COLLEGE

The Common App is a college admission application that streamlines the application process by allowing applicants to fill out one application and send to multiple colleges. 

When completing the Common App, make sure you are following the steps below:

1. Create a Common App account by logging onto https://www.commonapp.org/
   Once you have created an account, click on Education under the Common App tab and enter your current school (Valley Regional) to get started.

2. Enter at least one school you are applying to by clicking College Search and add that school to your account in your Common Application. Click on one of your schools under the My Colleges tab. Click on Recommenders and FERPA and click on Complete Release Authorization and follow the directions. You will waive your right to view your letters of rec and supporting documents - this must be done in order to sync your Common App and SchooLinks accounts. The counseling office cannot send your documents (transcript, letters of rec, etc.) until this is done!

3. Enter all Common App schools that you are planning to apply to in your Common App. 

4. Match/sync your Common App and SchooLinks accounts

5. Complete your application, writing supplements, etc. and submit!

**Review the Common Application Help Guide to help you complete your Common Application. Also available on google classroom**

SchooLinks is a comprehensive college and career readiness platform designed to help students explore their interests, set goals, and plan for life after high school. Through SchooLinks, students can research colleges, explore career paths, and manage key parts of the postsecondary planning process—including applications, scholarships, and recommendation requests. 

To access your account, please click the following link: https://www.schoolinks.com/ and sign in with google.

Visiting college campuses is an essential step in the college search process and we strongly encourage students to do so! Touring schools will help you gain a better understanding of what each campus has to offer and see if you can envision yourself as a part of the community.

If you are planning to visit a college on a school day, please complete the College Visit Form to have your absence excused. Hard copies of this form can be found in the counseling office.

Throughout the fall months, College Admissions Officers from many colleges and universities visit Valley to meet with students who are interested in attending their institution. This is a great opportunity to meet with the person who may be reading your college application! Announcements of what colleges will be coming will be sent out via our google classroom each week - to sign up to meet with the admissions officer, sign up in SchooLinks under 'Engage' then selecting 'Events'. Once signed up, Mrs. Gates will send you a securly pass for your appointment time which will take place in the school counseling office.

The SAT and ACT are standardized tests that may be used by colleges as a part of their admissions decisions. Many colleges have moved to a "test optional" policy which means the college allows the applicant to decide for themselves whether or not to submit their test scores.

All juniors at Valley will be registered to take the SAT in the spring of their junior year on SAT School Day. If students would like to retake the SAT another time, they will need to register on their own at a local test center. This can be done through CollegeBoard: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration

Students are responsible for sending their SAT scores (if they are choosing to send them). If you do not remember your College Board account username/password, please know that you will have to follow the prompts for "Need Help Signing In" and choose the "forgot password" on the sign-in page. Your school counselor does not have your CollegeBoard password information. 

Khan Academy is an excellent free test preparation resource for students looking to practice and/or improve their scores. Make your account and get started today! https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat

If students would also like to take the ACT, they can view dates and register here: https://www.act.org/

Once you have submitted your college application, please be sure you are checking your emails from those colleges. For most schools, you will be required to create an applicant portal which will show you if any information is missing from your application, the status of your application and possibly your admission decision. 

Please note that some colleges require the STARS (Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System) after you apply. The portal should state if this is required and provide a link or a way for you to complete this form. On STARS, you will be required to list all the classes you took at Valley. If you need to do this and you do not have a copy of your transcript, please email us and we will send that to you.  

Use this link for full instructions: https://starsrecord.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/36858476536859-How-Do-I-Send-My-STARS-Record-To-Colleges-Submitting-Linking-Required

Essay Tips from the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Connecticut College

1. Allow yourself plenty of time to write the essay. Do not wait until the last minute. I know this sounds absurdly simple, but it really does make a difference to be as relaxed as possible when you sit down to write.
   
   

2. Choose the prompt that comes closest to something you’d like to write about. The purpose of the prompt is to help you reflect on something that matters to you. Your application will be full of information that illuminates dimensions of you and your abilities, but only the essay gives you a vehicle to speak, in your own voice, about something personally significant. Choose something you care about and it will flow more naturally.
   
   (a) Fallacy: If you haven’t experienced a life-changing event, you have nothing to write about. Wrong. You care about things now. Write about one of them and show us why it matters to you.
   
   (b) Fallacy: If you haven’t had a major international service experience, you’re sunk. Wrong again. If you’ve had such an experience and you feel it says something important about you, great. If you haven’t, just choose something that says something important about you. That’s all.
   
   

3. When you’ve written a first draft, let it sit. Then go back to it another day. Ask people you trust for their feedback, but don’t let anyone else tell you how you should write it. This is your story, or some small but significant part of it, as told or reflected upon by you.
   
   

4. When you’ve revised it to your heart’s content, proofread with care. Spellcheck isn’t always the most reliable friend, so make sure to double check carefully!
   
   

5. Submit it, and treat yourself to something nice — like your favorite film, a run, quality time with your pet or whatever it is that you enjoy!

Now, take a look at “Essays that Worked” which are real essays submitted by real students who have since matriculated at Connecticut College. These essays are terrific, and you can find them listed on the right side of this page: https://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/essays-that-worked/

Are you interested in playing a DI or DII sport in college? If so, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Make sure to speak with your coach and contact the Athletic Office with questions.

The IB Recognition Database is an online tool created by the International Baccalaureate (IB) to help students, parents, and educators find information about how colleges and universities around the world recognize and award credit or placement for IB coursework and diplomas.

What You Can Find in the IB Recognition Database:

• Whether a university accepts the IB Diploma for admission.

• If and how college credit or advanced standing is awarded for IB courses (HL or SL).

• Specific score requirements for credit or placement.

• Admission policies regarding IB students.

• Links to the institution's official policy on IB recognition.

Access the database here: https://recognition.ibo.org/en-US/