The CCA Counseling Department
thanks the CCA Foundation
for its support of
Counseling, College & Career Services.
Ashley Bahner
Rebecca Vincent
Melissa Sage
Sarah Djernes
Student Last Names A - EL
Student Last Names EM - LA
Student Last Names LE - RH
Student Last Names RI - Z
Please contact your alpha-counselor
if you have any questions.
Darlene Burton
College & Career Center Coordinator
Mon.-Thurs. 11:05 am - 3:15 pm, Fri. 11:05 am - 2:00 pm
Andy Shephard CCA Registrar
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Overview of College Application Process
Staying Informed & Upcoming Events
Community College Admission
CSU/UC Admission
Private & Out-of-State University Admission
College Entrance Testing
Creating a College List
Naviance
Letter of Recommendation Procedures
Official Transcripts
College Application Tips and Advice
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In most cases, there is no formula which will guarantee admission and there will be some
uncertainty in the process.
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No single factor is the reason why a particular student is selected or not selected for
admission. The college is looking to fit its own criteria each year.
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Colleges receive more applications than available spaces so even qualified applicants will
not be selected. Not being admitted is not a reflection of an applicant’s worth nor is it a
prediction of a student’s future success. It only reflects lack of space to accommodate
every student who seeks admission.
Aim to be a helpful guide. Allow your student to take ownership in successfully
navigating the college admissions process, and be his or her greatest cheerleader.
Your student will engage, feel independent, and ultimately become more informed and
confident. Those are great qualities to take to college!
Suggestions to help your student to minimize stress and increase successful outcomes:
◦ Apply to colleges that are a good fit in multiple ways & make a compelling case by
emphasizing your student’s preparation, motivation and fit with the college
◦ Help your student plan, prioritize and stay organized - use a calendar to set goals for
completing applications, essays and financial aid and set up alerts for deadlines
◦ Utilize the many resources available
◦ Help your student to maintain perspective and to get enough rest and relaxation too
◦ Encourage your student to ask questions if they need help or are unsure
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12th Grade Monthly Counseling Calendar
 Naviance
◦ College Application Guide by Application Type
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◦ Four-Year College Checklist
◦ Two-Year College Checklist
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Counseling, College & Career Center Newsletter
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Aeries (monitor your grades & graduation status)
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Daily Bulletin
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CCA website & CCA Calendar
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UC Application Workshop
Oct. 15 8:00 am
CCA Proscenium Theater
Oct. 15 9:45 am
CCA Proscenium Theater
Oct. 29, Nov. 4, Nov. 18
2-3 pm, College & Career Center
Jan. 21
CCA Proscenium Theater
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CSU Application Workshop
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Counselor Q & A Sessions
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FAFSA Financial Aid Night
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College Representative visits to the College & Career Center are
on-going and can be found in Naviance & Daily Bulletin
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Students may enroll at a California community college if they earn a
high school diploma. There are no specific requirements for entrance
but rigorous classes help to prepare students. SAT/ACT are not
required.
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The benefits of community college include smaller class sizes and lower
costs. It may be a good fit for students who aren’t sure what they want to
study or who want to prepare for a career like culinary arts, cosmetology
or audio tech.
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Students can earn professional certificates, associate degrees and/or
participate in transfer programs.
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Students who are not admitted to their first choice college or do not
receive sufficient financial aid may attend and transfer with higher
acceptance rates.
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Complete Mira Costa College application & attend Matriculation Day in
spring term.
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Visit the CCA Community College page
Admission
Fulfill the minimum A-G subject requirements
 Submit scores for ACT or SAT Reasoning (CSU does not require the Writing score from t
SAT or ACT for admission). Use SAT code 3594 to send scores to all CSUs OR send
official ACT to one CSU and use CSU Mentor Application Manager to share with other
CSU campuses.
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Determined by an eligibility index
CSU Application Tips
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23 CSU campuses - apply broadly!
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Application open October 1 – November 30, follow the instructions carefully and attend
the 10/15 CSU application workshop at CCA to confirm and ask questions before
submitting.
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Use the transcript to enter only college prep courses and grades without plus/minus.
Each CCA grade on the transcript is the equivalent of a semester (fall/spring) grade.
Don’t forget to enter all 12th grade classes.
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The CA Statewide ID is in Naviance and in Aeries Student Data/Demographics.
