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College Planning

for the Class of 2026

College Planning for Seniors

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Standardized Testing

SAT/ACT

Financial Aid

FAFSA/CSS Profile
NCAA & Scholarships
Summary

Research

Researching Colleges
Public vs Private Colleges
College visits

Process

The College List
Letters of Recommendation
Naviance
College Applications
The College Essay
Application Deadlines

The Basics of the College Application Process

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College Research & Planning

Additional College Search Resources

School Counselor
College/University Websites
Local College Fairs
Visits with College Admissions Representatives at LHS
Online Search engines

College Visits

Visit the colleges that you are applying to and:

Go on a campus tour
Attend an information session

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Public vs. Private Schools

Public universities are partially supported by state tax dollars and are generally less expensive to attend.

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, Dartmouth, Boston, Lowell

State Universities

Fitchburg, Westfield, Worcester, Framingham, etc.

Community Colleges

Quinsigamond, Mount Wachusett Community College

Private universities receive no tax monies, are supported by tuition dollars and are generally more expensive to attend.

Examples include: Holy Cross, Assumption, Western New England University, Quinnipiac, Northeastern, etc.

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The College Process: An Overview

A typical college application includes:

High School Transcript and Schedule of Senior Year Courses
Specific College Application or Common Application
Letters of Recommendation – School Counselor and Teachers
Essay(s) and possibly Supplements
College Admissions Testing Scores– SAT and ACT

Let’s review how to begin and complete the process!

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The College List!

How many schools should I apply to?

Approximately 5 -8 schools

Some Reach Schools
Some Possible/Target Schools
Some Safety Schools
Some Private and Public Options

Your counselor can help you to determine what category a specific school falls into for you, based on your GPA, Admissions Acceptance Rates, Transcript Rigor, SAT/ACT Scores, and Extracurricular Activities. You can also utilize Scattergrams in Naviance to identify Reach, Target, and Safety schools.

Remember! You must keep your final list of colleges accurate in Naviance, as this is the only way your teachers and counselors will be submitting your application documents!

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Teacher Recommendation Requests

In person, ask two teachers to write your letter of recommendation.

Send formal request in Naviance.

Teacher may ask for a resume or additional information to help them write a letter.

Please write a thank you note to your teachers for helping you!

Notify teachers of your intent to apply Early Decision or Early Action

Remember! Think about teachers who you had in junior year, who you had for multiple classes, or who teach in the area you wish to major in.

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Naviance

Research Colleges and Create a Final List

SuperMatch in Naviance
College Representative Visits to LHS Scheduled in Naviance (under colleges tab)
Request a Recommendation via Naviance (under colleges tab)

Complete Questionnaire for School Counselor

Counselor Letter of Recommendation

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Common Application & Naviance

Add Colleges you are applying to the Common Application.

Complete the FERPA waiver agreement on the Common Application.

Match your Naviance Family Connection account with your Common Application account.

Schedule an appointment with your Counselor to receive your Transcript Request form.

If you do not complete the FERPA waiver agreement on the Common Application,

neither your counselor or teachers will be able to submit any documents to your Common Application college(s).

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Step 1: Add the colleges you are applying to Common Application

Step 1: Add your colleges to Common App

Search your colleges here and add it below

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Step 2: Sign the Common Application FERPA waiver

Step 2: Sign the Common App FERPA waiver here

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Step 3: In Naviance, match Naviance and

Common App accounts

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Step 4: Make an appointment with your counselor to complete the Transcript Request Form

(Pink Slip)

All students must complete and submit a Transcript Request form.

This is how the guidance office tracks you applications to ensure all school records get sent your colleges

Make an appointment with your counselor at least 2 weeks prior to when you plan to apply to fill out the form. Forms will only be given to those who have met individually with their school counselor

** Early Action ~ Meet with Counselor by October 13th

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The College Essay

Your college essay accounts for about 25% of your application's weight. It may be the deciding factor in whether you're accepted, especially for competitive schools where most applicants have exceptional grades, test scores, and extracurricular track records
Check out the Common App College Essay Prompts

College admissions representatives are looking for the student’s voice

Edit, Edit, Edit
Be authentic, genuine, creative, thoughtful
Your English teachers will allocate class time to working on them

https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-essay-resources

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Applications: Early Action vs Early Decision

Early Decision ~ Binding agreement!

Only ONE College

Early Application/Early Decision Deadlines are typically:

November 1st or 15th or
December 1st or 15th

Must make an appointment with your counselor to submit your “Transcript Request Form”

Deadline: October 13th

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Standardized Testing - SAT and ACT

Upcoming Test Dates:

October 4th – September 19th Registration Deadline
November 8th – October 24th Registration Deadline
December 6th - November 21st Registration Deadline
Visit www.collegeboard.org to register

Many colleges are still test optional

Visit www.fairtest.org for an up to date list of test optional schools.

Once you have created your final list of colleges, you will need to send your SAT scores (for a fee) to each college by their application deadline.

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Financial Aid

FAFSA

Complete once for all colleges
Apply for FAFSA ID now FAFSA Tool Kit

If you want free help, visit www.mefa.org
FAFSA Step-by-Step Guide

CSS Profile

Required by more selective schools

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Letters of recommendation - student asks teachers in person and submits request in Naviance

Student completes Counselor Questionnaire
Counselor submits letters to colleges through Naviance

2. Create final College list in Naviance

3. Make a Common Application account - student

Add colleges to common app
Sign the FERPA waiver

4. In Naviance, match Naviance and Common App - student

In Summary . . .

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Submit Transcript Request Form - student makes an appointment with school counselor

Early Applications on or before Oct 13th
Regular Applications - time frame will vary
Counselor sends transcript to colleges

6. SAT & ACT - student sends scores

7. Financial aid - student and parent

Complete FAFSA
Complete SSAR report
Complete CSS Profile (for more selective colleges)
Complete College specific fin aid application

8. NCAA Registration - student D1 or D2 athlete

Summary Continued . . .

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College Fair

UPCOMING COLLEGE FAIR:

Mount Wachusett Community College

Thursday, September, 25th

Wellness Center, Competition Gymnasium

Over 85 colleges and universities will be participating!

Remember, Counselors are here to help you,

so don’t be afraid to ask!