College Applications

Counselor Brag Sheet Deadlines 

The following fall 2023 deadlines are for Counselor Letters, but you should give teachers at least this much lead time as well. 

It is NOT your recommender's job to track you down! It is up to you to submit brag sheets and to do all steps below properly. 

• App Deadline November 1?  Brag sheet to counselor by October 6.
• App Deadline November 15?  Brag sheet to counselor by October 20.
• App Deadline December 1?  Brag sheet to counselor by November 9.
• App Deadline January 1 - 9?  Brag sheet to counselor by December 1.

 

Letter of Recommendation Process:  Expand each step below for detailed instructions. 

Rising Seniors can do up to Step 3 in spring/ summer. Wait until fall to complete Steps 4-8. 

College Application Essay (aka Personal Statement)

Not all colleges require an essay. Check the application requirements on the college website to be sure.

• Common App colleges require a main essay and often some shorter essays. See below for essay prompts. 
• University of Washington Seattle requires an essay. See below. 
• University of Washington Bothell requires an essay. See UW Bothell First Year Application. 
• Western Washington University requires an essay. See WWU Freshman Application Essay. 

How to Tackle the Essay 

1. Brainstorm. Write in response to Brainstorming Questions to get in the groove for personal writing. Also try the College Essay Guy's Essence Objects Exercise which will help you think more concretely. Check out the great advice & guidance on collegeessayguy.com.
2. Generate possible topics. Look at the prompts for your schools and create lists of ideas, or concept maps, or fragments of sentences. Try to come up with 20 possibilities. Don't naysay any ideas. 
3. Write six paragraphs. Choose six of your ideas and write paragraphs that contains the germ of each idea. They do not have to be opening paragraphs, or grammatical, or "good". Simply write something that focuses in on each of your ideas. 
4. Develop two or three of your most promising paragraphs into longer pieces. Don't worry too much about word count. Shorter drafts can be extended and longer drafts can be condensed. 
5. Seek feedback on your drafts. 
6. Revise according to your own goals and feedback from others. 
7. Edit carefully. Seek help on this; sometimes we don't see usage errors in our own writing. 
8. Only when you are absolutely ready, copy & paste the essay into the field in the Common App, the Coalition App, or the independent college application. Then, save & close and go back later to make sure that the essay is how you want it. 

General Tips for your Personal Essay 

The schools want to know two main things: 1) who you are and 2) how you write. 

• You own your essay. Since it is about you, you can take or leave any feedback from peers, teachers, or counselors. 
• TRY NOT make the essay too personal. Really shocking or traumatic events are not good topics.
• TRY NOT to choose a clichéd topic. College representatives read too many essays about:  influential grandfathers; tough athletic contests barely won/ lost; mission-type trips to developing countries. 
• DO NOT make things up for your essay. Be honest. 

For more do's & don'ts, see below.  

Note: fabrication and plagiarism are academically dishonest, and are grounds for: 

1. serious disciplinary consequences at Shorewood;
2. rejection of you as an applicant from the school to which you are applying;
3. rescission of an acceptance if you do make it in to the school;
4. expulsion from a school if you enroll.

 

2023-2024 Common Application Essay Prompts 650 word limit

From:  Common App First Year Essay Prompts

Over 1000 schools use the Common App; look for member colleges at www.commonapp.org. Choose from these seven options:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

We will retain the optional community disruption question within the Writing section. 

 

University of Washington Seattle First Year Writing

From: UW Seattle First Year Application Writing Section

Note that UW Seattle will not view the main Common App essay, only the Writing section within the UW Seattle section of the Common App.

At the UW, we consider the college essay as our opportunity to see the person behind the transcripts and the numbers. Some of the best statements are written as personal stories. In general, concise, straightforward writing is best, and good essays are often 300-400 words in length.

Please note that the UW essay questions must be answered within our application. For the Common App, that means within our UW questions. We do not consider the Common App essay.

Tip: They mark this as optional, but do not regard it as such!

• Essay prompt [required]
  • Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
  • Maximum length: 650 words
• Short response [required]
  • Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW.
  • Maximum length: 300 words
  • Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.
• Additional information about yourself or your circumstances [optional]
  • You are not required to write anything in this section, but you may include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if:
  • You have experienced personal hardships in attaining your education
  • Your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations
  • You have experienced unusual limitations or opportunities unique to the schools you attended
  • Maximum length: 200 words

The Common Application is used by 1000+ colleges, including UW Seattle, UW Bothell, Western, and all other public 4-year colleges in Washington. Students fill out one main application that will be used for all Common App schools, and then each school typically has a few additional questions. These questions are called the school's Common App Supplement. 

