John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 1 of 8
1.
_______Compile a list of schools/colleges and deadlines.
2.
_______Add the colleges in Naviance at https://connection.naviance.com/jpstevens .
3.
Give your counselor (If you need your counselor to write you a recommendation):
____Activity sheet/resume (with advisor/teacher signatures)
____Student rave sheet (can be completed in Naviance)
____Parent rave sheet (can be completed in Naviance)
Forms can be found at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Click FORMS →Activities Sheet
4.
_______If needed (check your applications first!), ask two (2) teachers for recommendations.
Rutgers does not accept teacher recommendations! See “Requesting Teacher Recommendations”
(attached) for guidelines.
5.
______To fill out college applications, follow the “College Application Procedures” (attached).
6.
______Complete and submit each application.
7.
______Submit a PAPER “Transcript Release Form” to your counselor and list each college to which you apply, at least two weeks before the first deadline of your applications.
8.
______Release your SAT and/or ACT scores (and AP scores if necessary) to each school through www.collegeboard.com
or www.actstudent.org.
9.
______Continually update your college applications through Naviance at https://connection.naviance.com/jpstevens
NEED MORE INFO? NEED MORE FORMS? GO TO: http://www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Click College and Career Information →College Application Procedures
For parent access to Naviance: https://connection.naviance.com/jpstevens
Click on “I’m a guest”
Guest Password is: jpparent

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 2 of 8
The college application process can be confusing. The information in this packet will help you navigate through this process. Adhering to deadlines and staying organized will help. Remember, your counselor is also here to help!
The first step is to come up with a list of colleges that you are interested in applying to. Once you have determined your list, look to see if the schools are part of Common Application ( www.commonapp.org
). Over 450 universities and colleges participate with Common Application. If your schools do, then you can complete one application for those schools. Follow Step #1 & #2 below. If you are not using Common App, then skip to #3.
Matching Your Common App and Family Connection Accounts
The following steps are REQUIRED if you are using the Common App. Completing these steps allows your transcripts and recommendations, which are in Naviance, to be matched with your Common App.
1.
First, go to Common App: a.
Log into your Common App account at www.commonapp.org
. If you've not created an account, you'll need to do so. b.
Under the "Common App" tab, complete the entire "Education" section so that it has a green checkmark (this is necessary since the Common App must know the high school you attend).
You are not finished yet! MAKE SURE YOU COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING! c.
Go to “My Colleges.” If no colleges are listed, go to "College Search" add at least one college to which you'll be applying. d.
Click one of the colleges and then "Assign recommenders." e.
Click the FERPA Release Authorization, giving your counselor permission to send your transcript. Follow the instructions and click these items:
• I authorize every school that I have attended to release all requested records…
• I waive my right to review all recommendations and supporting documents…
• I understand that my waiver or no waiver selection above pertains to all colleges….
2.
Second, go to Family Connection: a.
Login at connection.naviance.com/jpstevens and click the Colleges tab. Then click “Colleges I'm applying to” b.
Enter the email address used in your Common App account. c.
Once you've done this correctly and you see this, you are finished.
• Common App Account Matching -Complete
• Your Common App account was successfully matched.
• FERPA Status: Waived
Pasting an Essay into the Common App
Because Common App (CA) does not deal well with special characters like quotation marks, pasting an essay directly from Word into CA can create errors. If you try that you will likely find the word count on Common App isn't correct and some words or punctuation may be missing. Here is the solution: a.
Open TextEdit (for Mac -‐search for it in the top right spotlight bar) or TextPad (PC), and paste your essay into it.
Issues with special characters will be fixed. b.
Copy and paste your essay from TextEdit or TextPad into the Common App. c.
The word count should now be correct and match the word count listed on your Word document. Proofread your essay within the Common App to be certain it is perfect. d.
You will not get a green checkmark if your essay is shorter than 250 or longer than 650 words.
For answers to common questions you may have (ex. class size, title, email addresses), go to pages 7-8.

