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Oceanside Collegiate Academy

Oceanside Collegiate Academy
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How to ‘Match’ your Common App & Naviance Accounts

Required for OCA to send transcripts and letters of recommendation

  1. Log in to your Common Application account or create one at commonapp.org.
  2. Once you are logged in to Common App, under the College Search tab, type in a college’s name and add it to your college list.  
  3. Under the Common App tab, make sure you add your date of birth and name spelled exactly as Oceanside has it. Then go to the Education section and complete the first tab. Our school code is 410001.
  4. In Common App - Under the ‘My Colleges’ tab, select a school and click on the FERPA button. Click to sign your FERPA. Waiving your right allows us to send your information to schools without your seeing it (colleges require this for documents to be considered official).  
  5. Log in to your Naviance Account via Clever.  
  6. Once you are logged in to Naviance, go to the ‘Colleges’ tab. Then click on “Colleges I’m Applying To” and in the box, “match” your common application email with your Naviance account. You must type in the email used to create your Common App and your birthday.  If you failed to do step #4, the match cannot be made.
  7. On this same screen, you will be able to add schools to your list. Make sure to check HOW you are applying to that school (common app, college specific application, etc.).
  8. In Naviance – As you add colleges and indicate how you are applying, you may request your transcript.  Your transcript will ONLY be sent if requested in Naviance. Simply adding a school is not the same as requesting that your transcript go to the school.
  9. In Naviance - Under the ‘Colleges’ tab, click on Letters of Recommendation and follow the steps. You must still ask the teacher in person or by email before requesting LORs on Naviance.

Important Info to Remember

  • You will apply to colleges using Common Application or online directly to the college.  
  • If you are submitting test scores, you MUST submit SAT or ACT test scores directly from the testing organization.  
  • Midyear reports include an updated report of your grades, schedule, and other information.  It is your responsibility to determine whether your potential colleges need this report and a transcript.
  • NEVER request a teacher or counselor recommendation letter through Common Application. It will freeze the entire process and slow down the application process for everyone. Make sure you only request through Naviance. 

Naviance Tips and Tricks

  • Be sure you matched Common App to Naviance and waived your FERPA right
  • If you didn’t use Common App, change the college application method in Naviance for each college (direct to institution)  
  • Be deliberate when choosing colleges to which to apply (too many college applications is expensive and time consuming, and you will have end of the year steps for each college even if you don’t plan to attend)  
  • Don’t ask for LORs from teachers unless your college wants them, and then only ask for LORs for the colleges that want them and the amount they want (don’t ask five teachers to create LORs for Yale if Yale wants 2; don’t ask for any if Clemson wants none)  
  • Don’t ask for midyear transcripts and counselor written evals/counselor report unless your college wants them (you will research in Naviance which schools want which documents)  
  • Do not request NCAA or NAIA through Naviance 

Naviance How To - Adding Colleges to My Favorites

  • Log into Naviance through Clever
  • On the right is “My Favorites”
  • Click on “Colleges I’m Thinking About” 
  • Either search for colleges (located in the dark blue rectangle) or Click on “+ Add Colleges to List”
    • Change “lookup by” to College Name A-Z or any other way you want to search (state, country, etc.) OR
    • Use “Advanced college search” to the left for detailed search/filter options 
  • Once you find the colleges/universities you are interested in, click the heart to the left of the name (it will automatically be added to your favorites list)
  • From here you can click on the college to learn so much more about it.

GET A HEAD START ON COLLEGE SEARCHES AND HAVE FUN PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE! 

Naviance How To – Adding colleges to “Colleges I’m Applying To”  
  • Go to your “Colleges I’m Thinking About” list – click on each college you want to move to your application list.  Then click on “Move to Application List.” 
  • Complete ALL the information accurately when moving each college AND choose “Add and Request Transcripts” as you move each school to the application list.  You will only be able to request the initial transcript.  After semester 1 you will research which colleges need midyear transcripts and request them at that time.  After semester 2 you will request the FINAL TRANSCRIPT only for the college you are attending. 

A FINAL THOUGHT ON THIS SECTION: 

Be selective in which colleges you add to your lists and apply to, because you will have to update every college every step of the way throughout the year.  It can be burdensome and time consuming to have 25 colleges on your list when you are only serious about half of them.  

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!  USE THESE HOW TOs AND THE SENIOR PAGE FIRST, THEN EMAIL THE GUIDANCE TEAM WITH ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS  

You can do it, and your future is BRIGHT! 

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