College Application Process
Dear Parents and Students,
Your Counselors at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School belong to the Private Catholic Independent School Counselors Association, which meets at least three times a year. This consists of approximately fourteen schools. The goal of the group is to share information, ideas, and pertinent criteria that may be helpful to all of us.
If you have been through the College Admissions experience with another child, you are already aware of what a fluid and unpredictable process it can be. Schools change policies, become more (or less) popular and the prices keep going up. Our hope is that the information you find on this site will keep you abreast of trends.
This gathering of information comes from excellent sources and, hopefully, will answer some of your questions. Living in the Internet Age, you have wonderful access to data that previously was not available. We encourage you to use the many opportunities of the Internet along with the Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School Website and our Naviance Family Connection Program found at:
Family Connection
Your daughters have their own confidential log-in information.The guest password is gmahs should you need it. Please feel free to contact any of us if we can be of further assistance. God bless you and keep in mind that there is an end to this process!
Guidelines for Initiating the College Application Process
1) If the college you are applying to accepts the common application, YOU MUST FILL OUT THE COMMON APPLICATION instead of the school’s application. This can be done at www.commonapp.org The email that you use for your Common App Account must match the email that you use for Naviance.
2) On the Common Application or any other application, you will encounter a FERPA agreement. When completing the FERPA form, students should check “YES”, I waive my rights.
3) Schedule a meeting with your counselor.
4) Prior to meeting with your counselor, complete the section “Colleges I’m Thinking About” on Naviance. This does not need to be a complete list at this time.
5) Complete and send an application to the college/university on-line. Again, please use the Common Application if the school subscribes to it. If not, you will find the application on the college's website.
6) Request transcripts through Naviance. The transcript link is in the College tab under Resources. Verify whether or not transcripts can be submitted electronically or must be mailed (Computer icons indicate electronic submission, postage stamp icons cannot be sent electronically). Be mindful of the college deadlines, and submit your request to the counseling center in a timely manner so that your request can be processed prior to the application due date.
Recommendation Letters
Determine the number of recommendation letters needed for each college/university to which you are applying. If more than one is needed, a teacher in addition to your counselor will write and submit a letter for all colleges to which you are applying.
Request teacher recommendations through Naviance. Go to the "Colleges Tab," and click on “Colleges I am Applying to.” At the bottom of the page there is a link to add a request for a teacher recommendation.
Recommendation letters for mailed transcripts: Follow the same procedure for requesting teacher recommendations as above. Provide the teacher with an addressed, stamped business size envelope and the teacher recommendation form. The teacher will mail these forms directly to the college.
What Is Sent To Colleges From The Counseling Center
1) A copy of your transcript.
2) A letter of recommendation.
3) A copy of the Secondary School Report.
4) A copy of the Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School Profile.
Submission Of Standardized Test Scores
Standardized test scores cannot be submitted as part of the transcript for electronic submissions. Students are responsible for sending their standardized test scores (SAT, SAT II, and/or ACT tests) to the college/university directly from the testing agency.
We feel that the score choice policy is unnecessary as the vast majority of colleges will superscore, that is, combine the best scores from each testing session.
Important Transcript Request Deadlines
The deadline for requesting transcripts is before the Thanksgiving break for any student applying to schools with a December 1st deadline. The deadline for requesting transcripts is before the Christmas break for any student applying to schools with a January 1st deadline.