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Use of the “Additional Information” Section
Page 3 of 8
If you finish your application and find something important has not been included somewhere in the application, you can use the "Additional Information" section to provide details. Do not repeat information covered elsewhere. If needed, you can add up to 650 words. Paste the essay as explained above.
3.
Login to your Naviance account at connection.naviance.com/jpstevens.
a.
Go to the COLLEGES Tab. b.
Click on Colleges I’m Applying to. c.
Add colleges onto your list by clicking on “Add to this list”. i.
Under “Look up”, add each college to which you plan to apply. ii.
Under “Type” put in type of application (ie: regular decision, early decision, early action, etc.) iii.
Check box “Request Transcript”. iv.
*This will send the request to your counselor’s Naviance account. When your transcripts have been sent, it will be marked as Sent so you will be able to keep track of your application materials. Give the college at least 2-3 weeks to show your transcript as being received (on their website, etc.) v.
At bottom of this page hit “Add Colleges”. Once you hit submit, you will see a list of the colleges you’ve added. You will notice a column called “Submissions”. A small icon will appear for each college which will look like a stamp ( ), a computer monitor ( ), or a computer monitor with the letters CA inside
( ).
 : This icon means that your counselor must submit your academic and school information via postal mail. You must provide your counselor and teachers (if applicable) with stamped, addressed envelopes. You apply on the college’s website.
 : This icon means that your counselor can submit your academic information electronically. You apply on the college’s website.
 : This icon means that your counselor will submit your information electronically and that this college is part of the Common Application. If you have two (2) or more of this icon, you should consider applying through the Common Application website.
4.
Make sure you submit a paper Transcript Release Form to your counselor listing each college to which you apply.
The Transcript Release Form may be downloaded at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344 in the Forms tab.
REMEMBER TO ALSO UPDATE NAVIANCE REGULARLY SO THAT YOUR COUNSELOR CAN WORK ON YOUR
APPLICATIONS IN A TIMELY MANNER. IF YOU ADD ADDITIONAL COLLEGES AFTER YOU’VE INITIALLY
SUBMITTED YOUR FORM, REMEMBER TO SEE YOUR COUNSELOR WITH THE ADDITIONS. OTHERWISE
YOUR COUNSELOR WILL NOT BE AWARE OF IT AND WILL NOT KNOW TO SEND OUT TO YOUR ADDITIONS!
5.
Release your official SAT or ACT scores directly to each college at www.collegeboard.com or www.actstudent.org
.
6.
AFTER you have submitted your college applications, please remember to go back into your Naviance account and update your application status. a.
Log into Naviance. b.
Go to “Colleges” . c.
Go to “Colleges I’m Applying To”. d.
Go under “My App” and click “Have You Applied?”. e.
Scroll down and update each college individually. f.
Click “Update Applications” on the bottom of the page.

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 4 of 8
If you need teacher recommendations, you must request them in person. Some colleges (SUCH AS RUTGERS) do not require teacher recommendations. Read the instructions that come with each college application. Do not confuse teacher recommendations with counselor recommendations.
If a teacher recommendation is required, consult your teacher(s) directly in person to confirm if he/she is
willing to write a recommendation on your behalf. Once your teachers have agreed to write your recommendation, provide each of them with the following:
● Completed Teacher Recommendation Request Forms (Download at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344 and Click College and Career Information →College Application Procedures). We suggest that you and your parent/guardian complete and sign the attached waiver when you provide your request for recommendations to the teacher. Colleges give much more weight to recommendations that are confidential.
●
●
Your teacher may request that you complete a student self-assessment form.
Do not leave forms on the teacher's desk or in the faculty mailbox.
If your teacher has agreed to write a recommendation for you, you must then go to Naviance:
Click on your Colleges TAB a.
b.
c.
Click on Colleges I’m Applying To
Scroll down to Teacher Recommendations and select Add/Cancel Requests
Go to Add New Requests i.
Select your teacher(s). ii.
Add any notes to the teacher ( s) in the box. iii.
Click Update Requests – This will send an email to the teacher stating your request and will add the request to the teacher’s Naviance account. When the teacher has completed the recommendation, it will show Completed under the Teacher Recommendations section.
For each college that DOES NOT accept electronic submission of teacher recommendations ( ):
● Include one stamped envelope with the college/university’s address on it. For the return address in the upper left corner of the envelope, write:
●
Teacher’s Name
John P. Stevens High School
855 Grove Avenue
Edison, NJ 08820
If the college application includes a form to be completed by a teacher, complete the relevant information on their form and submit it to your teacher along with your other materials. If there is no form provided, then complete and submit the Teacher Report Form included in this packet. Download more copies at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344 .
Be thoughtful. Keep teachers informed about your college applications and let them know the results.
They're interested, too! Also don’t forget to thank them!

