COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR STUDENTS

It is the student’s responsibility to complete individual applications to their colleges, send their SAT and/or ACT to
colleges, and request and monitor the completion and upload of recommendation letters to Naviance. Your school
counselors are available every Tuesday and Thursday to answer questions and support you in this process. Please visit us
in the new Library Flex Space.

1. Complete and submit your application for each college (including payment.)
2. Send official test scores to colleges that require them (most colleges require that these be sent from
Collegeboard.org and ACTStudent.org respectively.)
3. Ensure that you have the necessary recommendation letters required by each school and that these letters
are uploaded to Naviance (see detailed instructions below.)
4. Request Transcripts in Naviance and by email or in person.

RECOMMENDATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. Identify at least two teachers you’d like to ask for a recommendation.
2. Meet with those teachers and ask them if they would be willing to write a recommendation letter for you. Provide
them with information about your activities and interests if requested.
3. AFTER they agree to write a letter on your behalf, add them to Naviance so they can upload their
recommendation:
 Sign into your account on Family Connections.
 Click on the “colleges” tab at the top of the page.
 Click on “colleges I am applying to” under “my colleges”.
 Click on “add/cancel requests” under “Teacher Recommendations” at the bottom of the page.
 Under “Add New Requests” select your teacher from the drop down list.
 Select the option labeled, “Choose specific colleges from your Colleges I’m Applying To list.” This will
allow you to assign the recommender to each college you want his/her letter to go to. Keep in mind that
some colleges limit the number of recommendations they will read so you want to be careful with this step.
IMPORTANT: We recommend that you do NOT select the option labeled “All current and future colleges I
add to my Colleges I’m Applying To list.” Doing so will automatically use that teacher’s letter for all schools
without allowing you to look at the number of recommendation letters a school requires or allows.
 Compose a brief note thanking them for their recommendation and letting them know they are now added to
Naviance and can upload their recommendation at their earliest convenience. It is also a good idea to remind
them of your earliest deadline.
 Click on “Submit Requests”.

4. Check back regularly in Naviance to see if your teachers have uploaded your letter and provide polite reminders
as needed.

TRANSCRIPT REQUEST INSTRUCTIONS

1. Request transcripts in Naviance so your counselor knows you are ready for these materials to be sent. You should
only do this AFTER you have submitted your application to the college.
 Sign into your account on Family Connections.
 Click on the “colleges” tab at the top of the page.
 Click on “colleges I’m applying to” under “my colleges”.
 Update the “have you applied status” in the “My App” column. A list of all your schools will appear.
 Find the college(s) you’ve applied to and check “I have submitted my application,” Also make sure you have
selected the correct “App Type” (early decision vs. regular decision, etc.)
 Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Update Applications.”
 Now you can click on “request transcripts” just above your list of colleges.
 Select the colleges you would like to update.
 Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Request Transcripts.”

2. Send an email to your counselor or stop in and let them know in person that you have requested your transcripts.