College Application Process

SAINT JOSEPH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS

Your application is just one part of the whole process. There are FOUR parts for you to manage:

Your application
School forms - transcript, secondary school report, school profile and school counselor recommendation (sent by counselor)
Two teacher recommendations (sent by teacher)
SAT OR ACT scores, SAT Subject Test Scores (sent by YOU)

YOU are in charge of making sure all 4 parts to your application package arrive prior to the deadline. It does not matter the order in which materials are required. Colleges will start a file for each student once any piece of the application is received.

St. Joseph Regional will be using Naviance/eDocs for our electronic submissions of official school forms and teacher recommendations. This system delivers to over 1500 colleges. Naviance uses 3 different symbols to illustrate how each college accepts applications.

Common Application – accepts applications through commonapp.org
eDocs – accepts their own online applications through their college website
Mail only – accepts applications only through the mail, not electronically

*Remember to keep track of all username log-ins and passwords.

NOTE: Your student profile and parent brag sheet should already have been completed through Google Classroom (student) and through Naviance (parent). Please do so immediately if you have not done this step yet. This can be found on the Naviance home page. Scroll down to Document Resources.

STEP 1: Creating a Common Application Account:

Create an account on Commonapp.org (write down your username and password)
In your Common App account, go to “College Search” and search for the colleges of which you are going to apply Click “Add” to add it to you “My Colleges” list. Double-check to make sure your colleges are all listed there.
Click on the “Common App” tab. You will need to complete the Education section of the application. Click on the “Education” section and complete it.
Once the education section is complete, to “My Colleges” and select “Recommenders and FERPA”. Under “FERPA Release Authorization”, click “release authorization”. Read the entire FERPA release and sign and date on the last screen. THIS IS THE PART THAT LINKS TO NAVIANCE. IN ORDER FOR US TO SEND SCHOOL FORMS ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH NAVIANCE, YOU MUST HAVE COMPLETED THE FERPA RELEASE.
Once you have created a Commonapp.org account, you can work your way through the application, saving and returning to continue, as needed.

STEP 2: Linking Naviance and your Common Application:

In your Naviance account> Colleges> “Colleges I’m Applying To”, link enter the email address you used to sign into your Common App account to match your information. WE CANNOT SEND ANY DOCUMENTS UNTIL YOU LINK YOUR ACCOUNTS.
In your Naviance account>Colleges> “Colleges I’m Applying To”, add the colleges to which you are going to apply.
Now you have added your colleges to both the Common Application’s “My Colleges” list AND Naviance’s “Colleges I’m Applying To”

STEP 3: Counselor Recommendations

AT least 10 days prior to your first deadline, you must complete the following forms:

Your Student Profile
The Parent Brag Sheet

These forms are crucial in making sure your counselor can write the most effective recommendation possible for you. Fill them out carefully and thoughtfully. Make sure they are completed in Google Classroom and via direct email prior to meeting with your counselor to turn in your Transcript Release Form.

STEP 4: Transcript Requests

You must submit a Transcript Request Form(s) to your school counselor. This form is available on the SJR guidance web page to print. Forms are also available in the Guidance Office. Fill this form out completely and submit to your school counselor at least 10 days prior to your first deadline.

It is YOUR responsibility to identify which schools accept online materials and which school accepts materials only through the mail. Refer to the symbols Naviance uses and indicate this on the Transcript Request Form.IMPORTANT NOTESAll Materials must be turned in to your counselor at least 10 days before your first deadline.

Mid-Year reports are required by some colleges. You must request Mid-Year grades from Guidance
A final transcript will automatically be forwarded to the school you plan to attend based on your completion of your senior survey.

Rutgers University Applicants: When applying to Rutgers YOU must self-report your transcript information by completing the SRAR on Rutgers’ online application. Rutgers does not accept any materials submitted by high schools. You still must add Rutgers to your “colleges I’m applying to” list in Naviance and include on the transcript request form.

All UCal Schools, UFlorida, UIllinois, U So Carolina, and UPitt are also self-reporting schools.
Coalition Application Colleges: You must add these schools to your “Colleges I’m Applying To” list in Naviance and include theses colleges on the Transcript Request List.
Transcripts and Counselor/Teacher Recommendations must go through Naviance.

STEP 5: Teacher Recommendations

Based on what you colleges require, ask no more than 2 teachers IN PERSON if they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. (You must check your colleges’ requirements for recommendations).
Once you have the teacher’s verbal approval, log into Naviance>”Colleges”>"Apply to College">"Letters of Recommendation
Click on “Add Requests”
Select a teacher from the drop-down list.
Review the colleges listed directly from the “Colleges I’m Applying To” list and check one or more boxes to indicate where the teacher should be sending the letter of recommendation.
Be sure to check each college's maximum number of recommendations allowed.

*For each “Mail Only” School, you must provide each of your recommending teachers with a business-size envelope completely addressed to the undergraduate admissions office, with St. Joseph Regional’s school address (below) as the return address and one stamp in the upper-right hand corner of the envelope.