This document provides information and guidance for seniors in the OCHS Class of 2017 regarding the college application process. It outlines the timeline and procedures for completing applications, requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation, submitting standardized test scores, financial aid forms, and important deadlines. Students are encouraged to meet with their counselor to discuss college and career plans, take advantage of college visits and on-site admissions, and thoroughly research requirements and deadlines for each school. The document aims to guide students step-by-step through the application process.

1. Welcome to College Application
Q & A Sessions
OCHS
CLASS OF 2017!

2. Outline for September
Q & A Sessions
• Social Media/E-Mail Account
• Admissions Terms
• OCHS Guidelines & Policies
• Transcript Request Deadlines
• SAT/ACT Scores & Upcoming Test Dates
• Recommendation Letters
• ON SITE ADMISSIONS
• College Visits
• Military Opportunities
• ACCC Jump Start
• Senior Q & A Sessions
• Individual Counselor Meetings
• September/October Notes

3. Social Media/E-Mail
• “Clean up” your social media accounts, if you do
not want admissions representatives to view it;
be sure to get rid of it!
• Create a “professional” email address if you do
not already have one. You can create one for free
on www.hotmail.com or www.yahoo.com
• If you change or add an email address please
inform your school counselor. He/She will update
that information on Family Connection.

4. Admissions Terms
• Early Decision- You, a parent/guardian and school counselor sign a
contract – if accepted you must go to that school if/when accepted for the
first year.
• Early Action- (Deadline is usually 11/1 or 11/15) You apply early and are
notified sooner, without a binding contract.
• Rolling Admissions- Qualified applicants are admitted as they receive the
applications.
• Restrictive Early Action: You may only apply to that school Early Action.
You do not have a binding contract to attend if admitted.
• Regular Admissions: You apply on or before the deadline and find out
your admission status in March.
• Wait List: You have not been admitted, you are placed on a “wait list” if
students decline admission you have a “chance” to be admitted at a later
date.
• Deferred: You applied Early Action and were moved to the Regular
Decision applicant pool.

5. OCHS Policies/Procedure
Ocean City High School
Guidance Department
College Application Procedure and Checklist
Section 1: Completing College Applications
_____ Visit with your Guidance Counselor, check out Family Connection, college websites, college
handbooks, and information on the OCHS website. List the colleges to which you plan to apply in
Family Connection. Develop a neat, concise, computer generated resume which can be sent with
applications.
____ Complete the college applications carefully. Many colleges prefer that applications be submitted
electronically (online). If completing an online application, print a hard copy to proofread before
sending. Review all applications before sending, neatness and accuracy are important. Also, if the
college to which you are applying requires the Common Application make sure to check for required
supplemental forms.
____ Complete all the forms required and submit the application fee directly to the college (preferred).
If a paper application is submitted please attach the check or money order to the front of the
application.
•
•
•

6. Continued….
Section 2: Requesting Test Scores
____ OCHS does not send test scores to the colleges or NCAA. If test scores were not requested to be
sent at the time of the test registration (the first four are free), log into the testing website and request
your official scores for the SAT Reasoning test , SAT Subject tests, ACT and/or TOEFL be sent directly to
all colleges you have applied ( a fee will be charged for each college).
SAT: www.collegeboard.org ACT: www.actstudent.org
Section 3: Recommendations (minimum of 2 weeks in advance)
____ Counselor Recommendation: Most college applications require that your counselor complete a
Secondary School Report or Counselor Evaluation Form. This form will be automatically included with
every transcript mailed. In most cases, a separate recommendation letter from your counselor may also
be required. Schedule an appointment to discuss your recommendation with your counselor before it is
written.
____ Teacher Recommendation: Most colleges also require letters of recommendation from your
teachers. Make sure you have submitted a request to your teacher using the Guidance Office’s Teacher
Recommendation Request Form along with an attached resume.

7. Procedures Continued…
• Section 4: Release of Records and Transcript Request Form (at least 10 working days
before application deadline: to the Guidance Counselor)
•
• ____ The OCHS Transcript Request Form for College Applications must be signed by a
parent/guardian. This form is in the Guidance Office, on our website and in the Family
Connection document library. No transcript(s) will be sent without a parent/guardian
signature on file. The form must be filled in completely to include the application type,
application plan, and application deadline before giving it to your school counselor. Be sure
to complete the FERPA Statement on Family Connection (you will find it under the link to
College’s I’m Applying To.), transcripts cannot be sent without completing this step.
•
• ____ Submit the completed OCHS Transcript Request Form for College Applications to your
guidance counselor. If the request is late the transcript and profile will initially be sent.
The counselor information will be mailed later separately.
•
• **** Please note that scholarship applications are handled by our office in the same
fashion as the college application. The Transcript Request Form for Scholarship
Applications must be used and are due to the counselor well before the deadline.
•

8. Continued…..
Section 5: Mid-Year Grades (7th semester reports)
____ In February, mid-year grades will be mailed to all of the colleges to which you have applied. These
reports will include your senior courses, semester grades and your updated GPA/Rank.
Section 6: College Acceptance/Notification
____ As colleges inform you of their admission decision (acceptance, denial, waitlist, etc.) notify your
Guidance Counselor. Once again, notify your Guidance Counselor when you decide on the college you
will attend; submit any deposits or paperwork the college requests directly to the college (by their
deadline). If accepted Early Decision to a college, withdraw your applications from any other school(s)
to which you applied. As a courtesy, once you decide on the college you will attend you may want to
notify the other schools that you will not be attending.
____ In June, you MUST complete the Senior Survey. You will be asked to verify the admissions status of
the college(s) you applied to and to list the college you will attend; this is where your final transcript will
be mailed in late June. If you are waiting to hear from a Wait List college, fill in an Official Transcript
Request Form for that school. Athletes registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse will automatically have
their final transcript sent.
**** This form can be downloaded from the guidance website and family
connection under “forms.” We will also be passing this out during senior Q
& A sessions****

