THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS

The majority of colleges and universities that LASA students typically apply to use one of the following
applications in the admissions process: (a) the ApplyTexas Application, (b) the Common Application, or (c) of
their own design. It is the responsibility of the student and/or parent to determine which application is required.

ApplyTexas.org – to be used for application to Texas public colleges. A few private colleges in Texas accept the
Apply Texas application. See the website for more details on participating institutions. This application does
not require a letter of recommendation.

If a student applies only to Texas public colleges and universities, he/she does not need to provide a folder to
teachers, counselors, or college advisor unless they are requesting letters of recommendation. Again,
recommendations are not required for the ApplyTexas process but may be encouraged in some cases.

Commonapp.org – to be used for application to colleges and universities who share a commitment of promoting
access through holistic admission. There are now over 400 Common Application members in 42 states and the
District of Columbia. See the website for a complete listing of member institutions. Common App Member
schools require these important forms in the application process: Secondary School Report, Mid-Year
Report, and the Teacher Evaluation.

Colleges and universities typically require three letters of recommendation as part of the application process.
These come from: the high school counselor or college advisor, classroom teachers, and mentors or members of
the community.

Note on recommendations: Teachers will be inundated with recommendation requests this fall. In fact, some
teachers may only agree to write recommendations for a specific number of students. It is important that you ask
early to “reserve” your spot. This means asking well in advance before handing the folder over to the teacher,
counselor, or college advisor. Not all colleges require recommendations, as is the case with many of the
public schools in Texas. Please check college websites for specific requirements.

Please give your teacher, counselor, or college advisor a minimum of 2 – 3 working weeks (not calendar
weeks) before the deadline to complete their part of your application. This is especially true for December
1st deadlines (Thanksgiving holidays fall before this due date) and January 1st deadlines (Christmas
Holiday break falls before this due date).

FAILURE TO PROVIDE ALL DOCUMENTS IN THE SPECIFIED TIME WILL RESULT IN A DELAY
IN THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS. DEADLINES MEAN DEADLINES!
 Introduction of Folder System/Recommendations and Naviance Process for Juniors
Includes IMPORTANT NEWS about the College Application Process

We implemented changes this year that affect how students complete the College Application Process. These
changes involve use of the Naviance system and concern the following components of the application:
 Application Tracking - all colleges and universities you plan to apply to will be tracked in Naviance,
including admissions decisions
 Transcripts and Recommendation letters/forms sent to Common Application member schools -
LASA Counselors will send the required Secondary School Reports, Mid-Year Reports, recommendation
letters, and transcripts electronically through Naviance. Many LASA teachers will do the same with the
required Teacher Evaluation. This applies to Common Application member colleges only, not Texas
public universities who accept the ApplyTexas application. Recommendation letters sent
electronically through Naviance may lessen the emphasis on the traditional Folder System process we
have utilized in previous years.
 Transcript Requests – students will request transcripts in Naviance to be sent to ALL schools;
transcripts can also be requested via Naviance for scholarship applications

Process for Linking Naviance and CommonApp.org and Adding Colleges

(Option not available until senior year)
1. Log on to your personal Naviance site: http://connection.naviance.com/lasa
2. Click on the Colleges tab
3. Click on ‘colleges I’m applying to’
4. Read the Important Privacy Notice and click whether you DO waive access or DO NOT waive access.
***It is our strong recommendation that you DO WAIVE access. This is generally considered by
colleges as the more truthful assessment of you; therefore, the recommendation is given more credit or
weight in the evaluation.)
5. Click on the checkbox to allow us to send your academic records (transcript) to the colleges you request.
6. Enter your CommonApp.org user name and password (not your Naviance user name and password) in the
designated fields to make sure your forms and recommendations are linked to your Common Application.
7. Add the schools to which you plan to apply. When you click “lookup”, the College Picker box will
appear. If the college you are searching for is not in the Quicklist, you can search by name, state, or
country. You can add or remove schools if you change your mind at a later time. Adding your schools
ensures that your counselor and teachers send their recommendation letters and related forms to the
appropriate schools. Another benefit: should one of the schools on your list plan to visit campus, you will
receive email notification of their visit.

Process for Requesting Teacher/Counselor Recommendations through Naviance

(Option not available until senior year)
Before adding a teacher or counselor on Naviance, you must first ask that teacher or counselor in person if
they will write the recommendation on your behalf. If they agree, you will give your recommendation
writers a copy of your resume, brag sheet, parent brag sheet, copy of test scores (for counselors only), any
other related documents, and a list of schools you’re applying to with appropriate deadlines. Consider
placing these documents in a two-pocket folder with your name and contact information and list of schools along
with their deadlines on the outside of the folder.

