College Bound: From Apps to Acceptance (and beyond)

What does the 4-year College Application process look like? Use the following as a checklist to make sure you are moving forward in the process.  For most students, the process will look like this:

• Apply for college 

  1. CSU deadline: Dec 2nd for most campuses (although there are many others who have later deadlines, do your research)

  2. UC deadline: Dec 2nd

  3. Common App college deadlines: vary by school, usually Nov-Jan.

  4. There will be college application workshops, put on by the counseling department, every Tuesday and Thursday starting Oct 2nd through Dec 2nd in the Media Center at Lunch.

• Apply for the FAFSA or CA Dream Act (CADAA)

  1. Application opens December 1st.

  2. Application closes March 2nd (though students should aim to submit by end of January, at the latest to get the most accurate Financial Aid information from your college).

  3. FAFSA/CADAA workshops, put on by the counseling department and Cal-SOAP, will be offered in December and January (more information to come).

  4. Pay close attention to the Student Aid Index (SAI) number you are given once you submit the FAFSA/CADAA.  This information is what colleges will be using to determine your Financial Aid Package.  Also, if you qualify for a Cal Grant, you will get an email asking you to create a Webgrants account, where you will eventually add the College you plan to attend, once you've made that decision (click here for more information).

• Scholarships

  2. 1. Deadlines are ongoing throughout the year.  See the Scholarships tab in the "12th Grade" tab of our website for many opportunities.

• Create College Portals for each of the colleges you applied to. 

  1.  You should get an email from each college with information on how to create your portal.  Check your portals frequently for new items on your  TO DO list.  These items have deadlines and you will not be accepted to the college if you do not complete all items on your TO DO.  The portal may be the first place you will find out if you have been accepted by the Colleges.  

  2. Colleges may ask for you to send transcripts at this time so they can double check the info you have self-reported.  If there is a discrepancy, your acceptance may be at-risk, so be very careful when completing your applications.  If you have transcripts at Miramar/City/Mesa college, you will need to request those transcripts get sent to the colleges via your mySDCCD portal.  MMHS cannot send your college transcript, only you can request that from your Miramar portal. 

  3. Colleges also may ask for you to send AP scores from Collegeboard.  You will need to go onto the Collegeboard website, log in, then go to the section in AP that says "send scores."  Click here for more information.  Keep in mind, if you are planning to take AP tests this school year, you will need to request the final score report to be sent in July.  

• Start getting College Acceptance emails  or portal updates!

  1. This can begin as early as December and as late as April, it varies by college.

•  Start viewing your Financial Aid packages

  1. These will be updated in your college portals, once the colleges have received your qualification information from FAFSA/CADAA.  SDSU has a separate portal for Financial Aid called Aidlink, though most other colleges have a separate tab/section in their portals.  

  2. Speak with your counselor if you'd like help breaking down what the financial aid package means for your cost of attendance.  In most cases, you won't be paying as much as it appears, since amounts are approximate and usually based on max amounts.   The main costs which  won't vary are Tuition and Fees.  Items like personal and transportation are not a required fee, and may not be applicable to you.  Housing and Food costs can vary based on amount of roommates, type of housing, type of meal plan, whether you live on-campus, off-campus, or at home.  If you receive an EFC = 0, are accepted to SDSU or CSU San Marcos,  and are planning to  live at home, most likely- you won't have to pay anything!!  So don't let cost deter you, and check-in with a counselor before you change your mind about attending a 4-year college because of the cost!

• If you can afford to, and have the ability to, now would be a good time to check out the college campuses, if you haven't already, to aid in your decision. Sometimes a student "just knows," which campus is right for them by stepping foot on the campus.   

• Make your decision!

  1.  You must choose your college by May 1st (this deadline may be altered or extended based on college, just make sure you find out your college's posted deadline, and complete your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) before the deadline.

  2. Make sure to attend the MMHS college signing day event to announce the college you will be attending to the school staff and all your peers! 

• Complete all necessary applications/contracts (housing, meal plan, honors programs, work study, etc) ASAP!  Keep in mind that deadlines for housing are paramount, and you should complete these applications well before the deadline.  In places like San Francisco, where vacancy rates are abysmal, you should secure your housing application ASAP, as getting off-campus housing is near impossible, and on-campus fills up FAST.  DO NOT WAIT!  Often the college will require a housing deposit fee (which may be up to $500), so make sure you save up for those fees well in advance, in order to keep you from putting off submitting the application.

• Our Registrar, Mrs. Hight, will be sending out a Final Transcript Request form, around April, to all seniors.  She will fulfill requests in the order they are received on this form request only.  Please do not inundate her or your counselors with email requests before that time, as we cannot send off your final transcript until after all your final grades have posted, including college classes which are usually added to the high school transcript after the last day of school.  Keep in mind, in addition to sending the high school transcript, if you have college credits, you will have to have your Miramar (City, Mesa) transcripts sent by requesting it in your mySDCCD portal.  Once again, MMHS cannot send your college transcript for you, and the credits posted on your high school transcript do not count for college credit, so you must send your official transcript from the community college.  

• Start preparing for your transition to college!  You've gone through a lot to get to this point, don't start freaking out now!  You have spent most of your life in a traditional educational experience.  College is a different kind of experience, one we think you will enjoy immensely.  It's normal to have fears about the future, and start to second-guess your decisions, but this is NOT the time to back out.  You will find there is plenty of support at your college to help you get through your transition, from support programs, orientation, advisers, mentors, etc.  You will be fine.  Talk to your counselor if you start having second thoughts.  We'll help you through this!  You've got this, you are well-prepared, and you owe it to yourself to move forward on the goal you have had for yourself for so many years!  

Best of luck to you!

MMHS Counseling