CHS School Counselors' Corner

And we're off!

Senior meetings for those applying early action or early decision have been running, students are working on essays and applications, and college admissions counselors are visiting CHS.

While this is all so exciting, please keep aware of your stress level; reach out to us if you are feel overwhelmed. We are here to help!

Common App Activities List

The Common App Activities section can be stressful to fill out, but it doesn't HAVE to be! Please check out this helpful resource guide composed by Ethan Sawyer, "The College Essay Guy," for tips, tricks, and advice on what to include and avoid, here.

Senior Slides

Wondering "who does what" by way of college applications? How should you request transcripts and letters of recommendation? Would a "best practices" list be helpful? Please see below for our Senior Slides presentation, made for and tailored to you, the CHS Class of 2027.

SAT vs. ACT? Standardized Testing 101!

There are key differences between the SAT and the ACT. Please check out the graphic below to determine which is best for you.

As a reminder, CHS does not register students for these tests, but you can access registration info, dates, and deadlines at www.collegeboard.org or www.actstudent.org.

Also, a list of test-optional schools can be found here.

Students should see their counselors for any help regarding whether or not to send scores to test-optional schools.

Finally, as a friendly reminder, CHS does not have access to score reports; they must be sent by students.

How to Request Transcripts

Many students ask us how they should send their transcript to schools; the simple answer is they shouldn't! Your school counselor will send your transcripts; you just have to request them in Scoir!

Requesting transcripts is easy; you just need to add colleges to your "Applying" list in Scoir. For assistance, please follow this link, and check out the helpful graphic below.

You must please request transcripts in Scoir at least ten school days prior to your deadlines.

FAFSA/CSS Profile

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to apply for financial aid from the federal government and will be available for families to complete on October 1st at studentaid.gov.

Most folks have heard of the FAFSA, but the CSS Profile might be new to you.

The CSS Profile is an online application that students submit to apply for financial aid from colleges and scholarship programs. It’s different from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ®) that students use to apply for financial aid from the federal government. It is NOT required of every institution, but it's important to know if you need to fill it out.

Please visit the following link to see if the schools you are applying to require this Form: https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx.

Financial Aid Webinar with College Affordable (October 15!)

Submitting the FAFSA is just one piece of the puzzle, and a lot of questions remain about next steps and how to address other requirements. Join College Affordable as they take families through the next phase of the financial aid process.

For those of you who are not familiar with the program, College Affordable is a local non-profit organization we partner with to provide our students and their families support with the financial aid process at no cost.

In addition to being your resource for all questions related to the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and financial aid eligibility, the organization holds webinars specifically designed to support families where they are in the financial aid process.

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Topic: I submitted my FAFSA...now what?

All families who are new to College Affordable should visit this link and click on our school icon to register. Registering with College Affordable ensures that students and families do not miss out on any of their webinars or one-on-one services that provide for our students and families. This page is also a great resource for you and will contain information related to the program you can take advantage of.

All questions can be directed to College Affordable via email at financialaid@collegeaffordable.org or call/text 781-343-1941.

Have an early application deadline? Read on!

All students who have a deadline of October 15th or November 1st or earlier should have been in some form of contact with their counselor--even if just through a Google Form--regarding their deadlines; if you haven't done so, please do as soon as you can.

How to list classes in the Common App

For continuity this year, we ask that you please fill out the Common App as such:

AP courses: "AP"

Honors courses: "Honors"

CP courses: "CP"

Non-Leveled courses: "N/A"

*If your College Prep course is for Concurrent Enrollment credit, please select "Dual Enrollment." If your AP course is for Dual Enrollment credit, please select "AP."*

FERPA Match

In order for us to send your documentation to the colleges, you must link your Common Application account (www.commonapp.org) to your SCOIR account. The first part of the FERPA consent form, which will electronically link the accounts, is found in the Common App; please click on the following:

On Common App:

My Colleges
Recommenders and FERPA
FERPA Release Authorization

On SCOIR:

"Personal Details"
"My Profile"
"SCOIR FERPA"
"Release Authorization"
"Waiver of Rights"
"Connect Common App"

While it is the student’s choice as to whether or not to waive the right to access, we strongly suggest that you do waive this right as colleges will take more seriously a recommendation letter that is strictly confidential.

MCC Concurrent Enrollment Transcript Needed?

As you start applying to colleges, it is possible that students who have taken courses for concurrent enrollment credits will be asked for a dual enrollment transcript.

If you are asked for this transcript, please follow the steps outlined in the link below. CHS is not able to produce an MCC transcript.

Class of 2027 Google Classroom

We need ALL of our seniors to join this classroom. The Join Code is scevrd2p .

Please check out all the resources on our Google Classroom (parents and guardians, you will need to have your students show you.). From financial aid webinars and virtual college fairs to the Common App and open houses, there is so much information available here!

Need Career-Based Help?

What are you interested in doing for a career? Do you know? How DOES one figure it all out?

If you're looking for insight on what you might enjoy doing, please visit the MassHire Career Information Center. Free to all Massachusetts residents, this resource is designed to provide occupational and educational information to help people make better-informed career and school choices.

Take a peek below, and please see Ms. DaSilva in the College and Career Readiness Center for more information!

https://masshirecentralcc.com/

Interested in Taking the ASVAB?

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students.

It will be offered at CHS on Thursday, December 10th at 7:19 a.m., and much more information is to follow. Stay tuned!