Senior  ROADMAP

FINALIZE YOUR COLLEGE LIST

Deadline:  mid-September

** Read How to build a college list  and utilize the second tab ("Manage applications") in the College Spreadsheet **

Use MaiaLearning features to narrow your list of colleges based on major, location, private/public, and other items important to you.  Once your list is built, you’ll know what is expected in your applications.  You should have 6-12 colleges in your list, including 2-3 safety schools, 3-6 match schools, 1-3 reach schools (or 1-3 more match schools if you do not want to apply to reach schools.)  Division 1 athletes should add “NCAA Eligibility” to their college list.  Make sure colleges on your list are financially reasonable for your family.  (Calculate your cost of college here.)

Once your list is completely finalized, move "Colleges I'm Considering" to "Colleges I'm Applying".  To do this from the "Colleges I'm thinking about list, check the colleges you want to apply to > click the MOVE TO APPLICATIONS LIST link.  Make sure the information on the "Colleges I'm applying to" dashboard is  accurate!  Your teachers, counselors, and administration use this information to perform their duties, such as submitting letters of recommendation, counselor’s letter of recommendation, and transcript.  Take a look at the following information for each college and ensure it is correct. Inaccurate information could lead to a delay in your application.  Keep this list accurate as you add colleges. 

• Type:   Are you applying regular decision, early action, early decision? -- CHECK DATES!

• Submission type:  Are you using a school's application, Common App, Coalition App

• Application:  What is the status of your application: submitted, pending?

Note:  

• If you'll be attending a community college, be sure to put that college on your Colleges I'm applying to list.  

• If you'll be a college athlete, put "NCAA Eligibility" on your Colleges I'm applying to list.  

SEND TEST SCORES or REGISTER FOR TESTING  (only if needed) 

Deadline:  send scores 2-4 weeks before the application deadline / register now if taking the test this fall

If you need to take the ACT or SAT in the Fall, register for a September or October test for Early Decision/Early Action, and by December 

for Regular Decision. 

Self- Reporting Colleges: Click HERE. If your college is listed you DO NOT need to send scores when applying but add score to your Common Application. 

UCs and CSUs currently do not require SAT or ACT scores. 

What's required:

• UCs and CSUs currently do not require SAT or ACT scores.

• All other schools:  Check their Admissions website for their requirements

If a college requires a score and you have already taken a test and are happy with the scores, send those scores now.  Colleges will open an account for you once they receive this information.  Send a copy directly to each school and pay for each copy via the ACT or SAT websites linked below. 

Use CEEB codes: Acalanes - 051315 Campolindo - 052058  Las Lomas - 053680 Miramonte - 052282

Register for testing here How to send SAT scores How to send ACT scores List of Test Optional colleges.

COMPLETE MAIA LEARNING TASKS

Deadline:  September 30

If you need a Letter of Recommendation, the following information in Naviance is used by our counselors and teachers to write letters on your behalf.  Some colleges may also require your Resume.  You need to provide this information as early as possible so that thoughtful letters can be written in time for your application deadlines.  Do not put this off!  See the SENIOR GUIDE TO MAIA LEARNING for instructions on how to complete these tasks.

• STUDENT STATEMENT:  Is on your MaiaLearning Dashboard

• PARENT BRAG SHEET:  Is on your MaiaLearning Dashboard

• CAMPO STUDENT SURVEY for counselors

• RESUME:  Under "Portfolio" Experiences, "add experiences"

•   See Building a Resume.

• REQUEST LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION:  

What's required:

• 1. • • • Common App/Coalition App schools usually require only one Letter of Rec.; You can see the number required on Maia Learning Applying site.

         • Click on "Recommendations." Enter Recommenders name. Click on the colleges you want a letter of recommendation sent for that teacher.

         • If your teacher needs a LOR form - download the "Recommendation template" - top right corner (in purple) then attach as pdf to their Recommender request.

         • UC, CSU, Univ. WA do not require a Letter of Rec, unless they request for special circumstances.

FERPA WAIVER:    If applying to Common App schools (ie: private colleges), sign the FERPA release authorization so that your academic information can be sent directly to your colleges.  To do this, create an account on Commonapp.org; click the "College Search'' tab and enter one or more colleges;  click on the "My Colleges" tab; on the left hand menu, click "Recommenders and FERPA"; Under "FERPA Release Authorization'', click "Release Authorization" and follow the instructions to "waive your rights".  Visit Glossary of Terms to better understand the FERPA waiver.

