When do I start?

Preparation for applying to college should begin with academics, involvement with activities, and college placement tests throughout high school. For more information about preparing for college, please see Student Checklists under the Preparing for College section.

The college application process should be started during the summer before your Senior year. Most applications will be submitted in 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, and 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. Advanced math courses are highly encouraged and may be a requirment for acceptance into STEM majors. 

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, as well as 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. 

Timeline Overview

• Junior Year (August - June): Research and preparation
• Summer Before Senior Year (June - August): Finalizing choices and beginning applications
• Senior Year (August - December): Completing and submitting applications
• Senior Year (October - March): Financial aid and scholarship applications
• Senior Year (April - May): Decision time
• Senior Year (June - August): Preparing for college

Junior Year (Jan - Jun): Research and Preparation

• Begin researching colleges and universities that interest you.
• Attend college fairs and information sessions.
• Meet with your school counselor to discuss your academic and college plans, ensure your high school schedule meets college academic standards.
• Make a testing plan for SAT, ACT and/or CLT tests to reach your best score potential: schedule prep for and take tests.

Junior Year (Apr – Jun): Preparation

• Start building a list of potential colleges to apply to.
• Meet with your College and Career Center Coordinator to outline your application plan.
• Make a plan to retake SAT, ACT, or CLT tests prior to college application deadlines, if necessary. 

Summer Before Senior Year (Jun - Aug): Finalizing Choices and Beginning Applications

• Visit colleges on your list to get a feel for the campus and culture.
• Narrow down your list of colleges to a manageable number.
• Begin working on college application essays and personal statements.
• Plan to submit service or work hours for Florida Bright Futures Scholarships-plan to achieve your hours over the summer months, if not already submitted. 
• Draft your college application essay.

Senior Year (Aug - Dec): Completing and Submitting Applications

• Finalize your college application essays and have them reviewed by advisors or instructors.
• Register for and take any additional standardized tests if needed, prior to college deadlines.
• Complete and submit college applications, paying attention to deadlines for early decision, early action, and regular decision.
• Submit letters of recommendation (only if required).
• Submit all required materials, including test scores and transcripts. Consult each college’s admissions instructions for submission method.

Senior Year (Oct - Mar): Financial Aid and Scholarship Applications

• Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Submit the Florida Financial Aid Application.
• Submit the Pinellas Education Foundation Scholarship Application (due Jan. 31).
• Apply for additional scholarships and grants, including each college.
• Submit any additional financial aid documents required by your chosen colleges.
• Submit housing applications or deposits to colleges (see each college’s process).

Senior Year (Apr - May): Decision Time

• Review acceptance letters and compare financial aid packages.
• Visit campuses of colleges where you have been accepted, if possible.
• Make your final decision and submit your enrollment deposit by the deadline.

Senior Year (Jun - Aug): Preparing for College

• Attend orientation sessions and register for classes.
• Arrange housing and meal plans.
• Purchase textbooks and other necessary supplies.
• Prepare for the transition to college life and move-in day.

Standardized Testing for College Admissions:

While some colleges and universities are still test-optional, many are returning to Test Required.  Even schools that do not require standardized college admissions tests may use test scores for honors program or merit scholarship consideration. 

NOTE: The 12 Florida Public Universities are required by state law to consider an SAT, ACT, or CLT test score in their admission process.  

The SAT, ACT, and CLT standardized tests are also used for eligibility for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship program. (Students do NOT need to take all 3 tests, they can select the test that yields their best test score.)

Testing experts recommend that students should begin taking standardized college admissions tests,  soon after they have completed Algebra 2, or at the end of their Algebra 2 course semester. PCS students take a free in-school SAT during the second semester of their Junior year.  This should NOT be the only, and for students that have completed Algebra 2, should not be their first SAT attempt. Most colleges, as well Bright Futures, will Superscore all the student test dates to give the student the advantage of their best score attempts (see below).

Students should make a plan for testing:

• Research the Middle-50% test score range from the most recent admissions cycle for the college you are interested in applying to.
• Set a test score goal and take a practice test or actual test to determine your base score.
• Use the score details to look at which areas you should concentrate most on improving.
• Plan your testing dates to allow re-takes before the college application deadlines for the colleges you wish to apply to.  
• Make a practice plan and utilize quality materials to practice on a regular schedule, well before your next test date.
• IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TAKING THE ACT: The ACT Science section is now optional, however the Science section is currently still REQUIRED for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship eligibility. 

Test dates and registration:

SAT test dates and registration 2025-2026

ACT test dates and registration 2025-2026

CLT test dates and registration 2025-2026

What is a Superscore?