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Further info testing for CSU (EPT & ELM) can be found in CSU Mentor .
Admission
 Fulfill the minimum A-G subject requirements
 Submit scores for SAT Reasoning or ACT with Writing. If official SAT or ACT scores are
sent to one UC campus, it will share with other campuses to which you apply.
 SAT Subject exams are not required but may be submitted if they add value. Visit the UC
website for more information. Determined by Admission Index & Comprehensive Review. All
campuses use the same 14 factors to evaluate applications but may apply them differently
and make admission decisions independently. Be sure to review the process of each
campus.
UC Application Tips
 9 UC campuses- apply broadly and confirm major choices.
 Application opens October 1, submission Nov 1- 30, follow the instructions carefully
and attend the 10/15 UC application workshop at CCA to confirm and ask questions
before submitting.
 Use the transcript to enter only college prep courses and grades without plus/minus
on application. Each CCA grade on transcript is the equivalent of a semester
(fall/spring) grade. Don’t forget to enter all 12th grade classes.
 Complete the scholarship information within the UC application.
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Requirements vary so students must review each college, including whether they require SAT
Subject exams, letters of rec. and transcripts.
Many use Committee Selection where the student is reviewed in the context of the entire
application. Extracurricular activities, portfolios, auditions and recommendations may play a
more significant role.
COMMON APPLICATION
Students can apply to many colleges using this one application.
CCA uses Naviance to interface with Common App.org for all required school materials.
REQUIRED Common Application Materials
• COUNSELOR - Secondary School Report, Letter and Transcript required for all students
You must check each college for number & type of recommendations
• ACADEMIC TEACHERS - evaluation & letter will be submitted via Naviance
• ART & MUSIC teachers and any other (coach, employer, etc.) recommenders must be
invited via Common App. and will submit their recs. directly to Common App., not
through Naviance. You will use Naviance for academic teachers only for Common App.
• List CCA classes as semester courses/credits; use the College App FAQ and Common
App Key in the College App Guide to assist you.
• Personal essays and often additional supplemental* materials
*Supplements - please follow the instructions for each college as these
supplemental Common App. materials cannot be submitted via Naviance.
Remaining Test Dates for 2014
• SAT Reasoning & SAT Subject Exams
November 8 (Registration deadline is October 9)
December 6 (Registration deadline is November 6)
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ACT
October 25 (Late registration deadline is October 3)
December 13 (Registration deadline is November 7)
December test administrations are the last dates accepted by most
colleges; October for early applications.
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Register and send scores at www.collegeboard.org for the SAT and
www.act.org for the ACT.
AP, SAT and ACT scores cannot be posted to the CCA transcript and must
be ordered directly from College Board and ACT.
www.fairtest.org: A resource with a list of colleges and universities that do
not require the ACT or SAT for admission.
Use multiple factors - consider majors, cost, type of college/school mission, location,
admission rates, size, student life – to find a good fit for your student.
Your student’s college list should include a broad range of schools, mostly
“Safety” Schools – preparation well exceeds admission requirements & costs
“Match” Schools – preparation meets or exceeds admission requirements & costs
And a few…
“Reach” Schools - admission is very competitive regardless of student preparation
(historically low admission rates); student does not meet or exceed requirements, or the
school’s cost exceeds your college budget
• Use college websites and Naviance* to research admission criteria and acceptance rates to
compare your qualifications with those of students who have been admitted in the past.
*Your best source is always the college.
• Keep the list manageable and the focus on what is right for you and your student.
Applications involve many steps and each item must be done carefully. Fees range from
$45-$90 and applying to a large number of schools can be time-consuming and expensive.
Start with a clear conversation with your student about your college
budget so that your student will be able to choose a range of
affordable schools and explore scholarship opportunities.
Resources – including net costs and calculators
 College Board
 College Navigator
FAFSA (CCA FAFSA Financial Aid Night 1/21)
 CSS Profile
 College Financial Aid Offices & Applications
 Private Scholarships (in Naviance)
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Regular Decision Applications are due to most colleges between 11/30 and
2/1. Most students apply under Regular Decision.
Early Action Applications are due earlier than Regular Decision and students
may receive admission decision sooner under EA.*
Single-Choice/Restrictive Early Action Students may apply early to one
college only (typically students may not apply to other schools using Early Action
or Early Decision).*
Early Decision ED is binding. Students may apply ED only to one college and
must commit to attend that college if accepted. Typically students can apply to
other colleges through early action and regular admission, but students
accepted under ED must withdraw all other applications.*
Priority Deadline earlier than regular, can be required for scholarships.
