northwood school senior day packet · northwood school senior day packet 1. transcript request form...
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Northwood School Senior Day Packet
1. Transcript Request Form (Yellow Sheet) – Turn in one for each
school to which you apply
2. Confirming Teacher Recommendations
3. Creating a Common Application Account (or other application
account)
4. Completing FERPA release forms
5. Linking Family Connection/Naviance to Common Application (so we can send things!)
6. Activating applications on Family Connection/Naviance
7. Completing applications – information, tips & advice
8. How to track progress in Family Connection/Naviance
9. Additional information – sending test scores, interviews
10. Student responsibilities
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Table of Contents
TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM (YELLOW SHEET): _________________________________________________ 3
HOW TO CONFIRM TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS ______________________________________________ 4
CREATING A COMMON APPLICATION ACCOUNT _________________________________________________ 5
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO COMPLETE THE EDUCATION SECTION: ________________________________ 7
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO COMPLETE THE TESTING SECTION: ___________________________________ 8
Test Dates: September 2011-January 2014 ___________________________________________________________ 8
ADDING SCHOOLS TO COMMON APPLICATION ACCOUNT _________________________________________ 9
Completing the FERPA release on Common Application _______________________________________________ 10
LINKING COMMON APPLICATION TO NAVIANCE. _______________________________________________ 11
Step 1: Linking Accounts – Common Application Users ________________________________________________ 11
Step 1: Linking Accounts – If you are NOT applying to any Common App schools ___________________________ 11
Step 2: Updating your college list __________________________________________________________________ 12
Step 3: Confirming Teacher Recommendations ______________________________________________________ 13
HOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATIONS ______________________________________________________ 14
Step 1: Collect Applications ______________________________________________________________________ 14
Step 2: Notes for the general parts of the Common Application (and other applications) ____________________ 14
DO I NEED A RESUMÉ? ____________________________________________________________________ 15
IMPORTANT NOTES – APPLICATION DEADLINES ________________________________________________ 16
HOW TO SEND TEST SCORES TO COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIE _________________________________________ 16
HOW TO KEEP TRACK OF APPLICATIONS ______________________________________________________ 17
TIDBITS AND ADVICE ______________________________________________________________________ 17
LOGIN AND PASSWORD REGISTER FOR APPLICATION PROCESS ____________________________________ 18
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES ________________________________________________________________ 20
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Transcript Request Form Goes Here
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HOW TO CONFIRM TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS
One of the student’s important tasks is to ask teachers to write recommending letters.
By now, you should have spoken to two teachers to write formal “Common
Application” recommendations and three teachers to write shorter “Northwood Recs.”
Check with Mrs. Moore to make sure she has your Green Sheet, which lists all of
the teachers who will write your recommendations.
If you still need to ask teachers for recommendations, do this right away, and make
sure Mrs. Moore gets your Green Sheet.
Go to Family Connection and confirm that the teachers you asked for Common
Application recommendation letters are listed in Naviance. You’ll find them listed
under “Colleges” and “Colleges I’m Applying To.” The guidance office will upload
their letters and Teacher Evaluation electronically.
Write the teacher a thank you note once you have learned that your letter has been
written.
As soon as you hear from a college, let the teachers know (and College Guidance,
too). They have invested something in your success and should be acknowledged as
contributors!
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CREATING A COMMON APPLICATION ACCOUNT
1. Go to http://www.commonapp.org and click on the “Create an Account” button on the right.
2. Enter an email address and password, and then click “continue” on the bottom of the page. Colleges can see this email address, so keep it clean!
NOTE PASSWORD
REQUIREMENTS ON RIGHT!
SAVE YOUR PASSWORD SOMEWHERE
WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT AGAIN!
(e.g. in your contacts list on your phone)
3. Enter your legally given name (NOT a nickname) and other information. You are applying as a FIRST YEAR student, as an APPLICANT planning to enroll in the next 12 months, and you SHOULD check both boxes. Click the “Create” button at the bottom of the page.
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4. Note your ID Number. Store this with your password in case something gets lost or goes wrong later on. Start exploring!