Most colleges, as well as the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship program, will combine a student's best attempt for each section of the college admissions test from any date to provide a Superscore. Scores must be from the same test platform.  For example, the SAT has two sections: Reading/Writing and Math.  If a student takes the SAT on three separate dates and scores best on the first attempt in Reading/Writing, but their Math score was best on their third attempt, these two best attempts will be combined for a new Composite called the Superscore. 

Students who are determined eligible for Free or Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL) are eligible for testing fee waivers, as noted below.  These students are also eligible for college admissions fee waivers for most colleges. To determine Free or Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL) eligibility, the meals application must be completed each school year.  Full information is available on the PCS Food and Nutrition webpages.

SAT Waivers: FRPL eligible students are eligible to receive 2 free SAT test waivers during their Junior year and 2 free SAT test waivers during their Senior year.  If you believe you are eligible, see Mr. Chorney for the SAT waiver code.  Once entered, the student's College Board account will note the remaining waivers available; a new code does not need to be entered for subsquent tests. 

ACT Waivers: FRPL eligible students are eligible to receive 4 free ACT test waivers which can be taken during their Junior year or Senior year.  If you believe you are eligible, see Mr. Malm for the SAT waiver code.  A new code must be entered for each test. 

Common App Applications Waivers: FRPL eligible students will indicate their elibility for FRPL or SAT/ACT fee waivers under the Common App tab, Fee Waivers questions. 

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 Aug 1. 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 (also outlined in next section below).
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 Xello 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. Their counselor will send the counselor forms, and students will use Xello to request any required teacher letters of recommendation (LOR).

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

Your College Application Essay, sometimes called a Personal Statement, is an important part of your college application. This essay should reflect your personal goals and be unique to you.  Most competitive colleges will require an application essay and may also include additional supplemental short essays.  Students should be sure to read and reply to the specific question or prompt for supplemental essays.

The main application essay in Common App is 650 words or less. Common App provides essay prompts that students may use to stimulate ideas, including "topic of your choice".  

Here is the full set of Common App essay prompts for 2025–2026.

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

College Essay Resources:

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

High School Transcripts For College Applications

Current NEHS students applying to a university/college will need to provide their complete list of courses and grades that count for high school credit, including in progress (senior year) courses. There are various methods that universities and colleges require this to be sent. Be sure to check each university/college's courses/grades reporting requirement as well as deadline. 

SSAR/SRAR - Self-Reported Student Academic Record

The SSAR is used by the following Florida Universities:

Some Out of State universities may request a version of the SSAR called the SRAR.  A student's SSAR can be connected to the SRAR.

UCF uses SPARK, which will be accessed after application submission through the student's UCF admission portal.

For universities or colleges that need Official Transcripts sent directly from NEHS, please email your counselor. 

Students that took Dual Enrollment Courses

Some colleges may require Official Transcripts from your Dual Enrollment college be sent directly to them at the time of your application. Be sure to check each college's requirements, and if required, request those transcripts be sent before the application deadline. For SPC, you will need to log into your SPC account, look for Transcripts Request, and follow instructions. 

For Scholarships

Please email your counselor to request an Official Transcript for a scholarship, include the scholarship name, contact name, and email address.

Test Scores Required

Be sure to check each college's application test score requirements and deadlines. If you fail to report at least one score to a school that requires test scores, your application will be incomplete. 

NOTE: Florida's State University System (SUS) schools are required to have a test score as part of the student's application.  

Colleges asking for Self-Reported Test Scores:

After submitting your application, you will typically submit your test scores in the school's applicant portal. New test scores available before the application deadline can be added.  If you receive a new, higher test score after the application deadline, check the school's admissions pages or call admissions to find out if you can update your scores in the portal.  Typically, this will only be allowed if the student's Early Action application was Deferred. 

IMPORTANT: If you accept an offer of admission to a college that had you self-report scores, you will need to send your Official Test Scores to the college. 

Colleges asking for Official Test Scores:

When a college indicates Official Test Scores are required in their admissions requirements, you will need to send your test scores directly from the testing agency to the college before the deadline indicated. NOTE: it can take over two weeks for scores sent by the testing agency to be linked to your applicant account!  Do not wait for the deadline to request test scores to be sent! 

• SAT Scores - log into College Board, MySAT, search for Send Test Scores
• ACT Scores - log into ACT.org, MyACT, search for Sending Test Scores
• CLT Scores - watch the linked video to learn how to send CLT scores

Test Optional Colleges

Should you report scores to Test Optional colleges? 

• If your test scores are above, within, or close to the college's Middle-50% test score range, sending test scores may help enhance your application.
• If your test scores are below the college's Middle-50%, you may want to send test scores if you are an athlete or other recruited talent, or are a first-generation college-going student (neither parent completed a bachelors degree).
• If your gpa and extra-curriculars are strong but your test scores are below the college's Middle-50%, send test scores only if needed for scholarship consideration.