Self Guided : 2) College Lists & App Tracker

This article is self guided account set up: Follow Articles 1-7 to guide your account setup. Open your account and watch the video, pausing as needed to make changes in your account.

Return to the previous section in your Training Program,
 
Recorded Training
 
 

Speed up the playback? Click the gear icon, on the video.

Add any college to our Sample Student's Counselor List.

Setting Default Data Columns

Step 1: Navigate to Settings

Go to Settings > College Data Menu Defaults.

Step 2: Choose Data Points

You'll find banners categorizing data points. Click to expand and view the full list.

Step 3: Select Columns

Next to each data column title, you'll see three icons: Parent, Student, and App Tracker. Click to turn the icon green and select the column for the respective list.

Step 4: Confirm Selections

Click "Merge With All Students" to apply your default settings to all student records.

Warning:

Existing student records will retain their current layout. New columns will be added to the far right.

 

Tips and Cautions

Less is more. Overloading on data columns can be overwhelming and may slow down your system.

 

Settings > College Data Menu Defaults 

 

 

When you reach the page mentioned above, you'll see several banners running down the page. These banners organize the data points by category, and you can view the full list by clicking on any of them.

 

Custom Columns

Types of Custom Columns

  • Custom Data Column: For tracking unique information.
  • Custom Status Column: For tracking application statuses and strategy.

Warning:

Custom Data Columns are not for student-specific notes or tasks.

 

Warning: 

Any existing student record will retain its current layout, with new columns will be added to the far right, even after default changes. If you add a New Student with a new list, only then will you see any removed columns.

How to add/edit information in custom columns

There are 2 types of Custom Columns; Data & Status:

Custom Data Column:  Create a unique information column visible only to you. Use it to track specific college information, just like any other data point. If you need to track something specific, a custom column provides an editable space for that information.

Custom Status Column: Add editable columns in the Application Tracker for both you and your student. Ideal for counselors with a proprietary application process, even though there are several existing status columns to choose from.

Warning: 

Do not use a Custom Data Column for student-specific notes or tasks, as these columns are for your esoteric information keeping or to store niche specific application knowledge. Custom columns are editable only by you and function similar to any other data point supplied by CounselMore.

What are Custom Data Columns, and why would a counselor use them? 

Custom Data Columns are tailored to individual counseling practices, allowing counselors to track specific information about schools that aligns with their unique style or needs. Here's how some counselors have utilized them:

One counselor created a custom column to record her specific contacts within each school's athletics department.

Another used it to keep track of in-person audition details.

Yet another counselor used a custom column to track internal on-campus scholarships.

These examples illustrate the flexibility of Custom Data Columns, enabling counselors to personalize their tracking methods according to their specific requirements and practices.

What are Custom App Tracker columns, and why would a counselor use them? 

Custom Application Tracker columns are utilized to add specific tasks to a student's App Tracker or Student list, allowing both the counselor and student to monitor the progress of these tasks for each school. But they do even more!

Here's how some counselors have implemented them: One counselor added a "Campus Visit" column to the Application Tracker. Her student uses this column to record their progress on scheduling campus visits for each school on their application list.

  • An athletic recruiter added custom App Tracker columns to the Student list for the process that happens prior to application or even the final application-list.


These custom columns provide a personalized way to manage and track specific tasks, enhancing the efficiency and organization of the application process for both counselors and students.

How do I build Custom Columns?

  1. Navigate to "Settings," then "College Data Menu Defaults."
  2. Open the banner labeled "Custom Columns"

    cdm-customCols

  3. Enter your desired label for the column.
  4. Click the green button to show the column on the List, then click the "+" button to the right.
  5. If you want the Custom Column to appear for all students, click the "Merge with All Students" button.
  6. If you want to choose the column for individual students, don't click "Merge with All" and instead select it for each student, within each student's record.
  7. On the same page there is a blue warning box regarding "Merge with all students"  at the top of the page. Please review.


Add Your Counselor Opinions, Tags, Links, and College Notes

In your Counselor list, you can view various existing Custom Data Columns, by scrolling all the way to the right.

Counselor Opinion Column:

Only available in the Counselor's list

  1. Scroll over any cell in the column.

  2. See eyeball appear.

  3. Double click eyeball

  4. Type in your comment

  5. click Save

  6. Click closed.



Links Column

Screen Shot 2020-12-24 at 10.53.19 AM

Easily build your college reference knowledge by saving links to programs, insider's info, Kool things to know, and more... within any school row, in your Links column. Simply copy and paste the URL address to reference web pages about the school or program, or link to outside agencies with news articles or opinions.