Rolling Admission colleges accept applications throughout the year
*Read all details of the different application types prior to selecting.
Application deadlines are firm and colleges will not accept late materials.
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If you haven’t already, research colleges using College Search & Match,
Scattergrams and acceptance history with admission statistics available for
CCA Classes of 2008-2014.
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Receive reminders and updates from the Counseling Dept. throughout the
application process
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Sign up for college rep. visits to the College & Career Center
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Finalize the “Colleges I’m Applying to” list
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Complete the Brag Packet if applying to colleges that require/accept letters of
recommendation
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Coordinate letters of recommendation from counselor and academic teachers
 Search for scholarships
Sign in with your e-mail address and
password. If you forgot your log in
information, use the “forgot password”
link or contact Mrs. Burton in the College
and Career Center.
Student account – if you never registered,
use your student ID number as the
registration code.
Parent account - parents who have never
registered should use the student ID
number with a letter p (ex.123456p) as the
registration code.
If you don’t have a college list yet, use the “College
Research” features and add colleges from there.
Data indicates the averages of CCA
accepted applicants. Each school
determines which GPA it uses for
admission. The GPA used in
Naviance is the Total Weighted 9-12.
Research requirements, overall
admission statistics, financial aid/costs,
majors, student life and links to the
college website.
After you have compared yourself to the
average admitted student, decide if you
want to add this college to your list.
When a college is added, it goes into
the“Colleges I’m Thinking About” list.
Use the “Compare Me” feature to
determine competitiveness for admission
to all the colleges in your list.
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Application types/deadlines for each college will appear here.
After completing your research, move colleges to the final “Colleges I’m Applying To” list by
clicking “Move to Application List” AND…
Students applying using the
Common Application must complete
the “Common App FERPA Waiver &
Authorization” within the Common
App and then enter the Common App
email address in Naviance to match
accounts. Students who will NOT
apply to any colleges via Common
App can skip this box.
Having difficulties matching your account? Click here to view a tutorial about matching accounts.
Indicate if “Applying via Common App.” The
Common App FERPA & Waiver must have
been completed with the same email as
Common App to accurately match materials
electronically. Don’t leave any ‘unknown.’
If you selected the correct available application type
for each college, the deadline will appear. This
assists you and your teachers & counselor with due
dates. Don’t leave any blank or incorrect.
If you need to change any information for a college in this list, click on the pencil to edit.
Make sure that all columns of
the final “colleges I’m applying to”
list are accurate. Your counselor and
teacher(s) will use this list for
recommendations, college visits, reminders,
scholarships and all deadlines.
If you add, delete or change deadlines
we are not notified so you’ll need to
communicate directly if you do so
after submitting your FERPA.
Evaluations may be required for private universities, out-of-state colleges, scholarships or special
programs/majors.
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Letters of recommendation are not required or accepted for CSU or UC.
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Colleges may state that they prefer teachers from specific disciplines or grade levels; read the
instructions for each college carefully.
Letters for COMMON APPLICATION Colleges
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COUNSELOR written evaluation with a Secondary School Report and Official Transcript is required
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ACADEMIC TEACHERS Check each college in Common App for specific requirements about the
number of letters required or accepted. Most require at least 1 academic teacher evaluation. If a
school only accepts 1 letter, you want to assure that only 1 academic teacher submits a letter.
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NOTE: ART & MUSIC teachers and any other (coach, employer, etc.) recommenders must be invited
via Common App. and will submit their recs. directly to Common App., not through Naviance.
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For Common App, you will use Naviance for counselor and academic teachers only.
4 Steps to Requesting a Letter
1. Ask in person first.
2. Complete the Brag Packet in Naviance.
3. Add counselor/academic teachers to Recommendations under “Colleges I’m Applying To” in Naviance.
4. Turn in a completed CCA FERPA form and any additional paper materials.
*The deadline to request a letter of recommendation for early application deadlines
is 10/3 and for regular admission deadlines is 11/3.
Brag Packet is under “about me”
AFTER completing the Brag Packet, use the
“Teacher Recommendations” feature at the bottom
of the “colleges I’m applying to” page to add
counselor & academic teacher(s).
