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1. Log on to http://connection.naviance.com/hightowerhs

Username: student ID Password: district computer password

2. Review the homepage for valuable information, including:

Email messages from HHS Quick links to important websites

a. ApplyTexas (Texas public colleges) b. The Common Application (please refer to www.commonapp.org for a complete list of Common App

member colleges) c. FAFSA (Free Application for Financial Student Aid) d. SAT & ACT

Class size information and school code (446788)

3. Click the “about me” tab. Scroll down to “official things” and select “profile.”

Under Personal Profile, click the pencil icon next to Email and add/edit your e-mail address in the text box, if needed.

Naviance will

advance students to

the next grade level

on July 15th.

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4. Now move on to the “colleges” tab. Select “colleges I’m applying to.” Complete the Common App Account Matching if you have an active Common Application.

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This email MUST match the email you use for your Naviance account.

You must complete Step 1 and Step 2, signing the CA FERPA Waiver and Authorization, in order for your Common Application to be matched with your Naviance account.

Now add colleges to your application list.

If you have colleges listed under “colleges I’m thinking about” you can select “Move to Application List.”

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o Regular Decision = traditional application process following published deadlines o Early Decision = early application deadline (usually between November 1st & 15th); binding promise to attend

when granted admission (you should never apply to more than one school under ED) o Early Action = early application deadline (usually between November 1st & 15th); no obligation to attend if

accepted o Rolling = not offered everywhere. Application is reviewed as soon as it is complete; notifications are usually sent

out within 2 weeks of submitted, complete application. Check with the schools you are interested in to see if they have rolling admissions.

o Priority = Many schools use priority deadlines to encourage early applications.

If you are adding colleges to your list through the college “lookup” option, be sure to click “Add Colleges” at the bottom of the page to ensure your college list is saved/updated. At this time, you may check the “Transcript” box to request a transcript if you have already submitted an application to this college.

Check “I have submitted my application” if you have submitted already. You can complete this at a later date after you have submitted your application.

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Teacher Recommendations for students using Common Application

A. Click the “colleges” tab and select “colleges I’m applying to.” Scroll down to “Teacher Recommendations” and click “add requests.

B. The Common Application requires (1) School Report and (2) Letters of Recommendation. To ensure your counselor and teachers know

you have a Common Application that requires these documents you must submit (3) requests for application support. Step 1: Find your counselor’s name. (She will appear in the list of teachers.) Please add a note in the box under personal note to teacher to indicate you need a Common Application School Report and Letter of Recommendation. Be sure to list the name of the Common App school, applicable deadlines, and if you need a fee waiver. Step 2: Next select (2) teachers and request a letter of recommendation for your Common Application from each of

them. ALWAYS add a note to indicate you need a Teacher Evaluation and Letter of Recommendation for your Common Application, and include the name of the college/university and the deadline.

You may also request a Letter of Recommendation for other college/university applications or scholarships as needed. ALWAYS include in

the Personal note to teacher section the recipient of the letter or evaluation, type of application, and applicable deadlines.

Please note: You will need to submit a separate request for each college/scholarship for which you need a letter of recommendation.

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Once you begin adding colleges to your list, your page should begin to look like this! = Standard mail submission for college application documents

= Electronic submission for college application documents = Electronic submission; Comm App participating school

= Contact a college representative

= Visit the college website

Actions

College Type

Applying via

Common

App?

Submissions Expected

Difficulty* Deadline† Transcript

Office

Status My App. Results

LSU RD -

N/A 4/15/13 requested Pending have you

applied? Unknown

U of Mississippi

RD -

N/A 4/1/13 requested Pending have you

applied? Unknown

Sam Houston State Univ

RD -

N/A 8/1/13 requested Pending have you

applied? Unknown

Stephen F Austin State Univ

RD -

N/A 2/1/13 requested Pending have you

applied? Unknown

Texas Tech Univ

RD -

N/A 5/3/13 requested Pending have you

applied? Unknown

Be sure you have the 2015-16 college application form required by your college. (1) Apply Texas (2) The Common Application (3) Institution’s Unique Application (typically private colleges)

You can also check the “office status” of your college application once you have submitted a request for the Common Application School Report, a letter of recommendation, transcript, etc. – To make any changes or corrections, click on any pencil icon to take you to the edit screen. Make sure you click on the update button at the bottom of that screen before exiting back to the previous page.

5. Now back to the “home” tab. On the left side, under Links, select “student brag sheet.” Print the packet and fill

out the forms that need filling out.

This form is required for all students requesting a letter of recommendation for college and/or scholarship applications. Everyone student should complete this activity. Don’t rush – take your time when answering these questions so your counselor & teachers can have an accurate picture of your interests, achievements, and school experience.

6. Also, under the “about me” tab, you can

create a resume. Follow the directions to create a resume or

make additions/changes to your current resume.

If you have a resume in another format, you may upload your resume (pdf file) as a journal entry found under “interesting things about me.”

**The last two pages of the brag packet can be replaced by a resume**

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7. Begin your scholarship search under the “colleges” tab. Start with “scholarship list.”

Research your options and pay close attention to requirements and deadlines. No scholarship is too small to apply for – all available funds count when financing your college education. Check back on this page frequently as new scholarships are added on a regular basis. Check out the national scholarship search link to find others that may apply to you.

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NOTES

College Visits Before you click on “sign up” for college visits, please make sure you are clicking on “information” to see there are any requirements to attend the visit.

Also, please note…just because you sign up for a college visit and receive a pass to attend, your teacher still has the discretion to keep you in class if you are not making the grade! Adding Colleges to your list Be very careful about adding colleges and do not have them listed more than once. This can cause transcript, recommendation letter, and/or school reports to be sent more than once, which could cause confusion with your application matching on the other end. If you mistakenly add a college a second time or by mistake, please remove it before you request transcripts to be sent. Please go back and periodically update your college application status. Click on the pencil icon to move to the edit screen:

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It is here where you can indicate/correct your application type, whether you were accepted, denied, waitlisted, etc., your level of interest in this school. Be sure to click on “update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

There is also an edit feature for your scholarship applications. You should not add a scholarship to your list unless you actually submit an application.

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Apply Texas Essay Prompts 2015-2016

Topic A: Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not changed by this experience.

Topic B: Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your lift, and the skills and resources you used to

resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how? Topic C: Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extra-curricular

activities might help you achieve your goals.

2015-16 Common Application Essay Prompts

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 failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when

you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the

same decision again? 4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a

research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to

adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

What should I be doing this summer??

Visit colleges you are interested in.

Finalize your college list: (3) Safe schools, (3) Target schools, (2) Reach schools.

Start writing your Apply Texas and/or Common Application essays. If you get a lot of the work done before school starts, you won’t feel as stressed as you would while juggling college applications with homework.

Challenge yourself during the summer (i.e. work, volunteer, go to academic camp). If you work, consider saving what you earn for college next year.

Research scholarships – there are millions of dollars’ worth of scholarship monies that go unawarded each year.

After your Senior Year begins…

August 1st – Start & complete at least one 4-year college application at ApplyTexas.org.

Register for Sept/Oct ACT/SAT exam if you need to re-test, so scores are back in time for early application deadlines.

Finalize your application essays.

Continue to challenge yourself! Senior year counts just as much as 9th, 10th, and 11th grade did!