11. Transcript Request Deadlines
Application Due Date Request Date
Oct. 15, 2016 Sept. 23, 2016
Nov. 1, 2016 Oct. 12, 2016
Nov. 15, 2016 Oct. 22, 2016
Dec. 1, 2016 Nov. 4, 2016
Dec. 15, 2016 Nov. 20, 2016
Jan. 1, 2017 Dec. 3, 2016
Jan. 15, 2017 Dec. 16, 2016

12. SAT/ACT Scores
• OCHS does NOT SEND TEST scores
• Visit www.collegeboard.org to have your
scores sent to every College/University to
which you have applied.
• Visit www.actstudent.org to have your scores
sent to every college you apply to!
Colleges & Universities will NOT accept COPIES
or duplicated scores from OCHS.

13. SAT DATES

14. ACT DATES

15. Recommendation Letters
• Submit a request for a letter of recommendation IN
PERSON with the request form and updated
resume/activity list attached. You only need 2 teacher
letters – preferably from Junior Year!
• Provide the teacher with a 4 week notice MINIMUM!
• Add the Teacher you requested the letter from to your
Family Connection Account once you have completed your
first application.
• You can NOT read the letters of recommendations!

16. ON SITE ADMISSIONS!
• ON SITE admissions is a fantastic opportunity for Seniors to gain
admission on the “spot” to various Colleges and Universities at
OCHS!
• Seton Hall-Bloomsburg U-Arcadia U-Rowan U- Monmouth-U of
Tampa! MORE TO BE ADDED!
• The complete list is on Family Connection and will be updated daily.
• Be sure to review the screening requirements (they will be posted
on family connection) and discuss your options with your counselor
during your individual meetings, which begin the second week of
school.
• ON SITE ADMISSIONS DAY will be held 10/31/16
• The FIRM deadline to apply to any ON SITE program is 10/17/16

18. On Site Admission Checklist
Bloomsburg University
________ 3.0+ Cumulative GPA****
________ SAT MINIMUM 950+ (CR/MATH)
OR
________ ACT 20+
________ 1+ Letter of recommendation
________ NURSING MAJOR:
 3.75 GPA or Higher
 1150+ SAT or 25+ ACT
 The admissions for NURSING will NOT be determined at On Site Admissions BUT it is strongly recommended that
you interview/apply through the ON Site – It will add points to your application!
________ A submitted online application (I have attached a hard copy for my school counselor)
________ I have attached a hard copy of my SAT/ACT scores
________ Optional Personal Statement/Essay please indicate specifically why BU?
This checklist must be submitted with the transcript request form prior to 10/17/16

19. COLLEGE VISITS
• Please take advantage of the college visits taking
place right here at OCHS throughout September,
October and November!
• The admissions representative here at our school
will also be the person reviewing your application
for admission!
• Sign up on family connection today! From the
home page you may click on “view all upcoming
visits” and sign up. You will receive an email
confirmation that you will print out and use as
your pass to attend.

20. Military Opportunities
• There will be opportunities throughout the
school year to meet with representatives
from various branches of the military. The
visits will be posted on family connection and
morning announcements.
• Your counselor can assist you with locating
ROTC programs and/or obtaining more
information.

21. ACCC JUMP START!
• If you are considering attending ACCC next year
please discuss that with your counselor.
• Phase 1: ACCC will come to OCHS to discuss
majors, articulation agreements and student
activities.
• Phase 2: ACCC will administer the ACCUPLACER
placement test all students interested in
attending next year.
• Phase 3: ACCC advisors will meet with students in
the Spring to select their courses at OCHS!

22. Individual Counselor Meeting
• Prepare a list of questions you have for your
counselor.
• Your counselor will be sending you a pass over
the next few weeks to discuss your
College/Career Plans.
• If you need to see your counselor sooner,
please email them or stop in the office to
make a request.

23. September Notes:
• September :
– Visit Visit Visit!
– Create a Common Application Account
www.commonapp.org
– Firm up your request(s) for a letter of recommendation
– Write your personal statement/college essay
– Meet with your counselor to discuss college/career plans
– Prepare/Take/Send SAT and/or ACT to
Colleges/Universities
– Complete the FERPA Statement on Family Connection
– Match your family connection account to your common
application account.

24. October Notes:
• Take your SAT/ACT exam
• Send the scores to Colleges/Universities you plan to apply to.
• Finalize your college list on family connection (be sure to include
“Probable” “Target” and “Reach” schools). Colleges NEED to be added to
“Colleges I’m Thinking About” On Family Connection under the “Colleges”
tab! This will organize you regarding deadlines and what application(s) to
complete first.
• Begin applying and submitting college applications.
• Complete the Transcript request form for EVERY college you applied to.
DO NOT submit a transcript request prior to completing your application!
• Visit Visit Visit!
• Be sure to sign up for 1 or more on-site admissions opportunities!
DEADLINE OCTOBER 19th- FIRM!
• Check college board to determine if any of your Colleges/Universities
require the CSS profile

25. Thank you for your attention!
Best of luck to the OCHS
Class of 2017!