Select the counselor & academic
teacher(s) from the pull down menu
and write a note in the space(s)
provided. Click “update requests” to
send an email.
No teacher or counselor can write a letter
without a CCA FERPA agreement. Download and
read it carefully! Complete the CCA FERPA and
give it to each recommender with any other
required materials (forms, envelopes, etc.).
CCA FERPA guidelines:
1. Confirm that the colleges to which
you are applying REQUIRE/ACCEPT
letters of recommendation.
2. Complete the Brag Packet and
finalize the college list before turning
in the CCA FERPA.
3. Check specific recommendation
requirements per college. If
requesting that a teacher only send a
LOR to a specific (not all) colleges in
the Naviance list, write only those
colleges & HIGHLIGHT on the
FERPA.
4. List starting with earliest college
deadline which should match
Naviance deadline column.
5. Complete your name, staff name
and signatures in pen.
6. The deadline to request a letter &
turn in CCA FERPA for early
application deadlines is 10/3 and
for regular admission it is 11/3.
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Absolutely! They expect to see performance that indicates
students are ready to succeed in college-level coursework.
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Students will include all 12th grade courses (1st and 2nd term)
in applications. Colleges do not have a preference related to
terms.
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Some colleges will also require mid-year reports and
transcripts at the end of first term.
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A college can withdraw an offer of admission when courses
change or grades drop significantly over the course of the
senior year. For many colleges this includes a D or F grade
in any course.
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If classes change after an application is submitted a student
must notify the college(s). We recommend contacting
colleges directly before changing courses.
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Review the transcript to confirm that all information is accurate including legal
name and birth date.
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UC and CSU do not usually require transcripts at the time of application unless a
campus or program specifically requests it. Read all instructions and emails.
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Common Application Only Initial and mid-year transcripts can be sent
electronically through Naviance by your counselor if you completed the waiver
correctly and your college list is accurate.
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For all other transcripts, students can order official transcripts from the CCA
Registrar. Allow 24-48 hours processing time.
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For a transcript only (no form, letter or other materials) for a non-Common App
college, you can also order online via Parchment.
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Off campus courses must have an Off Campus Course form on file with the
registrar and be completed by May 20, 2015 to be posted to the 12th grade
transcript. For off campus classes that are not posted to the CCA transcript, you
must contact the other school to have a transcript sent to colleges.
All final transcripts in June must be ordered from the CCA Registrar to be mailed.
Transcript
p= college prep/CSU-UC a-g
Note: Each college determines which
GPA to use for admission and it is the
student’s responsibility to use the
appropriate GPA per the application
instructions.
GPA is on a 4.0 scale.
SDUHSD does not rank students.
Total GPA 9 -12: Includes every
course taken in grades 9-12.
Acad. GPA 9-12: Includes all courses
taken in 9-12, except PE,
Teacher Aide and courses
graded with a Pass/Fail.
Acad. GPA 10-12: Includes all courses
taken in 10 -12, except PE, Teacher
Aide and courses graded with a
Pass/Fail.
Cumulative GPA means 9-12 GPA at
the time of application.
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Help your student to stay informed and organized with a calendar including goals and deadlines. Check in
and help with taking one step at a time to avoid procrastinating or completing application materials at the
last minute. If you find yourself becoming the “application police,” talk with your student and help them
break items into manageable tasks.
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Use an email account specifically for college applications and make sure the address is appropriate.
Create folders in your inbox for each college, read everything thoroughly and save! Keep track of all
application usernames and passwords.
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Personal statements should be crafted in the students’ own voice, using concrete examples to support the
points made. The statement should present an overall picture that can’t be found elsewhere in the
application. Help proofread and check for grammar and spelling mistakes, but be careful with improving
word choice, adding phrases, or even writing entire paragraphs. College admission reps. Often share
that they compare to other writing and see an ‘engineered “ essay when they want to get to know
the student.
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Give teachers and counselor adequate time to complete a letter of recommendation.
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Despite your support, sometimes a student’s stress level can build to overload. If you’re concerned,
assist your student with time management to include breaks, enough sleep and recreation. This modeling
will assist them to handle stressful times in college as well.
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General information like CCA’s address, phone, fax, CEEB/School Code, staff extensions, etc. are
on the website and school profile.
Students with questions can come to a Counselor Q & A or come in during Counseling walk-in
periods (before/after school, lunch) every day.
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Questions?
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