MATCH COMMON APP TO MAIA LEARNING  

BEGIN COLLEGE ESSAYS – draft versions

Deadline:  Final essays should be completed by October 15

See College Essays for guidance.

What's required:

UC's:     4 short essays (called Personal Insight Questions) (350 words each)

CSU's:   no essays

Common/Coalition Application:  one 650-word essay, some colleges may require supplemental short essays

Begin working on your Common App essays, UC essays and other supplemental writing required by each college.  Remember that only one Common App essay is written and shared between all your Common App schools.  The same holds true for the Coalition App essay.  Your set of UC essays is shared with all their campuses that you apply to.  Start early and seek help in the College & Career Center through Academies or 1-on-1 appointments.  

Get feedback on your drafts before finalizing them!  These essays are important!!

BEGIN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

Deadlines:  

Early Decision/Early Action schools:  Oct 15 - Nov 15 (deadlines vary so check Admissions websites; "Early" options are not offered at all schools)

CSUs:  opens Oct 1, due by Nov 30

UC's:    opens Aug 1, submit  Oct 1 - Nov 30

Other colleges:  Deadlines vary – check each college Admissions website.  Many are due by the end of December.

Visit Apply to College for links to the CalState Apply, UC app, Common app, Coalition app, and Community College applications.  

Be sure to proofread applications before submitting. Read these tips on the DO's and DON'Ts for the CSU Application.  

• See FAST FACTS at the bottom of this page for pertinent information used in the application process, such as ranking, grading scale, # students in graduating class and more.

• Use Aeries to get your unofficial transcript to self-report grades into any online application.

• Use the A-G course list to help you properly categorize your self-reported classes.  (Enter your school's name in the white box to pull up a list classes, sorted A-G.)

Note:  If you are considering attending a community college, place it on your list of “Colleges I'm applying to".  If attending DVC, then listen for announcements for campus tours and application help in the spring.  See STEP 10 below.

Keep track of each college’s login and password to access their online portals.

Before submitting:

• Double check that all of your supplemental information is being submitted on time (transcript, test score, Letter of Rec).

• Proofread every portion of the application, including the essay.

Once your application and essays are complete, go ahead and submit your application by the deadline -- even if your Letter of Recommendation or Transcript have not been sent yet.  As long as your application is in by the deadline, you'll be fine!   The Letter of Recommendation, Counselor Report and Transcript will be sent when they are ready and can arrive after the deadline.

Once your application is submitted, each college will give you a portal to check the status.  Use that portal to ensure that all your information has been received by each college. Check your email regularly and respond quickly to any college correspondence.   Remember, YOU are responsible for ensuring a college receives all the correct information on time.  

BEGIN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Deadline:  see individual scholarship requirements

Start the necessary paperwork and essays for scholarships.  Check your deadlines. Get your work reviewed before submitting.  

You can find scholarships in Naviance; on the Scholarships page; and elsewhere online.

ATTEND COLLEGE VISITS ON OUR CAMPUS  August - November, over 100 college reps come to our campus to talk about their schools.  These are the College Admission officers who read your applications. Getting to know these counselors and asking questions about their college!  Check MaiaLearning< University< Visit to register

ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

Add your auhsdschools.org email to your email apps (Turn email notifications on!) so that you will receive reminders from MaiaLearning and emails from the College & Career Center.  Check those emails regularly!

LEARN ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION INTERVIEWS

Many colleges ask you to interview with an alumni or admissions officer as part of the application process - many do not.  Some colleges offer an optional interview. Check your colleges' admission websites to see if this applies to you. If it's optional, you may want to consider doing the interview so that the admissions team learns more about you as a person.  Here's advice on how to ace your interview.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPTION    

If your path is to go to community college, the process is streamlined.  Add that college to the "Colleges I'm applying to list" now.  Use the time this Fall to explore job-training programs, college majors, curriculum, and colleges you may want to transfer to. Come into the College & Career Center for help with the application in the spring.  If attending DVC, then listen for announcements for a campus tour and application in the spring.   Explore the Community Colleges page.

SEEK HELP WHEN NEEDED

Look for College & Career Center Academies specifically designed to help you through this process.  Inquire about drop-in meetings or sign up for a 1-on-1 appointment with your College & Career Advisor.