Once you have permission from your recommendation writer, complete the following steps in Naviance:
1. Log on to your personal Naviance site
2. Click on the Colleges tab
3. Scroll down to Teacher Recommendations and choose the appropriate person (both teachers and
counselors are included) from the dropdown menu
NOTE: Not all teachers participate in the electronic recommendation process through Naviance. If a
teacher is not listed, you must give them the traditional folder with all of the printed forms, addressed
 envelopes, and stamps.
4. Your teacher/counselor will receive email notification that you requested a recommendation through
Naviance. If they agreed to write your recommendation, they will complete their forms online (to
Common App member schools).

You should give your recommendation writers a minimum of 2-3 working weeks (not calendar weeks)
before the application deadline to complete their part of your application. This is especially true for
December 1st deadlines (Thanksgiving holiday falls before this due date) and January 1st deadlines
(Christmas holiday break falls before this due date).

How Naviance and Electronic Recommendation Submission will affect the Folder System

Naviance may, in some cases, eliminate the need for a traditional folder if you are applying to Common
Application member schools since your counselor and most teachers will be sending recommendations and
forms online. You must still provide the recommendation writers with copies of:
 List of colleges along with their due dates in order of the earliest due date. Highlight these due dates.
Please indicate whether it is a POSTMARKED DATE or RECEIVED DATE.
o Postmarked Date: all materials just need to be postmarked by this date but don’t necessarily need
to be in the college admissions office by this date
o Received Date: all materials must be received in the college admissions office on or before this
date
 Academic Resume
 Student Brag Sheet
 Parent Brag Sheet
 Copies of ACT/SAT scores (for counselors only)
 Any other pertinent documents

You may consider placing these items in a two-pocket folder with your contact information and list of schools
with deadlines on the outside.

When the Traditional Folder System is Necessary

Instances where putting a folder together for your recommendation writer is necessary:
 If you are applying to several non-Common Application member schools who require their own
recommendation forms
 If a teacher (or another recommender) does not utilize the Naviance system to send electronic
recommendations and instead, needs to mail documents on your behalf
When you talk to your recommendation writer, you should find out if they will submit recommendation forms
through Naviance or if they prefer, instead, to mail the recommendation forms. If they choose to mail the forms,
you should provide them with an accordion-type folder (one that has several pockets with tabs).

For each folder, please include the following:

On the outside cover, facing outwards a large sheet of paper with the following information:

 Your name, address, telephone numbers (including cell phone), and email address. Your teachers,
counselor, and college advisor should be able to read your name from a short distance
 A list of your colleges along with their due dates in order of the earliest due date. HIGHLIGHT these
due dates. Please indicate whether it is a POSTMARKED DATE or RECEIVED DATE.
 If you are applying to the University of Texas at Austin and want a recommendation (though not
required) sent on your behalf, please include your UT EID Number. Other colleges and universities may
 provide you with a special ID number once you apply; if you have been assigned an ID number, please
include it for the appropriate schools.

FOLDER CONTENTS

Information Section (first section in the folder) – contains academic resume, parent brag sheet, student brag
sheet, and copies of ACT and/or SAT scores (for counselors only).

COLLEGE INFORMATION SECTION(S)

Include college materials in order of the earliest due dates. Note that each college should have its own
section in the folder. This will help keep information specific to each school from being confused with
others.

PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION IN THIS FOLDER!

Please provide the teachers, counselor, or college advisor with a stamped and addressed envelope for
each school that you are applying to. Regular business size envelopes are sufficient. Envelopes given to
counselors should include postage totaling 88 cents (or two 44 cent stamps). Envelopes given to teachers
should include postage totaling 44 cents (one first class stamp). Leave the return address blank (the teacher,
counselor, or college advisor will affix a LASA return address label). Please address the envelope to the
college admission office. The envelope sent by the counselor or college advisor will contain the secondary
school report form and letter of recommendation. The envelope sent by the teacher will contain the
teacher evaluation and the letter of recommendation.

Note: Additionally, you need to request that an official high school transcript be sent to each of the schools
you are applying to. The Transcript Request process should be completed through your personal
Naviance account. The LASA school profile will accompany every transcript sent on your behalf.

