How and when should I submit applications?

College applications usually contain one or more of the following elements:

• Student’s application which may include one or more required essays

• Teacher recommendations

• High school transcript plus counselor recommendation

• SAT and/or ACT scores

When your application is complete, you may choose to submit it directly to the college admissions office via mail or  the Internet, or you may decide to bring it to us so that we can submit it with your transcript and recommendations.  In either case, we must have a signed transcript release for every application you submit so that we can forward your transcript and teacher recommendations from our office.

If you decide to use a Common Application, it is your responsibility to copy that application and your essay for each college that will receive a Common Application.  You are welcome to use our copier for that purpose.

Your transcript release form should tell Mrs. Fesko what teacher recommendations should be mailed with each application.  If you have special requests about other materials to be sent or withheld, please note those requests on the transcript release form.

You need to be aware of college deadlines for submitting applications.  We need at least two weeks to process your requests, so get your applications or your transcript requests to us in a timely fashion.  

What happens after I bring a transcript release to Guidance?

Within two weeks we will forward your material including a copy of our high school profile, your transcript and all recommendations which are on file in the Guidance Office.  If your college is requesting a secondary school report, please submit the form to Guidance and your counselor will complete it and forward it with your application.

How do colleges get my test scores?

Your SAT and ACT scores are included on your transcript, but colleges often do not regard a report from the high school as official.  If your college requests an official test report, we have forms from the test companies available in Guidance so that you can send an official report (for a small fee).  If you took the SAT II’s and checked the score choice option, colleges will not receive those scores until you release them officially.  Those release forms are available in the SAT registration bulletin.  If you wish us to withhold certain test scores from colleges, please note that request on the transcript release form.

How do colleges get my senior year grades?

At the end of the first semester, we will automatically send a copy of your mid-year report card to all of the colleges where you have applied.  If your college has a mid-year report form, which needs to be submitted, please fill out the heading and give it to Mrs. Fesko by mid-January.  We do not automatically send first quarter report cards to colleges, but we will do so if you request it.  Please note that request on the transcript release form.

In June we will send your final report card to the college or university that you have told us you plan to attend.  

Back To Top

How do I get teacher recommendations?

Many of you will be required to submit one or more teacher recommendations with your college applications.

You need to remember the following points:

1.  Not all colleges require teacher recommendations.  Most two-year colleges don’t.  SUNY four-year colleges may require the teacher recommendation as part of their supplemental data information (a request that is mailed to you after your application

is received.)

2.  You need to check your college applications, assess how many teacher recommendations are needed, if any, and then decide whom you should ask to write those recommendations.  Never assume that a teacher will write a recommendation

for you.  Always ask politely and give the teacher plenty of time to write a thoughtful evaluation.

3.  We prefer that you use a Teacher Recommendation Form from the Guidance Office. You should fill in your name and present it to the teacher you have chosen to write your recommendation.  You need to let the teacher know  to which colleges you are applying and their deadline dates.  It is your responsibility to remind teachers when your college application deadline is approaching.

4.  Some colleges may require a rating scale as part of their application.  Please fill out your section of that form and give it to Mrs. Fesko.  We will attach your Clinton teacher recommendation forms and have the teacher do the checklist, if required.

This system is used so that teachers don’t have to do more than one recommendation per student.  

Back To Top

Can students read teacher recommendations?

Many teachers will not choose to write a recommendation unless they feel that their remarks are confidential.  All of our teachers understand that they should not agree to write for you unless they can recommend you to that institution.  For those reasons most students agree to waive their right to see what teachers have written.  Please sign the bottom of the Teacher Recommendation form if you and your parents waive your right of access.

How do I apply for Financial Aid?

The Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not available until late November and cannot be filed until January l, 2004.  The Profile, which is used by many private colleges, is now available in Guidance. Since there is a charge of $18.00 per school for using the Profile, you should not submit a Profile application until you know exactly where you will apply.  Early decision candidates should check with their counselor by November l.  We will publish any merit scholarship opportunities that we learn about in our biweekly newsletter.

Who must register with Selective Service?  How does this affect college applications?

Males must register with the Selective Service Systems within 30 days of their eighteenth birthday.  It is possible to pre-register when you are 17 to assure automatic registration on your eighteenth birthday.  Boys can register online at www.sss.gov or pick up an application in the Guidance Office or at the Post Office.  Failure to register makes students ineligible for federal college loans and grants and other federal job programs.  Females are not affected by this regulation.