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 5 of 8
Student Name___________________________________________________ ID #_________________
Student Date of Birth __ _________________________ Email _________________________________
You ( the student) are RESPONSIBLE for handing the completed Teacher Recommendation Request Forms to the teacher from whom you have already requested a letter of recommendation.
You (the student) are RESPONSIBLE for calling the colleges to see if recommendations have been received.
Request Date: ________________________
To (Teacher’s Name):_______________________________
Please send my letter of recommendation to the following colleges:
Name of College/University Deadline Date Sent by Teacher
________________________
________________________
________
________
___________________
___________________
Envelope or Naviance
_______
_______
_______
_______
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________
________
________
________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
We recommend that you and your parent/guardian complete and sign this waiver which indicates that you have not viewed the teacher recommendation prepared on your behalf.
WAIVER:
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This form is to be used as a reference for college admissions purposes. As currently interpreted by the Department of Education, the Act provides that students and parents have a right to inspect and review the evaluation if it is retained by the school unless that right is waived in writing. Sign your name below only if you wish to waive your right of access. I request that this reference be sent to the colleges to which I am applying and that it may be used in the admissions process. I understand that I may not read this reference and I will not seek to do so in the future.
Print Student Name ___________________________________
___ I DO waive my right to access this recommendation.
___ I DO NOT waive my right to access this recommendation.
Student’s Signature ________________________________________ Date _______________
Parent’s Signature _________________________________________ Date _______________

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 6 of 8
Student Instructions: Complete this form and return it to your teacher, ONLY if there is no specific teacher recommendation form for that college and it must be mailed.
SECTION I
Student Name
Last First MI
Address
City State Zip Code
Date of Birth
Phone ( )
Mo.
I am applying for: __ Early Decision
__Other
__Early Action __Regular Decision
I recognize the confidential nature of this document and I do ___do not ___waive my right to access it.
Student's Signature Date
SECTION II
Name of College/University____________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Application Deadline_________________________________
SECTION III
/ /
Day Year
High School John P. Stevens High School
Address 855 Grove Avenue Edison NJ 08820
Street City State Zip Code
Phone (732 ) 452-2800
Teacher's Name__________________________________
High School CEEB 310787
Date of graduation is __________
FAX ( 732 ) 452-9529
Department_________________
Teachers: Please attach to your personal letter of recommendation.

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 7 of 8
Senior year is a very exciting time and we look forward to helping you succeed in your final year of high school.
Please remember if you have any questions or concerns at any time throughout this year, our doors are always open.
Best wishes!
1.
Important information you will need:

