Below, we answer frequently asked questions about the application submission process. All students and families should review this Q&A over the next two days. Before asking your counselor submission-related questions, refer to this communication, which is also posted on the Resources Page.

When Submitting My Application

When should I submit my application?

We strongly encourage you to submit your application at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline. Remember that colleges’ deadlines are often 11:59 pm in the time zone where they’re located. 

Do I need to wait for my college counselor to submit materials before I submit my college application(s)?

No. 

Will my teachers and the college counseling office meet the November 1 deadline?

Absolutely. Remember that your teachers and counselor(s) put extensive time into their letters. In some cases, our office will submit materials on the deadline itself, perhaps into the early evening. Please be patient. While most colleges accept Lakeside’s materials after November 1, the college counseling office plans to meet that deadline along with you. Some optional/supplemental materials might be submitted shortly after the deadline.

Should I remind my teachers or my counselor(s) about my November 1 deadline(s)?

No. Your teachers have submitted their letters to our office, and we will submit them to colleges. Provided you added your early school(s) to your “Applying” column, your counselor is already aware of the deadline.

Standardized Test Scores

How do I send my SAT/ACT scores to colleges?

Most colleges accept self-reported scores from your application. Some require an official report from ACT or College Board (this list shows colleges that accept self-reported scores from your application. If a college is not on this list, check their website for instructions on sending scores). 

Only you can submit your scores from your College Board or ACT account. Know that colleges accept scores after the deadline (with the exception of the Universities of Colorado, Michigan, and Texas). To send official SAT scores, follow these instructions. To send official ACT scores, follow these instructions and pay to send the scores to each school. Students who registered with a fee waiver can end scores at no charge.

If I took the School Day SAT and/or ACT, will my scores be available before November 1? If not, what should I do? 

Results from the SAT School Day exam should be available within the next few days. While ACT has not published a score release date, we anticipate those scores will be available. If your scores are not available by October 31, submit your application without testing. If you want to submit your scores afterward, most colleges allow you to add scores to your application portal (you’ll receive this after you apply) within 10-14 days after the deadline. 

In my Common App preview, my test scores aren’t showing up and I’m hoping to submit them! What do I do?

Because most colleges don’t require testing, the Common App has excluded it from the PDF preview. They will still be seen by colleges, provided you listed your test scores in the Testing section and indicated that you want your scores reviewed in the college’s specific questions. 

Completing the Common Application

Which Common App Writing prompt should I pick? 

The prompt you pick does not matter! Pick #7, topic of your choice, if you feel like none fit.

Because at least one of my colleges requires the “grades & courses” section of the Common Application, I am in the process of completing it, but am unsure how to. How should I proceed?

Watch the final segment of the Common Application video, accessible from the Resources Page. If you need your transcript, email Ms. Lesoing, who will send you a copy within two school days. 

In the “Recommenders and FERPA” section of the Common App, should I enter my college counselor and teacher recommenders?

Yes. The Common App Video (last five minutes) on the Resources Page shows you how to do this. If a college allows you to select only one recommender, it doesn’t matter which you choose. In most cases, Lakeside will still send both letters through SCOIR; colleges cannot see which teacher you selected in the Common App.

Because the college office submits everything through SCOIR and not the Common App, when you view this section of the application, materials will always show as unsubmitted. To track materials sent by Lakeside, go to your SCOIR college list, and click on the college in question.

Even though you'll receive this alert (see screenshot below), you do NOT need to download all PDF forms and provide them to the associated recommender to complete.

My parents/guardians and I completed the Early Decision (ED) agreement in SCOIR. Do we have to complete the ED agreement in the Common Application, too? 

To submit the Common Application to an ED school, the system requires that the student complete the ED agreement by inputting their parent/guardian information. However, parents/guardians and counselors should disregard the Common App ED agreement and complete the SCOIR agreement instead. Here’s a quick video on how to sign the ED Agreement in SCOIR.

After Submitting An Application

When I click submit on my application, am I done with that school?

Not quite!

• The submission process has many steps, including payment, if the school has an application fee (and/or if the student does not have a fee waiver). To pay an application fee, you will need a credit card -- contact your college counselor if this is an issue. You can submit all portions of your application before Lakeside submits your transcript and recommendations; you do not need to wait.
  
• IMPORTANT: If the school has a separate writing supplement section (not just an essay, but questions under the heading, “Writing Supplement,”), you must submit this section separately after submitting the Common App to that school. See image below.
  
  

• Save the email confirmation showing that you’ve submitted.
  
  
• Look for an email from each college with information (usually a username and password) for that particular college's application portal. These emails are typically sent within 72 hours of your application submission, but the timeline varies. (Be sure to check your spam/junk folders, too). This is where you'll be able to see whether or not your documents have been received and if your file is complete.
  
  Also look for emails for additional required application steps. NYU and UIUC, for example, will require you to submit a Self-Reported Academic Record within a few days of submitting your Common Application.
  
  
• In SCOIR, move schools where you’ve submitted applications to the “Applied” column. Doing so will keep your college counselor updated. (When updating SCOIR, please answer the questions “Did you apply for a specific major?”—SCOIR’s list of available majors is very limited, so just find the closest one!—and whether you applied test optional. Your answers to these questions are for college counselors only.)
  
  
• Please note that in SCOIR, you do not need to worry about the “My College Checklist” as we do not use this functionality and it has no bearing on your application process.
  
  

  Once I click submit for my first application, will I be able to edit my Common Application for my other colleges?

  Yes.
  
  

  Once I click submit on my application, will it instantly update in my applicant portal for that school? Is this the case for my teacher recommendations and materials from College Counseling?

  No. Remember that electronic refers to a method of submission. It is not instantaneous, but a way of delivering items, and takes time. At Wash U, for instance, for their 33,000+ applications, seven operational staff members process every application and credential that is submitted. Last year in early and regular rounds at many colleges, it took a week after materials were submitted for them to appear as received in students’ accounts on the colleges’ websites.
  
  

  If on November 2, materials appear as missing in my application portal, what should I do? Or if I get an email after the deadline saying the college is missing materials, should I panic? Will this hurt my chances of admission?

  Within 7 days past the deadline: If materials are missing or you receive an email alerting you to missing materials, just hang tight, be patient, and monitor the status of your materials online.
  
  

  After 7 days past the deadline: If your materials are still missing and/or you receive an email alerting you to missing materials, let your counselor know, and he/she will be in touch with that college about re-submitting them. Until seven days have passed, we will not resubmit materials; colleges have asked us repeatedly to be patient and not send duplicate materials because that slows processing even more.
  
  

  If materials need to be resubmitted, you will not be penalized for this. 
  
  

  Will my early colleges see my first quarter grades?

  If those grades are requested – and there is no way to know which colleges will – we will send them. If colleges don’t request them, that’s because they do not need any further information. Unrequired submission of first quarter grades adds unnecessary materials to applications, slowing readers down and adding unnecessarily to their workload.

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