastor, etc.)
and request a letter of recommendation if applying to a 4-year college.
Complete the Teacher Letter of Recommendation Request Form and submit it to the teacher(s).
Complete and submit the School Counselor Letter of Recommendation Request Form.
Keep in contact with recommenders to check the status of the letter.
DO NOT request letters of recommendation from your School Counselor or teachers through the Common App.
Only use the Common App for requesting letters from coaches, employers, family, etc.
ALL school personnel (School Counselor, Teacher) letter of recommendation requests must go through Naviance.
DO NOT submit the Advisor request for letter of recommendation via the Common App for a letter from your School Counselor.
Applying to colleges via Common App? Request a letter of recommendation through your Naviance account.
Complete the Application
Decide on the application(s) ~ Common App or school-specific app.
Begin the application(s) ~ prioritize according to application type:
Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision or Rolling Admission
Pay close attention to application deadlines.
Reach out to your English teacher to proofread, make suggestions/edit, and finalize your Essay.
Reach out to your School Counselor for assistance and keep in contact throughout the application process.
Match Common App with Naviance
Create your Common App account.
Log in to your Common App account:
Complete the Profile, Family, and Education sections under the Common App tab.
Add colleges you are applying to under My Colleges.
Open one of the colleges you added to your Common App under My Colleges.
Click on Recommenders and FERPA under the college and submit the FERPA Release Authorization.
Log in to your Naviance account:
Click on Colleges I'm Applying To.
Select Match.
College/s not listed in Common App > input colleges manually in Naviance
Match only occurs once > add colleges in Common App after Match = add manually in Naviance
Once matched, complete the Testing, Activities, Writing, and Courses & Grades sections
and college-specific questions under the Common App and My Colleges tabs in your Common App.
Submit the Application & Application Fee
Review and finalize your application(s).
Contact and/or meet with your School Counselor prior to submitting each application(s).
It is highly recommended that your School Counselor review the application(s) prior to application submission.
Submit the application before the deadline.
Pay the application fee or reach out to your School Counselor to review eligibility requirements for a fee waiver.
Send SAT and/or ACT scores to all 4-year colleges (if not test optional or if desired/required).
Notify your School Counselor after submitting all applications.
Keep in contact with your School Counselor regarding adding colleges and college decision(s).
Financial Aid
Complete and submit the 2025/2026 FAFSA form.
Class of 2025 >> Make sure you select the 2025/2026 FAFSA form and NOT the 2024/2025 application.
Create a HESAA account approximately 2 weeks after submitting the FAFSA.
Contact the Financial Aid office at each college for assistance and if you have any questions.
Notify your School Counselor after submitting the FAFSA and creating the HESAA account.
The 2025/2026 FAFSA is expected to become available in October 2024.
Scholarships
Apply for scholarships.
There are numerous scholarship opportunities via the internet, MSHS Counseling website, and your Naviance account.
Submit the MSHS General Scholarship Form prior to the deadline.
Communication
Keep in contact with your School Counselor throughout the entire
college application process and as college decisions are received.
Decision & Notification
Decide which college you will be attending and accept their offer for admission.
Submit the enrollment deposit before the deadline ~ usually May 1st (check with the college for verification).
Submit the housing deposit before the deadline if planning to live on-campus.
Respond to other colleges who offered admission to thank and notify them
that you plan to attend another college.
Inform your school counselor of your final decision.
Connections & Loose Ends
Contact Admissions to see if you need to take a placement test.
If you need to take a placement test, schedule and take it as soon as possible.
Meet with an advisor to select courses.
Reach out to your professors to introduce yourself.
Schedule and attend a school tour (virtual or in-person).
Contact the Financial Aid office to see if the college received your FAFSA Student Aid Report,
to discuss payment options, finalize your bill, and confirm payment prior to the deadline.
Make a connection with fellow classmates and/or roommate(s) prior to the beginning of the semester.