SENIOR YEAR - The College Application Process Important Dates & Deadlines: October 4th, 5th & 6th (2:30 in G-9 each day): The OPHS Counselors will be holding advisement meetings with all 4-year college bound seniors to review protocols and procedures for this year's college admission cycle. Details will include - letters of recommendation, transcripts, application submission, SAT & ACT score reporting and more. Mr. McLelland's seniors (Ni-Z) will meet on 10/4, Ms. Heeney's seniors (A-Ge) will meet on 10/5, and Ms. Fries' seniors (Gh-Ng) will meet on 10/6. Counselors will begin scheduling individual meetings with their seniors on a "first come" basis beginning 10/7. You will be able to sign up for your appointment in the Counseling Office beginning 10/7. Important notes: before scheduling a meeting seniors must have completed the Counselor's Task List in Naviance. To insure that transcripts are ordered accurately students will not be allowed to order transcripts until they have had their individual meeting with their counselor. For more information on the Task List and Transcripts please scroll down this page to those topics. October 15th: College Essay Writing Workshop by Dr. Kathy Schultheis. Click here for more information: College Essay Writing Workshop Early Action/Early Decision application deadlines vary from as early as October 15th to as late as February 1st for some schools. Most "Regular Admission" deadlines, will be somewhere between November 30th and January 15th. November 18th: This is the deadline for students to request a letter of recommendation for any application with a deadline prior to January 15th. Counselors and Teachers must have a minimum of 3 weeks lead time for all recommendations! The Counselor's Checklist must be completed in order to request a recommendation from any teacher or counselor. October 1st thru November 30th: This is the window for students to submit their online application to all UC's & CSU's January 1st: Federal Financial Aid applications (FAFSA’s) may only be submitted after this date. Paper forms are available in the Counseling Office now. However, the preferred method for submission is via internet through their website at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ January 11th: Financial Aid Workshop for parents & students 6:30-8:30 p.m. in G-9 Mid-March: is when most UC and CSU schools begin notifying applicants of acceptance or denial. Berkeley and UCLA are the last to send notices (surprise, surprise)! March 2nd: Deadline to submit GPA verification form to apply for a Cal Grant Spring Break: Spring Break is the time to make final visits to schools that have made offers of acceptance. This is also the month students will notify most schools of their decisions. Information about scheduling trips to UC & CSU campuses can be found at the OPHS Counseling "UC & CSU Admissions" web page. May 1st: Commitment Deadline! by this date.
Students must formally confirm acceptance or declination of an offer of admission
May & June: are critical months for seniors because last semester grades do count! Spring semester classes (that were listed on the student’s admission application) that are dropped or not passed with at least a "C" may result in a college rescinding its offer. Most competitive universities expect seniors to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in the senior year.