Showing posts with label Required Tasks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Required Tasks. Show all posts

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Mid Year Grade Reports


When you hit a point in the college application process where you feel lost - take a few deep breaths and go back to basics. I've had multiple panicked conversations with students in the past two weeks who are trying to fill out the transcript request form and get to the last box and don't know what to do.

The last box on the transcript request form asks if you need me to send mid-year senior grades to the college. Many students appear to be confused or tripped up here but I promise there are no trick questions. The form is simply asking: do you need this college to get a copy of your senior report card? If you do, check the box. If you don't, leave it blank. If you aren't sure - look it up!

Let's break it down:

Senior grades or mid-year grades are exactly what they sound like: your senior report card. 

There are three categories of colleges--

1) Schools that require senior grades. Example: Syracuse.
Evidence of this policy:
http://admissions.syr.edu/apply/firstyearrequirements/appchecklist/

Note you see in the requirements list: "Senior Year Grade Report" - other terms you might see include: 7th semester grades, mid-year report, or senior grades.

2) Schools that don't allow senior grades. Example: Penn State.
Evidence of this policy:
http://admissions.psu.edu/info/future/firstyear/apply/  

Note you do not see anything about senior grades in the requirements list. In fact, they also don't consider teacher letters of recommendation "Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program)."

3) Schools that will look at them if you send them, but don't require them. Example: Fordham. Evidence of this policy: http://www.fordham.edu/info/20541/how_to_apply

Note, you don't see any mention of rules mandating submission of senior grades. But, you also don't see any mention that they are not allowed.

You are in charge of 10 applications (or less). I am in charge of approximately 1,400 applications. I sadly do not have every school's policy memorized and since most schools fall under the third category I have no way to know if you do or don't want your grades sent. You have to tell me, that is why the box is there :)

If you are applying to a school where grades are optional, and you feel not so confident in your senior grades, DON'T CHECK THE BOX. If something drastic changes and you change your mind later, you can always tell me via email (please list every school name, please don't just send an email saying 'send all my schools my senior grades.')

So when will grades be sent? Early round schools (EA/ED/Priority/REA/SCEA) will have senior grades sent after the first marking period. Regular Decision schools will have grades sent in January after the second marking period (the middle of the year, hence mid-year). All deferred students from Early will automatically have their report card sent in January since the college is saying they need additional information before their can make a final decision. (Though, I should add, this will only happen if the student accurately records being deferred in Naviance. If you don't record it, I won't know you are being considered in Regular.)

Reminder: Your mid-year grades will come in the form of your report card. So teacher comments and attendance records will also be included. (Psssssst: this is the part where you are inoculated against senioritis). 

Like most of the the college process - when things seem overwhelming just slow down. Read the instructions. Be mindful. It will speed up my document processing if your forms are accurate, which helps you in the long run because it means your application becomes complete faster.

One more week until November 1!

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Dear Seniors (and your Parents/Guardians) . . .

In the next two weeks, over 650 unknown application decisions will reveal themselves. Each year, I repost a link to this blog entry that I wrote way back when I first started making posts here. I wrote it because I wanted to offer nuggets of wisdom both to students who were crestfallen AND those who were on cloud nine.

In that same vein of 'must read' ruminations, I hope you've all already seen Frank Bruni's New York Times Op-Ed 'How to Survive the College Admissions Madness.' If you haven't, open a new browser tab and go read it immediately. 

Parents/Guardians: I observe that sometimes your children conflate their academic performance and college outcomes with your love and approval. Even if you think you are already doing a good job of separating the two, have a direct and concrete conversation with your child to make sure they hear you say the words "I'm proud of you just as you are."

Students: You may get the news you want to hear in the next few days. You may not get the news you want to hear in the next few days. Either way, the only thing keeping you from your goals and aspirations is you. I went to an Ivy League* graduate school and had classmates who started at community college. The seal on your diploma doesn't dictate your destiny. Your individual work ethic, your personal value system, your motivation, your creativity, and your talents are what will take you where you want to go.

This is an exciting time. I celebrate with you when you get good news! I'm so sorry when you are denied admission or put on a waitlist when your heart was set on going to that school. But you'll get through it. Don't let a little bit of bad news cloud the rest of the great news that you have to share. I'll regularly speak with parents or students who are dwelling on not getting into one place, but don't acknowledge the six or seven acceptances they do have. Remember in the fall when we talked about how you have to like your likely? That was only a few months ago and you liked the school then.

Brace yourselves for the decisions coming out. Prepare for the worst while you hope for the best. But remember that I'm proud of you just as you are.