Students should allow plenty of time to fill out the Common App since it has about 40 sections, and most colleges require the main essay and additional writing. 

The Common App officially opens every year on August 1, but students can start an account during the summer prior to their senior year and then roll it over after August 1. Important to know about starting the Common App, college supplements, and the rollover process: 

• If you begin the Common App before August 1 leading into your senior year, only fill out the general sections (Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, Writing, and Courses & Grades), not the college-specific questions.
• Most colleges will post their supplements/ questions on August 1, but some--like UW Seattle and UW Bothell--may wait until September 1.
• Every year, the Common App "rolls over" in the summer before the new application opens on August 1.
• There may be an offline period at the end of July. Don't be surprised if you cannot log in or experience glitches for a few days. 
• Sections that will roll over include:  Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, Writing, and Courses & Grades. 
• The app will preserve your college list, but any work on the supplements (they would have been last year's supplements) will not roll over. 
• For details, see Common App Account Rollover. Be sure you read the detail &/ or watch the video. 

  

When & How to Start the Common App

Anytime in Summer before Senior year

• See if the schools you are applying to use the Common Application. Check online www.commonapp.org > Member Colleges. 
• Start the Common App using a professional email address, not your school email address. If you start prior to August 1, fill in no more than the Profile, Family, Education, and Testing portions. When you sign into the Common App on August 1 or later, your account can rollover into a current account. There may be a blackout period at the end of July.
• Look up the Common App Requirements Grid to get an idea of the variations among schools. Look up each school and see if it:  requires the personal essay and if it has a writing supplement, which will be listed as Questions under each college under the My Colleges tab. Also look at the types of deadlines. Realize, however, that some of these details may change after August 1 when the application, with most of the updated supplements, officially opens.
• Some colleges, like UW Seattle, will not post their new supplements until September 1.
• ‘Like’ Common Application on FB; commonapp on Instagram; follow @CommonApp on Twitter.
• If you start the app early, only fill out the general sections:  Profile, Family, Education, and Testing but do not fill in the counselor information in the Education section. Questions in the other sections could change and/ or your information could be lost in the rollover. 

 August 1 or later

• Create or roll over your account at www.commonapp.org.
• Under the Common App tab, start filling in informational sections except the counselor information in the Educational section. Counselor allocations may change early in the school year, so you could have a different counselor than before.
• Under the College Search tab, add colleges to your list.
• Look up individual college supplements and writing requirements. Some of these may be available before 8/1 and some will not. Many schools have several short essays. Complete any optional essays (they’re not really optional!).
• Complete the FERPA Waiver under My Colleges tab. The section is called Recommenders and FERPA. Check the boxes and provide your electronic signature for the FERPA. Important: Ignore the Recommenders section. You will request letters of recommendation through Naviance, and then only after school starts and the teachers have said yes.

 

In September/ October/ November of your Senior Year (adjust according to your deadlines)

• Fill in the counselor information in the Education section of the Common App tab according to the new Shorewood counselor allocations, which change every school year. Note that you should NOT list counselors' or teachers' email addresses, only their name. 
• Paste your essays into the appropriate spots on the Common App. Most colleges require both a main essay for the Writing section and at least one supplementary essay in the Questions that are under individual colleges in the My Colleges tab. Be absolutely certain that you paste the correct essay into the correct slot. 
• Complete any remaining parts of the application. Use the Dashboard tab and make sure that all sections have green checkmarks. It is easy to miss parts of this complex application, so be thorough.

 

Courses & Grades (C&G) Section

Not all students will need to fill out this section. If you are applying to one of the member colleges that use this section, you will fill in your own classes and grades from grades 9 - 11 as well as input what classes you are taking senior year. Use our guides for directions. 

As of fall 2023, 90% of colleges are test-optional. Most Shorewood seniors are applying to colleges without scores. 

To check particular colleges, go to FairTest.org and search individual colleges for their SAT/ ACT score policies. You must look at the details: 

• UW Seattle is officially test optional but in practice they are virtually test free. They only look at scores in about 1 of 200 applicants and you cannot ask to be that 1/200 person. They do not recommend spending time and effort on prep & testing. 
• Auburn University is also categorized as test optional, but they are test preferred. 

If you are aiming for Auburn, MIT, military academies, or public colleges in southeastern US states, we recommend you sign up for the SAT and/ or ACT. 