School Address: John P. Stevens High School, 855 Grove Ave., Edison, NJ 08820

Class size for 2014: 551

Class Rank: We do not rank

Counseling website: www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344

Counselors’ Office Phone: (732) 452-2811; Fax: (732) 452-9529

Counselor’s title/position: Counselor

Counselor’s Emails :
Mrs. Valerie Clayton:
Mrs. Karen Cundari:
Valerie.Clayton@edison.k12.nj.us
Karen.Cundari@edison.k12.nj.us
Mrs. Christen Desimone: Christen.Desimone@edison.k12.nj.us
Mr. Brian Glassberg:
Mrs. Lisa Lin:
2.
What is the CEEB/School Code?
Ms. Mary Jane O’Connor:
Mr. Steven Petrucelli:
Mrs.Maria Randazza:
Brian.Glassberg@edison.k12.nj.us
Lisa.Lin@edison.k12.nj.us
Maryjane.Oconnor@edison.k12.nj.us
Steven.Petrucelli@edison.k12.nj.us
Maria.Randazza@edison.k12.nj.us
John P. Stevens’s CEEB/School Code is: 310787.
3.
What is Naviance and how can we access it?
Naviance is a program for managing all of your college applications as well as for college searching and information.
The Counseling Office will process your applications through Naviance. You will need to add ALL of the colleges that you are applying to onto your Naviance account. (See the step-by-step Naviance directions.) You do not actually
complete your applications in Naviance. You will complete your applications online either through Common
Application (see below) or through the individual college’s website. Your counselor and teachers, however, will send recommendations and supporting documentation through Naviance on your behalf. Therefore, YOU MUST
UPDATE NAVIANCE AT ALL TIMES. You can access it at: http://connection.naviance.com/jpstevens .
4.
What is the Common Application?
It is one application that can be completed and used for over 450 colleges and universities. You can check to see if the schools you are applying to participate in this by going to www.commonapp.org
.

If you are applying to schools that participate in the Common Application, you should register for an account at www.commonapp.org
. Note your username and password.

Go into Naviance at connection.naviance.com and match the Common App.

After you have completed the above, you can go to www.commonapp.org
to complete your application.

John P. Stevens High School
Counseling Department www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344
Page 8 of 8
5.
How does my transcript get sent to college?
You must submit a signed Transcript Release Form to your counselor listing every college you are applying to regardless of whether or not it is an on-line application. If we do not have a Transcript Release Form for that specific college, we cannot send out your transcript. For colleges that need the transcript sent via postal mail, prepare an addressed, stamped college envelope and attach the Transcript Release Form. (Download at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344 .)
6.
Who sends my SAT/ACT Scores to colleges?
You must send your SAT/ACT scores directly to the colleges to which you apply. To send your SAT scores, you can call
ETS at 1-866-756-7346 or go on-line to www.collegeboard.com
. ETS takes a long time to get the scores to each college so send out your schools ASAP. Most colleges do not accept rushed scores, so do NOT send rushed scores.
ACT scores can be sent from www.actstudent.org
. Students who have been in the United States for less than four years should also take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Register at www.ets.org/toefl . We do not
send test scores to any college.
7.
What do I need to give my counselor?
Complete and submit your Activity Sheet (signed by the advisors of the activities) and Student and Parent Rave
Sheets (in Naviance) as soon as possible. YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION FIRST! We need
these forms in order to write your letter of recommendation which can be done independent of your part!
Download the Activities Sheet at www.edison.k12.nj.us/domain/344 . The Student and Parent Rave Sheets are on your Naviance account under the ABOUT ME tab as a survey (located on the left hand side of the page).
8.
What are mid-year reports?
Some colleges (not all) have mid-year reports that are part of their applications. Mid-year reports are sent out after
2 nd marking period. It is a report of your senior year grades—an average grade of the first two marking periods.
Make sure to let you counselor know if the colleges you’re applying to need them.
9.
How long will it take my counselor to process my applications?
Note the application deadlines for each college you are applying to. Your counselor will need at least two school
weeks (10 school days) to process your application. You can submit your completed rave sheets and activities sheets to your counselor even if you are still working on your college application since your counselor can submit his/her
part without your completed application. We will not send out applications the same day you hand them in, so
please adhere to the two school week minimum processing time.
10.
Who will ensure my application is complete and received by the college?
After your application is sent in, it is your responsibility to check with the college to make sure they received ALL parts of the application. You can do this by checking on-line or by calling the admissions office. If they are missing any part of your application notify your counselor.
11.
Scholarships—how do I find out about them and how do I apply for them?
The Counseling Newsletter lists many scholarships. The newsletter is sent directly to the email registered in your
Naviance account and is also located on our Counseling website. There are also websites (such as www.fastweb.com) that you can search for scholarships. In January of your senior year, you will also receive the
Senior Survey from your counselor. Completing and submitting the survey will make you eligible for scholarships and awards distributed by the JPS Scholarship Committee. The important thing to remember about scholarships is that you should never have to pay money in order to apply to one (that’s a scam!) and that you need to apply in order to be eligible to receive a scholarship!