*But, didn't I just tell the 8th graders that Ivy League schools aren't all they are cracked up to be? I did! And it wasn't! ;)

Image by Ben Wiseman NYTimes

Thursday, January 9, 2014

The time to file the FAFSA is now


2014 is here and for seniors this means that you should be completing your FAFSA in order to be considered for Financial Aid. If you want to pay full sticker price for college, you can stop reading right now. If you don't, you need to use this month to be VERY thoughtful about meeting each and every deadline associated with financial aid at your colleges. Remember when I recommended applying to 10 schools or less? A reason why is that it is difficult to keep 12 or 15 or 18 financial aid policies straight. It is your responsibility to research and understand the financial aid requirements at the colleges where you applied. Don't be left in the future regretting that you didn't know the CSS was due or thinking the FAFSA deadline was the 15th when it was really the 1st.

Remember - NEVER pay a company hundreds or thousands of dollars to complete the FAFSA for you. And the real authentic FAFSA website ends in .gov not .com or .net. You should not use the FAFSA links that are ads at the top of your google search. Your personal financial information is required for this form, only complete it on a secure platform. This should go without saying, but I also do not recommend working on this via your phone, the small screen is not suited for this task.

The link below is posted on the government's website about common FAFSA mistakes - check it out and happy filing! They also mention that the IRS data retrieval tool will go live in early February. As a reminder, this is NOT the year to file an extension, get those 2013 tax returns completed as soon as you have all of the documents you need!

https://www.ed.gov/blog/2014/01/7-common-fafsa-mistakes/

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Boo! It is the scariest day of all . . .

best-things-to-do-in-niagara-falls-pic0002 things-to-do-in-niagara-falls-pic0058 Nightmares-Niagara-Falls-pic0136
 . . . . November 1!

We've talked all year, and I'll say it again, the glitches with the Common App are going to cause stress. But do your best not to be scared. The vast majority of schools have been extremely flexible and have shared they too are being affected by the issues so students will not be held responsible for the issues that are out of their control.

So, where should you be doing right now?

1) If you are applying to CUNY or SUNY those apps should be either already submitted or well on their way to being submitted in the next 2-3 weeks. Same really goes for public schools that are out of state. Why wait?

2) If you are applying to other schools with early action or early decision deadlines, those should also already be submitted or well on their way to being submitted.

3) If you have schools that require a CSS profile in November, that is of the utmost importance. That site is not being affected by glitches and to my knowledge those deadlines remain firm. You must check the individual college's financial aid website to see if they have a CSS deadline this fall. If you don't see a deadline (or if you don't see the CSS mentioned at all) then it is not required. I don't have the list of colleges that require this form memorize. You shouldn't either because it is published right there at your fingertips and you can look it up.

4) Teacher letters are my fun issue to worry about. Not yours. As long as your Naviance account has the accurate name of the college and round of admission listed you do not need to do anything else.

5) Thank you to the vast majority of you that have heeded my warning about the Common App letter of rec limits. But, some of you are taking it too far and opting to send zero letters schools that will allow 1 or 2. You are welcome to use your judgement, but if you have letters that are allowed to be sent go ahead and send them. The only thing to be careful of is to not exceed the maximum.

6) I continue to be shocked at the alarming number of seniors that have not been on college visits. It is November of your senior year and you are about to invest between $5,000 and $50,000+ in a college experience. You don't have time to go take a tour on a Saturday? Sorry, I don't buy it. Get out there and make tour reservations. Next Tuesday you don't have school, would be a smart time to visit a school if you need to.

7) Go Red Sox!



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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Nov 1 is knocking on our door!

 The first big wave of deadlines is upon us, as November 1 is next Friday! But now is not the time to stress - remember, every single part of this process has detailed instructions available so nothing should leave you guessing. Have questions about Financial Aid? That is what Financial Aid portions of college websites are for. Common App giving you trouble? Check the Known Issues page to learn if your problem is already in the queue to be fixed. Here are some tips for this final week of October - let Halloween be the scariest part of the season, not college apps!

1) I've already sent this out to every senior and senior parent/guardian, but I'll remind you again. If you are applying EA or ED somewhere, be sure to check their Financial Aid instructions (on their school specific website) to see if a CSS Profile is due. The CSS Profile (more info here) is a Financial Aid packaging tool used by some schools and it is often due in November if you are an EA/ED applicant. If you want to be considered for Financial Aid, get this completed on time! Not every school asks for the CSS profile, so you'll need to double check for yourself to see if it is needed. You now start to see why I don't recommend applying to more than 10 schools . . . .

