Pathway - College/University

If you are considering attending a college or university after graduation you'll need to be well-prepared for when you apply. Your academic performance is the core factor that tells college admissions staff if you are likely to be successful t their school. This means that schools will be looking at your GPA at the end of Junior Year. Those grades are what will be included in your college application (which you'll complete at the beginning of your Senior year).

Prepare for the PSAT or ACT exam. Both are standardized tests that some colleges require as part of their application process. The PSAT is taken in October of your Sophomore year. For more information on the PSAT, see the link "PSAT Test Dates." The results will include your specific strengths and areas for improvement and you should use this information to prepare for the SAT exam that you'll take in your Junior year. Click here for information on the SAT and ACT exams.

Another thing that colleges/universities like to see from high school students is activities. Therefore, you should participate in a Father Judge club or athletic team, or be active in a community organization. Do you have a particular career interest? If so, consider looking for a job or volunteer work that is directly connected to your career interest.

Classes, classes, classes... Be intentional when selecting courses because certain courses will help you achieve certain goals. For example, most colleges recommend at least 2 years of a foreign language; more competitive schools require 3 or 4 years of a foreign language, and four years of science and math. Make sure to speak with your guidance counselor about selecting your Junior year classes BEFORE you actually sign up for them.

Below are important websites you'll need to use to successfully apply to colleges/universities.

Naviance
Teacher Recommendations
The Common App
NCAA Eligibility Center

IMPORTANT: The college admissions process is driven mainly by the colleges/universities to which you apply. However, the Guidance Office also has critical due dates that you must meet. Therefore it is critically important for you to have all the elements to your application done by the Guidance Office's due dates so that your completed application can be submitted on time.

Need more information and support? Contact your guidance counselor who will assist you.

Naviance

Father Judge uses Naviance, a website that guides students on how to prepare for their careers.

Father Judge's Guidance Office staff will assist students with creating their Naviance accounts in their Freshman year. Once created, the students take the three "Self-Discovery" exercises" that reveal to students what types of career pathways they should consider as they move through high school.

The "Self-Discovery" exercises" are:

Career Cluster Finder
Career Interest Profiler
StrengthsExplorer®

IMPORTANT: Naviance stores some of the information required for college applications that go through the "The Common App." (For more info on the Common App, see the link below.)

Need more information and support? Contact your guidance counselor who will assist you.

Teacher Recommendations

Identify two teachers you’ll ask for letters of recommendation (LoRs)

Want to study medicine? Ask a science teacher.
Want to study engineering? Ask a math teacher.
Want to enter the skilled trades? Ask a CTE teacher.

Fill out your “Brag Sheet” in Naviance
The “Brag Sheet” allows you to share important information with the people who'll write your letters of recommendation. They need this information BEFORE they begin writing the letter.

Go to the "Junior Timeline" for instructions on where to find and fill out your "Brag Sheet."

Ask two teachers for LoRs - Ask in person and send follow-up emails

Email should be a “thank you” message
Email should inform teachers that you’ve completed your “Brag Sheet”

The Common App

Hundreds of colleges/universities allow students to apply there by using the Common Application (aka "Common App"). The Common App allows students to apply to a total of 20 college/universities during their Senior year.

Some of the Philadelphia schools that use the Common App are Drexel, LaSalle, St. Joe’s, Temple, and many others.

Follow the steps below to begin your Common App during your Senior year.

SEPTEMBER

Early September – Watch this short video before you start moving forward in the application process.

By mid-September of your Senior year – Create account with the “Common App”
- Important: You must create your Common App account using your Father Judge email address.
- Parents/guardians should NOT create the Common App account.
Write down your Email and Password and store it in a safe place — You will need it when connecting the Common App with Naviance.
Complete the Common Application Profile making sure to complete the FERPA waiver. We advise you to waive your right to view your documents.

A note about your timeline...You won't complete the Common App during September. You'll complete it by mid-October.

Early September – Follow-up with the teachers who agreed to write you letters of recommendation to lean if they've completed them
End of Sept. – Finalize your “College Essay” (You worked on this essay in spring of your Junior Year. Here are the essay prompts you selected from.)
End of Sept. – Finalize your “wish list” of colleges
End of Sept. – Connect your Naviance and Common App accounts. Click here for directions
- Connecting these accounts allows the schools to which you apply see your a) letters of recommendation, and b) transcript

OCTOBER

Early October – Add your FINALIZED Common App Essay to your Common App account
Early October – Select all the colleges/universities you are applying to
Common App Early Decision (ED) Agreement. This binds you to your first choice school if it accepts you AND you will have to decline all other acceptances. This is an important decision to make so read this before deciding.
Mid-October – Follow-up with the teachers who agreed to write you letters of recommendation and ask them to upload their letters into Naviance
Mid-October – Fill out this "Transcript Request Form" to have the Guidance Office send your transcript to the colleges/universities you applied to.
- NOTE: Temple University requires students to submit their own transcripts rather than have Father Judge do it for the students. This is called "self-reporting" and the directions for this are found in this Temple University video "How to self-report your high school transcript."
SAT/ACT scores: Some colleges require the SAT or ACT scores, while others do not. Schools that don't require those exam scores commonly make them "optional" and that gives students an opportunity to submit scores if they think the scores will help bolster their applications.
- If you want your SAT/ACT score submitted with your Comm App, you will have to note this in your "Transcript Request Form."
After you've applied, there is nothing else to do except keeping up your grades in all classes.

Need more information and support? Contact your guidance counselor who will assist you.

Your Application - "Early Decision," "Early Action," etc.

Early Decision
This is designed for students who have achieved an outstanding academic record and have a specific college in mind. This is a binding agreement. If accepted on an early decision, the student must withdraw applications from other colleges and universities.

Early Action
This is not a binding agreement and varies according to the college or university. This allows the student to compare admission and financial aid offers. The student applies in the fall of their senior year and usually is told of acceptance by December. The student does not need to make a decision until May 1st.

Priority

The date by which your application — whether it’s for college admission, student housing or financial aid — must be received to be given the strongest consideration.

Regular Decision
The normal process by which students apply by published deadlines, with the promise of receiving an admissions decision no later than April 1 of their senior year. Some colleges will give admissions decisions well before April 1, but the student is under no obligation to make a decision about whether to attend until the common response date of May 1.

Rolling Admission
Qualified students are accepted as each student’s application is received. The college or university usually notifies the student of its decision without delay. There may be a priority date.

Open Admission
Students are admitted regardless of their academic background.

NCAA Eligibility Center (for students wanting to play Division I & II sports)