Please help an international student with CommonApp! Please!!

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
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<p>Hi all, </p>

<p>I'm an international student applying from the Middle East, and I have some questions about the CommonApp. We don't have a guidance counselor at school, so I really have no one to go to. Please help me with the following :) :</p>

<p>1) I can't find the International Supplement online!! I'm really freaking out!! </p>

<p>2) I'm confused as to how the high school transcript works. Is it an additional document that should be sent in addition to the form that my guidance counselor has to fill in (which my principal will be doing), or is the form alone enough? Who should send the transcript if it has to be sent? Can it be sent electronically? </p>

<p>3) Since I take the GCE A-Levels as opposed to AP or IB, should I mention this and the grades I have received in the 'Additional Information' section of the CommonApp? Also, as an international student, is there anything else that I have to specify on the 'Additional Information' section of the CommonApp?</p>

<p>4) For the 'Current Year Courses' in the 'Academics' section of the CommonApp, should I just fill all three trimesters with the four A-Level subjects that I take, or is there another way that I should approach this?</p>

<p>5) I am aware of the Teacher Evaluation form. Is a teacher recommendation letter a different document that has to be attached to this form, or should the teacher's comments be confined to the Evaluation box at the end of the Teacher Evaluation form? If the teacher recommendation letter is separate, can it be sent electronically, or is it only sent through mail?</p>

<p>6) Can additional letters of recommendation, for example, from my employer, be sent electronically, or is it only sent through mail?</p>

<p>7) I've read somewhere that it is better to either send everything by mail or online. If, suppose, the additional letter from my employer cannot be sent online, is it better for me to send everything by mail, or to send everything except the letter online? </p>

<p>8) If I do have to send my CommonApp and supplements by mail, are there any special deadlines that I have to meet, or are they the same as the ones for the online application?</p>

<p>I know that these are a lot of questions, and I know that some of the questions may seem silly, but I don't have a guidance counselor or anyone who has applied to the United States that can help me. Please help me out :) I'd really appreciate it.</p>

<p>Thank you in advance! Good luck with all of your applications :)</p>

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<p>1) Here is the international supp: <a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/International_Supplement.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/International_Supplement.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
By the way, you don’t have to fill the international supplement. As you don’t have a guidance counselor, it should be filled by your principal/headmaster (preferably) or a senior teacher.</p>

<p>2) Yes, it is an additional document which consists of all the grades from your 9th grade onwards including your O-Level and A-Level results along with predicted grades for your senior year stamped and attested by your school. If your principal is doing the whole process online, he has to do it electronically. Here is a sample but it isn’t 100% accurate: <a href=“http://www.documentprofessionals.com/Graphics/HStransLRG.gif[/url]”>http://www.documentprofessionals.com/Graphics/HStransLRG.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>3) The additional info section is used by applicants if something cannot be mentioned clearly on the original common app or if the applicant wants to mention something in detail. The college would know through the international supplement and transcript that you’re doing A-Levels. Therefore, it is not necessary to mention that you are doing A-Levels. You can use the Additional Info section for proliferating your Extracurriculars or letting the admission committee know something they would be interested to know.</p>

<p>4) Fill the current year courses with the system the examination board follows. If you’re following CIE, I believe the examination is held in November and June and if you’re following EDEXCEL, the exam is held in January and June. That usually means that a trimester system isn’t followed and you may fill the first two semesters only. There are many methods in approaching it and one method which I personally used is: Name of Module/Unit, (A-Level, Name of board). For example: Mechanics 2 (A-Level, CIE) or Physics 3 (A-Level, EDEXCEL).</p>

<p>5) The teacher recommendation should be preferably filled electronically because schools usually prefer it online and it saves time and cost. A teacher recommendation includes an evaluation box which must be filled and teachers are required to attach an additional evaluation. The additional evaluation is usually the formal evaluation/recommendation.</p>

<p>6) That depends from school to school. For example, the Peer recommendation of Dartmouth college must be sent by mail. If a school doesn’t ask for an additional recommendation, DO NOT try to volunteer them. Remember, colleges don’t have enough time in reviewing applications and will probably ignore your peer/employer recommendation. But I wouldn’t discourage you to send one. ;)</p>

<p>7) That is a misconception you have. Colleges accept both mail and online applications. I personally prefer the online application because it is fast, secure and costless. It is completely your wish on what you do. But except for the peer/employer recommendation, DO NOT send your application partially by mail and partially online.</p>

<p>Feel free to ask any questions you have. Best of luck with your applications! :D</p>

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<p>Thank you so much omega007! You are a life saver! This just made it so much easier for me, and I can relax a bit now and not worry about what I don’t know, if that makes sense haha :P</p>

<p>Thank youuuu! :D</p>