Application Process

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The best way to get started as you apply to each individual college or university is to fill out the yellow application checklist from your Road to College Resource Guide. This will help you and your counselor stay on top of what each school requires and should be attached to each application packet. From there, follow these steps:

  1. Complete the Application Form. You can access most college applications from the school’s website or on one of the many college applications websites. You can fill out the application online or download it. Most colleges prefer that you apply online; in fact, some colleges will waive the application fee if you apply online. Just remember, if you apply online, don’t forget to tell your counselor as she will still need to send in your transcript. If you prefer paper applications, forms for most Ohio colleges, as well as many schools in Indiana and Kentucky, are available in the Guidance Office.

    More than 600 colleges and universities now utilize The Common Application Form. This form enables a student to complete the application forms for several schools at one time, reducing the repetitive task of filling out the same information for several schools. Be sure to “invite” your counselor on the online form to send in her recommendation and transcript. You may also “invite” a teacher to write a recommendation through the site. You should ask the teacher to complete this form before it arrives to her email account. Click here to access the site:
www.commonapp.org .

  2. Send payment made out to the school. Almost every school charges an application fee. As noted above, some schools (including the University of Dayton and Xavier University) charge no fee if you apply online. Check to see the amount (usually between $30 and $70). If you apply online, you can pay either by credit card or bring a check in to your counselor to be mailed with the transcript.

  3. Complete the MND Transcript Release Form. Sign and, if you are under 18, also have your parents sign it. This form gives the Counselors permission to send your transcript to colleges. The transcript will have the list of your courses, grades, grade point average, class rank and test scores. No transcripts can be sent without a signed release form. Along with your transcript, your counselor will include MND’s school profile which describes our grading system, school policies and student population. You only need to fill out this form once, regardless of how many applications you send.

  4. Complete an Application Checklist. At MND, we expect the student to bring all the completed materials to her guidance counselor. To help stay organized and on top of requirements, we ask students to complete the yellow “Application Checklist.” Students should attach one checklist to each application they send. These are available in the Road to College Resource Guide or in the Guidance Office.

  5. Pay the MND transcript release fee. A one-time $10 transcript processing fee will be charged to current seniors for all transcripts requested this school year.  Click HERE for the Student Transcript Release Form.  (The fee for Alumnae is $3 per transcript - visit the Alumnae Page for infomation.)

  6. Ask your counselor to complete the Secondary School (MND) Report form. Your counselor will need to fill out this form. Not every school has one. If you apply online, the college may direct you to download and print this form to give to your counselor.

  7. Complete the college essay, if required . Many schools do NOT require an essay; however, if yours does, click on this link for some helpful hints: The College Essay Link.

  8. Complete your College Resume. Most colleges want to know how you have been spending your time outside of class and to get to know more about your leadership potential. Include a resume if your college asks for it. Sometimes the school will ask about your extracurricular activities, followed by some lines for you to fill in. You could write, “See Resume Attached.” Click on this link for some helpful hints: The College Resume Link.

  9. Have your recommendations ready. Many colleges ask for recommendations. Ask your counselor or a teacher who knows you well to write one. Be sure to give him or her two weeks to write it. When you submit your materials to your counselor, and if a teacher is to write a recommendation, be sure to tell your counselor that an additional recommendation will be coming and from whom. Note: Sometimes students think the more recommendations, the better. This is not true, and college admission officers have told us that whatever number they ask for is what they want.

And you’re off and running! Your counselor will organize all of these materials, fill out the counselor-related forms and mail it. The counselors rely on the students to know and stay on top of deadlines for these applications. The counselors will need at least two weeks to get the materials ready.

Please Note: If your college’s deadline is January 1st, you will need to get your materials in to your counselor at least two weeks before Christmas Break.

When should you apply? Application deadlines vary, but most colleges will begin processing applications in September. Generally, most students will have their applications in before Thanksgiving.