2) Deadlines are guidelines for the latest something can be completed, but they shouldn't be a sign to you that you need to wait that long to get something done. Even if you are applying Regular Decision with a January deadline, you should absolutely be polishing your essay now. With that said, some schools are being flexible with their deadlines due to the Common App shenanigans. This is a happy benefit of the new launch, not something to rely on or use as a crutch.

3) If a student is applying Early Decision via the Common App, the parent/guardian must digitally 'sign' their ED agreement. The place to do this is sent to you via email, but unfortunately the Common App does not have the link the is embedded in the email identified as a hyperlink. Don't let this fool you, use your cursor to find the hidden link so you can complete the online signature. That will then allow me to complete the counselor portion on time.

4) Deadlines are for students at 99.9% of colleges. I cannot force your teachers to get their letters done earlier than they are due. Heck, I can't even force them to get their letters done when they are late! Don't let yourself get stressed about the parts of this process you can't control. Be happy with your essay. Triple check your Common App. Verify that you spelled things correctly and that you are working hard in your senior classes. Don't stress over the school documents. I get to do that ;) Just be sure your Naviance account is up to date and the correct rounds of admission are listed.

5) Many of you re-tested for the October SAT. You are getting your scores back this week. You should order your score reports immediately when they are available. It can take weeks for the score to get to the college, they are prepared for that, but you should not let any days go to waste. You can (and should) also go ahead and send your scores to any school where you know they eventually need to go, even if you haven't applied yet. Do not be tempted to rush your scores. This is a con by the Common App to squeeze even more money out of you. Just send them regular. Rushing them costs more and just means they will arrive on paper and sit in a mail room until a human opens them. Sending them regular, they will be transmitted electronically.

6) The Common App essay can be edited twice after it is submitted for future schools that you submit to, but I don't recommend that you submit a draft that you aren't happy with. I get the sense, based on the volume of questions, that some of you are planning to just get something down on paper for your EA schools and then keep revising your essay for the schools you are applying to Regular. Why are you doing this?? Use time management to plan ahead and get things ready for all schools. Yes, if you find an error and can correct it for subsequent applications, be my guest and fix it. But to send a "rougher draft" to some EA schools and a "final draft" to other RD schools is not encouraged. I get it, you can keep refining and refining for weeks, but write your essay, edit it, and call it a day. There are always supplemental essays to obsess over. . . . .

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Class of 2014 Kickoff - Part 1!

AND THEY'RE OFF!
Today I made the first of two presentations to the senior class about the college application process. The second one will include parents/guardians and will take place on Friday at 7:30 am (sorry!).

The two presentations have some overlapping themes, but the content is different. Today, we focused a little more on college office policies and procedures and pieces of advice for seniors as they start to kick this process into high gear.

Friday, I will talk more about some general college application process strategies and go into a little more detail about application terminology. I will also spend some time talking about the essay.

At today's assembly, students were given their yellow teacher recommendation signature forms. Over the next two weeks, students should get that form signed again in order to lock their recommendations into place. This is also an opportunity to have a brief conversation with the person writing your letter to find out if they require any additional steps (Do they want you to email them a sample of your work from the class? Do they want you to fill out a certain form or worksheet to help them write a better letter?) and to give them a heads up about your earliest deadline.

And we're off!

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Juniors: Ready, Set, Go!


Last Wednesday marked the first ever Junior College Kickoff - a new approach to the college process that meant jumping right in! (In the past, students got a slow introduction to the process over a series of weeks). THANK YOU to the Class of 2014 for truly making this afternoon presentation a major success. Over the course of two hours, students heard a presentation about the ins and outs of the college process, got a crash course in the Naviance website, got registered on their Naviance accounts, filled out paperwork for me, and took home important forms that will be used to schedule their Junior College Meeting.

I have posted the powerpoints that were presented on the ElRo College Office Website under the 'Juniors' tab. Students were also given their hard copy of the College Office Handbook. This Handbook should be the first place you go to look when you (or your parent/guardian) have a question about the college process.  The next year might be stressful, it might be overwhelming, but very few parts of it will involve a question that doesn't have an answer that can be found in that handbook. Read it cover to cover. Take notes in it. Share it with your family.

Over the next semester, I will meet with each student individually for a one on one meeting. This first of two meetings will mostly focus on getting to know you and brainstorming the qualities you are looking for in a college. Other tasks for juniors this semester include taking standardized testing and starting to visit colleges over weekends and breaks. Remember, students shouldn't turn in their junior meeting request form until AFTER they have completed their Junior Survey in Naviance.

And we're off!

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Submitting Applications

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With November 1 deadlines around the corner, I wanted to address a few of the basic questions I seem to be getting about applications.

