THINK YOU'RE DONE ONCE YOU SUBMIT YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS? Afraid not!

Elizabeth Hartley • September 6, 2024

There are extra forms!   But no worries- we have you covered!

Now that seniors are in full swing of submitting their college applications, we want to alert you to the OTHER items you will most likely need to complete. If you don't, your application will be flagged as "incomplete" and/or you may not get the admissions, scholarships, and/or financial aid you deserve.

Good news! We will outline them here and you'll be all set!  Feel free to share this post with any friends and family who may benefit.  We hope this clarifies and streamlines your college bound process!

Warmly-

Elizabeth Hartley 

Owner of Scholarship Gold

IECA, NACAC, SACAC



1) SRAR- The Self-Reported Academic Record:

Some colleges, such as Clemson, Univ of Tenn, Va Tech, Baylor, NYU, Northeastern, and many public universities in FL, require that students go to a national site and type in all of the courses and grades from their transcript. 

Some also need you to enter your scores for SAT, ACT, and AP tests. Make sure to complete the SRAR by the application deadline. 

  • HERE is the SRAR site. Start by creating a login and password.
  • HERE is a list of all of the colleges that require it. 


NEED HELP? 

  • HERE is a great tutorial video created by Penn State. (But this info applies to the process for all colleges.) 
  • HERE is a great page with important do's and don'ts (by the Univ of Tenn). It also offers some helpful video tutorials.



2) NC RCN- The NC Residency Certification Number:

Students from NC who are applying to any public university in NC must get a residency certification number from the state that confirms that they qualify for in-state tuition.


Parents typically complete this process by going HERE. If your student already has an account with CFNC, use that same login information on that page. Otherwise, create a new login and password. 

Once you get the RCN number, enter that number on the Common App for every application for a public university in NC. 



3) FAFSA- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid: 

Delayed again this year!

The FAFSA is the federal form by which students can get grants and/or loans to help fund college. Grants do not need to be repaid, so we like those better than loans! For the class of 2025, parents will need to input data from the 2023 taxes. 


The FAFSA site went through a major renovation last year that caused frustrating delays and major complications. We were all hoping that this year would be better but yet again, the FAFSA site has announced that it will NOT open on Oct 1st this year, as planned. Instead, it will probably open around Dec 1st.


Parents typically complete this process by going HERE. You are applying for aid for the 2025/26 school year, not for the 2024/25 year that is currently displayed. If your student is currently a high school senior, you need to wait for the 2025/26 form to be available. 


We will send out an alert once it goes live.


If you need help completing this form once it is available, you can book with our associate, Nancy Manning, who will walk you through it. She has a background in finance and has years of experience helping families with FAFSA and CSS Profile.  To book, go to Scholarshipgold.com, click on "Book an A La Carte Appt," and book a time to meet with Nancy.



4) CSS/Profile: A financial aid form needed by very generous colleges. 

This is a different financial aid form (not FAFSA) that is required by only certain colleges. It is the form used for colleges to give out financial aid from their own pockets, not from the government. Filling this out can result in surprisingly generous financial aid offers, even for higher income families. 


CSS/Profile will be available on Oct 1st (even though FAFSA is delayed). We encourage you to complete it as soon as you can, so that funds are more available. 

  • Click HERE to go to the CSS Profile site. Do not complete it until after Oct 1st, when the 2025/26 form is available. 
  • HERE is a list of all of the colleges that require CSS Profile. Only complete it if you have at least one school that requires it. 


If you need help completing this form once it is available, you can book with our associate, Nancy Manning, who will walk you through it. She has a background in finance and has years of experience helping families with FAFSA and CSS Profile. 

To book a meeting, go to Scholarshipgold.com, click on Book an A La Carte Appt, and book a time to meet with Nancy after October 1st.



5) OTHER STEPS BEFORE YOUR APPLICATION FILE IS COMPLETE

In addition to the forms above, there are certain steps students need to take to complete their application file: 

  1. Send official SAT and/or ACT scores- If you are using test scores as part of your application, you'll need to send the scores officially from the testing agency. (even if you self-reported them on your application).  Log onto Collegeboard.org to send SAT scores and ACT.org to send ACT scores.  You do not need to officially send AP scores at this point. Wait until the scores come out after the end of your senior year and then only send them to the school where you will be attending. 
  2. Make sure your counselor sends your transcripts- This process will vary at different high schools, depending on if your school uses Naviance, SCOIR, or some other method for managing student data. Check with your counselor if you're unsure of what to do at your school. 
  3. Confirm that your recommendation writers are still on track to write their letters on your behalf before the college deadline.   You can go ahead and submit your applications as you get them ready. Youre recommendations can be uploaded by the recommendation writers after that- no problem. But do make sure that all of your rec writers are still able to submit their recommendaiton letters before the college's applicaiton deadline. 


Other Interesting Nuggets


1. Curious about using an ROTC scholarship to fund college?

Could be a great option! HERE is a solid source, by TodaysMilitary.com, that will help you explore that idea. While it can be a way to fund college without loans, students need to carefully consider their commitment after college. 


