College Admissions: Six College-Related Tasks Juniors Should Complete Now
Email to a friend
Permalink
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
By Jodi Walder, GoLocal PDX College Admissions Expert
Juniors, in a very short time you will be seniors! Before this school year ends there are a few tasks you should do so that make it easier for you to work on your college applications over the summer should you opt to do so.
1. Request an end-of-year transcript. You will need this over the summer to fill out your applications. Most schools send a report card rather than a transcript. Do whatever the steps are at your school to ensure you get a transcript. Most commonly they are available a week or two after school ends and you can get them from the school admin if your counselor will be off for the summer. You may need to fill out a request form. Please get a printed copy and then scan it and save it in case you misplace the printed version.
2. If you might play an NCAA sport in college (I’m not referring to intramurals) be sure to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. In order for coaches to speak with you this summer (after July 1), you have to be registered and they must receive your end-of-junior-year transcript. Once you register, your school will get the transcript request and upload the transcript for you. This is not a step you have to do, but it is polite to ask your counselor or school admin to be on the lookout for the NCAA Eligibility request.
3. Be sure to fill out any paperwork your high school requests. Every high school is different. Some require you to complete forms for teacher recommendations now, and other schools do that process in the fall. Some schools want you to provide a resume of your activities, or want a rec letter from your parent or best friend. These personal letters will not be sent to colleges but your school counselor might use them to make the letter he/she writes more personal. Even if you are working with an independent counselor, you still must follow all the steps requested by your high school counselor.
4. If your school uses Naviance, it is really important for you to know how to login to your Naviance account. Be sure to find out and write it in a safe place (or email it to your parents) so that you have the info if you want to work on your applications this summer.
5. If you took the ACT or SAT through your school and the school registered you for the test (rather than registering yourself online) be sure to get your ACT or SAT login information. You will need it to check and send your scores. Once again, write it down and also send it to someone (like a parent) who won’t lose it, so that you can access the account if you need to this summer.
6. If your school does not have a formalized process for requesting teacher recommendation letters, decide which two junior teachers you want to ask, and make a verbal request before school gets out. Teachers tend to be swamped at the beginning of the school year. Some teachers much prefer to write recommendation letters over the summer when they have more free time and don’t have the day-to-day teaching and grading duties. Other teachers like to take a total break over the summer and are willing to spend evenings and weekend in the fall writing rec letters. By asking now, you give the teacher the option to do what he or she prefers. (Remember that a teacher may say “no “ to your request, and asking early gives you time to decide whom else you would like to ask instead.) For detailed info about teacher rec letter requests, see my prior column.
Jodi Walder-Biesanz is the founder of Portland, Oregon-based College Admission Coach LLC which helps students identify and gain admission to right-fit schools where they will thrive academically and personally. Contact her at [email protected].
Related Slideshow: 30 Famous College Grads From Oregon
Who are some of the most famous people to graduate from Oregon schools? Here is a list of a few of the most interesting or surprising alumni you probably didn't know came from Oregon.
Prev
Next
Mike Richardson
Portland State University, Class of 1977
Founder of Dark Horse Comics, the third largest comic-book publisher in the U.S., and founder of Dark Horse Entertainment, which has produced over two dozen films and television projects.
Prev
Next
Signe Toly Anderson
Portland State University, 1960-1963
Lead female vocalist for the band Jefferson Airplane, jazz and folk singer, and member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
Prev
Next
Katie Harman
Portland State University, Class of 2002
Crowned Miss America the same year she graduated from PSU.
Prev
Next
Carolyn Davidson
Portland State University, Class of 1971
Creator of the Nike Swoosh.
Prev
Next
Jordan Senn
Portland State University, Class of 2007
Two time Academic All-American for the PSU football team, who signed on as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts, and also played for the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears.
Prev
Next
Barbara Ehrenreich
Reed College, Class of 1963
Award winning essayist, political activist and author of New York Times Best Seller, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America."
Prev
Next
Earl Blumenauer
Lewis and Clark College, Class of 1970 and 1976
U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 3rd district since 1996 and a leading proponent of livable communities.
Prev
Next
Matt Wuerker
Lewis and Clark College, Class of 1979
Winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for editorial cartooning, as well as a finalist for the award in 2009 and 2010, and one of the founding staff members of Politico.