To sign up, do so directly with the testing agency:  SAT.org or ACT.org. 

For details and perspective on the college admissions testing landscape, see To Test or Not to Test? 

 

 

There are two parts to FERPA that pertain to college applications, and you will need to deal with FERPA on each platform (system) you use. If most of your college applications are via Common App, then you will need to do FERPA steps in both Scoir and Common App. 

FERPA Release gives us and/ or other platforms permission to send parts of your educational record to colleges. If the student is under 18, a parent/ guardian must give permission. 

FERPA Waiver waives your right to see any letters of recommendation written on your behalf.  The student can complete this part themselves. Even if your applications do not require letters, this part must be completed for the FERPA step to be checked off and proof submitted to the colleges. 

FERPA in Scoir:  follow the directions on Scoir FERPA Waiver and Release or in our Scoir How To Slideshow to complete these required steps in Scoir. 

FERPA in Common App:  since Common App is a separate platform, they also have a FERPA section. Follow instructions there to give permission and grant the waiver. However, do not request recommenders in Common App. List counselor and teacher names only, not email addresses. We do all school documents through Scoir. 

IMPORTANT:  Many colleges will not consider applications complete unless they also receive proof that you have completed both parts of the FERPA. 

Students heading for two-year college should fill out the FAFSA or WASFA (figure out which one) during the fall (after October 1) or winter of their senior year. 

Shorewood holds a Financial Aid Night in the fall of senior year and provides guidance to families about the process.  

The FAFSA or WASFA make you eligible for federal and state financial aid to help pay for college. 

More Info

• See our FAFSA page for an explanation of the form and process
• Go to FAFSA.ed.gov to set up an account and fill out the FAFSA
• See our WASFA page for more about who will use the form 
• Go to wsac.wa.gov/wasfa to set up a WASFA account and fill it out

If you are already doing Running Start, you will fill out a form in the spring that will flip you from a RS to a regular student. Stay tuned for instructions from your Counselor.

If you are NOT Running Start, apply to the college using this presentation to guide you: 

How to Apply to Shoreline Community College (and all other Washington State community & technical colleges) 

 

Timing:  Ideally, you will apply in winter/ early spring so that you have time to also fill out the Scholarship Application for your college. Shoreline's Annual Scholarship Application is usually due at the end of March. 

Be Ready:  Have your Social Security number handy if you have one, and know which program you might do (it's okay to change your mind later). No application fee will be required! 

Use the Scoir How-To slideshow to guide you. 

List of Steps: 

1. Go to Classlink
2. Select Scoir
3. Sign up or sign in
4. Complete FERPA Release & Waiver
   1. Go to Me (top right) > View Profile
   2. Find FERPA Release and Waiver on right
   3. Review and Sign the Waiver:  click Granted box and Sign at the bottom
   4. If you are 18+ do the same for the Release
   5. If you are not 18, Invite a Parent in the middle section
      1. Your parent will have to set up their Scoir account and then sign the FERPA Release
   6. For more info on this step, see Scoir FERPA Release and FERPA Waiver or the Scoir How-To slideshow. 
5. Go to My Colleges
6. List your college(s) in Applying or Applied, whichever is accurate
   1. Select that you are applying via the College Website with the Rolling deadline. No need for an application ID.  
7. Watch for instructions in the spring about requesting a final transcript and other final steps in Scoir

 

Look up and follow your college's procedures: 

Shoreline Community College New Student Checklist 

Edmonds New Student Checklist for applying and more detailed Edmonds New Student Checklist for registering

North Seattle First Time in College steps

or, look for your college's new student checklist

You will get a new email address when you apply. Be sure you start checking it! 

To figure out the type of application your schools use, do both of the following: 

1. Add schools to Applying in Scoir and the system will ask how you are applying and which deadlines you are choosing. Choose whichever method will save you labor. If most of your colleges are on the Common App, select Common App. 
2. Check each college's website. The sequence is usually Admissions > Apply > First Year Application.

The application section of a college website will tell you not only if the college has its own application or uses the Common Application or another platform. The website will also tell you all of the fine print about application elements. Since college applications vary so much, it is imperative that you read and follow the instructions on each college's website. 

If you have Common App Schools, create a Common App account

Go to CommonApp.org and start an account. You can start an account the summer before your senior year. If you start it in June or July, your account will roll over on August 1 when the Common App officially opens for the school year.

If you do start the application before August 1, only fill out information in the main Profile part of the Common App. Do not answer individual colleges' questions; your answers will not save when  your account rolls over. 

