The CCC

Class of 2027 and families, 

Welcome to your senior year! It was so great to see many of you today at Open House, and I look forward to working with all of you this year as you take steps to plan for your future. For those who may not know me, my name is Amanda Tagle and I am the College and Career Advisor at Horizon Honors. I am here to support you throughout your senior year as well as provide assistance with postsecondary planning. I am also our school’s dual enrollment coordinator and Seal of Biliteracy coordinator, so if you have any questions about either of those topics, I am your contact person. Today I am emailing not only to introduce myself but also to share some important information in a timely manner. As college applications are beginning to open, I know many of you are eager to get started. As a reminder, I am available to meet with students one-on-one to complete college applications, and I will also be hosting application workshops in the coming weeks. However, for those who are ready to start applying now, I have some important information to get you started. 

University of Arizona

If you plan to apply to the University of Arizona, please be aware of the following: 

• The application opens tomorrow, August 1st. Visit the UofA website for more information and apply through Common App.

• The University of Arizona strongly encourages you to apply by November 1st. However, I consider this a hard deadline. Last year, Arizona students who applied after 11/1 received no scholarship money. It is imperative to apply by November 1st.  

• Last year there was an “optional” essay included in the application. Our UofA rep has told me that students really need to complete the essay if they would like to be considered for higher scholarships. Do the essay!

• The W.A. Franke Honors College application is embedded in the general application. If you skip this section, you will not have another opportunity to apply to the honors college. I understand it’s more work, but take time to complete the honors application if you think you might be interested in it. 

Arizona State University

The ASU application opened in early July and admission decisions are already being released. It is very helpful to have your high school transcript accessible while completing the application so that you can self-report your grades on the application (this is true for many college applications). If you need your transcript, feel free to email me or request your free, self-view transcript through your student account in Parchment. 

Barrett, the Honors College Pre-Application Checklist - New this year!

This summer, Barrett introduced a pre-application checklist to help students get prepared for the Barrett application. This tool will be available until the honors application officially opens on September 9th. Barrett, the Honors College, says this new tool will guide you through identifying recommenders and their contact information, gathering necessary academic information, brainstorming entries for the Beyond the Classroom (activities) page, and starting to reflect/draft essay prompt responses. You can access the checklist here: Barrett.

Northern Arizona University

NAU has not provided me with any updates yet, but they will be coming soon! In the meantime, I recommend applying directly through the NAU website. As of last year, they began waiving the application fees for Arizona high school students who applied directly to NAU. However, those students who applied through Common App needed to pay an application fee. 

Common App

The Common App opens tomorrow! Students who are planning to apply to several universities, especially out of state universities, are encouraged to consider using Common App to streamline the process. There are over 1,000 colleges and universities that utilize Common App, and it’s a great way to easily keep track of deadlines, essays, recommendations and more. However, if you are planning to apply to only a few universities, such as ASU and NAU, it is easiest to apply directly to those colleges instead of using Common App. If you are unsure if Common App is the best option for you, feel free to ask me about your specific situation. Important: If you choose to use Common App, you must add me as your high school counselor because there are sections I will need to complete in order for your application to be considered complete. Please add me to your application as soon as you begin adding colleges to your Common App account. 

There are countless options for college, and I can't possibly list all of them here. I strongly encourage you to start exploring your many options and taking note of application deadlines. 

Students, I will be meeting with all seniors individually beginning the first week of school and continuing throughout the year. However, if you have any questions or need support at any point in the year, feel free to email me to set up a meeting or stop by the CCC before school, after school, or during lunch. 

Best wishes for a wonderful year ahead!

Mrs. Tagle

Class of 2026, 

Congratulations on all of your accomplishments thus far! I have some important information for you regarding sending your final high school transcript, as well as dual enrollment credits and AP scores to your future college. If you are heading to college, please read this email in its entirety because there are steps you will need to take to send any transcripts or scores. 

AP Free Score Report

If you are taking AP exams this year and would like to send scores to your university, now is a great time to take care of that task. Sending score reports is typically associated with a fee, but they are free once a year. The score report will include 2026 AP scores, as well as all AP tests you have taken in the past. The deadline for free score reports is June 20, 2026. Visit the College Board website for more information and to place your order. If you miss the deadline, you may still order AP score reports in the future, but there will be a fee. 

Ordering Final High School Transcripts 

Seniors who are planning to head to college this fall will need to order a final high school transcript to be sent to their future college or university. This can be done by placing an order through Parchment. Through Parchment, students will be able to place an order for an official transcript (approx. $5 fee). It is important that students mark “Hold for grades” so we know to wait to process the order until final grades have been posted. The ordering process is fairly straightforward, but please reach out to me if you run into any issues. Transcripts should be ordered prior to graduation because I will be fulfilling all order requests the day after graduation. Take a moment to order your transcript today, and don’t forget to mark “hold for grades.”

Dual Enrollment Transcripts

If you have taken dual enrollment classes, you will need to send your official transcript to your college in order to receive credit.

If you are not currently enrolled in a dual enrollment course, you can send the transcript now. Visit Parchment and send your transcript from Maricopa Community Colleges to your college or university. 

If you are currently taking a dual enrollment course, you should not send your transcript yet. Wait until this year’s grades are posted on your SMCC transcript before ordering through Parchment. It may take up to a week after the last day of school for grades to post to your SMCC transcript. The best way to ensure they are posted is to log into your SMCC student center and request a free, unofficial transcript. You will immediately be able to view the transcript and verify whether or not the grades have been posted. Once you see all dual enrollment grades reported on your transcript, then you should order a transcript to be sent from Maricopa Community Colleges to your future college or university. For more information on ordering transcripts, visit the Maricopa Community Colleges website. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Best, 

Mrs. Tagle