Pflugerville High School
College and Career Center
College/University Application Process
College Application
The College Application Process typically begins on July or August 1st immediately before the student's senior year. Typically a student will use either the Apply Texas application, Common Application, or a home-grown application directly on the institution's site. We encourage you to set up an individual meeting with a member of the College and Career Team before starting the process. Please keep in mind that a student must fill out at least one Apply Texas application for graduation. The pictures below will take you to each application we suggest usuing.
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Below, you will find some helpful tips in applying.
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-Apply to 4-8 institutions
-Use the Copy Feature on the Apply Texas to save time when applying
-Build a Spreadsheet or Calendar to Stay Organized
-Take Your Time (Save and Come Back Multiple Times)
-Fill Out the Entire Application Completely
College Application Fee/Fee Waiver
Typically College Applications do have a fee associated with applying. This fee typically helps them provide services to High Schools and Families in the enrollment process. However, most institutions offer a fee waiver to students on Free or Reduced Lunch at Pflugerville High School. If you qualify for a fee waiver, please check the school website to see which form they require. You will find further instructions on submitting a fee waiver on the link below.
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If you do not qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch. Please pay for the Application Fee directly in the application you are using (i.e. Apply Texas, Common Application, School Website). Some institutions do waive your application fee for using a specific application or applying by a certain date.
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High School/Dual Credit Transcript
A College/University will either ask you to self-report your academic record (Texas A&M University, University of California System, etc.) or require that you submit an official High School Transcript from Pflugerville High School. Once you have submitted your application, please visit the link below to request a High School Transcript be sent to the institution(s) you have applied to. This is Free for current students.
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The High School Transcript does allow a College/University to review how well you might be prepared to take college courses in a specific program. They may be looking for:
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-Trend in Grades
-Types of Courses taken (they will ask which courses you have chosen for senior year)
-GPA
-Class Rank
-etc.
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Dual Credit Transcripts - If you have taken dual credit courses through Austin Community College, we would encourage to send that transcript to the institution(s) you are applying to. Currently Austin Community College will send those free. Instructions on how to send that transcript can be found on the link below.
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SAT/ACT/TSI Testing
Currently, the SAT and/or ACT is still recommended by most institutions. Even if an institution has gone "Test Optional", it may be in your best interest to send those scores. This may be because of automatic admission, scholarships, honors programs, etc. To learn more about college entrance exams, please visit the links below. Please remember that if you qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch at Pflugerville High School, you do receive two free SAT & two free ACT exams in your Junior and Senior year. Email Mr. Howell or visit the College and Career Center for the fee waiver.
College Essay/Short Answer
Your College Essay or Short Answers can help a College or University Recruiter learn more about who you are. The more insight they have into your story, the better chance you have of admission to that institution. Below you will find the Essay Topics for the Apply Texas Application and National Common Application. You will also find some general advice when writing your college essay.
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At this time, very few public institutions require an essay for admission. However, in most cases it is strongly recommended. Please remember that Mr. Howell (and other PHS staff) are always here to help. We can assist you in brainstorming essay ideas, reviewing/editing, etc.
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Currently, we recommend that a student complete Essay A on Apply Texas first as this essay is the one most-widely used by Colleges/Universities in Texas. It can also work for the National Common Application. If you have more information to give, feel free to write Essay B. However, we do not suggest writing Essay C for Texas institutions. For the National Common Application, please feel free to choose any of the 7 topics. However, Essay A will work for this application as well.
You can submit the same essay to multiple schools.
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Short Answers - We encourage students to stay brief and speak to each specific topic in a short answer question. This allows you to let the institution "quick" facts about you or how you might impact their institution. Please reach out to Mr. Howell or your specific College Admissions Representative for advice when writing these essays.
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College Resume
The College Resume can highlight how you have chosen to spend your time in and outside of Pflugerville High School. We encourage you to stick with just your high school career unless there is a significant program/organization/job/award you may have received earlier in life.
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The resume should highlight:
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-Organizations you have been involved in
-Community Service you may have completed
-Jobs/Internships/Summer Camps, etc. you may have participated in
-Awards you may have won
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*Do not forget to think outside the box. List anything you may spend your time on.
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Although you may choose the format of your resume, we do encourage you to always stay professional. Please build three different resumes for the College Application process.
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-Application Resume (filled out directly on the college application)
- One page Resume (this is typically what most institutions prefer)
-expanded resume (Can be 2+ pages and goes in great depth about your involvement)
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Letters of Recommendation/College Interview
Letters of Recommendation can add another positive layer to your college application. However, please check your institution's specific website for any advice or "rules" regarding these letters. For example, an institution may require a letter of recommendation be submitted by a specific teacher or may only accept the first two letters they receive.
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If the institution does not require a letter of recommendation or specify who it should come from, please think about the people in your life that may know you best (teacher, coach, employer, religious figure, etc.).
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General Letter of Recommendation Tips:
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- Pick someone that can write a positive letter on your behalf
-Make sure the individual recommending you, knows you well. If a counselor letter is not required, we typically suggest not asking your counselor (or Mr. Howell) unless you know them well
-Give the individual recommending you at least 3 weeks to write your letter
-Thank them and keep them updated when you hear a decision from your institution.
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If you need a counselor letter of recommendation, please fill out the form below and email it to Mr. Howell. He does typically write all counselor letters of recommendation.
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If you are asked to complete a College Interview (for admission or scholarship), please note that this is just an opportunity for them to get to know you better. The Interviewer will not ask you to solve a calculus problem, but might ask what book you loved in HS. Please make sure you respond quickly to a request for an interview.
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The Counseling & College/Career Team are available to conduct practice interviews with you. Please email one of us to set something up!
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