Prev
Next
Heidi Hitkamp
Lewis and Clark College, Class of 1980
Hitkamp was the first woman ever elected to represent North Dakota in either the U.S. Senate or House. She has been a Senator since 2013.
Prev
Next
Matt Biondi
Lewis and Clark College, Class of 2000
Winner of 11 Olympic medals in swimming and one of the most decorated American Olympians of all time.
Prev
Next
Greg Behrendt
University of Oregon, Class of 1991
After starting out to study business, Behrendt went on to become a script consultant for Sex and the City, as well as a standup comedian and author.
Photo Credit: Facebook: Greg Behrendt
Prev
Next
Neil Everett
University of Oregon, Class of 1984
ESPN Sports Center anchor
Prev
Next
James Ivory
University of Oregon, Class of 1951
Director of several films, including Academy Award winners A Room with a View and Howard’s End, and founder of Merchant Ivory Productions.
Photo via IMDB.com
Prev
Next
Renee James
University of Oregon, Class of 1986
President of Intel, after a promotion to the two-person executive team in 2013 and ranked 37th on Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
Prev
Next
Linus Pauling
Oregon State University, Class of 1922
The only person ever to win two unshared Nobel Prizes, Pauling was the leader of his time in chemistry. One of his Nobel Prizes was for peace, after his efforts to end atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons.
Prev
Next
Mercedes Bates
AKA Betty Crocker
Oregon State University, Class of 1936
Head of Betty Crocker Kitchens at General Mills, and the first female corporate officer for the company, Bates also developed the Betty Crocker character, turning it into a national icon.
Prev
Next
Julie Bentz
Oregon State University, Class of 1986
The first female officer in the Oregon Army National Guard to reach the rank of general. Bentz is now a member of President Obama’s National Security Staff.
Prev
Next
George Bruns
Oregon State University, Class of 1936
Music Director for Walt Disney Productions for over 25 years, wrote the “Ballad of Davy Crockett,” and music for “Tony the Tiger” and “Pillsbury Doughboy” ad campaigns. Burns directed the music for “Sleeping Beauty,” “Robin Hood,” and the Mickey Mouse Club TV show.
Prev
Next
Vance DeBar 'Pinto' Colvig
Oregon State University, Class of 1911
Mostly known as the voice for Disney’s cartoon “Goofy” for over 20 years, Colvig also voiced "Sleepy" and "Grumpy" in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Colvig also wrote the song "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf," performed all the sound effects for Jack Benny’s 1930s radio show, and was Capital Record’s first Bozo the Clown in the 1940s.
Prev
Next
Timothy Leatherman
Oregon State University, Class of 1970
Inventor of the Leatherman multi-tool.
Prev
Next
Dick Fosbury
Oregon State University, Class of 1972
Revolutionized the high-jumping sport by jumping over the bar backward--coined the “Fosbury Flop.” He won a gold medal in the event at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
Prev
Next
Alan Hart
OHSU, Class of 1917
Born as Alberta Lucille Hart, Hart became one of the first female-to-male transexuals in the United States, after graduating from the School of Medicine. He also was a pioneer for using radiology to detect tuberculosis.
Prev
Next
R. Bradley Sack
OHSU, Class of 1960
Internationally recognized for his work with oral rehydration therapy (ORT) which became the worldwide standard for treatment of dehydration and diarrhea.
Prev
Next
Oscar Frederick “Doc” Willing
OHSU
After receiving a degree in dentistry from OHSU, Willing went on to become one of the top American amateur golfers of the 20th Century, and is one of 15 indvudals undefeated in U.S. Foursomes and Singles Matches in the Walker cup.
Prev
Next
Harry Glickman
University of Oregon, Class of 1948
Founder and president emeritus of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Prev
Next
Norma Paulus
Willamette University, Class of 1962
Former Oregon Secretary of State, Paulus was the first woman to hold a statewide elected office in Oregon.
Prev
Next
Patrick Carman
Willamette University, Class of 1988
New York Times best-selling author for his children's fantasy series The Land of Elyon, Atherton, and Elliot's Park.
Prev
Next
Shelley Beattie
Southern Oregon University, 1988
Professional bodybuilder who won third place in Ms. International and Ms. Olympia, a member of the first all-female America’s Cup Team, and an actress on the TV show “American Gladiator.”
Related Articles
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.
Email to a friend
Permalink
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It