5. Click on the “Common App” tab, and then the “Education” link on the side, and then on the “find school” link.
6. Northwood School should appear in the list to the right, but if it doesn’t, use one of the search options to the left to find Northwood. Then click the button next to the school name and then the “Continue” button in the lower right.
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INFORMATION YOU NEED TO COMPLETE THE EDUCATION SECTION:
COUNSELOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION:
The same for all counselors:
Northwood School
PO Box 1070
Lake Placid, NY 12946
Phone: 518-523-3357 | Fax: 518-523-3405
Mr. John Sear
Director of College Guidance
Mr. Harper Hornaday College Counselor
Ms. Andrea Kilbourne-Hill
College Counselor
Mr. Stephen Reed
College Counselor
OTHER SCHOOLS Provide information only if you transferred to Northwood after the start of freshman (9th grade) year. If you did,
it is your responsibility to check with Mrs. Moore to make sure we have a complete, official transcript from your prior school.
EDUCATION INTERRUPTION If you didn’t start 9th grade at Northwood check “Did or will change secondary schools”
If you think one of these conditions applies to you, speak to your counselor.
Otherwise check “I have no interruption to report”
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITIES Answer this ONLY if you have taken college courses for which you have received credit (e.g. received an official
transcript with a grade. This does NOT apply to AP courses and summer enrichment opportunities. If you’re not sure, ask your counselor. Most students select 0.
CBO Answer this ONLY if you are working with an organization geared toward helping underserved populations (e.g.
Upward Bound or College Possible). Most students select 0.
GRADES Report your Graduating Class Size: 69
Leave everything else blank. It will be included and up-to-date on your transcript.
CURRENT YEAR COURSES Type the number of courses you are taking, including all arts and all second semester courses. Check PCR, if you
are not certain and to get official course names.
Full year academic courses (math, science, history, language, English) are 1 credit
Semester elective courses are .5 credits
7. Complete the information requested. Your Date of entry is the date you started high school. So, if you came to Northwood in 9th grade, enter September 2010. If you came after ninth grade, adjust the date accordingly. You’ll graduate May 17, 2014
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Health is worth .25 credits
Be sure to check appropriate box if the course is AP, honors, etc.
HONORS Include any academic awards you have received while in high school. This includes Honor Roll, Deans List,
National Honor Society, National Merit, underclassman academic awards, scholarships, etc. If you’re not sure if an award is school, regional, or national, ask your counselor.
FUTURE PLANS Select from the list. Choose “Undecided” if you’re entirely unsure. If you have a pretty good idea, select that.
This won’t lock you into a program—it just gives colleges insight into your interests and long term ambitions. Once you click “Continue,” you will be taken into the next section, TESTING.
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO COMPLETE THE TESTING SECTION
Do you wish to self report standardized test scores?
You should click “NO,” because you must send scores directly from the testing agencies anyway. It’s best not
to report now scores that may improve in the future.
On the other hand, if you are absolutely certain that you will report the test scores you currently have, feel free
to click “YES” and self-report your scores. You still must send them directly from the testing agency. You can
find your test scores on your Family Connection page. Here is some information you might need to report your
test scores.
Test Dates: September 2011-January 2014
SOPHOMORE YEAR
ACT September 10, 2011
SAT or SAT Subject Tests October 1, 2011
ACT October 22, 2011
SAT or SAT Subject Tests November 5, 2011
SAT or SAT Subject Tests December 3, 2011
ACT December 11, 2011
SAT or SAT Subject Tests January 28, 2012
ACT February 11, 2012
SAT March 10, 2012
ACT April 14, 2012
SAT or SAT Subject Tests May 5, 2012
SAT or SAT Subject Tests June 2, 2012
ACT June 9, 2012
JUNIOR YEAR
ACT September 8, 2012
SAT or SAT Subject Tests October 6, 2012
ACT October 27, 2012
JUNIOR YEAR, continued
SAT or SAT Subject Tests November 3, 2012
SAT or SAT Subject Tests December 1, 2012
ACT December 8, 2012
SAT or SAT Subject Tests January 26, 2013
ACT February 9, 2013
SAT March 9, 2013
ACT April 13, 2013
SAT or SAT Subject Tests May 4, 2013
SAT or SAT Subject Tests June 1, 2013
ACT June 8, 2013
SENIOR YEAR
ACT September 21, 2013
SAT or SAT Subject Tests October 5, 2013
ACT October 26, 2013
SAT or SAT Subject Tests November 2, 2013
SAT or SAT Subject Tests December 7, 2013
ACT December 14, 2013
SAT or SAT Subject Tests January 25, 2014
For AP Scores: you do not need to list specific dates. That said, you do need to list the month and year of the AP tests taken. As all
AP’s are given in the month of May, you just need to indicate that the month was May and specify the year (freshman year: 2011,
sophomore year: 2012, junior year: 2013, senior year: 2014) that the test was taken. We recommend that you only list scores of 4 and
5 on your application
Is promotion within your educational system based upon standard leaving examinations given at the end
of lower and/or senior secondary school by a state or national leaving examinations board?
