College Planning

• Start taking college prep courses (regular academic core classes ARE college prep).
• Start thinking about your college financial plan (how will you pay for it?). 
• Get involved in activities that are meaningful to you.
• Take the PSAT 9 in April.

• Continue challenging yourself academically.
• Take SAT subject tests in spring as appropriate for your college choices (see Naviance).
• Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse (athletes). 
• Create consistency with your meaningful outside-of-school activities.
• Take the PSAT 10 in April.

• Utilize Naviance for college research. Access data of BHS student admissions history in Naviance: scattergrams or graphs; college search engines; SuperMatch; direct links to colleges websites; and entrance requirements.
• Remember that you are responsible for knowing the admissions requirements for your schools, so practice looking up admissions requirements on some college websites. (For example, public California schools require 1 year of fine arts.)
• Investigate “Western Undergraduate Exchange” (WUE) schools.
• Take campus tours of schools in our area and in places you visit.
• Explore in-state schools, which can be wonderful options that can help keep costs down.

Summer Checklist

• Look at online applications and essays.
• Research what the colleges want/ each school is different: test scores, essays, letters of rec...
• Craft a preliminary college list.
• Compile resume of activities, honors, leadership positions, and job experience for you to use as you
  complete applications.
• Visit as many campuses on your list as you can.

Be sure to schedule your senior meeting with your counselor. 

• Ensure you have the credits necessary for high school graduation.
• Check academic units for college admissions.
• Note that many colleges may request your mid-year grades, and all of them will require a final transcript that includes all your high school work.
• Remember that rigorous courses and a stable or upward trend of grades are most desirable.
• Know the specific admission requirements for the school you are applying to (specific courses, SAT subject tests, etc.). It is your responsibility to know this information.
• Notify the schools you've applied to if you make any changes to your senior schedule (drop academic courses) after your application has been submitted.
• Don’t wait until the last minute! Many schools will ask you to create an account, which requires processing time. Be sure to create an account well ahead of your application deadline.

If you are interested in playing sports in college, explore the following websites: 

NCAA

NAIA

Regular Decision

This is the most common type of deadline for college applications. Regular decision college application deadlines are typically around the beginning of January. Colleges typically send admission decision notifications in March. You have until May 1 to accept. Advantages of Regular Decision include:

• Unrestricted choice.
• Time to decide where you want to apply.
• Time to compose a well-considered application.
• Ability to submit your 1st-semester senior year grades for consideration.
• Ability to take more standardized tests in Nov. or Dec. of your senior year.
• Financial aid and scholarship awards are available to help you make your decisions.

Early Action (EA) 

EA is the most flexible way to apply early. Almost all early action policies allow applicants to apply to multiple schools for early or regular admission decisions. You will typcically receive admission decisions by mid-December. If you are accepted, you are not committed to enroll and you have until May 1 to decide. This gives your family the ability to compare financial aid packages between colleges to which you are accepted.

Early Decision (ED)

Under this admissions program, you agree to attend this school if accepted, and you can’t apply to any other college or university. If you receive an acceptance letter, you must withdraw any other applications to other schools. Since this option is binding, you need to be certain about your choice and realistic about your application. Be sure to discuss this option with your counselor before you submit an application with early decision.

Rolling Admission

Schools that provide rolling admissions allow students to apply at any time during their admissions period; typically, September through July. The school then evaluates each college application as it’s received and the college sends admission decisions upon evaluation.

Tips for Using Common Application

• Use a professional personal email address for your Common Application account. Your BVSD account will be turned off when you graduate and you may need to access your CA account later.
• Make sure all your Common App schools are listed on your Common App account before you turn in your transcript request form, otherwise, we cannot send your documentation.
• You will likely need letters of recommendation. Some schools only need 1 teacher letter. Talk with your counselor about how many you will need and from whom.
• Some schools only take Common App, some don’t accept it at all. Review the application process for your schools so you know what to expect. For schools that accept both their own and Common App, compare the amount of work for each app and choose which sounds better.
• Remember to match your Common App to your Naviance account. (See step 4 below.) Please ask for help if you have any questions.

How to register for the Common App and Match to Naviance

• Create your Common Application account. Be careful about which email and password you create as you will need it later. Do not use your BVSD email on your college applications. This email will be deactivated when you graduate.
• In your Common App, once you ADD a school you will see the “FERPA” button within that school. Complete the FERPA waiver from within your Common App account. The FERPA waiver is completed only once and covers all current and future colleges and recommenders. You can only see the “FERPA” button once you add at least one school to your account.
• You will want to waive your rights to see your recommendations and give permission for the school to send your records and recommendations.
• In Naviance, go to your “Colleges I’m Applying To” page, click on “Match Accounts”
• Enter your Common App email /password, and click on “match.”

Some colleges provide their own, college-specific application systems, allowing them to control and customize questions, forms, and final data collection. These may be offered instead of OR as an alternative to services provided by Common Application. 

If the college name does NOT appear on the Common App Member Colleges, then it likely provides a college-specific format. To verify which application types a college accepts, search the college's website for freshman or undergraduate admissions instructions.

Here are some examples of colleges that EXCLUSIVELY accept their own, college-specific applications:

• California State Universities (Cal Poly, San Diego State, etc.)
• Front Range Community College
• University of California (UCLA, UC Berkeley, etc.)

Note: If you are applying to only ONE Common App member college, check if the school has its own application as this would be less time-consuming than the Common App. DO NOT send both applications or you may delay your application process.