Naviance, College Application Information, & Recommendation Letter Procedures

Naviance
All Saint Joseph High School students have Naviance accounts.  

Naviance is a comprehensive college and career readiness platform that enables self discovery, career exploration and college preparation.
 
Sophomores are introduced to Naviance and in depth tutorials are provided to students and parents in the Fall of junior year.
 
Naviance can be accessed through the following link:
 
https://student.naviance.com/sjhighschool
 
Important College Application Information
 
About College Applications
 
There are 3 main college application options
1)    Common Application
2)    Coalition Application
3)    Colleges own specific application (found on the college’s website)

The Common Application is the application of choice for over 900 private and public colleges and universities.  Many of these institutions use the form exclusively.  All give equal consideration to the Common Application and the colleges own applications.  On this website, discover a list of colleges and universities that accept the Common Application, the actual application, and supplementary forms.  If a college does not accept the Common Application, then check the admissions section of the college's website to find their online application.

URL for the Common Application: www.commonapp.org
 
Over 150 colleges use the Coalition Application. Generally, we only recommend using the Coalition Application if the college is an exclusive member with the Coalition. If you find that all your colleges are on Common Application and only one is part of the Coalition (ex. Rutgers) then just consider completing the Rutgers application on the Rutgers website rather than the Coalition as this may save time.  Use the Coalition if it is the only option, or you have two or more colleges that are exclusive to the Coalition, but not part of the Common Application

URL for the Coalition Application: https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/
 
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All information (transcripts, teacher & guidance counselor recommendation letters, school profile) is sent from Saint Joe’s to the colleges that students are applying to via Naviance.
 
 
Linking your Common Application account to your Naviance account

If a student is applying to any college using the Common App.  They must link their Common App. account to their Naviance account. This enables Saint Joe’s to be able to send all of the required information (listed above) to those colleges.
The below video shows how to link the accounts:
 
https://www.screencast.com/t/gxEQkElyo1
 
Transcript Requests
 
In order for Saint Joe’s to submit all of the required information to the colleges students are applying to, a transcript request must be completed in Naviance.

The video below shows how to submit transcript requests:
 
https://www.screencast.com/t/Eibj9gqU
 
Recommendation Letters & Senior Guidance Forms
 
Recommendation Letters
Most, if not all colleges, will require teacher recommendation letters to be sent to them as part of their required information.  Once a student has asked a teacher(s) in person FIRST to write a recommendation letter for them, they must then request the letter through Naviance.
The video below shows how to request letters of recommendation through Naviance:
(click on part 5 of the video)
https://www.screencast.com/t/Eibj9gqU
 
Please remember that Guidance Counselors will write recommendation letters for all of their seniors.  A request in Naviance is not needed for this.
 
Senior Guidance Forms  
1) Parent Information Sheet – Parents are requested to complete the sheet and return it to your son’s Guidance Counselor.  This can be returned via email, or sent into school with your son. This is also available as a Google Form.  (Please ask your son's counselor to send you the link.)
Tell us everything you have been holding in about how wonderful your son is and all of his great accomplishments that we may not be aware of. This form will be confidential between parents, your son, and his counselor. 
 
2) Student Information Sheet - This form is required by Guidance Counselors so that they can use the information, along with information they have gathered over the past three years, to help them write an in-depth personalized recommendation letter.  This recommendation letter will be sent to all colleges that students apply to. This form can be printed and handwritten, or emailed, or it also available as a Google Form.  (Please ask your son's counselor to send you the link.)
 
3) Resume – It is always highly recommended that students prepare a resume. This can be provided to teachers as an aid for their recommendation letters, it is sometimes used for scholarship applications, and can be used, if needed, to be given to college representatives, coaches, or potential employers (part time job or summer employment.  The sample resume attached below is a good example of the format and content that is appropriate.