Saturday, October 29, 2011

BRRRR

Snowy Pumpkin by MCScola
Snowy Pumpkin, a photo by MCScola on Flickr.

Has there ever been better EA/ED deadline weather? I just checked. No, no there has not.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

How to Submit a Transcript Request

Step 1 - Submit your application. I cannot process requests for applications that are not yet filed. This is both to be efficient with  my time AND to make sure that when I send your documents, they have somewhere to go once they reach the school.

Step 2 - Complete a Transcript Request Form

Transcript Request Forms can be printed from the website or picked up in hard copy in the Guidance Office in the bin next to the light switch. 
All the steps for the form are listed on it. Read it fully prior to submitting it so you don't miss any steps. This form will remind you to order your official SAT or ACT score reports for schools that require them and will ask about things like which teacher letters you want sent, if you qualify for a fee waiver and need me to submit it, or if you want your mid-year senior grades sent in January (some schools require this, others you can decide if you want them sent. You can also request this later, so long as you email me the request in writing in early January.)  A parent signature is required for this form if you are under 18. Please complete this step with care. Don't just blindly check every box. I've already been getting some with the names of Guidance Counselors on the teacher lines or the Common App box checked for schools that are not even on the Common App. Be mindful!

Step 3: Be sure Naviance is up to date. 

This is listed on the form, but just to remind you, there are a few things you need to do in Naviance for me to process your request.

-- Be sure the colleges is listed in the 'Colleges I'm Applying To' tab. This tab will look like this:

-- Be sure you click the 'have you applied?' link and indicate the correct round of admission (EA/ED/RD etc) and method of application (Common App or not). When you do it will bring up a screen that looks like this:


Both of these Naviance steps need to be completed in the Student Naviance account, it cannot be completed in the Parent Account.

Step 4: Submit Transcript Request Form

Put the completed form in the bin, located right underneath where you picked up the form, for me to process it. 


There are paperclips provided in the top bin (shown in picture earlier in this post) if your form and proof are not already attached. You need to submit a transcript request form for every campus you apply to, with the exception of CUNY where you can just give me a copy of the page of your application that indicates your campus choices. Because you go to a DOE school, I don't have to submit anything to CUNY via mail, they can access your grades via your OSIS number. I'm pretty flexible on what counts as 'proof' - this can be a print out of the Common App screen that shows that campus as submitted, a copy of the email that says 'thank you for applying', a proof of payment page . . . etc. Only one page is necessary, I don't want a copy of the entire app.

I will get all items out as soon as I can, but please understand that it will not always be immediate. The form asks for 2 weeks lead time mostly to give me and your teachers a chance to complete your letters. Remember, for the majority of schools the deadlines are for the students only, they will understand if school documents are not there exactly on time. If this concerns you, then I advise getting in your forms as soon as possible. We have never had a situation where a school denied a student for an issue with their school documents when a transcript request form was submitted in a timely way.

Once your form is submitted, you'll be able to see the status of your request form in Naviance. When your transcript is sent it will update to "Initial Materials Submitted."  I would then contact the college about three weeks after you see 'Initial Materials Submitted' to confirm the status of your application. Remember, once I send in the items, the college still needs to organize their incoming mail and edocuments, which normally takes between 7 and 10 business days.

Happy Applying!