Request mid-year reports

Request Mid-Year Reports: Coordinating with School Counselors

Overview

Most colleges require mid-year reports showing fall semester senior grades. Your school counselor typically submits these automatically via Naviance or Common App, but many students don't confirm this is happening. If your counselor doesn't submit, colleges won't have crucial grade information. This task ensures your mid-year reports are filed correctly and on time.

What Mid-Year Reports Contain

Mid-year reports typically show:

• Your name, student ID, and school
• Fall semester grades and GPA (sometimes fall + first quarter spring)
• Class schedule (teachers, courses)
• Rank (if your school ranks) and percentile
• Attendance record
• Disciplinary record (if clean, often omitted)
• Counselor brief comments or signature indicating good standing

Schools use mid-year reports to:

1. Confirm grades match what you claimed on application
2. Identify any red flags (failing grades, disciplinary issues)
3. Verify you're still on track for graduation
4. Assess if there have been any grade changes since you applied

Timeline for Mid-Year Report Submission

| Timeframe | Action | |-----------|--------| | December 1-10 | Deadline to REQUEST mid-year reports from counselor | | December 15 - January 15 | Counselor compiles and submits reports to schools | | January 15 - February 1 | School begins reviewing mid-year reports | | February 15 | Most schools have reviewed mid-year reports; decisions to rescind made by now |

Important: Request by December 1-10 to ensure counselor has time to compile and submit.

How to Coordinate with Your Counselor

Step 1: Identify Your Counselor and Get Contact Info

• If you know your counselor: great
• If you don't: go to your school's main office and ask "Who is my college counselor?" or "Who handles college admissions support?"
• Get their email and phone number

Step 2: Send a Professional Request Email Send this email by December 10:

Subject: Request for Mid-Year Report Submission - Senior Class of [YEAR]

Dear [Counselor Name],

I hope you're having a great fall. As I complete college applications, I wanted to request mid-year reports for the following schools:

[School 1 Name]
[School 2 Name]
[School 3 Name]
[School 4 Name]
... (list all RD and deferred EA schools)

From my understanding, mid-year reports need to be submitted by mid-January for most regular decision deadlines. Could you please confirm:
1. You'll be submitting mid-year reports for all of these schools?
2. What is your expected submission date?
3. If I need to complete any forms on my end, please let me know.

Thank you for your help with my college process. I really appreciate it.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Student ID or Grade]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone]

Step 3: Understand Your Counselor's Submission Method Counselors typically submit via:

• Common App: If all your schools use Common App, counselor logs in and submits from there (easiest method)
• Naviance: Some schools use Naviance portal to submit to colleges
• Direct Submission: Email or portal for each school individually (older method, more tedious)

Ask your counselor: "Do you use Common App or Naviance to submit?" Knowing this helps you track submission status.

Step 4: Access Common App/Naviance to Verify

• If your schools use Common App:

  • Log into your Common App account
  • Go to each school's application
  • Look for "School Report" or "Recommendation" section
  • It should show "Not Viewed Yet" (pending submission) or "Received" (submitted)
  • If status doesn't change by January 10, contact counselor

• If your school uses Naviance:

  • Log into Naviance (NavianceScholars.com)
  • Look for "Colleges I'm Applying To"
  • Verify all RD schools are listed
  • Check submission status for each

Step 5: Follow Up If Mid-Year Reports Aren't Submitted Timeline for follow-up:

• January 5: If reports aren't submitted and deadline is Jan 15, email counselor: "Hi [Name], I noticed mid-year reports haven't been submitted to [School Names] yet. Deadline is January 15. Can you confirm they'll be submitted soon?"
• January 10: If still not submitted, call the counselor's office directly: "Hi, I need to confirm mid-year reports for [Schools] are being submitted today to meet the deadline."
• January 13: If still not submitted by this date, call your school's main office: "The college counselor hasn't submitted mid-year reports yet, and the deadline is January 15. Is there someone else who can help?"

What If Your School Requires Forms?

Some schools require you to complete a form or verify addresses:

• Your counselor may email you: "Complete this mid-year report form and bring it to my office"
• Form typically asks: List of schools, your address, permission to send
• Complete the form fully and return to counselor within 24 hours

What If Your School Doesn't Do Naviance or Common App?

Older schools sometimes require manual submission:

• Your counselor prints a report for each school
• Mails it directly or scans and emails it
• You may need to provide counselor with college addresses/emails
• Ask counselor: "Do you need addresses for the schools? I can provide them."

Pro Tips

1. The Counselor Relationship: Your counselor is handling 50+ students' college reports. Be respectful of their time. One professional, polite email in December is better than three panicked emails in January. Most counselors appreciate students who request things in advance.
2. The Backup Plan: If your counselor says they'll submit but you don't see confirmation by January 10, call the college directly: "I submitted my application to [School] and wanted to confirm you'll receive my mid-year report. My counselor submitted it on [DATE]." This prompts the college to look for it, and if it's missing, they'll follow up with your school.
3. The Discipline Check: Before your counselor submits mid-year reports, confirm whether you have any disciplinary issues. If you got detention in December, it might appear on the report. If you do: email counselor proactively: "I received detention for [reason] and wanted to explain context in case it appears on my report. [Brief explanation]." This gives context upfront rather than leaving colleges to question it.