ORDER TRANSCRIPTS    

Deadline:  October 1

What's required:

UC's:     Do not send official transcript. You self-report now and send transcript only if accepted and attending.

CSU's:   Do not send official transcript. You self-report now and send transcript only if accepted and attending.

All other schools:  Determine which ones require transcripts by visiting each college admissions website.

• In Webstore (free):  Click 'Transcripts" and follow the instructions and clearly list the name of every college requiring a copy.  You do not need to do anything in Naviance for ordering transcripts.

• The grades from classes taken outside of your high school most likely will not be on your high school transcript.  So, send them from the institution where you took the class directly to any college requiring them.

• Division I athletes should also send transcript to "NCAA Eligibility", which should be on your Colleges I'm applying to list.

FINISH COLLEGE ESSAYS – final versions

Deadline:  mid-October 15

Finalize your Common App essays, UC essays and other supplemental writing required by each application.  See College Essays for essay writing tips. Get guidance from your College & Career Center.

CONTINUE TO WORK ON COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

Deadlines:  

Early Decision/Early Action schools:  Oct 15 - Nov 15   (deadlines vary; "Early" options are not offered at all schools)

UC's:  Nov 30

CSU:  Nov 30

Other colleges:  Deadlines vary – check each college.  Many are by the end of December.

Click Apply to College for links to the CalState Apply, UC, Common app, Coalition app, and Community College applications.

Be sure to proofread applications before submitting.  Check your college portals regularly to ensure that all your information has been received by each college. Check your email regularly and respond quickly to any college correspondence.   Remember, YOU are responsible for ensuring a college receives all the correct information on time.  Note:  If you are considering attending a community college, place it on your list of “Colleges I'm applying to".  If attending DVC, then listen for announcements for campus tours and application help in March.  

Applying to a CSU?  Read these tips on the DO's and DON'Ts for the CSU Application.

**  Once your application and essays are complete, go ahead and submit your application by the deadline -- even if your Letter of Recommendation or Transcripts have not been sent yet.  As long as your application is in by the deadline, you'll be fine!   The Letter of Recommendation, Counselor Report and Transcript will be sent when they are ready and can arrive after the deadline.

Keep track of each college’s login and password to access their online portals.

If your application asks, our school district does not rank students, students are graded on a 4.0 scale.  See your College & Career Center website for Senior class size.

BEGIN FINANCIAL AID FORMS

Deadline:  Filing opens on Oct 1 and most are due at the time of application.  Check your college  deadlines.  

FAFSA is the Federal financial aid forms and CSS Profile are the forms used by private colleges.  See Financial Aid and List of schools that use CSS profile for more information.  

REGISTER FOR AP TESTS

Register early for the May AP tests for any AP courses taken this year.

FINISH COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

Deadlines:  

Early Decision/Early Action schools:  Oct 15 - Nov 15   (deadlines vary; "Early" options are not offered at all schools)

CSUs:  Nov 30

UCs:    Nov 30

Other colleges:  Deadlines vary – check each college.  Many are due by the end of December.

Click Apply to College for links to the CalState Apply, UC, Common app, Coalition app.

FINISH SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Deadline:  see individual schools/scholarship requirements

Start the necessary paperwork and essays for scholarships.  Check your deadlines. Get your work reviewed before submitting.  You can find scholarships in Naviance; on the Scholarships page; and elsewhere online.

FINISH FINANCIAL AID FORMS

Deadline:  Most are due at the time of application.  Check your college deadlines.  

FAFSA is the Federal financial aid forms and CSS Profile are the forms used by private colleges.  See Financial Aid and List of schools that use CSS profile for more information. 

VERIFY RECEIPT    

Check your college portals regularly to ensure that ALL your information has been received by each college. Check your email regularly and respond quickly to any college correspondence.   Remember, only YOU are responsible for ensuring a college receives all the correct information on time.

UPDATE MAIA LEARNING

As admissions decisions come in, update MAIA Learning with the decisions. 

SEND THANK YOU NOTES    

Send a Thank-you note to anyone who wrote a Letter of Recommendation for you. Gift cards are appreciated. 

FOLLOW THESE ADDITIONAL STEPS    

• Now That Apps are Done 

• Waitlisted/Deferred

• Financial Award Letters

• College Interviews.