Note that we do letters through Scoir, NOT Common App. List only teachers' and counselors' names in Common App, NOT their email addresses. 

Use our yearly guide for how to fill out the Common Application. You will need information about class size and how to list particular courses. 

Some colleges use other systems for their applications 

You may be applying to a college that requires you to use another application platform. 

• California State Universities use Cal State Apply 
• University of California schools use the UC Application
• Many colleges (53) in Texas use Apply Texas
• For some colleges, you can Apply via Scoir, which is the current platform for the Coalition Application. Only use this option if you can tell that all/ most of your colleges have the option to Apply via Scoir. There will be a little green logo on the college tile in Scoir. 

In most cases, Scoir will know what your colleges need from us, but you can communicate with your counselor if are worries. 

Add schools to My Colleges in Scoir

If you know that you are applying to the college, put the college in the Applying category. Colleges in the Following category are not active applications, and will not know that you are applying and will not be able to send materials. 

If counselors have not yet been assigned for the school year--this process usually happens in early September--then you will only be able to add colleges in the Following category and will move them when your counselor is assigned. 

Select Deadlines (and verify them!)

You will have choices for your deadlines. You can only apply to one school Early Decision. You may apply to multiple schools Early Action if you wish. 

Note that you must verify all deadlines on the college website; additional deadlines that do not apply to you (January start, Winter Quarter start) may show up. 

Select How You Will Submit Your Application

You will be asked which application you are using. Some schools do not have options (UW Seattle = only Common App), and other colleges have two or more (Oregon State = Common App or OSU's own application).  

 If you have several Common App schools, it will be easiest for you to select Common App for all the schools that have it as an option. 

If you are using the college's own application, or a platform that does not show up (Apply Texas, Universal College Application), then select Direct. 

If you change your mind, then go back into Scoir and update your choice. 

Both the FERPA Release and FERPA Waiver must be completed in Scoir. List of steps (images below):  

• Go to Me (top right) > View Profile
• Find FERPA Release and Waiver on right
  • Review and Sign the Waiver:  click Granted box and Sign at the bottom
  • If you are 18+ do the same for the Release
  • If you are not 18, Invite a Parent in the middle section
  • Your parent will have to set up their Scoir account and then sign the FERPA Release
• For more info on this step, see Scoir FERPA Release and FERPA Waiver or the Scoir How-To slideshow. 

FERPA Release gives Shorewood permission to send your transcript and other materials to the colleges. If the student is under 18, a parent/ guardian must complete this through their own Scoir account. The student can invite their parent to Scoir via their profile. 

 

FERPA Waiver waives your right to see letters of recommendation written on your behalf.  The student can complete this in Scoir via their Profile, "Me" on the top right. 

Request Letters of Recommendation in Scoir only after you have talked with teachers. Ask only if you need letters; many schools do not require them. 

 
For complete instructions, see the Letters of Recommendation section above or the Letters of Rec for College Apps page. 

Review your Application List

Be sure that:

1. All of your colleges are in the list. 
2. You have selected how you will submit the applications. 
3. The deadlines are the ones you want. If they are not, then select the correct ones. 
4. Letters are requested, if needed.

About Transcripts

Adding a college to the Applying category in Scoir will automatically trigger a transcript request. If you have listed the college with the correct deadline and application type and put it in the Applying category, you do not need to do anything else to have us send your transcript. 

Important Notes about Transcripts:  

• If you request your transcript in summer or fall of your senior year, then it will be your transcript through the end of junior year. 
• If you request a transcript after Semester 2 has started, the transcript will include Semester 1 courses and grades.
• The University of Washington Seattle and University of California schools do not require transcripts with initial applications, so you do not need to request them for UW Seattle or any of the UC school. Most other schools, including UW Bothell, do require transcripts. 
• If you are a Running Start student, you will have to request transcripts from SCC (or the community college you attend). See SCC Official Transcript Requests. 
• Midyear Transcripts will be sent to all colleges in your Applying and Applied lists by February 15. Colleges know that our semester does not end until near the end of January. 

Update Scoir When

• you have submitted your application to a college
• you hear about your acceptance/ deferral/ denial
• you decide to not follow through with an application

When you submit an application to a school or when you hear about your acceptance/ deferral/ denial, go into My Colleges and update. 

After you decide and have updated the outcomes of all of your applications, select the one college you will be attending by dragging it to the Enrolling spot at the top of the Applied column in your My Colleges view. 

