When do I start?

The college application process should be started during the summer before your Senior year. Most applications will be submitted in the the Fall of their Senior year.

How do I get started?

Learn what will be needed for college applications, gather materials, determine how you will apply to, and deadlines for each college. The Common App is a tool that will allow you to apply to most universities in one place, create your Common App account Aug. 1 of Senior year.  Create a checklist and/or spreadsheet of what you'll need and due dates for each college.

How many colleges should I apply to?

It is recommended that students applying to 4-year colleges/universities apply to at least 3 reach schools, 3-4 match schools, and at least one safety school. Read Big Futures's 3 Steps to Creating a College List to learn more about reach, match, and safety schools and how to build your list. 

Be careful about calling a school your "dream college". It's important to stay open-minded and apply to multiple colleges that you would feel comfortable attending. 

 Should I send Letters of Recommendation (LOR's) or additional materials?

ONLY send LOR's or additional material if a college indicates they are required or optional. It's important to show colleges that you read and follow instructions!  

What if I make a mistake on an application?

College admissions officers will not be put off by a minor error or typo, however if you find a major error or omission, reach out to the admissions office as soon as you notice it. 

Academics: Students should challenge themselves with academic rigor throughout high school, take the highest level of classes you can be successful in each year. If you are interested in being accepted to a highly competitive 4-year university, you will want to take more than the minimum required math, science, social science, and english courses. 

Activities matter! Being involved in areas besides academics throughout high school is important for college applications, but also builds character, perseverance, discipline, and allows you to explore interests that could help you discover a future career path.  

Build Your List: Create a balanced list of colleges before your Senior year. Research the schools: Do they have your intended major? What are the estimated costs of attendance? What is the average accepted student profile? Tour the campus if possible.

Email Management: Check your personal AND school email often! You may miss important deadlines or opportunities if you don't! Some students create an email just for college applications and if you have an unprofessional email, this is a must. It can be a good idea to create an email folder that you sort college emails into to help you find them more readily. 

Get Organized: Xello can help you research colleges, build your list, and track application deadlines. It is the student's responsibility to know the deadlines and to ensure all parts of each application have been submitted by the dates set by the colleges they are applying to. This includes test scores, counselor and teacher letter of recommendations, if required.  ALWAYS CHECK THE COLLEGE WEBSITE FOR DEADLINES AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS INFORMATION!  Many students keep a spreadsheet of college applications deadlines and requirements sorted by earliest deadlines (suggested spreadsheet guide).

Apply Early: College applications open Aug. 1 for graduating seniors. Competitive colleges typically have Early Action deadlines as early as mid Oct.  Early Action is your best chance for acceptance and Merit scholarship consideration for most universities.  Be careful about Early DECISION.  Early Decision is a binding contract, if you are accepted, you have already agreed you will attend.  Early ACTION is not-binding, you can be accepted to multiple schools Early Action and decide as late as May 1 where you will attend.

Stand out with a Strong Essay! Most competitive colleges will require an application essay or personal statement, as well as supplemental short essays. The essay should reflect your personal goals and be unique to you. 

The Common App allows students to apply to over 1,000 member colleges through an online college application platform. PCS students are able to link their Common App to Xello, and then request forms from their counselor and recommendations from teachers. 

What is Common App: www.commonapp.org/apply/first-time-students. This Link provides an overview of Common App and videos with many “How to...?” questions.

1. Seniors should create a Common App Account on or after Aug1. How to create a Common App Acccount: apply.commonapp.org/createaccount. Make sure to choose “First year student”.
2. Link your Common App to Xello: review these steps to link your Common App and Xello accounts.
3. Add colleges you wish to apply to within Common App. If you accounts are linked, your Common App colleges should update in Xello when you log into Xello. 
4. Request Counselor forms in Xello: Once your Common App and Xello are linked, you will need to select one college showing the Common App logo then look for Counselor Forms and select "Assign Counselor" at right.  Your counselor's name should appear. Select them to finish this step. 
5. If your college accepts Teacher Recommendations, use Xellor to make the request. After selecting the college you need a recommendation to be sent to, look for Teacher Recommendations, click the "Request" button and a list of your high school's instructors will load. Choose the teacher you'd like and click "Select", then "Send" to return to college page. 

Students will be able to view the status of their applications, including counselor forms and teacher recommendations in Common App. Once the application is submitted, they will even be able to see when it was downloaded by the college! 

More Common App and Xello resources, including helpful videos.

All PCS Students will use both Common App and Xello to help track their college applications. For colleges that work with Common App, students send requests to educators to send application forms on their behalf. They request a counselor send their counselor forms, and a teacher send a teacher evaluation.

They'll continue to complete the rest of their application tasks directly in Common App, including building out their profile, creating the My Colleges list, and submitting the college application.

Once students have synced their accounts, the colleges they save in Common App will show in Xello. Students will also see all the colleges that use Common App by the logo next to the college name. By clicking on one of these schools, they can begin sending a request to an educator.

Link your Common App with Xello video walkthrough

Student Guide for Common App and Xello - English

Student Guide for Common App and Xello - Spanish

College Essay Resources:

• The College Essay Guy - free and paid resources to assist students with creating an outstanding college essay, also referred to as a personal statement.
  • College Essay Tips from University Admissions Administrators 
  • How to Start a College Essay
  • The Great College Essay Test