Senior Timeline

Summer College Prep

Summer College Prep

It will be important to make this a meaningful summer. Doing some college app prep work before school resumes will allow you to focus on senior classes, grades and extracurriculars when you come back. Senior year success matters greatly to colleges!

College Research/Building a College List

Use the resources found in Naviance to explore good fit colleges. Attend college representative visits at NDA and go visit colleges when possible to learn about each college before you apply. All colleges you'll be applying to must be put in Naviance. Here are some good resources to use during your research phase:

NDA Transcript, GPA, & Class Rank

An increasing number of colleges allow students to self-report courses and grades on applications. Transcripts are helpful during this phase of the college application process. Transcripts can be accessed by students via their PowerSchool account.
NDA uses a 4.0 system to calculate GPA at the end of each semester. The GPA is weighted if students have taken a weighted course. Cumulative GPA's are found in Naviance in the top right corner under "My Account."
Class rank is calculated at the end of the first semester of Junior year. Class rank information is private and is provided by Student Services only upon request of the student/parent.

College Application Types

Most college apps open August 1. The No. 1 mistake according to college admissions professionals is not reading the application directions.
Use Common App only if you're applying to three or more colleges that use Common App (https://www.commonapp.org/). Common App has lots of help resources: https://www.commonapp.org/help. Remember to match your Common App and Naviance accounts.
If applying to multiple UW colleges, you may want to use the UW institutional application: https://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/admission-guidelines/
Depending on your colleges, you may have to use a few different applications - just make sure the correct application types are reflected in Naviance.

Letters of Recommendation

The letter of recommendation process and request form is in Naviance under "Document Resources." Or click here for the request form. Complete this form and give it to the teacher.

High School Resume

Your HS Resume is used by letter of rec writers, but may also serve a dual purpose as you apply for jobs, internships, etc. Using Naviance's resume builder is great...until you try to print. Your goal is to have a one page resume, but the Resume Builder does not allow for printing one page. If you wish, create your resume in a doc, save as PDF, & attach it in your Naviance "Journal." There is no need to create two resumes.

Be sure to make your senior college appointment soon after school resumes. Email Ms. Rockwood (brockwood@notredameacademy.com) and she'll get you on Ms. Bain's schedule.

Ms. Bain
bbain@notredameacademy.com

Senior Year

Now is the time to frequently check your NDA email for important college counseling updates from Ms. Bain.
Schedule a meeting with the College Counselor to discuss plans after NDA.
Finalize essays, complete college applications, and send them in to colleges.
Use Naviance Resume Builder to finalize your high school resume.
Ask teachers 3 weeks in advance for recommendation letters - request in-person and via Naviance. Make sure your resume is in Naviance for teachers to view before you make your request.
Register for upcoming ACT or SAT test dates if you need a retake.
Work hard; colleges may be interested in your first semester senior grades.
Plan remaining college visits.
Listen to announcements/check Naviance for college rep visits to NDA. Sign up to attend visits via Naviance.
Register with the NCAA clearinghouse if you plan on playing Division I or Division II sports if you have not done so already.
Stay organized; ask your parents for help if you need it.
After submitting your college application, request your transcript to be sent to the college - all transcript requests are made via your Naviance account.
Continue looking for and applying for scholarships.
Naviance must accurately reflect which application timeline you are applying for: Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, etc. Most early application deadlines are either November 1st or November 15th. Remember to work well ahead of deadlines!
Attend the Wisconsin Education Fair (fall) for last minute research and specific answers to your questions.
Attend local financial aid information workshops (College Goal, WI, etc.) to get help completing the FAFSA & learn about financing a college education.
Continue working on applications; turn in all counselor forms/counselor recommendations/school reports to Student Services before deadlines.
Turn in everything that needs to be sent out before Christmas (applications that have a December 31st or January 1st deadline) at least 2 weeks before Christmas Break to Student Services to ensure that they can be processed in advance of the deadline.

Senior Timeline

NDA presents....