Please remember to provide extra stamps for your teachers, counselor, or college advisor. This might only be
one extra stamp for each envelope, but you do not want your recommendation letter to be returned for
insufficient postage.

MID-YEAR REPORTS & TRANSCRIPTS

Texas public colleges and universities do not require mid-year reports. Most colleges and universities that utilize
the Common Application require BOTH a mid-year report and an official transcript of grades through the seventh
(fall) semester of the senior year. It is the student’s responsibility to request that these official transcripts be
sent to colleges and universities. Mid-year reports and transcripts for Common App schools will be submitted
via Naviance in late January/early February of your senior year. If your college/university is not a Common App
member school but requires a mid-year report, please provide, in the counselor recommendation folder, a business
size, stamped envelope addressed to the college admissions office.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR COLLEGE APPLICANTS

Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School

7309 Lazy Creek Drive
Austin, Texas 78724
School website: http://lasaonline.org
CEEB Code: 440-069
School Telephone Number: 512-414-LASA
School Fax Number: 512-414-6050

COUNSELOR CONTACT INFORMATION

Ms. Jamie Kocian, Ms. Lisa Adams,

College Counselor Counselor
Telephone Number: 512-414-1903 Telephone Number: 512-414-7088
Jamie.Kocian@austinisd.org Lisa.Adams@austinisd.org

Dr. David Qualls, Mrs. Meagan Butler

Counselor Counselor
Telephone Number: 512-414-7097 Telephone Number: 512-841-4029
dqualls@austinisd.org Meagan.Butler@austinisd.org

ROLE OF THE REGISTRAR IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS

The registrar for the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) High School is Ms. Boothe. Her office is located
in Room 281 on the second floor of the building. Her telephone number is: 512-414-7081. Her email address is:
pboothe@austinisd.org.

Students must request official copies of their transcript to be sent to colleges and universities as part of the
application process. These transcripts cover the period from sixth grade until the end of the junior year in high
school. Students should submit a transcript request through Naviance BEFORE or immediately after giving their
recommendation materials (resume, brag sheets, etc.) to teachers, counselors, or the college advisor. Students
should not expect that the LASA counselors or college advisor will take care of this for them.

Please note: In some case, college admissions directors will not begin considering a student’s application until
they receive the student’s high school transcript.

THE PROCESS:

Transcript Requests must be submitted through Naviance for ALL colleges and universities, not just
Common Application member schools.

Before you can submit a Transcript Request through Naviance, you must have your parent sign a records release
form and submit it to Ms. Boothe, LASA Registrar. This form is released at the beginning of the student’s senior
year. Having this form on file will allow the LASA Registrar to fulfill any transcript requests made throughout
the school year without students having to obtain parent signatures on each request. Students who do not turn in
their records release form to their Forum teacher at the start of the school year along with other school documents
should personally deliver it to Ms. Boothe as soon as possible (extra copies if needed can be obtained from Ms.
Boothe) so they have access to request transcripts in Naviance.  

Once this process is completed, you are free to request transcripts through Naviance for the colleges you plan to
apply to, both to Common App member schools AND non-Common App member schools, such as Texas public
universities, etc. Complete the following steps:

(Reminder: Transcript Request option in Naviance is not available until the senior year—around mid-
September)
1. Log in to your personal Naviance site.
2. Click on Transcripts under the Colleges tab
3. If you have not submitted your records release form, you will see the following and will not be able to
move forward in the process.
We have not received authorization from your parent(s) to release transcripts to colleges
We have not received consent from your parent(s) to release transcripts for scholarships or athletics
4. If you did submit the records release form, you can click on “request transcripts for my college
applications.”
5. If you added your colleges in the My Colleges option, you will see them all listed here under Current
Applications. Click “add request” to request a transcript for an application. If you would like to request a
transcript for a school not already in your list of applications, you may add the school under New
Applications. Click on the Request Transcripts button to submit your request to Ms. Boothe.
6. Click on “View the status of all my transcript requests” to keep track of your transcripts as well as
pertinent fees. If the transcript fees grid indicates that there is a balance remaining, you must make
payment in person to Ms. Boothe. The first five transcripts for seniors are processed free of charge.
After that, the processing fee per transcript is $2.00.

Once a LASA student submits a transcript request to the LASA registrar, she will attempt to process and send it
within three working days (it may take longer in the days immediately preceding major application deadlines
since more students are making requests.) This is also true for the December 1st deadline and the January 1st
deadline (because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays). Transcripts will not be processed unless the
processing fees are paid (when applicable – see below).