In order for us to send your final Shorewood transcript:

• Have all colleges you applied to in the Applied column
• Update all outcomes
• Move one college to the Enrolling spot

Doing these comprises a final transcript request. At the very end of the school year, we will send a transcript to the one college where you will be enrolling. 

We do not send a final transcript to all of your colleges, only to the one where you will be attending. 

Keep Scoir updated and you will be set!  

If you are Running Start or have other dual credit classes, YOU are responsible for ordering those transcripts via the college's website. If you attended Shoreline Community College, go to their website and search for Transcripts. You will order an Official Transcript via the Online method and have it sent directly to the college you will be attending. It will cost approximately $8. 

As of November 2023, 90% of colleges are test optional. For fine print on what that means, look at each college's website. Most students will need to decide whether to send their scores on a case-by-case basis. 

If you have scores, then you want to figure out if the scores will give you an advantage or not. If you have been unable to test, don't worry about it. 

• Use Fairtest.org and the colleges' websites to check their policies. 
• Use a tool like CollegeData.com > Admission > scroll down to SAT Scores of Enrolled First Year Students to find the range. If you are near the top of the range, consider sending your scores. If you are not near the top of the range, do not bother sending scores. 

Accepted reporting methods vary by school. Check the fine print on each college's website to see if they would like official reports with your application or if they are fine with self-reporting, which is usually done with you filling in your scores on the application. 

Shorewood does NOT send scores. 

Please note that you will have to provide official test score reports from the College Board for SAT or from ACT.org for ACT when requested and during the enrollment process.

Never lie about scores or anything else on college applications. You will be found out and any acceptance will be rescinded. 

Have your Test Scores Sent

Shorewood does not send test scores. For most schools, you must have the testing agencies send your scores. See below for a list of the few schools that accept unoffical scores.

Allow at least three weeks for official score reports. 

If you requested that scores be sent when you took the SAT / ACT (you can choose up to four free reports when you register for a test), then be sure that the colleges have your scores. You may not need to pay to have a separate score report. 

If you did not have your scores sent automatically, you must order score reports from the testing agencies. They will send scores directly to the colleges. 

To send your scores, see Sending SAT Scores and/ or Sending ACT Scores. You must log into your account(s) to be able to send the scores. It costs about $12 to send scores to a school. Note:  If application or score report fees are a problem, talk to your counselor. 

College score reporting policies vary. Some colleges want to see all of your scores from all of the times you have taken a test, and others let you choose the highest score to send. When you order score reports on CollegeBoard.org, the scores will load according to the college's policy.

Unofficial Reports

A few colleges accept unofficial scores directly from the student. Accepted reporting methods vary by school. Check the fine print on each college's website.

Your college may let you simply fill in the scores on your application, or they may want a screen shot or the PDF report from the testing agency. Following the college's instructions is an excellent way to demonstrate that you care about their particulars. Submitting things in ways they do not want you to is not a great indicator. 

Even if you are able to submit unofficial report, you may have to provide official test score reports when requested and during the enrollment process.

Never lie about scores or anything else on college applications. You will be found out and any acceptance will be rescinded. 

Most families will fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid

• Only use the site fafsa.ed.gov.  
• The application opens October 1 of every year, and must be filed every year for a student to be eligible for aid.
• Fill out the FAFSA that corresponds with the college start date. The Shorewood Class of 2021 will fill out the 2020-2021 FAFSA starting the fall of 2019.
• You will use the prior prior year tax information. For the 2021-2022 FAFSA, families will use 2019 tax information.  

For more information on how Financial Aid and the FAFSA work, see other pages on this site:

Financial Aid

FAFSA 

 

Some students will fill out the WASFA instead of the FAFSA.

The WASFA is for public and private, not-for-profit colleges in Washington State only, not colleges in other states. 

Refer to the image below to determine which form you should file: 

 

If you are not certain, go to readysetgrad.wa.gov/wasfa and click Start a New WASFA. The form begins with several questions and when completed, you will be told to either to proceed with the WASFA or to file the FAFSA instead. 

The WASFA also opens on October 1 of every year.  

CSS Profile 

Some schools use the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA. 

The profile is completed through the College Board. Families will use cssprofile.collegeboard.org to find out more and to file the form. 

To figure out if your school requires the CSS Profile, check both the site linked above for the most updated list and each college's website. Look under the Financial Aid section to find out the required applications (FAFSA / WASFA only or FAFSA and CSS Profile) and the deadlines.