Click “No”
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ADDING SCHOOLS TO COMMON APPLICATION
ACCOUNT
To add one of the
8. You are now ready to add colleges to your Common Application account so we can connect it to Naviance. Click on the “College Search” tab at the top of the screen.
10. Fill in some search data. It doesn’t need much. For example, if you are interested in Miami University in Ohio, you can type in just “Miami,” and your desired school will appear in the resulting list.
11. To add results to your list of schools, click on the check box next to the school name and click the “add” button. OR, you can learn more about the school by clicking on the school name. Once you have added a school, click on “dashboard” to make sure it’s there.
9. Then, click on the “My Colleges” tab and select the school at the top of the list, and then the “Assign recommenders” link to the left.
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Completing the FERPA release on Common Application
You may now begin work on the other parts of the application.
12. Click on the link that says “release authorization”.
13. Read the box that appears in full, click the box, and hit continue.
14. Then, click the box authorizing release of the forms. We recommend that you waive your rights. Click the box at the bottom, sign and date the form, and then click “Save”
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Click on the “Common App” tab and use the links on the left to navigate.
LINKING COMMON APPLICATION TO NAVIANCE.
We will use Naviance/Family Connection to electronically send your high school transcripts, secondary school reports, Northwood Profile, and letters of recommendation from your counselor and teachers. It is important that you follow these directions carefully for us to be able to send your documents.
Step 1: Linking Accounts – Common Application Users Log into Naviance at http://connection.naviance.com/northwoodschool.
Click on “Colleges” and then “Colleges I’m Applying To”
Enter the email you used to create your Common Application account
Step 1: Linking Accounts – If you are NOT applying to any Common App schools Log into Naviance at http://connection.naviance.com/northwoodschool.
Click on “Colleges” and then “Colleges I’m Applying To”
Click the “Not Needed” link in the lower right.
After completing the match, click on the “Colleges I’m Thinking About” link in the menu on the left hand side.
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Step 2: Updating your college list
On the “college I am thinking about page” click those schools that you know you will be sending applications to, and click the “Move to Application List” button at the bottom. Remember, you need to fill out a Transcript Request Form (Yellow Sheet) for EACH of the schools to which you send an application! In the screen that appears, you will need to indicate under what application program you are applying to the school. If you are not sure how you will apply, make your best guess. It can be changed later after you have conferred with your counselor about the best strategy. You will also need to indicate when you have submitted your apps. Early Decision (ED-I): A binding program. You can apply to only ONE school ED. Deadline is early in fall. Notification is typically in December. Early Decision II (ED-II): A binding program. You can apply to only ONE school. Deadline is midwinter. This option is typically used if one did not get in ED-I, or fell in love with a school after the ED-I deadline. Notification is typically in February. Early Action: A non-binding program. Deadline is in early fall. Notification is typically in December. You may apply to more than one school EA. Restricted Early Action: A non-binding program. Deadline is in early fall. Notification is typically in December. You may NOT apply to more than one school REA.
Rolling: Typical of larger, public universities. Colleges read applications as they are received throughout the year until a designated date. Decisions are typically issued 4-6 weeks afterward, though sometimes more. It is more competitive as the cycle goes on. Priority Rolling: Like rolling admissions, but with a deadline for earlier notification. Regular Decision: Non-binding. Deadline mid-winter. Notification early spring.