2. Want to hear what current college students say about their college? 

Investigate Niche.com.  If you're looking for insight into a college from the students' perspective, take a look at Niche.com for candid feedback and a "report card" generated by students on topics such as dorms, food, professors, campus life, etc. It's not scientifically collected data but might give a bit of personal insight into a school.  On the site, click on Colleges along the top menu. Type in the school you'd like to investigate and review from there.


3. Want to review national ranking of colleges? 

Then click HERE to see the Forbes list. You can filter it by state, public vs private, etc. (US News and World Report also creates their own rankings but you have to buy an online subscription to see it.) Bear in mind that there are inherent flaws with the ranking process, so please don't read too much into them. Still, the list has a lot of good info on each school. 

Better yet, consider reviewing the Princeton Review's Best 389 Colleges- 2024 edition. You can purchase the book on their site HEREbut you can also access a lot of its data free online by clicking HERE. You can scroll down the page and find out which colleges have the happiest students, the best professors, the best career services, and much more. 

By Elizabeth Hartley April 21, 2025
Using data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York—and factoring in both early and mid-career salaries—these are the ten highest-paying college majors along with the average salary reported by graduates aged 22-27: 1) Computer Engineering: $80,000 Computer engineering majors learn the ins and outs of computer construction. This major is like product design but specifically focused on computers. You have the chance to come up with new computer systems while gaining experience in research, advancing existing technologies, and testing. Maybe you’ll even graduate with a patent or two! 2) Chemical Engineering: $79,000 Chemical engineering majors study the ins and outs of chemical processes, immersing themselves in topics like thermodynamics, process design, and fluid mechanics. Out in the workforce, a chemical engineer’s skillset is quite versatile and in demand, with chemical engineers found in sectors from environmental engineering to pharmaceuticals. Certain specialties, like petroleum engineering, can be especially lucrative. Read: Best Colleges for Chemical Engineering . 3) Computer Science: $78,000 Of the highest-paying college majors, computer science is one of the most popular. Affording a blend of the technical and creative, this major equips you to work across industries. Plus, studying computer science gives you the tools to shape thoughtful tech policy, the need for which will likely increase with the growth of AI. Even though Big Tech has suffered from layoffs over the past several years, and some entry-level CS sectors are currently oversaturated, there are many remunerative ways to apply a computer science degree. Read: Best Colleges for Computer Science 4) Aerospace Engineering: $74,000 Majoring in aerospace engineering will provide in-depth training in aerodynamics, structural design, materials science, and flight mechanics. Accordingly, aerospace engineers are often found putting their skills to good use in the aviation, spacecraft, and defense industries. Certain states, like California, Texas, and Florida, are especially good locations for aerospace majors. Read: Best Colleges for Aerospace Engineering 5) Electrical Engineering: $72,000 Was your favorite part of science class building circuit boards? If so, then an electrical engineering major might be the right fit. Think classroom circuits, but turbo-charged. You will acquire fluency in electromagnetism, materials science, and more. With this knowledge base, you can enter an array of industries, from renewable energy and telecommunications to healthcare. Read: Best Colleges for Electrical Engineering. 6) Industrial Engineering: $71,000 In a world ruled by highly efficient businesses in the mold of Amazon or Walmart, there is a constant need to improve industrial productivity, delivery, scheduling, and customer service. It is often said that industrial engineering is where “engineering meets people” as those in the field bring principles of mathematics, economics, and systems analysis directly onto the manufacturing floor. Banks, governments, transportation agencies, hospitals, and utility companies are also major employers of industrial engineers. Read: Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering. 7) Mechanical Engineering: $70,000 Mechanical engineers are tasked with taking something from an idea to a product that is functional, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. To accomplish this monumental task, students must become well-versed in physics, engineering, and materials science. The job outlook for mechanical engineers is excellent, due, in part, to the wide variety of industries that hire them, including the automative, biomedical, and manufacturing sectors. Read: Best Colleges for Mechanical Engineering 8) Finance: $66,000 Finance majors emerge from their undergraduate studies as budding experts in areas such as stocks, bonds, wealth management, financial planning, investment banking, and venture capitalism. Future Wall Street wolves hoping to enter a major financial firm such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, or BlackRock would do well to attend a college or university that serves as direct pipelines to such companies. Read: Best Colleges for Finance 9) Economics: $65,000 While some who major in this highly rigorous discipline will go on to obtain graduate degrees and earn the title of “economist,” most economics majors will parlay their skills into employment opportunities in government, finance, and the business world. Accordingly, they emerge from four years of study with a deep understanding of market forces, regulations, trade, finance, and the principles of economic theory. Read: Best Colleges for Economics 10) Construction Services: $64,000 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the industry of construction management to grow by 8% through 2029, good news for young people with a passion for pursuing a degree in this field. A bachelor’s degree can put students on the path toward becoming facilities managers, site engineers, surveyors, sustainability consultants, or even down the road—senior-level managers and executives for large construction companies. Read: Best Colleges for Construction Management The rest:
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