Applying to Common Application Schools
Step 1. Find out if the school to which you intend to
apply is a Common App School. You can find out via
the College website, or by checking
this link
.
Step 3 – You will need a letter of recommendation from your counselor and possibly from 1 or more teachers. To give your recommender(s) enough time to write your letter, find out exactly how many letters you need (via the Common App…as you add schools to your list), speak with your potential recommenders in PERSON, and then skip to the education section on the “Common App” tab (because you need to fill that section out prior to your recommenders filling out their section) and select “Education”:
Step 4 – Choose NPHS from the school finder, select it, and click
“continue” (if you attended multiple high schools, you will still
use NPHS as your “most recent” or “current” school):
Step 5 – For “Date of Entry,” if you always attended NPHS, use
August 2012 (if you attended other schools, you will fill out an
Step 6 – Choose your counselor from the list. You do not need
middle initial. Job title is counselor, and the phone number is
805-498-3676 (no extension).
Tina Choi (A-C)
Tina Coleman (D-He)
Addison Ott (Hi-Mc)
[email protected] Jose Ireta (Me-R)
Rik Napora (S-Z)
Step 7 – For the “Grades” section, NPHS does NOT rank (choose “None”),
and our graduating class size is 630 . For cumulative GPA, use your
Step 8 – For the “Current Courses” section, keep in mind that you need
to list your TOTAL courses. For example, Government is one course, and
Econ is another course. English 12 is one course. Most seniors who are
taking a class all six periods will have seven courses. Our institution uses
“Semester.”
Step 9 – Make sure you list the exact title of your courses (as indicated on
your schedule/Zangle), that you indicate the level(s), and that you
indicate FIRST or SECOND semester. Because we are a block with rotators,
use the chart below to help you figure out which one you should select!
Rotator FULL YEAR = Full Year Rotator Fall ONLY = 1st Semester
Rotator Spring ONLY = 2nd Semester
Block class BOTH QUARTERS = Full Year Block 1st Quarter ONLY = 1st Semester
Block 2nd Quarter ONLY = 2nd Semester
Block 3rd Quarter ONLY = 1st Semester
Block 4th Quarter ONLY = 2nd Semester
Year-long FULL YEAR = Full Year Year-long Fall ONLY = 1st Semester
Step 11 – If you have not done so already, add at least one college to your
“My Colleges” section:
Step 12 – As you add colleges, you will notice that campus-specific
requirements are listed. PAY ATTENTION TO THEM!
Step 13 –You will need to read the FERPA Release Authorization thoroughly. Pay particular attention to the “Counselor” and the “Teacher” sections. For a letter of rec., and for NPHS to release any transcript information, you MUST use
electronically sign the FERPA via the Common App and then MATCH NAVIANCE to your Common App account.
Of utmost importance…you will have the opportunity to either “waive” or “not waive” your rights. It is strongly suggested that you waive your rights. Although it might sound as if you are giving something up, the reason it is “strongly
suggested” that you waive your rights is:
1. It is commonly assumed that your references will be more candid in their statements about you if they know the recommendation will be kept
confidential.
2. If you are not admitted to a given institution, you have no legal right to see the recommendations anyway, unless you are a currently or previously enrolled student at that university
3. If you have chosen your references carefully, there is little need to see the recommendation once you are admitted.
4. Potential recommenders can choose to refuse to write you a recommendation unless you waive your rights.
YOUR COUNSELOR AND/OR TEACHER(S) WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEND YOUR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION/TRANSCRIPT/ANYTHING ABOUT YOU
ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU COMPLETE THE FERPA SECTION IN THE COMMON APP AND MATCH IT TO NAVIANCE.
If you did it correctly, you will have a green check mark next to the FERPA Release Authorization.
Step 17 – Now, on to Naviance! If you have never registered for Naviance, do
THIS. If you forgot your log in information, email your counselor ASAP and have it reset. After you are able to log in, follow THIS…then you will be all set!