CHECK THESE LATER
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Step 3: Confirming Teacher Recommendations
On the “Colleges I’m Applying To” page, scroll down to the section labeled “Teacher Recommendations” and click “add/cancel requests” ONLY if one of your Common Application recommending teachers is not listed.
In the screen that appears, use the drop down menu to select the appropriate teacher and write a nice note to the teacher, reminding them of any conversations you had with them about this and when. Use correct spelling and grammar, and use a more formal tone. When finished, click the yellow “Update Requests” button at the bottom of the page. Remember, you will need to give each teacher a paper recommendation form as well so they know your deadlines!
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HOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATIONS
Step 1: Collect Applications In your Common Application profile, add all colleges from your list that take the Common
Application. These are the schools in your list on Naviance that have the following icon next to
them: . See earlier in this document for instructions.
For non-Common App schools (those that appear with or next to them on Naviance), you WILL NEED TO FILL OUT A SEPARATE APPLICATION. Follow each school’s specific instructions about how to apply. Go to the school website, click on admissions, and look for instructions about how to apply. Some of these schools may require you to PRINT supporting materials. Others will not. It is YOUR responsibility to know the policies and follow them!
For all applications, we strongly recommend printing completed applications BEFORE sending them, and asking your parent or counselor to proofread them!
Save all work and save often!
Step 2: Notes for the general parts of the Common Application (and other applications) Click on the “Common App” tab on the dashboard of your Common Application account. Links to each area
are on the left.
PROFILE (Personal Information, Address, Contact Details, Demographics, Geography, Language, Citizenship, Fee Waiver)
Personal Information: Enter the information as asked. Depending on your answers, new boxes may appear requesting additional information. Help boxes are available. When finished entering data, click the “continue” button on the bottom of the section. Not all answers are required but colleges appreciate having more information rather than less.
Religious Preference: “Other” and “None” options are listed at the bottom of the list, if you choose to answer.
Social Security # IF you are applying for Financial Aid, you must provide this. Otherwise, do not provide it.
Fee Waiver: Please speak to your counselor if fees for standardized tests and applications will pose a hardship for your family. Your counselor can help.
FAMILY (Household, Parent 1, Parent 2, Sibling) Parent Education: It will ask you for the number of colleges each of your parents has attended. If your
parent went to one school, then transferred to a new school before earning a bachelor’s degree and then went on to medical school, you would answer “3 schools” and name each that he or she went to. Speak to your counselor if there are questions.
Sibling When selecting their level of education, select the level they will have achieved by the end of this academic year.
EDUCATION (School, Other School, Education Interruption, Colleges & Universities, CBO, Grades, Current Year Courses, Honors, Future Plans) SEE EARLIER THIS BOOKLET EDUCATION (Tests Taken) SEE EARLIER IN THIS BOOKLET
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ACTIVITIES (You may list up to 10 activities) Order List in their order of importance to you
Activity Type Select from the drop down list
What to include? Sports, jobs, clubs, publications, swing choir, volunteer work, summer experiences, camping experiences, performing arts, internships and shadowing experiences
Position/Leadership Maximum of 50 Characters. What best describes your role in the group? Co-captain? Team manager? Player? One of fifteen tutors? To trace your role over time, you might say something like:
“Tutor – 9-12; Curriculum Designer –11-12; Lead Tutor—12.”
“JV football 9, 10: Varsity football 11, 12 (captain)”
“convenience store clerk”
“student council representative 9-11, prefect 12”
“camper 9, CIT 10, counselor 11 & 12”
Participation in college Click yes if you think you might pursue something similar while at college, even at the club or intramural level. They’re trying to get a sense of the activities you might participate in so they can assess how you will fit into campus life. You are not locking yourself in to doing something by saying yes.
Time spent Give your best estimate in terms of hours per week etc., averaging them as necessary; do not “pad” your application.
