Overgrad is the platform you will be using in 9th - 11th to keep track of the schools and majors you are interested in, along with being able to keep track of the courses, extracurricular, and other information in order to keep track of your progress in high school so you can have it all stored in one location once you enter your senior year.

Once you are a senior, Overgrad will become the main platform to keep track of your applications and will also be the main platform for your advisor to support you with making sure you are making progress and supporting you with any documentation submissions you may need.

Use the college search filters on Overgrad to discover colleges that fit your interests, preferences, needs and wants.

After discovering a new college on Overgrad, we recommend researching that school further using sites like Niche and Big Future. Many colleges also publish virtual tours on their websites or on Campus Reel, so use those resources to decide if the college is a good fit for you.

When you decide that you want to apply to a college, make sure to "follow" it on Overgrad to officially add it to your list.

Over 900 colleges use the Common Application. You can save yourself a TON of time by filling out the Common App once and then submitting it to multiple colleges. That's right-- it's ONE application that you can send to countless colleges around the country! These schools may still ask you to answer some additional questions or provide extra supplemental essays, so keep that in mind when deciding how many schools you plan to apply to! It's still important to submit strong applications over submitting as many as possible.

To get started, check out the Step by Step Guide (created by and for DSST students!) to help you with the Common App.

The Common App also has a ton of great videos and resources to guide you through each part of the application.

Please note- Not every college uses the Common App (Colorado School of Mines, for example), but if you fill out the Common App first, you'll find that many colleges ask the same questions on their own school-specific applications.

Writing your college essay often feels like the most challenging part of the application process. Luckily, you already started writing your Common Application essay in your junior year English class, and will continue to get support from your Senior English teacher and college counselor on this process.

We also highly, highly recommend using the resources here to guide your writing and revision process and to see many solid example essays.

And as always, reach out to your college counselor at any time to support with brainstorming, revising, and editing your essay!

On the Common Application, you might notice that some of your colleges ask for additional essays or short answer questions. These questions help colleges make sure that you are interested in them and will be a good fit for their campus and community.

The College Essay Guy also has a ton of great (and free) resources and blog posts to help you with these essays.

And as always, your college counselor is here to help!

After you have filled out the application form and attached your college essay(s), review your application to ensure that all your information is correct. Check your grammar, spelling, and capitalization. Before submitting, you can always have your college counselor review it as well.

After reviewing it one last time, click submit!!!

In addition to your application form and essay(s), colleges will ask that you submit some (or all, depending on the college) of the materials below. The list below explains where to request each document.

• High School Transcript

  • Required by every college

  • Request on your Overgrad application page

• Fee Waiver

  • Required if eligible (based on receiving free/reduced lunch or facing other financial challenges)

  • Request on your Overgrad application page

• SAT Scores

  • Optional at most colleges! - to see if your school is test optional, you can check a comprehensive list at the FairTest website.

  • If you took the SAT and want to report your scores, you will need to send your scores directly from your College Board Account.

• Counselor Recommendation

  • Not always required, but we will submit it to every college to support your application anyway

  • Request on your Overgrad application page

• Teacher Recommendation

  • 1-2 letters of recommendation required by most colleges

  • Three Steps to Request:

    1. Email your teacher asking if they are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. Explain why you think they could write a strong letter (give examples from when you were in their class) and ask to set up a time to meet.

       • Tip: Schools prefer to hear from a recent teacher, so try to find an 11th or 12th grade teacher you feel could speak to who you are as a student.

    2. Meet with your teacher at the scheduled time, and provide them with any additional information they ask for.

    3. Officially submit the letter of recommendation request to that teacher on Overgrad.

Step 7: Congratulations, You've Applied To College!

After you have submitted your application and requested your documents, check your application status page to make sure the college has received all your required documents.

And of course, keep an eye on your email to find out if you were admitted to that college!