Make sure to keep your grades up! Colleges will look closely at your junior grades. For some schools, this is the last semester of grades that they will see prior to making an admissions decision.
Take the SAT, or the ACT, and SAT subject tests as applicable.
Sign up for any Advanced Placement tests you are planning to take through College Board.
Review the transcript that was handed out during counselor presentations in English classes. You should have at least 150 credits at the end of the 1st semester of junior year. Please note: if you earned a D or F in an academic course in high school, that grade will need to be remediated for college applications/high school graduation. Grades of D’s do not count for four year colleges, but do earn credit towards high school graduation. Discuss remediation options with your counselor.
During your one-on-one meeting with your counselor in March/April, discuss your senior year courses, your college plans, your academic progress, and summer school, if necessary.
Participate in college-related workshops offered through the DVHS College and Career Center. Check the School Loop newsfeed, and Naviance for workshop details.
Review your results from the Do What You Are and Career Cluster Finder in Naviance Family Connection under the Careers tab. Make sure to complete these assessments if you have not yet done so.
Complete the My Game Plan questionnaire and Résumé in Naviance Family Connection. To get to this program log on to your Family Connection account. Then, click on My Game Plan, which is located in the About Me section.
Complete the SuperMatch College Search tool in Naviance Family Connection. To access this program, log on to your Naviance Family Connection account. Then click on SuperMatch under the Colleges tab. “Pin” to save your results.
Use the College Match section of Naviance Family Connection to see additional colleges that other students apply to who also apply to the schools on your preliminary list.
For assistance with interpreting results from your surveys in Naviance Family Connection, see Mrs. Wright in the College and Career Center.
CAASPP Testing: there is an additional Early Assessment Program (EAP) portion of the ELA and Math CAASPP tests. This will test your college readiness in English and Math for the CSUs and Community Colleges. Please note: if a student scores “Conditional Exempt” or “Non-Exempt” on the ELA portion of test, they will be placed into Expository Reading and Writing (ERWC) in order to meet college freshman eligibility requirements for the CSUs and most community colleges.
Research the colleges on your preliminary list by visiting college websites and doing virtual tours, checking out view books, pod-casts, and videos, and reading blogs, books, and magazines about colleges. If you are aware of the career field you would like to pursue, research the course work that is required for that major. Multiple publications are available in the College and Career Center. Begin to build a list of colleges you are considering in the Colleges tab of Naviance Family Connection under “Colleges I’m Thinking About”.
Use the results of your research to begin to narrow the size of your list of colleges. Use the Compare Colleges section of Naviance Family Connection to help you compare schools.
Discuss your career/college plans with your parents. Make sure to include a frank discussion about finances in your talks. Check out the FinAid website for information about college expenses and financial aid.
If it is an option, visit colleges that interest you. You can arrange visits and tours by contacting college admissions departments. Make sure to sit in on a class or two if you can. Try to get off of the beaten path of the tour and really observe the students and instructors. Take advantage of opportunities to interview with admissions officers or professors.
If you are considering colleges that require a letter of recommendation: Identify at least two academic teachers that you would like to write letters of recommendation to colleges for you. Be aware that colleges prefer letters from your junior year teachers. Ask the teachers if they will write recommendations for you before summer vacation or the beginning of your senior year (August). You will need to fill out a questionnaire for each teacher from whom you are requesting a letter. Please note: You will not need a letter of recommendation for University of California schools (UCs) or California State Universities (CSUs).
Talk with graduating seniors about the colleges they will be attending. Ask them how they made their choices, what the admissions process was like, and which other colleges they considered.
If you are planning on being a collegiate athlete (Division I or II), be sure you complete all necessary steps with NCAA. Visit the NCAA Eligibility Center website for more information. Be sure to also submit a transcript to NCAA as well and inform your counselor that this is your plan.
Summer before Senior Year
Find out which of the colleges you would like to apply that accept the Common Application (commonapp.org). Both the Common App and University of California applications will be available to begin completing on August 1. Do NOT complete the application any earlier as your account will not rollover into the academic year you are applying for.
Visit the websites of any schools that do not accept the Common Application and begin filling out application forms. You should print out your applications and check them before you submit them electronically.
