Applying to Private Colleges with Family Connection
STEPS FOR APPLYING TO A PRIVATE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
USING FAMILY CONNECTION/NAVIANCE
Follow these steps to apply to a private college. They can be completed in any order.
ONLINE RESOURCES:
www.lamarhs.com > College Corner
www.connection.naviance.com/hisd-lamar
# 1 COMPLETE AN APPLICATION
§ If you are applying to a private college in or out of Texas, go to www.commonapp.org and see if your schools accept the Common Application. Select the tab “Member Colleges” and then choose “All Members” to find all colleges using the Common Application. It’s easier for you and everyone who submits information for you.
§ If your school is not a member of the Common Application, you will have to go to their individual websites to access their application.
§ If you are on the free or reduced lunch, come by the College Corner for waivers that pay for your admission/application fees to colleges. Take an SAT or ACT on a fee waiver first whenever possible.
§ Complete the student application electronically. Look for supplements and scholarship tabs for some colleges. All other forms submitted by Lamar will be done electronically through Family Connection: www.connection.naviance.com/hisd-lamar
# 2 REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS WITH THE COMMON APPLICATION
1. Log on to www.connection.naviance.com/hisd-lamar
2. Complete your part of the college application on www.commmonapp.com for over 300 private colleges. Use Family Connection to send transcripts, and request recommendations from advisors and teachers to Common Application colleges. Do not use the Common Application site to request teacher recommendations or the Secondary School or Midyear Reports.
3. Click on the Colleges tab
4. In the blue box Important Privacy Notice for Common Application, click on waive, or do not waive your right to access. (We recommend yes, waive. Colleges trust our recommendation more and you probably won't bother to read it anyway.)
5. Click the square to authorize us to release your records.
6. Type your common application user name and password in the boxes. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT or your information cannot be sent. This syncs your Common Application part to our Family Connection/Naviance entries.
7. Click on SUBMIT.
8. Click on + add to this list. Complete this section to tell your counselor which schools you are definitely planning to apply. List ALL the colleges to which you intend to apply.
9. For each school you list, under submissions, if there is a computer screen with a "CA", this is a common application school. Your counselor & teacher reports and transcript can be sent electronically and you will be able to track them on Family Connections.
10. If there is something other than the CA in the computer screen (a stamp, an empty screen, etc), then your recommendations cannot be sent electronically and must be mailed. Bring stamped addressed envelopes to your advisor and teachers for recommendations. The registrar’s office will mail or print 5 transcripts free. Transcripts picked up or mailed to your home cost $2 each. Pay at the business office on the 2nd floor and bring the receipt to the registrar’s office to order your transcripts.
11. Under Colleges I’m Applying To, click on request transcripts. An alternate location to select transcripts is on the left-hand section of the colleges tab to find a link to transcript requests. Click on transcripts. The menu that follows will allow you to request transcripts or track when they have been sent.
# 3 REQUESTING RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE COMMON APPLICATION
1. When your application requires a letter of recommendation from your advisor, go to www.lamarhs.com > College Corner > Recommendation Letter Request Survey. Email this survey to your advisor before submitting a request through Family Connection for a recommendation. Completing this surveywill give your advisor helpful information to make a personal letter for you.
2. Teachers make their recommendations online through Family Connection when you use the Common Application. Ask your teacher first if they agree to do your recommendation. Give teachers information at least 2 - 3 weeks before your application deadline.
3. Do not give the teacher your responses from the Recommendation Letter Request Survey.
4. Under Colleges I’m Applying To, scroll down to Teacher Recommendations. Click on Add/cancel requests. Select the name of the teacher(s) you want complete your recommendation and an email request will come to them. Click on Update Request.
# 4 REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS FOR COLLEGES NOT USING THE COMMON APPLICATION*
*e.g. SENDedu, state supported public colleges in and out of Texas, some private colleges
1. Advisor recommendations and electronic transcripts will only be sent at this time through Family Connection/The Common Application. If you have completed an application on The Common Application, your advisor can send paper copies of your Common Application Secondary School Report (includes letter of recommendation) in the mail to colleges who do not use The Common Application. Students must contact the advisor and provide a stamped, addressed envelope for each college.
2. On Family Connection, Lamar transcripts can be requested by adding a school to Colleges I’m Applying To and then requesting a transcript be sent to that college. Transcripts ordered in this way to colleges who do not subscribe to The Common Application will be mailed at no charge. The first 5 personal requests for transcripts by the student will be free; the 6th and following transcript fee will be $2.00 per transcript.
3. If you have Dual Credit from HCC, colleges will want a transcript showing your grades for college credit. To order a transcript, our best recommendation is to go in person to the Central Campus and get one while you wait.
# 5 TAKE AN ACT and/or SAT TEST AND SEND YOUR SCORE(S) TO THE COLLEGE(S):
§ To take the ACT, register online at www.actstudent.org. For the SAT, go to www.collegeboard.com to register. Go online or come by the College Corner for study guides and/or applications to send by mail. For instructions on online registration, go to www.lamarhs.com > College Corner > Testing Information > Instructions for Completing SAT/ACT Registration.
§ When registering for the ACT or SAT, send your score to 4 colleges for no extra charge. If you wait until to see your score to send it, it will cost you $10 to send it later to one school. Colleges will not penalize you if one score is lower than others. Some schools will take the highest score from all administrations and if you do not send them all, you will miss out on this opportunity.
§ If you are on the free or reduced lunch list, come by the College Corner for fee waivers to take these tests for free.
# 6 APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID:
§ Colleges have different application processes for scholarships. Some schools send your admission application automatically for scholarship review. For some, you have to look for a form in your admission application packet. A few will have a separate application only on their website. Check out the way that each of your colleges accept scholarship applications and be sure to make the deadline. This is often before the application deadline.
§ Over 96% of the money given to students for college comes from the financial aid process. Applications for the FREE FAFSA financial aid forms will be available January 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Complete this information as quickly as you can. Remember that you must be admitted by a university before they will offer you financial aid, so complete your admission applications by Thanksgiving and the FAFSA asap to be at the front of the money line.
§ Some colleges use the PROFILE for financial aid. Get it at https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp Deadlines may vary for the PROFILE.
# 7 REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS OR PERSONAL REQUESTS
1. Click on the COLLEGES tab.
2. On the left-hand section, find a link to transcript requests. Click on transcripts. The menu that follows will allow you to request transcripts to be mailed to scholarship programs. Be sure to have the mailing address when ordering these.
3. Transcripts ordered for personal use will be charged $2.00 per transcript. A receipt from the business office must be submitted to the registrar’s office before processing personal requests.
# 8 DEADLINES:
- Recommendation letter requests with a due date of December 13 – January 15 must be submitted no later than December 1.
# 9 OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION:
§ Keep an eye on the Family Connection for important online information. Scholarships, college visits and information will be listed there in addition to emails that will be sent to you periodically. Put your parent’s email address in your profile so they will receive information as well.
§ When the new rank comes out in October, transcripts will no longer be available with the July rank.
§ Before sending transcripts to colleges, you may want to order one for you to review for accuracy. Note that once an official transcript is opened, it can no longer be sent as an official copy.
Updated October, 2011