College Application Campaign
Help Students Prepare for Their Futures by Hosting a College Application Event!
The Connecticut College Application Campaign is most successful with a committed coordinator (or two!) at each site. We recommend that coordinators work with a dedicated team of colleagues, volunteers, and students to develop a College Application event that is unique to the needs and interests of your community. As with most things, a successful College Application Campaign event is about being prepared. The coordinator resources here are designed to help you and your students be as prepared as possible for your event.
All coordinators must attend the College Application Training.
See who has already signed up for our Connecticut College Application Campaign!
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Bacon Academy
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Biotechnology Research &
Zoological Studies High School -
Hill Regional Career High School
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High School in the Community
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Howell Cheney Technical High School
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J.M. Wright Technical High School
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James Hillhouse High School
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Madina Academy
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Montville High School
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New Milford High School
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Pathways Academy of Technology & Design
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Platt Technical High School
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Putnam Science Academy
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Windsor Locks High School
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Wolcott High School
College Admissions Updates
Join us to learn all need to know for the 2023 Connecticut College Application Campaign!
Recruit your College Application Campaign team. Include a variety of people who will help plan and host your event - administrators, teachers, parents, and students are all good choices!
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Meet with your team to choose which days/week in November you'll host your event.
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Decide the format for your event.
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You might choose drop-in hours or scheduled class visits.
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You might focus on community college applications one day, public universities the next, and private and out-of-state colleges after that.
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You might ask college admissions staff to present to your students or have on-site admissions. It's your call!
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Decide what works best for your students and community.
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Plan school-wide activities to help make your event useful and fun.
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Spring/Summer
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Review the Coordinator Handbook and materials. Contact CCAN with any questions. Email or use the "Contact Us" form at the bottom of this page.
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Reserve a computer lab, classroom, the library - wherever you plan to host your event.
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Add The Connecticut College Application Campaign to your school/organization calendar. Complete the Coordinator Updates & Dates form to let us know when you'll be hosting your event. Encourage students to download the free It's A Plan mobile app for iPhone and Android. The app guides students through the ten key steps to apply, pay, and go to college and provides a safe place to store important information they'll need to complete their applications - like SSNs, usernames, and passwords.The app is available in the Apple Store and GooglePlay (coming soon).
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Watch the mail for your supply of CAW posters and stickers. Make a plan for how you'll use them.
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Distribute an Overview of Connecticut's College Application Campaign for your Teachers and Staff. Encourage them to participate in your activities & allow students to register for your events, and ask if they have additional ideas for ways to add college knowledge and readiness to their classes. Tell students and families about your event. Send a Student and Family Letter home. In addition to English, templates for these letters are available in the following languages: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Somali, and Vietnamese. Download a zip folder of the full set. Request a proclamation of College Application Week from your mayor or city council. Join the national #whyapply campaign on social media. Tell the world why students should apply to your alma mater, the local university, or postsecondary education in general. Challenge your friends and colleagues to do it, too.
September
Request college gear, gift certificates, or other fun items from area colleges and local businesses. Use these for door prizes during your event. Recruit volunteers from the school and community. Volunteers can help before and after the event. They can assist with setting up, checking students in, and answering questions while students complete their applications. Work with your school's counseling staff to identify students who haven't applied to college yet. Send them special invitations to participate in your College Application event. Share your detailed College Application schedule, including any special activities, with teachers and school staff. Ask which elements they want to participate in or help with.
Distribute an Overview of Connecticut's College Application Campaign for your Teachers and Staff. Encourage them to participate in your activities & allow students to register for your events, and ask if they have additional ideas for ways to add college knowledge and readiness to their classes. Tell students and families about your event. Send a Student and Family Letter home. In addition to English, templates for these letters are available in the following languages: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Somali, and Vietnamese. Download a zip folder of the full set. Request a proclamation of College Application Week from your mayor or city council. Join the national #whyapply campaign on social media. Tell the world why students should apply to your alma mater, the local university, or postsecondary education in general. Challenge your friends and colleagues to do it, too.
Confirm your volunteers. Hang posters and other signs around your building to advertise the event. Color posters came with your College Application mailing. If you need more, print black & white ones and ask students to decorate them. Double check that your district hasn't blocked CCAN or college/university websites from shared computers. Print a complete list of your senior class to use as a sign-in sheet during your College Application event. Include space to ask how many applications they submitted. If you can't print a class list, print a generic sign-sheet. Print copies of NACAC Fee Waiver form to have on hand during your event. Print information about tuition equity for undocumented students. Have affidavit forms available for them. If your school has a notary public in the building, ask them to be available during your event for any students who might need them.
October
Post important school information near computers. Open browsers on all computers to www.connecticutgoestocollege.org and have students record their participation. Designate a clear place where students will sign out so you can track who has participated and how many colleges they've applied to. Greet volunteers, give them a nametag, and assign them a job to do. Tip: Use the College Application Campaign "I Applied" stickers as nametags. Encourage volunteers to write the name of their alma mater(s) on the tag so students know they can ask more specific questions about the colleges.
Have fun! Help students apply to college. Celebrate their successes when they do. Remind students to complete the Student Survey after they have completed their college applications. Remind students to sign out on your sheet, including the number of applications they submitted. Post photos of your event to social media. Use #IApplied and #CTgoestoCollege. Encourage students to celebrate themselves by adding the Connecticut College Application Campaign profile frame to their Facebook profile picture.
Complete the Coordinator Survey. Thank your volunteers. Send a press release to local media to encourage your community to celebrate your students' successes. Share any published stories on social media and tag Connecticut Goes To College. Debrief with your College Application team. What went well? What will you change for next year?