Begin working on your college application essays. For tips on writing good college application essays check out the College Board resources at the College Essay Guy website. Also, under “Links” found on the Naviance Family Connection homepage, click on “UC Information”; here you will find helpful tips for applying to the UC as well as tips for writing the UC Personal Insight Questions – if you are applying to the UCs. Please note: CSUs do not require essays.
If possible, schedule campus visits and interviews for any college you’re interested in that you did not visit in the spring. Schedule second visits to colleges that you want to see again. You should try to arrange an overnight stay for second or third visits, as allowed.
If you are planning to pursue a major in the arts, start compiling your portfolio or preparing for your audition.
If needed, register to take the SAT or ACT in the fall. It is recommended that you register early as colleges will have either a November or December test date deadline (be sure you research this deadline with your specific colleges). Be prepared to indicate at least four colleges to receive your scores on the day of your exam. You will be charged a fee for schools that are added later. Please note: When sending scores to a UC: scores sent to one campus will be shared with all campuses IF you allow UCs to share information about you by checking a box on the UC application. When sending scores to CSUs, scores sent to one campus will be shared with all CSU campuses.
Make a list of all of your application requirements and deadlines; be sure to stick to those deadlines.
Set up an email account that is not spam-guarded, that you will check often, and that is appropriate for college admissions (e.g., hotchick@gmail.com and rockstar@yahoo.com are examples of emails that are not appropriate for college).
Begin searching for scholarships. You should check the Scholarship List in Family Connection on a regular basis until you graduate. There are new scholarships added to the list almost every week. Be sure to sort your search for local scholarships to maximize your chance of winning. You should also use sites such as fastweb.com, scholarships.com, or College Board: Big Future Scholarship Search to search for national scholarships.
Begin to complete your Counselor Letter of Recommendation Checklist in the Naviance Family Connection. To access this, log into your Family Connection account. Click on Document Library on the homepage and then click on Counselor Checklist/LOR. Within the Counselor Checklist/LOR you will find instructions regarding the Student and Parent Questionnaires, as well as the Student Resume. You should complete both the Student Questionnaire and the Student Résumé; your parent/guardian should complete the Parent Questionnaire.
If you are requesting letters of recommendation from teachers, you must complete a Teacher Letter of Recommendation Forms for each teacher/subject you are requesting. Click on Document Library on the homepage and then click on (Department Name) Teacher Questionnaire. Please do not supply your teacher with your responses to the Student and Parent Questionnaires. This will result in all of your letters sounding the same, which will not benefit your application.
Begin viewing the college representative visit schedule (found under the Colleges tab under Upcoming College Visits) on Family Connection. Sign up on Naviance Family Connection to visit with the representatives of colleges that interest you.
September of Senior Year
If you are applying to a college that requires a letter of recommendation, complete the Counselor Recommendation Checklist and Due Date Form (found in Document Library). If you need a letter of recommendation by October 15th, you must complete this checklist process by September 18th. If you need a letter of recommendation by November 1st – you must complete this Checklist process by October 3rd. If you need a letter of recommendation by December 1st, January 1st, or after – you must complete this checklist process by October 31st.
Ask teachers/counselors to write recommendations for you in person. If you have already done this, provide your recommenders with a complete Counselor Checklist/LOR and Teacher LOR (both found in Document Library) as well as addressed envelopes for the schools that have paperwork to be mailed.
Check to see if your schools require the College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS Profile) form. If so, make note of the deadline and go to the College Board website to complete your profile form. Also, note the financial aid links on the left side of your Naviance Family Connection home page.
Continue to research colleges and begin preparing college applications online.
Prepare applications for early decision or early action (if desired).
Whenever you apply to a college, make sure to do the following:
Submit the completed application online or in paper form.
Electronically sign the FERPA form on Common Application and in Naviance Family Connection.
Submit a Transcript Request Form (found in the Document Library) to the counseling office for colleges that require a transcript with your application. Print a screenshot of this transcript request page. Give the printed screenshot to the Counseling department. UCs do not ask for a transcript during this time. CSUs may or may not ask for a transcript; check with the school.
