MiraCostahigh School

Instructions for

Applications and Letters of recommendation

PRIVATE & OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES

Your counselor and teachers are happy to write a letter of recommendation for you. However, writing a letter of recommendation requires a significant amount of work, so you must help them as much as you can. Please follow the instructions closely and meet ALL deadlines.

Deadlinesto submit all materials:

September 21, for Early Decision, Early Action, or Restrictive Early Action.

October 30,for Regular Decision Applications with a deadline of Dec. 1-Jan. 15.

December 4, for Regular Decision and Rolling Admission Applications with deadlines after Jan. 15.

STUDENT Responsibilities

You are the most crucial role in this entire process. Please take ownership of the college application process. It is important that you stay organized. Create a master calendar with all dates and deadlines.

Please be aware that you are responsible for the following tasks:

  1. Submitting your application to the college or university before the due date. In most cases this will be done electronically.
  2. Submitting requests for School Reports and Teacher Recommendation Letters by following the instructions.
  3. Requesting official test scores to be sent to your college or university directly from the College Board (SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests) and/or the ACT.
  4. Following up with each college or university you apply to making sure that all required application materials have been received.

(Keep in mind that it can take 2-3 weeks for colleges to update your file once they have received your documents.)

  1. For Midyear Reports, please follow the same directions as for initial applications. This will include ordering official transcripts and giving the receipt to your counselor and for the schools that do not accept electronic submissions, a paper copy of the Midyear Report.
  2. Input your college admission results into Naviance.

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Student Guide to Submitting College Documents

PLEASE BEGIN THIS PROCESS AFTER AUGUST 1ST 2014! Students who are sending their applications to colleges electronically will also be able to have their transcripts andletters of recommendation submitted online through a programin Naviance called eDocs. In order to submit these documents successfully, students must:

STEP 1

Create an account on Common Application

1)Go to the website: .

2)Click “Create An Account”.

3)Fill in the requested information, create a username and password, and hit “Continue.”

4)Write down your Common Application User Name and Password.

STEP 2

To add schools to your “My Colleges” list in Common Application. This is only if the college or university is a Common Application school!

1)Under “College Search” Type the name of the school you wish to addto the list.

2)When you have found the name of the school you are interested in, check the box and click the “Add” button.

STEP 3

Assign Recommenders & Complete FERPA Release Authorization

1) Under “My Colleges” tab, select Assign Recommenders

2)Click on “release authorization”, read the text, check the box, and press continue.

3)Make your selections, type your digital signature and hit save to complete the release.

If you have successfully completed the FERPA Agreement a green check box will appear.

STEP 4

Adding Colleges to Your List of Schools Applying to in Naviance

1)Go to the website:

  1. Enter your username and password (Username is your first name & last name, no spaces. Password is your 5 digit Mira Costa student I.D. number.)

2)Click “Log In.”

3)Click the “Colleges” tab at the top of the screen.

4)Click the link “colleges I am applying to”

5)Under “colleges I’m applying to”, click “add to this list.”

1)Click “lookup” on the right side of the page to pull up the list of colleges in Naviance.

2)You can type the name of the school in “College Search” or choose the school from the “College Picker” list.

3)When you have found your schools, click the “Add Colleges” button at the bottom of the screen.

How to Tell Whether a College Can Receive Documents Electronically

When you look at your list of colleges you are applying to in Naviance, there is a column titled “Submissions.”

If the icon that appears in the submission column looks like either of the following:

The Guidance Office will be able to submit transcripts and letters of recommendation electronically provided the student is applying online using the Common Application (if the school is a Common Application member), or the college is a non-Common Application member but is set up to receive documents electronically through Naviance.

If the submission icon looks like a postage stamp:

The college is not able to receive documents electronically through Naviance, and students must provide envelopes stamped and addressed to those schools to their counselors and teachers.

Please note that if a college is a Common Application member, but you are not applying to them using the Common Application (e.g. you are filling out a “Priority Application that was sent to you by the particular college), the Guidance Office will still be able to submit documents electronically. The new icon indicating this will be coming shortly!

STEP 5

Matching Common App & Naviance Accounts

1)Enter Common App E-mail Address

2) Please note:

E-mail Address, last name, first name, and date of birth must match exactly.

STEP 6

Brag Sheet

Complete the Brag Sheet as soon as possible. Remember that the person writing your letter of recommendation wants to do a good job for you, so it is very important that you answer questions thoroughly. The Brag Sheet must be TYPED; it will not be accepted if hand written. Make several copies of your completed Brag Sheet. The Brag Sheet template and instructions are available on Naviance under the document library tab.

STEP 7

Guidance Counselor Responsibilities

Most private colleges/universities, as well as out-of-state schools, will require a School Report or a similar form (“To Be Completed by the High School”), which is usually accompanied by a counselor letter of recommendation. This School Report must be completed by your Counselor. Your Counselor will also include a recommendation letter using your completed Brag Sheet and complete all required documents if he/she is asked to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf. He or she will also include a transcript and aMira Costa High School Profile. These forms will be completed electronically in most cases. Please carefully follow the provided instructions to avoid any confusion or mistakes in requesting that your documents be submitted electronically.