Details, Honors, etc. Maximum of 150 Characters This is where you say you won a championship, played four positions, led a group, made All-Conference, organized a drive, etc .Be sure to be clear (will the reader know what the Epitome is? No, you need to explain that it is the school yearbook). Most schools do not have a “J-Board”.
Do not forsake voice and style in this section. For example, if you were the manager of the football team, you might say “Lacking the brute strength and bulk needed on the field, I provided the organizational know-how on the sidelines” instead of “Organized team equipment.” Let your personality show here.
DO I NEED A RESUMÉ? Colleges themselves will determine whether or not you may upload a resume. Most colleges will not allow this, so you need to make sure the activities section is fully developed, consolidating activities as you need to (e.g. instead of listing three different volunteering projects, combine them into one activity more broadly described). There is an additional information section where you can provide a narrative background on a particularly meaningful experience that you feel is given short shrift by the limits of the activities section. The new Common Application no longer has a short activities essay, so if your extracurriculuar world is where you think you shine best, you should make that the focus of either your personal statement or the additional information section. Talk to your counselor if you still think you need a resume for your application. We recommend preparing one to have on hand for use in interviews, where they may come in handy for your interviewer.
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IMPORTANT NOTES – APPLICATION DEADLINES
STUDENTS SHOULD CONFIRM ALL DEADLINES ON COLLEGE WEBSITES. TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORMS (YELLOW SHEETS) MUST BE TURNED IN A MINIMUM OF TWO WEEKS
BEFORE APPLICATION DEADLINES
Admission Deadlines Regular Decision deadlines for most schools are January 1 or January 15. Early Decision and Early Action
Deadlines are typically Nov. 1 or Nov. 15. Please confirm all application deadlines on college websites.
Rolling Application schools often become more competitive as the year progresses. It is the student’s
responsibility to keep track of all deadlines. It is also the student’s responsibility to send standardized test
scores to colleges.
Financial Aid Deadlines The CSS Profile, required by many schools, is available in October. The FAFSA, required by almost all
schools, is available on January 1. It is the student’s responsibility to know what forms are required and by
what deadline. If applications are filed on time, aid awards typically arrive at around the same time as the
admissions decision.
How to Send Your Test Scores to Colleges/Universities
Northwood School does not submit ACT, SAT or SAT Subject Test scores to colleges and those test
scores are not included on the Northwood transcript. It is up to the student to research the college’s
requirements and pay for the appropriate score reporting service. To send scores use the following
web sites or phone numbers:
SAT/Subject Tests: http://sat.collegeboard.org/scores/send-sat-scores or 866-756-7346
ACT: http://www.actstudent.org/scores/send/ or 319-337-1313
TOEFL: http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/send/
Advanced Placement (AP): http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/exgrd_rep.html or 888-308-0013
IB Scores: http://www.ibo.org/iba/transcripts/index.cfm or 301-202-3025
See your college counselor if you need help sending scores.
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HOW TO KEEP TRACK OF APPLICATIONS You can see in Family Connection/Naviance what materials we have sent and when to each of your colleges. Because of the sheer volume of material that colleges receive, some of your items may be lost in the shuffle. We can send this material again. Don’t panic, but don’t be too casual, either. Please keep in mind the following important notes: It is the student’s responsibility to track application progress through college websites and in Naviance. If you are
contacted about missing material, please speak to Mrs. Moore immediately so we can get material in.
If you submit everything but hear nothing at all from a college for two weeks, contact the college admissions office to make sure everything is OK. Do NOT assume they will contact you.
TIDBITS AND ADVICE 1. There is more than one good college choice for every student who wants to attend college. The task is
to find at least one appropriate match.
2. Getting in may be your biggest concern at the moment. Getting out successfully should really be the issue. Select a college that can demonstrate high retention and on-time graduation rates. Failure, at any price, or at the world’s best college, is simply too costly to consider.
3. The college decision carries a very large price tag. You have a right to be apprehensive. You have an
obligation to be discriminating. Take care and time in making the right choice.
4. Throughout the application process, the applicant should demonstrate to the college that he or she is ready, willing, and able to attend the college and that she or he is likely to make a significant, positive contribution to that institution if admitted.
