Students complete their online application on one of the following platforms:
Coalition Application **Note that counselors will use Naviance to send electronic documents**
College-Specific Applications
Regardless of application type, students are responsible for meeting the colleges' deadline. Note that college's published deadlines are not a suggestion, but the absolute last day a student can submit their application. Students can submit prior to the published deadline too, noting that their transcripts and recommendations will soon follow.
Common App Resources
Once you've finalized your list of schools you're applying to, check out what's required in terms of admissions essays via the Common App or the college-specific website on the Admissions Office page. Some schools will require a personal statement where the student may write about a lesson they learned or how they have grown over the years. In addition, some school will require supplemental essays; these essays are more school specific and ask students to explain in more detail why they are interested that that particular university. Some schools will say that the supplemental essay is optional, yet we highly recommend that students write them.
Don't reinvent the wheel. If you write an essay for one school and it fits a prompt for another school, use it! But REMEMBER to remove any information that is school specific.
For essay inspiration, check these out:
Telling your story Connecticut College, Essays that Worked
Hamilton College, Essays that Worked
10 Successful Harvard Application Essays
Johns Hopkins University, Essays that Worked
Learn How to Write Great Supplemental College Essays
University of Notre Dame, Write a Great College Essay
University of Virginia, How to Write Your Way into UVA
In most cases, sending your standardized test scores is a personal choice. While some schools are requiring them, many are still test optional. To help navigate this process, check Naviance, Niche, or the college website to see how close the student falls within their published data. If you're not sure, ask your counselor for their opinion.
The student must complete an FCPS Consent for Release of Student Records Form and a Transcript Request Form (TRF) as a way of indicating that they would like an official transcript sent to all the schools they are applying too. Both forms can be found on the Transcript page. Note: students must request their transcript at least 30 days prior to the college application deadlines.
Many colleges do ask for at least one teacher recommendation and often a counselor rec too. However, some colleges do not require them. For this reason, it's imperative that students check the college's website to ensure they are sending what the college has asked for. The teacher rec should be from a teacher who knows you well and can speak to what you're like in the classroom. Read more about selecting the right recommender for you on the Recommendation Letter page.
FAFSA will open on December 1st, 2025. We suggest that parents and students have a conversation on paying for college to avoid unnecessary disappointment in the future.
For scholarships, we suggest the student use Naviance, read Mrs. Rodriguez's weekly College & Career Newsletter, and any other scholarship website you find.