Please submit the following materials directly to your Counselor:

  1. Submit a large 9”x 12” envelope.
  2. Staple to the front of the envelope a completed Request For Letter of Recommendation sheetwhich is available at the end of these instructions.
  3. Copy of your completed Brag Sheet including the question/answer portion.
  4. A receipt from the registrar showing payment for an official transcript for each school you are applying to that requires a paper copy. Request transcripts from the Registrar, and submit $5.00 for each transcript (paper copies only). Your counselor will process your transcript. This year, you will not be charged for transcripts submitted electronically.

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STEP 8

Teachers will be submitting your Letter of Recommendation electronically. Please follow the Electronic Instructions.

*If a school does not accept electronic submission, the teacher will submit by mail and you will follow the directions for Mail Instructions.

Teacher(s) Responsibilities

Most private colleges and universities will require 1 or 2 teacher recommendation letters for your application. College and university admission committees read these letters to learn of your academic background, so please choose your teachers wisely. Find an appropriate time to ask your teacher for a recommendation and please provide your teacher with ample time to write the letter. Your teacher will appreciate having at least 3 weeks to work on your letter.

Electronic Instructions:

Please submit the following materials directly to your Teacher in person:

  1. Submit a large 9”x 12” envelope.
  1. Staple to the front of the envelope a completed Request For Letter of Recommendation sheet which is available at the end of these instructions.
  1. Original copy of your completed Brag Sheet including the question/answer portion.

After you have submitted the above materials to your teacher, you must request the letter of recommendation from the teacher through Naviance by completing the following steps:

  1. Log on to your Naviance account. Go to the website:
  2. Enter your username and password (Username is your first name & last name, no spaces. Password is your 5 digit Mira Costa student I.D. number.)
  3. Click on the Colleges tab in Family Connection.
  4. Click on Colleges I’m Applying To.
  5. Scroll to the Teacher Recommendation section and click Add/Cancel Requests.
  6. Select a Teacher from the drop down menu.
  7. Repeat for all teacher requests you want to make.
  8. Click Update Requests.

After your requests have been made, they will appear in the Recommendation Request Manager. Teachers will also receive an email notification of your request. You must complete both steps- see your teacher in person and complete the request through Naviance as stated above.

Mail Instructions:

Please submit the following materials directly to your Teacher:

  1. Submit a large 9”x 12” envelope.
  1. Staple to the front of the envelope a completed Request For Letter of Recommendation sheet which is available at the end of these instructions.
  1. Original copy of your completed Brag Sheet including the question/answer portion.
  1. Please be aware that some colleges do not provide a form but still require a recommendation letter. In this case, please ask your teacher to send a letter written on school letterhead or provide your teacher with the Common Application Teacher Evaluation Form available online at under “Download Forms.”
  1. If necessary, complete and sign the top portion of the form before submitting it to your teacher. Make sure you check the box to waive your right of access to the form.
  1. Regular size envelope, preferably self-adhesive, for each letter you are requesting.
  2. Addressed to each college or university on your list.
  3. Your return address.
  4. Write “Letter of Recommendation for (Your Name)” on the lower left corner of the envelope.
  5. See image below for example.

Deadline to submit all materials, together in one folder:

Please check with your teacher for the deadline. Be sure

to give them at least three weeks before the due date!!

Write a thank you note to each teacher. 

Scholarships

As you encounter different scholarship opportunities, you may be asked to submit essays, transcripts, recommendation letters, test scores, and/or financial statements in addition to the scholarship application. In most instances, your counselor or teachers can use the same letter of recommendation he/she wrote for one of your colleges. Please follow the same instructions for requesting letters from teachers as above. Submit your request at least 3 weeks before the deadline.If you know of a scholarship that requires a recommendation letter at the same time as you are applying for colleges, you can include the scholarship information in the same MCHS Request for Letter of Recommendation form. Please follow scholarship instructions very carefully and meet all deadlines!

Final words

The college application process can be both fun and stressful. It is important to be well organized, follow instructions, know deadlines and ask for help when you need it. 

College and CareerCenterMs. Park Ext. 5252

Hours:Monday through FridayMrs. Ramirez Ext. 5187

7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

or by appointment

Thank you

Mira Costa Guidance Team

Mira Costa High School

REQUEST FOR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

DUE:

September 21 for Early Decision, Early Action, or Restrictive early action

october 30for Regular Decision & Rolling Admission with deadline Dec 1-jan 15.

December 4 for Regular Decision & Rolling Admission with deadline after jan 15.

Type your information and attach this cover sheet to a9”x12” envelope. Inside the envelope should be your brag sheet & unofficial transcript (Teachers) or receipt for your transcripts (Counselors only).

Name of Student: / Email:
Name of Teacher or Counselor: / Student Cell #:
Name of College/University or Scholarship / Deadline / ED/EA/
REA* / Common Application / Electronic (E) or mail (M)
EXAMPLE: LoyolaMarymountUniversity / November 1, 2014 / EA / Yes / E

ED: Early Decision (there should only be ONE school marked ED)

EA: Early Action

REA: Restrictive Early Action (there should only be ONE school marked REA and no other

EA should be marked)

It is important to submit this packet directly to your counselor or teacher, who may need to meet with you face-to-face to discuss any questions.

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