Once transcripts have been requested, it is imperative that students check with the colleges or on Naviance (for
Common Application member schools) to make sure they receive their transcripts since the LASA registrar
cannot guarantee that they will be processed correctly by the U. S. Postal Service and/or the college admissions
office. Give colleges and universities at least three weeks after initiating the request to check to see if they
have received the transcript. Note: Common App schools will not verify receipt of electronic documents
(transcripts and letters of recommendation) via Naviance until the student has submitted their college
application.

Transcripts being sent to Common Application member schools will be submitted electronically via
Naviance by the counselor writing your letter of recommendation. Because Naviance links your transcript to
the counselor recommendation letter and Secondary School Report, your transcript will NOT be sent to your
colleges/universities UNTIL all of the counselor forms are uploaded into Naviance. This means you have to give
your counselor your resume and brag sheets well in advance of your first college deadline.

Transcripts being sent to non-Common App member schools, e.g. Texas public institutions, will be
submitted to the college or university directly from the LASA registrar. ***All transcripts sent will include
the LASA school profile.

A note about test scores: The high school transcript or Academic Achievement Record (AAR) does not have the
following test scores printed on it (Advanced Placement, PSAT, SAT, ACT). You should request all test scores
be sent directly from the testing agency (College Board or ACT) as many schools will not accept scores from any
other source.

Revised 4/4/2010
 MAGNET SENIOR SAMPLE ACADEMIC RESUME

Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:

Telephone Number: Please include home and cell phone numbers

Email Address:
Personal: Date of Birth
U. T. EID Number (If applicable)
College ID (If applicable)

Education: Senior at Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School, accelerated academic
magnet program
Grade Point Average: (weighted on a 4.80 scale)
Class Rank /170
Attended two week biomedical college course for gifted students at Cornell
University, Summer, 2007

Academic Magnet graduation endorsement, June, 2011

Accomplishments: AISD Trustee’s Top 10% Scholastic Achievement, 2006 – Present
Sophomore Induction, National Honor Society

Extracurricular Section leader, woodwinds, LBJ Jaguar Band, 2008 – 2009

Activities: Member, LBJ Band, 2007 – present
Member, Golf Team, 2007 – 2009
Magnet Recruiter, Fall 2009

Community Eagle Scout Badge, Troop 324, specializing in computer mastery

Activities: Member, Northwest Hill Methodist Church Choir, 2004 – 2008
Campaigner, Save Our Springs Drive, Spring, 2007

Work Experience: Server, Barnes and Noble Coffee Shop, 2009 – Present

Interests: Cellular Biology

Creative Writing and Poetry
Jazz Band

Major Goals: Undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering or possibly

Mechanical Engineering
 SENIOR BRAG SHEET

Name:__________________________________________________________________

Which courses have you enjoyed the most? Why?

What major(s) do you want to study in college? Are you prepared for college? Explain.

Do you take the initiative to learn on your own? Explain in detail.

Describe your most stimulating intellectual experience in recent years.

Are your grades an accurate measure of your ability and potential?

Tell me about anything that has ever interfered with your academic performance.

Has there been any summer experience, work or study that has taught you a lesson or has been a learning
experience?

What makes you a unique individual?

What are your greatest strengths?

What are your greatest weaknesses?

Tell me about an individual who has influenced you the most in your life and why.

Is there any other information that you want your counselor or college advisor to include in a letter of
recommendation?

List the three people from whom you plan to request a letter of recommendation for college scholarships
and/or college admission.

THE MORE THOUGHT AND EFFORT YOU PUT INTO THE BRAG SHEET, THE BETTER
YOUR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION WILL LIKELY BE.
It would be an excellent idea to save a copy of this Brag Sheet on your computer. Make copies for
anyone writing letters of recommendation for you.
 PARENT “BRAG SHEET” FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Name of Student _________________________________________________________

1. What do you consider to be your child’s outstanding accomplishments during the past three or four
years? Why did you select these as most important?

2. In what areas has your child shown the most development and growth during the past three or four
years?

3. What do you consider to be his/her outstanding personality traits?

4. If you had to describe your son/daughter in five adjectives, what would they be?

5. Are there any unusual or personal circumstances that have affected your child’s education or
personal experiences in life? (obstacles or barriers overcome, first generation to attend college)

6. Please provide any additional information about your child that would be helpful in writing the letter
of recommendation. Remember, the idea is to have your child stand out in a stack of
recommendations.

Please note that you do not have to follow this specific format. Feel free to individualize this brag sheet.