SchooLinks College
Application Process
Connect to Common App, Add colleges, Request recommendations!
Updated August 2025 by Amy Burke
Accessing SchooLinks
In your portal, under “Additional Resources” click on SchooLinks. This will automatically open up the SchooLinks website and you will be logged in.
If you do not see SchooLinks in your Additional Resources, try logging out of the portal and logging back in on the main GCPS home page under “Students”
*note: SchooLinks recommends using the Chrome browser.
Complete onboarding
You will be prompted to begin the SchooLinks onboarding process. Click the “Let’s go” button and answer the questions that follow. You do not need to spend too much time on this - this will generate some potential career options for you and is similar to what you did in Naviance earlier in high school.
Select your Cluster, Career, and Major
You will be shown a personality match and then will be prompted to select a career cluster, career, and major. As you select each option, click the blue “next” button at the bottom of the screen. When you have finished, you will click the blue “Go to Dashboard” button at the bottom of the screen.
SchooLinks Dashboard
In the left-hand column, click on the College icon, then click on College Applications.
Then click “Let’s go” in the Welcome message that pops up.
Student Information
You will first need to complete the information in the pop-up box. This will include Personal Details, Fee Waiver Eligibility, and the School Links FERPA Waiver.
SchooLinks will automatically populate information uploaded by the county. YOU NEED TO UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO THE PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS YOU USE WITH COMMON APP. Do NOT leave your school email address in the box for your email.
*We recommend not using Autofill to input your email as SchooLinks does not seem to like this.
Fee Waiver Eligibility
Under Fee Waiver Eligibility please check the correct box to indicate whether you do or do not qualify for a fee waiver (you will also need to complete the fee waiver information in the Common Application for your Common App schools).
FERPA Waiver
Under the FERPA Waiver please read the provided information and click the appropriate response. We recommend that you DO waive your rights – some teachers will not agree to write your recommendation if you do not waive your rights, and this is also what colleges expect to see so that they know they are receiving unbiased recommendations.
You may have to scroll down on your laptop screen to see the blue “Finish application setup” button.
The School Links/Common App connection
Connecting your accounts allows us to send school documents from School Links to your Common Application. When you link your accounts, schools that you have already added in Common App will automatically be added to SchooLinks, and a transcript will be requested. For this reason, you may want to clean up your list in Common App before connecting accounts. Only add schools where you know you plan to apply.
It is easiest if you create a Common Application and sign the FERPA waiver within Common App prior to connecting, however you will be prompted to do these steps if you have not already done them when you connect accounts.
Connect your Common App
In the left-hand column, you will see a button to connect to Common App. Click on this button.
Connect your Common App (cont.)
A box will open with instructions for connecting your existing Common App account or creating a new one. You can scroll past these instructions and click on the green “Link Common App Account” button. Everyone should have made their Common App account in the previous lesson. If you have not, please select “Create an account” when the Common App homepage opens.
Scroll Down and click the green button
Connect your Common App (cont.)
If the schools in your Common App do NOT automatically populate in SchooLinks after connecting, try waiting a minute and then refreshing your Chrome browser.
Follow the steps to log into your account and authorize the connection with SchooLinks. Then click on “Connect and continue.” When you are finished, you will be redirected back to SchooLinks.
Sign FERPA in Common App
If you have not already signed the FERPA waiver within your Common App account, you will need to do so before we can send any documents to those schools. In your left-hand column, you will see a box letting you know if this is complete or incomplete. If you have not yet done this step, click on the blue box that says “Complete FERPA.”
A new box will appear prompting you to log back in to your Common App and complete the FERPA waiver. This is the same waiver that you completed in SchooLinks and you should select the same answer. We recommend that you DO waive your rights. After you have signed it, you will be prompted to return to SchooLinks.
Add Colleges and request school documents
Any colleges you have listed in your Common App will automatically be added to your SchooLinks application list and a transcript request will be added. For any non-Common App schools you are applying to, you will take the following steps:
In the top right-hand corner, click the blue “+ Add Application” button.
*NOTE! Adding an application will automatically generate a transcript request for this school. Only add applications for schools where you are applying. You should not add schools you are not yet sure about!
Add Non-Common App schools
In the search box, search for the college you want to add, then click “Add Application”
Adding non-Common App schools
Select your application method. Select the application type (Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision, Rolling – this may determine when your application materials are due).
The checkboxes under Student Requirements are optional. Checking these boxes will add these items to your personal checklist, but will not impact the sending of your documents. We do not recommend checking them unless you think you are going to want to see them on your checklist when you log into SchooLinks and look at your college application list.
Click “Save Application.”
When you add the application, a transcript is automatically requested, along with any required school reports. Your counselor will also be notified if your application requires a Counselor recommendation letter – you will not request these separately.
Request Teacher Recommendations
Navigate back to the College Application Page.
You will need to add teacher recommendation requests individually for each school. In your application list, click on the pencil icon for one of your colleges to add a teacher request.
Request Teacher Recommendations
In the middle column, click on “Request Teacher Evaluation.”
You should only be adding teachers who have already agreed to write you a recommendation letter.
Request Teacher Recommendations
Click in the search bar and add your teacher.
All of our Paul Duke STEM teachers should be in the list. Pay close attention, because all teachers in the county are listed! Be sure you have the right teacher.
Please do not manually add a teacher without speaking to your counselor. Do not add your counselor this way and do not use this to add a mentor, coach, religious leader or other person who wants to write a recommendation for you. If your college allows non-teacher recommenders, you can add them on the Common App as an “Other Recommender.
Follow the steps to add your teacher. You will need to do this for each of your colleges.
What if I add a college and then decide not to apply?
Please be sure that you are only adding colleges where you know you plan to apply. However, if you change your mind and documents have NOT yet been sent:
1. Click on the pencil next to the college name in your College application list to edit the college.
2. Then click on the pencil in “Application Status” to edit the status
3. Change the application status to “Will Not Complete” and click the blue “Save” button.
This will remove your document request (as long as they have not already been sent).
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Brag Sheet - do not complete in SchooLinks
In your SchooLinks “To-dos” and in the left hand column on the College Application page, you will see a prompt to complete a brag sheet. Paul Duke is NOT using this brag sheet. You still need to complete your counselor’s brag sheet found on the Paul Duke Counseling Google site.
https://sites.google.com/g.gcpsk12.org/paul-duke-stem-counseling/home