THE APPLICATION PROCESS: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA It is important to remember that the goal for all colleges is to create a freshman class that is diverse in a variety of ways. Every college wants to admit students who they feel can and will successfully complete their academic program while also pursuing a variety of extracurricular endeavors. There are many institutional initiatives and priorities that contribute to the dynamic of a college. It is important to remember that while your scores and grades may seem to make you a perfect match for a given school, there are other components that influence and contribute to the decisions that a college is making about the profile of the incoming freshman class.
The Application The goal of a college application is to demonstrate as much about the student as possible. All students are responsible for submitting the following within the deadlines set by each college: • The application; • Application fees (or waivers); • Standardized test scores (if applicable); • Teacher recommendations (you will not send these directly, but are responsible for ensuring that they are requested and recorded in Naviance); • Any special items that may be requested as part of a particular application (portfolios, CDs, films, videos, etc.); • Financial aid information. You must sign the FERPA waiver in your Common Application account so that Sacred Heart is permitted to send your forms online. You must also match your Common Application to your Naviance Account. Sacred Heart submits your transcript, secondary school report, senior grades, Sacred Heart profile, and all recommendations including a counselor recommendation. Students must use Naviance and the College Guidance traffic forms to let the counselors know to which schools they are applying and their deadlines. If the traffic forms and Naviance accounts are not current, the Sacred Heart components will be delayed. In the end, students are responsible for ensuring that colleges receive all of the necessary materials.
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