D an ie l B o o ne A re a Hi g h Sc ho o l
1
Guide to the College
Application Process
D BA HS College Application
Timeline
Sep tem b er
4
Ask teachers for
Letters of Recommend-
ation Complete your
Bio Sketch in Naviance
Register for fall SAT or ACT Tests
& have scores sent to colleges Continue to visit
colleges to refine your final
list of colleges
Finish College Essay – review
with English teacher
Begin
Applications – Comm App
Opens 8/1
Oc tob er /Nov em b er
5
Begin filling out
financial aid – FAFSA is open
October 1st
Look for scholarships -
Fastweb &
Naviance
Continue with college visits &
virtual rep visits
Know your Early Action/Early
Decision deadlines
Request your transcripts in
Naviance
Request teachers LOR’s
in Naviance
D e c e m b e r/ Jan uar y
6
Continue to
request transcripts in
Naviance
Keep track of application
deadlines!
Apply to your
safety schools
Fe b ru ar y -Apr il
7
Avoid Senioritis
Complete scholarship applications
Review college financial aid
packages
M ay
8 May 1st
Deposit deadline at most schools
Set your attending
school &
request your final transcript
in Naviance.
Follow through with college requests to complete:
• Orientations
• Placement Testing
• Financial Aid
• Required Paperwork
Pay close attention to email and online college portals to avoid
missing deadlines.
Ti m e lin e C he c kl ist
9 August 1
□ Common Application Opens
□ Register for Fall SAT test September
□ Continue with college visits
□ Begin College Applications
□ Finish College Essay
□ Complete your BIO SKETCH in Naviance
□ Ask teachers for Letters of Recommendation October/November
□ Complete the FAFSA
□ Look for scholarships
□ Know your application deadlines
□ Request your transcripts in Naviance
□ Request LOR’s in Naviance
Ti m e lin e C he c kl ist
10 December/January
□ Apply to your safety schools
□ Send your test scores to colleges
□ Keep track of application deadlines
February/April
□ Complete scholarship applications
□ Review financial aid packages May □ Deposit Deadline – May 1st
□ Set your attending college in Naviance
□ Request your final transcript in Naviance
D BA HS The College
Application
Co lle g e A p p lc iat io ns
12
Student
Application Standardized
Tests
Transcript &
Counselor Documents
Teacher Letters of Recommen
dation Components of a college
application
Common Application
• One application sent to multiple schools
• Colleges often require additional questions
• Fee Waivers: Students who qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch should speak with their counselor about waiving application fees.
Direct to the Institution Application
• Complete the application on the college website
• Often quicker response from admissions
St ud e nt A p p lic at io ns
13
Request Transcripts in Naviance
• All transcript/counselor letter requests must be made at least two weeks prior the application deadline. More advance notice is preferable during peak application time (October-December).
• Most colleges require that counselors submit letters of recommendation and
evaluation forms. Please note that counselors will not submit letters until students have complete their Bio Sketch in Naviance. This will also delay your transcript submission.
• Any change made to senior year courses will require that we resend a transcript with a student’s written explanation of the change. Your acceptance to a college is conditional. Changes made to the coursework or unsatisfactory senior year
grades give colleges the right to reverse an initial decision.
• Request your Initial Transcript by matching your Common App account or clicking on the pink plus sign and choosing the colleges.
• Request Mid-Year Grade Reports only if the college has requested this from you.
• Once you have decided on a school, request your final transcript in Naviance and set you attending college
Tr an sc rip t & C o un se lo r D o c s
14
SAT or ACT Test
• Many colleges are not requiring standardized test scores. Please double check college websites to see if test scores are required.
• If your score met or exceeded the college’s requirements on their website, please submit your scores. Often times financial aid can be based on aptitude as well as need.
• Make sure you send your test scores to colleges in a timely manner. There is a lag time of 3-4 weeks to have scores sent from College Board. This means that scores needed for Early Action/Early Decision deadlines typically need to be requested by mid-October. You can request that scores be sent prior to the score release date for October tests.
• Colleges require that students submit standardized testing directly from
collegeboard.org or act.org Please note that there might be a fee attached to sending these scores. If you qualify for Free & Reduced lunch please see your counselor.
• Colleges continue to advise that they prefer to see the whole score history rather than the score from one test day.
St an d ar d iz e d T e st
15
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
• Request Letters of Recommendation in Naviance. You MUST have completed your Bio Sketch first.
• Make sure you formally ask the teacher to complete an LOR for you either in person, via Schoology or in Naviance.
• College letters of recommendation once uploaded into Naviance cannot be given to the student to use for scholarships.
Le tt e rs o f R e c o m m e nd at io n
16
FAQ’s
School address:
Daniel Boone Area School District 501 Chestnut Street
Birdsboro, PA 19508 610-582-6100
Counselor emails
[email protected] – A-Go [email protected] – Gr-N [email protected] – O-Z
FA Q ’s
17
D BA HS Financial Aid
&
Scholarships
Scholarships
• Do not need to be paid back
• Private Scholarships
• Community Scholarships
• Fastweb
• Naviance scholarship search
• Merit Scholarships –offered by colleges for students meeting certain academic requirements (GPA/Rank/Test Scores)
• Performance based – athletic, performing arts, etc.
FASFA
Application available October 1st All students can qualify for a Federal Student Loan regardless of income
• Subsidized loans – (need based) interest does not accrue until after leaving college
• Unsubsidized Loan – interest accrues on loan while enrolled in college
• Minimum loan for Freshman Year is $5500.
PHEAA – PA Higher Education Assistance Agency
• Awards grant money to PA resident attending PA schools
D BA HS
Private Loans – needs to be researched by the family/student; banks, credit unions, etc. 19
D BA HS
College Athletics
Students participating in Division I or Division II sports in college should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/how-register Request your transcripts be sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center
In Naviance.
