College Application Checklist

o Decide on your college list.

o (Ideally, 5+ schools, including 1-2 reach, 3-4 match, and 1-2 safety schools.)
Safety School: a school where your academic credentials (GPA, SAT/ACT, decile)
exceed the schools middle 50% for the most recently accepted class.
Match School: a school where your academic credentials (GPA, SAT/ACT, decile) fall
well within the schools middle 50% for the most recently accepted class.
Reach School: a school where your academic credentials (GPA, SAT/ACT, decile) are
on the lower end or below the schools middle 50% for the most recently accepted
class.
o Not sure where to apply? Here are some tools for making your college list.
Use ECMC Opportunities Guide to find the middle 50% range (GPA and SAT) of
accepted students for public and private schools in Virginia:
www.ECMC.org/plan-for-college/opportunities.html
The College Boards Big Future is a great tool for researching colleges, majors, and
financial aid information. The college search tool will help you find schools that match
your search criteria: www.BigFuture.collegeboard.org
If you arent able to visit the campus of a school you are interested in, taking a virtual
tour is a great option: www.CampusTours.com

o Create accounts on CommonApp.com and college application

websites.
o Visit Parchment.com to request transcripts be sent to all the
non-Common App schools where you apply
o Complete required standardized testing.

o Be sure to check whether or not your colleges require SAT Subject Tests!

o Send official score reports to your schools.

o Official score reports must come directly from the SAT or ACT websites. Ask your College
Adviser or School Counselor if you need assistance.

o Complete and return the College Application Worksheet to CHS

School Counseling.
o Turn it in on time!
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College Application Checklist (continued)

o Ask for letters of recommendation.

o Ask at least 3 weeks before the application deadline! Earlier if you can.
o Different schools ask for different numbers/kinds of recommendation letters. Read your
application instructions carefully!
o Your School Counselor will automatically write you a letter of recommendation when you
complete and return the College Application Worksheet.

o Write and re-write your application essays.

o Give yourself plenty of time to complete these, and have at least one adult review them.

o Submit your applications before the deadline.

o Dont wait until the last day! Application websites have been known to crash.
o Begin your scholarship research process.
o Keep an eye out for the Scholarship Update Flyer, to be distributed periodically through your
o

English class.
Read the Counseling Dept. Newsletter! (Sign up on the CHS School Counseling website:
schoolcounselingchs.weebly.com) Scholarships and other opportunities are posted here.

o Apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA

o Visit www.FAFSA.ed.gov as soon as possible, after it opens on Jan. 1st, 2016.
o Monitor application accounts and read all e-mails you receive from
schools.

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Common College Vocabulary

CEEB Code: Abbreviation for the College Entrance Examination Board, which creates and supervises the administration of
the SAT. You will use this code when you register for the SAT or ACT. The CEEB code for CHS is 470423.
Common Application: An online form devised and accepted by 255 colleges, so that a student can send one application to
many schools, rather than repeat basic information over and over again. See commonapp.org for more information and a list
of schools who accept the Common Application.
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE: A financial aid form used by some private colleges and universities in addition to the FAFSA
(see below). The CSS/PROFILE is more detailed than the FAFSA. Go to student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile for
more information.
Decile: CHS does not rank individual students based on GPA, but categorizes them into deciles, ranked from 1 (highest
GPAs) to 10 (lowest GPAs). Each decile represents 10% of the class. For example, students in the first decile are in the top
10% of the class, students in the second decile are in the top 20% of the class, etc.
Direct Recommendation: A phrase used at CHS to refer to full-length letters of recommendation that are sent directly to
colleges directly from a teacher or other recommender. Adults who write you a direct letter of recommendation should be
those who know you best (but not family members) and can reflect on your academic or other achievements. This is in
contrast to indirect recommendations, defined below.
Early Action: An admission plan in which a student submits an application by an advanced deadline (typically Nov. 1) and
receives an admission decision by mid-December. If accepted Early Action, the student has NO OBLIGATION to enroll at
that school.
Early Decision: An admission plan in which a student submits an application to their first-choice college by an advanced
deadline (typically Nov. 1) and receives an admission decision by mid-December. By submitting an Early Decision
application, a student agrees that they WILL ENROLL in that school if accepted and will withdraw applications to all other
schools. This is a legally binding agreement.
FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Completing this form (at FAFSA.ed.gov) is the first step in applying for
financial aid. For a student planning to enroll in college in Fall 2016, the FAFSA will be available on Jan. 1, 2016 and
should be completed promptly thereafter.
Fee Waivers: Some students, including those who qualify for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch, may take the SAT or ACT at no
cost by using a fee waiver. Qualifying students may obtain 2 fee waivers for the SAT, 2 for the SAT Subject Tests, and 2 for
the ACT. Talk to your College Adviser or School Counselor for more information about fee waivers.
GPA: Grade Point Average. This is a numerical representation your grades from all your high school classes. It is used to
determine your decile at CHS and is one of the primary data points used by colleges in admission decisions. Talk to your
School Counselor or College Adviser about how to calculate your GPA.

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Common College Vocabulary (continued)

Indirect Recommendation: A CHS phrase referring to brief reflections about your performance in the classroom sent from
teachers to your School Counselor. Indirect recommenders should be teachers who have positive things to say about your
performance but should NOT be the same as your direct recommenders. Indirect recommendations help School Counselors
write a thorough letter of recommendation to accompany your official transcript.
Rolling Admissions: An admission plan in which colleges inform applicants of admission decisions all throughout the year
as they receive applications, rather than by a specified date. Students who apply to a college with a rolling admission
program typically receive their admission decision 4-6 weeks after applying.
SAT Subject Tests: Formerly called the SAT IIs, the Subject Tests are meant to measure achievement in a particular subject
(ex. Literature, US History, Chemistry, Foreign Languages, etc.) Each test is one hour in length and is scored on a scale from
200 to 800. Students may take up to 3 different Subject Tests on one test date. Some colleges require applicants to take 13 subject tests. Verify your application requirements and plan accordingly!
Secondary School Report (SSR): A form some non-CommonApp schools require to be submitted with the school
counselor letter of recommendation and student transcript. It is the students responsibility to provide their school counselor
with a copy of this form. Read your schools application instructions carefully to see if they require a SSR.

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