College Application Guide for Parents: Key Dates, Components, and Support

1. Parents’ Weekend College Counseling Comments • Schedules of applications and testing • Components of the application • Attitudes and support

2. Admissions Calendar • Customary January application date remains, but other options have proliferated: • Rolling • Early Decision (I and II) • Early Action

3. News Arrives • For early applications, sometime in December. • For regular application dates, the end of March.

4. Testing Calendar • PSATs autumn of sophomore and junior years. • SAT May of junior year • ACT recommended May of junior year. • SAT Subject Tests possible for some June of junior year. • Either ACT or SAT senior autumn (once or twice). • Kristi Magalhaes is our SAT point person – Please contact her with any questions.

5. Components of the Application • Student responsibilities • College Office responsibilities • Teacher responsibilities • Parent responsibilities

6. Student work • Application. Most students use the Common Application most of the time and use the Common Application website (www.commonapp.org) to save their work. • The application requires an essay and payment. Many schools also require a supplement.

7. Student Work: The Essay • Students work on college essays in their English classes. • Students may seek help from a single adult mentor. • Distrust about the full authenticity of student essays was one force that drove the addition of an essay to the SAT test.

8. Student Work: Teacher Recommendations • Teacher Recommendations – We’ve gone ELECTRONIC! • No more stamps, envelopes etc. Teachers submit directly to Naviance!

9. Student Work: Common App, Naviance, College Board • Students should meet with their counselor to change schools from “prospective” to “active” on Naviance. • This (and only this) signals our office to send official transcripts. • For students applying in November this should’ve been completed this past Wednesday. Please check with your child to ensure that this work has been done.

10. Student Work: Standardized Test Scores • It is the responsibility of students to have test scores sent to colleges. • Both SATs and ACTs offer four free submissions; thereafter, there is a charge for each test. • This is a useful area for parental involvement. • Each student should have an account on the College Board website.

11. College Office The College Office sends: • Transcript • School Report form • Recommendation • School Profile • Members of the Office: Margot Moses, Bruce Barton, Kristi Magalhaes, Kristen Fischer, Joan Barnum

12. Teacher responsibilities • Teachers will submit and upload recommendations on Naviance for both Common App schools and non Common App schools.

13. Parent Responsibilities • Financial Aid forms are the responsibility of parents. FAFSA & CSS Profile • Parents can also be very helpful following up to make sure that applications have been mailed, teachers asked for recommendations, and essays proofread. • The most frequent glitch in the process is failure to have standardized test scores sent. Please help with that step.

14. Attitudes and Support • Everyone is nervous • Your child’s ego is at stake. • The end result = We all want your child to be happy