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Applying to College

Steinert Guide to the College Application Process

  1. Apply to a School: Use the college or university’s website, Coalition, or preferably, the Common Application (commonapp.org). Note: If you have a choice between Common Application and Coalition, we encourage you to use Common Application. If you have a choice between the college or university’s application or Coalition, it is your choice, but you must notify your counselor. When creating and completing applications (School Application,Common Application, or Coalition) and when corresponding with colleges; always use your personal email NOT your school email address.  
    1. Application Fee Waiver: If you have free or reduced lunch and had a fee waiver on the SAT/ACT, you should not have to pay any college application fees. If you apply to colleges using the Common Application, you can indicate on SchooLinks that you are eligible for an application fee waiver. If you applied to any schools using their own website, you will have to log in to your collegeboard.org account and print up to four College Application Fee Waiver Forms that you will have to bring to the Guidance Office with the undergraduate admissions addresses of any school you need them to go to.
  2. Complete the Steinert Release of Records Form and Request for Transcript and Supporting Documents Form:
    1. Steinert Release of Records Form: Grants permission for the school to release your transcripts. This form needs to be completed by a parent if you are under 18 (or you if you are 18) and only needs to be completed once.
    2. Request for Transcript and Supporting Documents Form: Tells your counselor where to send the transcripts. Must be completed for each college you apply to. Note: If you need to send mid-year transcripts, please fill out this form to let us know where to send them.

                                            ***WE CANNOT SEND TRANSCRIPTS WITHOUT BOTH FORMS COMPLETED***

  1. Log into SchooLinks: 
    1. Add the school to “College Applications.”
    2. If you use the Common Application, which is recommended, you have to “match” your Common Application and SchooLinks accounts on the SchooLinks website under “College Applications” First, on the Common Application website, you have to sign the FERPA statement electronically before you can match the two accounts (under My Colleges Tab). NOTE: DO NOT USE MANAGE RECOMMENDERS IN COMMON APP.
  1. Letters of Recommendation: DO NOT wait until the last minute to ask. Teachers need time to upload the letter AND fill out another form on SchooLinks. Ask them at least 3 weeks before it is needed.
    1. First, you must ask a teacher in person or via email (if you are remote).
    2. Then, add the teacher as a recommender on SchooLinks, under the Colleges tab (under Apply to Colleges, Letters of Recommendation, Add Request, Select Teacher, All Colleges, Submit Request). Please thank them and tell them the date your letter is needed. 
  2. Send Your SAT/ACT Scores: Four year colleges want your official SAT/ACT scores to be sent directly from the SAT and ACT websites. You need to log in to you College Board or ACT account and pay to have the scores sent.
  3. Email Communication: Please check your email regularly for notifications from your guidance counselor. Please email your counselor to check in if you are concerned that something important might not have been done.