College Bound Seniors-Ordering Final Official Transcripts

To order your transcript:

• Visit www.cvhs.com
• On the main page, under “Quick Links” select “Order Transcripts”
• From the left hand side of webpage towards the bottom, select “Ordering Transcripts Online”
• Select Capistrano Valley High School from the list under “Select your school from the list below”
• You will be directed to Parchment, with instructions on how to proceed.
• Place your final transcript order online through Parchment now! It's easy, it's secure, and it's available 24/7.
• During the summer when Capistrano Valley High School is closed, the District Office will approve and send transcripts through Parchment.  Transcripts may be sent to the colleges, NCCA, scholarships funds, and your own home.  
• If you place your order today, and/or any date prior to June 26^th, 2013 and choose the “Next Grading Period” option, you are choosing to have your transcript sent after the final high school grades have been posted onto the transcript. 

If you place an order during the summer any date after June 26^th, 2013, after the final high school grades have been posted onto the transcripts choose the “Send Transcript Now” option.

Click here for a list of the colleges and new deadline information  http://www.nacacnet.org/media-center/Documents/HurricaneSandy.pdf  

In the state of California, higher education opportunities can be realized by attending one of the 110 community colleges, 33 public universities (CSU and UC), 75 private/independent universities and many more technical, trade, and art schools.  To be eligible to attend a community college, one must be 18 years of age or possess a high school diploma. Eligibility requirements for the California State University and University of California public systems require completion of the minimum a-g course sequence with grades of C or higher and submission of ACT or SAT college admission tests results.  Private/Independent university eligibility requirements vary from institution to institution, but follow closely with the University of California a-g course sequence.  To learn more about each individual institution, it is recommended that students log onto the prospective school websites, or visit the CVHS Guidance Office and Career Center to explore majors and schools in California and nationwide.  The following link will lead you to each college and university in the California system Collegeatlas.org.

For more information on applying to community colleges, California State University, University of California, or private/independent universities, please refer to these pages on the navigation bar to the left. 

College Application:  Universities prefer that admissions applications be completed online.  You can access CSU and UC applications through their prospective websites.  To complete an admissions application to private universities, you will need to  go directly to the school website.  Websites can be found through a search online, or in the CVHS Guidance Office/Career Center.

College Application Fee:  Application fees will vary per institution, and will be due upon submission of your application.  Some universities offer fee waivers for those who qualify. 

High School Transcript:  To complete your CSU or UC application, you will need an unofficial copy of your high school transcript for self reporting your classes and grades. Unofficial transcripts are available via the parent portal. Once you have been accepted to a CSU or UC campus, that particular campus will prompt you to have an OFFICIAL transcript sent from CUSD directly to them upon graduation from high school.  If you are applying to a private university, however, an OFFICIAL transcript will be required as part of the application process.  To order your official high school transcript please see Barbara Lancaster in the Guidance Office or visit http://www.cvhs.com and select “ordering transcripts” under Quick Links. 

College Admissions Exams/Tests:  As part of the application process, students will be required to submit the results of college admissions exams: ACT or SAT I; SAT II for UC and some private universities.  For more information regarding these exams, please see College Admissions Testing on the navigation bar to the left.

College Essay or Personal Statement:    Private/Independent Universities as well as University of California will require a college essay as part of their application process.  The college essay is written in response to a prompt given to the student in the application. A college essay will not be required for applications to the California State University.

Letters of Recommendation: Most private university and scholarship applications will require that students submit letters of recommendation.  Some will specify who the recommender should be (teachers, employers, coaches,community and church leaders); others simply indicate how many recommendations are required.  Letters of recommendation give evaluators and selection committees' alternate information about you the person.  Keep in mind that these individuals will already have objective information - your grades, classes and test scores - they want to know about your character and who you are outside of the classroom, more appropriately, how others see you!!

Tips for letters of recommendation

• Aspire to make good connections with teachers and other adults on campus so that when it comes time to request a recommendation, you have many options.
• Choose adults who know you well; those who can write about not only your academic skills, but also your talents and abilities.
• Choose recommenders who will write specific statements about you - not remarks that could apply to any student.

Steps to securing letters of recommendation

1. Ask teachers, coaches, administrators, academic advisors, counselors, employers, community and church leaders who know you well and who will write you a personalized and positive letter of recommendation.  If this person is a teacher, it is preferable that you are currently in his or her class or were a student of theirs the previous year.
2. PLAN AHEAD!  Make an appointment to speak with the person you are asking for a recommendation from no less than 3 to 4 weeks prior to the deadline. 
3. Provide your recommenders with important information that they may need to write a letter that truly represents your good qualities, character and outstanding skills.  Providing your recommender with a copy of your student resume, self evaluation and college essay will assist them in writing a more precise and thorough letter.
4. Provide your recommenders with the following: 1) Name and address of the school or scholarship you are applying to/for and a stamped addressed envelope if the school or scholarship committee requires that the letter be sent directly to them by the recommender (be sure to provide a manila envelope if the recommender is required to send additional documentation such as a copy of your transcript, etc.  2) DEADLINE or date that the letter needs to be submitted 3) A copy of your high school transcript, student resume, and a student profile (if available). 
5. Follow-up by thanking the person(s) who provided you with a recommendation.

Download a copy of a SAMPLE RESUME  and the STUDENT EVALUATION located in the packet.

Being PREPARED AND ORGANIZED will allow your recommenders to write an outstanding letter of recommendation!!

Service Hours/Extra-Curricular Activities/Volunteering: Students are not required to do service hours as a condition of graduation from Capistrano Valley High School/Capistrano Unified School District, however, most universities will, as a part of their application process, ask students to document service hours, extra-curricular activities and volunteer hours.  The general rule of thumb is to get involved in an activity that you are passionate about and can commit to for a length of time.  Universities will ask what types of activities you were involved in, how long you were committed to the activity and what skills you developed or how it affected you personally. 

Download the CVHS Community Service & Volunteer Log  

Download the CVHS Community Service/Volunteer Hour Log Excel Spreadsheet  

College Rankings are everywhere!  US News & World Report is one of the most well known, but will it help you and your student? 

http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/CollegeRankings/CounselorsCorner/default.aspx 

Summer Actvities that Strengthen College Applications

Many colleges still have space available for the fall semester.   Check out this link for a searchable database.

College Navigator  - For students and families looking to narrow a search for colleges, one of the best resources comes from the National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator organizes thousands of colleges according to a diverse set of metrics, providing a large amount of institutional detail in one location.  

Choose A College - cut out the various criteria and place them in order of importance on the grid on page 2.

Use this game to help you and your family identify criteria in your college.  Each member of your family should do this on their own.  Then get everyone together and compare notes.  You will not agree with each other and that is okay.

Tips for College Campus Tours

New York Times Article

Choosing a college is difficult.  The website described in the article is another tool to help students and families make decisions.  It is a simple system and very easy to use.  (I signed up and added  colleges and factors very quickly).  Mrs. Packard, Academic Advisor