Request that your test scores (SAT, SAT Subject, or ACT) be sent to the college by College Board or ACT if you have not yet done so. (Send scores to all colleges: including UCs and CSUs. Please note: When sending scores to a UC: scores sent to one campus will be shared with all campuses IF you allow UCs to share information about you by checking a box on the UC application. When sending scores to CSUs scores, those sent to one campus to be shared with all campuses.)
Use the Colleges section of Naviance Family Connection to keep track of the status of your college applications. Make sure you have finalized your college list in Naviance Family Connection. Move your list of colleges from “Colleges I’m Thinking About” to “Colleges I’m Applying To”. Please note: You are able to remove colleges from your “Thinking About” list, but not from your “Applying To” list. Only move colleges to your “Applying To” list if you are sure you wish to apply.
October of Senior Year
Continue finalizing your college list.
Attend the DVHS Financial Aid Night in early October.
Begin your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with your parents. This form should be completed online at fafsa.ed.gov as soon after January 1 as possible. Please note: if you/your parents have not yet filed for the current tax year, you may use the previous year’s tax return as a rough estimate to complete the FAFSA, then update your application with the current year’s financial information.
Attend one of the virtual college fairs in the fall.
Finalize application essays. Have 1 – 2 people review them but be cautious about having too many people give input. The more people you have to edit and change your essay, the less your essay will truly be your ideas and your voice.
Watch for deadlines, especially Early Decision, Early Action, or scholarship deadlines (e.g. USC has a scholarship deadline of December 1st: if you are applying to USC and would like to be considered for scholarships, you will need to apply by this deadline; check school websites for other scholarship deadlines).
If you need a letter of recommendation by December 1st or after – you must complete the Counselor Recommendation Checklist (found in the Document Library) process by October 31st.
November of Senior Year
Make sure to keep your grades up! Colleges will look closely at your senior grades. Some colleges are now requesting 1st quarter grades to be sent prior to making their decision.
Continue to watch for deadlines.
FINISH ANY INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS OVER THANKSGIVING BREAK!
Submit UC and CSU applications before you sit down and eat your Thanksgiving Dinner. If you wait, you may be subject to website delays as these sites typically crash or have delays due to the overwhelming amount of applications during the last few days of the month. Do not procrastinate!
UC (universityofcalifornia.edu): Viewing/completing: August 1 – November 30; Submission: November 1 – November 30
Note: Application/transcript requests should be turned into the counseling office at least one month before the application deadline.
December of Senior Year
Attend on campus Scholarship Workshops through College and Career Center.
Keep checking the Scholarship List in the Colleges section of Naviance Family Connection for scholarship opportunities.
Send a thank you note to your recommenders once your letters have been submitted.
Winter of Senior Year
SRVUSD will submit your Cal Grant GPA for you. There is no need for you to turn in a GPA Verification Form.
Request mid-year transcripts if the school requires a mid-year report. UCs and CSUs typically do not ask for a mid-year report. (Occasionally they will audit applications and ask for one, but do not request a mid-year unless you receive a request from the particular UC/CSU.)
If you are planning to enroll at a community college, attend Enrollment Meeting in College and Career Center.
Check colleges and universities for financial aid deadlines (especially CSS Profile Deadlines).
Submit financial aid forms before the end of February.
Keep checking the Scholarship List in the Colleges section on Naviance Family Connection.
Update the status of your applications in Naviance Family Connection under the College tab, click on “Colleges I’m Applying To”, then click on “Have you applied?”, then click on the box for “I have submitted my application”. If you know the result of your application, use the “Result” section to keep the status of your application updated.
If you have already been accepted at the college you wish to attend (Congratulations!), please notify other colleges you will not be attending so they can admit someone else.
Spring of Senior Year
Complete the Senior Scholarship Survey on Naviance Family Connection under the About Me tab by late April.
Continue to update Naviance with your acceptances, denials, waitlists, etc.
Be aware of housing deadlines and the May 1st acceptance deadline. Turn in all appropriate deposits to your college.
Don’t make summer plans until you register for your college orientation in the summer!
Respectfully decline any other acceptance notifications from colleges you will not be attending.
Notify your recommenders (counselor and teachers) of the school you choose to attend. Our counseling office needs to know where to send your final high school transcript.
Complete the Required Senior Graduation Survey on Family Connection under the About Me tab.