1) Deadlines at 99% of colleges are for STUDENTS. That means that your portion of the application needs to be submitted by the deadline to be considered in that round. The other aspects of the application (like the test scores, teacher letters, guidance letter, and transcript) are certainly encouraged to be there by the deadline too but schools understand and build in time to their reading timeline to accommodate submission of supporting materials. Yes, I say on the transcript request form to give me about 2 weeks lead time if you expect to be able to call a school by a certain date and confirm that all items have been processed. But that is because I don't want (and can't have) 50 requests turned in on October 31 with the assumption that 50 colleges will have marked a file as complete on November 1. It is a good habit to build the pattern of turning in items before deadlines, but your admission decision will not be affected by a transcript being received at a school on November 2. (The 1% of schools that do have firm deadlines are usually pretty clear about it. I'm looking at you UT Austin).

2) You need to have actually pressed submit on your portion of the application before you give me a transcript request form. If you haven't actually applied yet, don't turn in a transcript request form yet.

3) The College Board and ACT have a habit of taking quite a bit of time to get scores out to colleges. Don't wait to send your scores. Send them NOW. I've said this on the first day of school. I've emailed reminders. I've put it in the weekly announcements. I don't know how else to say it: as soon as you have decided to apply to a college, if that college requires testing, order the scores. Even if you haven't seen them, just send them. The computer program that is in charge of computing your high scores won't care if you scored 20 points lower. I pinky swear.

4) There are not trick questions on the Common App. When they ask you your senior year courses, they seriously just want to know what classes you are taking senior year. If something on the Common App is confusing use the advice my 4th grade teacher used to give: "When in doubt, read the directions." If you need information about your high school record the two best places to find that are Naviance (your GPA) and ARIS (your course credit values, previous courses, and grades). If your family doesn't know how to log into ARIS, contact Marty or use the prompts online to retrieve your password.

5) For more information about the transcript request form process, check out my old post about it here.

6) If you didn't schedule a senior meeting yet, seriously, what are you waiting for? Seniors - get on google appointments and pick a time! I want to talk to you before you press submit anywhere. And remember, CUNY and SUNY should be submitted in the next month or so. Out of state public schools, go for the Early Action/Priority round when possible, and next 6 weeks for any regular decision or rolling apps. Private schools, just apply by the stated deadline.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Action Needed by Juniors!

On February 13, students from the class of 2013 were given their Naviance registration information - something significant in the path toward college applications but something also significant because it unlocks the chance for a student to sign up for their Junior College Meeting.

What do students need to do to get their meeting set up?

First, complete the Junior Survey (listed on Naviance, on the left of the About Me tab, see below). Please note, the survey will timeout if the page is not refreshed, so save often if you are not able to complete it in one sitting. This survey is required before you get a junior meeting because it is the foundation of your college file and can sometimes be used in your guidance letter of recommendation. This survey is for STUDENTS ONLY. Parents were mailed a paper survey where they can contribute to the student's file.


After you submit your survey, go to the Naviance home page and click on the bottom right hand side where there is a link about making your Junior College Meeting (see below). This will take you to a Google survey where you will tell me your preference for your Junior meeting. Remember, you may not miss class for your meeting, so you'll need to give me all the periods during the week when you are not in class (this includes lunch periods). This form should be completed by the student (it is linked with their ElRo email) with the input of parents/guardians.


Once the Junior survey on Naviance and Google based meeting request form is submitted you should hear from me within a few days with the day and time of your meeting. Meetings are given out on a first come/first serve basis so I strongly recommend taking advantage of this February break to get these items in.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Apps wind down, Faf$as wind up


The New Year brings a new beginning! It also brings lots of financial forms. January is the month where senior families need to be filing the FAFSA (in addition to the CSS Profile if it is required and hasn't been completed already).

Most Common Questions About Financial Aid: 
Click below to read!


Thursday, December 1, 2011

December is Here!


December is here! How is this possible? For seniors, there are many tasks I would recommend at this point in the year. Starting with: are you where you need to be with your applications? At this point, ALL public school applications should be submitted (including CUNY, SUNY, and out of state public schools). Don't forget the supplements! For regular decision private schools, you technically have until the deadline to submit, but I don't recommend putting it off. There are other Financial Aid related tasks for the coming weeks, so get the applications in and done with. Were you an EA/ED applicant? If so, remember your work isn't done. You'll find out in a few weeks if you got in or not and in case the news isn't want you want to hear, your other apps need to be complete and ready to submit so you can do it without having to go back and edit your essay or fill in your activities.