5. College admission personnel are primarily concerned with making the “right” decisions; right for the
student and right for the institution they represent. You should expect tactful frankness in all discussions with college personnel.
6. Nobody attends college to study with the Admissions Office. In selecting a college, select the college
whose faculty and programs best meet your needs, not the college with the best admissions program.
7. The college decision is, most likely, the last major decision that parents will make jointly with their child. It is the first major adult decision the child makes. It should be a time when parents demonstrate trust in the ability of their children to make good decisions. It should be a time for students to demonstrate responsibility and common sense.
8. After determining that the college has the “right” faculty and the “right” program, make sure that it
has the “right” feel as a place to live; make sure that you will feel comfortable at that college. You should visit the college before you decide to attend.
9. The college with the biggest name may not provide the best educational opportunity or experience for you. Carefully assess what you want and what you need and match it against what colleges have to offer. For some students, the best choice is a less competitive environment; for others an academic pressure cooker.
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LOGIN AND PASSWORD REGISTER FOR APPLICATION PROCESS
IMPORTANT LOG IN INFORMATION
Site Log In/User Name Password
Common Application
Naviance/Family Connection
ACT
College Board (SAT & SAT Subject Tests)
OTHER:
OTHER:
Name of School & Web Address Login Password
School: Address:
School: Address:
School: Address:
School: Address:
School: Address:
School: Address:
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SUGGESTIONS FOR COLLEGE INTERVIEWS
1. Be ready with a few intelligent questions about the university/college, questions that are not
answered in the college catalog. The best questions will deal with the ability of the college
to help you achieve your goals. Questions which show that you have read the catalog and
have thought about it are also good.
2. Be prepared to answer questions relating to your high school record, your interests, your
outside reading and your goals. A good interviewer will ask about why you have chosen his
college to consider and what you feel you can offer the college. You may be asked to
evaluate the quality of your education thus far.
3. If you are an athlete, don’t brag – be modest but factual. When you are given a chance to
direct the conversation, direct it to your academic and career interests.
4. Dress neatly. At a minimum – ties and nice slacks or skirt and blouse.
5. Be yourself – except for point four – allow your personality and enthusiasm to shine
through. Don’t look bored and don’t read material when the admissions officer is talking –
make eye contact.
6. Take advantage of the tour to glean information from your student guide about the more
social aspects of campus life (as well as to verify the representations of the admissions
personnel).
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STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Submit SAT/ACT/TOEFL/AP/Subject Test scores to colleges that require them.
Once admitted, you must commit to only one college by May 1st and may not submit multiple
deposits. Northwood School will only send out one Final Transcript. (You may continue to remain
on waitlists after May 1).
It is Northwood School policy to answer the disciplinary questions asked of us by colleges and to
report any suspensions, expulsions, or probations. Northwood School is expected to report on any
major disciplinary incidents until graduation.
Keep the college counseling office up to date on your college list, so that the office is sending out
your application materials to the correct colleges. Also update the college counseling office when
you get decisions back from colleges.
Ask teachers to write recommendations by Sept 27th
.
Know which colleges do not take electronic submissions of application materials. When this is the
case, it is the student’s responsibility to print the counselor and teacher recommendation forms, and
get them to the appropriate recommender.
Understand that any predictions your counselor makes about admissions decisions are their best
guesses, and that this is a very human and unpredictable process.
You need to submit to the college guidance office a Transcript Request Form (Yellow Sheet) for
each college you apply to at least two weeks before the deadline.
Remember: despite the challenges of the college process, your senior year is about learning, being
involved in the Northwood School community, and having balance in your life.
If you have a learning difference, it is up to you whether or not to disclose your learning disability,
and up to you whether or not Northwood School discusses it with colleges. Often it is helpful
context for the colleges to know, and your college counselors generally recommend disclosing—but
it is up to you and your family.
If you decide to apply Early Decision, you are making a binding commitment, and, if accepted to
that college, you will withdraw all other applications.
Because of the binding nature of Early Decision, if you apply for Financial Aid, you need to
research the potential aid you might receive from your ED college before applying so that you are
not bound to a college that you can’t afford. (Your counselor can help with this).