Already submitted items? Now what? I recommend calling the admissions office at each of the schools where you applied and asking them the "status of your application." This is admissions lingo for "did you get all the required items that I sent you like: my payment, my application, my letters of rec and my test scores. (**Note: many schools now have online portals where you can see the status of your application, if they have that, no need to call, just log in online and see if it says everything is complete). If any one of these items is missing, we want to get it to them asap. Most offices will take about 10 business days to process items, so if you just submitted a transcript request form Monday and I sent your items out Tuesday don't call Wednesday and be surprised if they say your transcript is missing. At the same time, don't wait until December 13th to call that EA school that we sent items in to back in October. Errors and glitches happen, just don't let them happen to you.

Curious to know if I've processed your request? Don't email me, just log in to Naviance and check the office status column. 'Initial Materials Submitted' means your requested items were sent.

What happens if you call about your status and something is missing? First line of defense: tell them how you applied. Was it via Common App? If so, they need to check their processing department because your items were sent electronically via a company called Docufide. Was it a SUNY school where you used the SUNY app? If so, they need to check the SUNY Central Guidance Portal (they will know what that is) because that is where I've uploaded your documents. Was it a CUNY school? If so, they need to have your correct OSIS number and test scores. Next line of defense: confirm with them your identifying information. If you applied with one name but your transcript or test scores says a different name (due to a hyphen, nick name, or a middle name, etc) that could be causing the issue.

Items still missing? Find out from them if there is a FAX NUMBER or EMAIL ADDRESS where I can submit the items. Then email me that fax/email address and tell me what I need to re-send. The last resort option is re-mailing things in on paper (= weeks of processing- yuck!).

The next phase of this process is Financial Aid - if your schools take the CSS Profile, you can work on that now. The FAFSA will be a task for January. Scholarships have ongoing deadlines, so feel free to apply! Remember, December 6th is our FAFSA night at 6 pm.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

November halfway over?!


Crazy as it is - we have reached the halfway point for November so application completion should really be going full force for all seniors. Below are the reminders and tips I would give to all seniors during this time:

1) The time to apply for CUNY, if you have not already, is now. Don't dilly dally, just do it. Flat fee of $65 for six campuses. Be sure that your list includes some options where you are in range profile wise (translation: don't only put Baruch and Hunter if your grades or SAT are lower than their averages). There is no essay and all you have to do for your transcript to be sent over is enter in your OSIS number (school ID number). No excuses for this not to be done already. If you are applying via Macaulay Honors you have until December 1, so get going if you haven't already!

2) The time to apply to public schools (SUNY and out of state) is now. I recommend getting public school applications submitted by Thanksgiving.

3) Clean up your Common App and only have colleges listed in your Common App account where you actually plan to apply. A new feature on Naviance this year syncs your Naviance list and your Common App list. Sounds great, until you realize that the Naviance list all of sudden has 17 schools because the student has 8 'maybes' in their Common App account. Fine for the interim, just be positive that you delete the schools from the Common App once you rule them out and also remove them from your Naviance list if they are lingering there.

4) I recommend a maximum of 10 schools, but many students ignore the first part and just hear the 10 part. Don't feel pressure to apply to 10 just for the heck of it. Be thoughtful about your list. As long as you have balance: some reach, some target, some likely that you LIKE your list is fine as it is. I only applied to four schools and I survived.

5) Don't forget to order official score reports from the testing company.

6) Even if you applied EA or ED to your top choice schools, you should still be working on your other applications right now. We hope, of course, that you'll be admitted EA/ED, but in case you are deferred or denied you want the other apps to be totally ready to go so you don't have to work on them when you are still mourning the disappointment of the EA/ED decision. Trust me, you won't regret it.

7) Breathe. Repeat. And in the words of my fourth grade teacher: when in doubt, read the directions.

(Image is of Kenyon College - how gorgeous!)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

NSC/FAFSA Opt Out

Keep Out

It is time once again for the FAFSA/NSC opt out form - available here and blogged about last year here.

What does it mean? The short version is: the government wants to track more accurate data about two things- how many students successfully apply for financial aid (by filing a FAFSA) and how many students enroll in college and what their outcomes are (data compiled by a service called National Student Clearinghouse).

According to the Federal government, all student data is fair game for inclusion UNLESS the family fills out one of these opt out forms. So, if you don't want your data included, you need to submit a form. If you are ok with your data being included, you don't have to print and fill out anything. There is no penalty for opting out and also no incentive for opting out - it is 100% your decision.

If you don't have a printer, Ms. Feldman has hard copies in her office. This opt out form is due back to Ms. Feldman by November 23 so she can enter the data into the computer system.

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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!