How would a counselor use the links column? 

Link to Chapman University California's Facebook page, via your links column. Turn on the link for a student. You have now introduced Chapman's extensive social media presence to your student. This is an excellent time to discuss demonstrated interest. Good thing you had a convenient tool where you could save that link!

 

  1. Scroll over any cell.
  2. The Pencil will appear
  3. A new box will open
  4. Click on Add Link
  5. In another tab, find your resource and copy the URL address
  6. Return to your CounselMore tab and determine a label for your link, see above the label is Analytics,
  7. Paste your link into the URL field
  8. Click Apply
  9. When you export a list to the Student's Google folder, the links column will appear.
  10. The links can be turned off/on per student.
  11. After saving the link, close the box
  12. Scroll over the box again.
  13. The Pencil will appear
  14. A new box will open
  15. See the Green Eyeball, click on it.

 

The eyeball is grey, it will not show for that student. It will not appear in their list export or in their student portal.

The eyeball is green, it will show for that student. It will appear in their list export and in their student portal.

TIP: If you have existing College Notes, Tour notes, or pictures saved on your Google Drive, simply copy the link to those documents or folders and add the link to the corresponding college. This allows easy access and the flexibility to share or restrict these items per student.


Tags Column

Screen Shot 2020-12-24 at 11.04.17 AM 

Add tag(s) to schools from anywhere in the app! 

  1. While you are looking at a list of schools, scroll to the right. The Tags column will be near the end.

  2. Double click on the cell you wish to add tags to.

  3. You will see a small popup where you will type the tag(s) for that college.

  4. Type the tag and hit return/enter on your keyboard to create/commit the tag.

  5. Repeat step 4 as many times as you like.

Once you have schools tagged it is easy to apply this full or partial list of schools to another student.

  1. Select the student you will apply the schools to.

  2. Go to their Counselor List, click on the menu button AppMenuBtn , click on Search.

  3. Click on the tab "My Database" 

  4. Click the button on the left side called "My Lists".

  5. Choose the appropriate tag and click the button to the right that says Show Results.

  6. Select some or all of the schools. Note: the Select All checkbox at the top of the table selects all schools on the page. If you want to select schools on page 2, go to page 2 and select them.

How to delete Tags

  1. Round blue button
  2. select Search
  3. select My Database - look lower left
  4. select My Lists
  5. look center screen for your list of tags.
  6. see trash can


College Notes column

 


App Tracker

Tip: 

In Settings > Custom Default Data Menu, click the banner titled, Application Guidelines, this menu lists the columns of information most associated with the common college application requirements. When choosing application guidelines in the last banner, you were simultaneously selecting a corresponding Status column for each application requirement information column.

App Tracker Navigation

  • Watch the video for visual reference while learning to navigate the App Tracker tab.

  • On the far left of the school name on the App Tracker screen, you'll find a red button used to delete information. Clicking it sends the school back to the Student list. 

  • Next to it, you can prioritize schools by changing the number and pressing enter.

  • Above that, you can reorder schools using the click, drag, and drop feature. 

  • The "Fit" columns, labeled as Net, Fit, Reach, and Lottery, carry over from the Counselor list and represent the student's chances of admission:

    • Net: Very high chance

    • Fit: Medium chance

    • Reach: Unlikely chance, but possible with effort

    • Lottery: Extremely low chance

  • You can rearrange these columns by clicking and dragging the header. 

  • All schools on the App Tracker are visible to the Student and Parent. Share your screen with the student to review task status. 

  • When a task is complete, check the box in the top right corner of the status cell, turning it green.


Selecting Data Columns from within a Student Record

  1. Navigate to any of the 3 lists of any student record

  2. Click the round blue button with the orange halo

  3. Click College Data Menu

  4. At the top of the page is the student's name. You are now choosing data columns for this student's App Tracker.

Super TIP:  

Turn on the Essays & Other Prompts column for the App Tracker. Navigate to the column in the App Tracker. Prepare the student's prompts for each school by auto-generating a Google-doc INSIDE the student's Google drive folder. With one click! 


Jump to this training to learn more.

essayexport

 


Accepted / Declined / Waitlisted 

All schools promoted to the App Tracker will automatically appear in the student's Bio Banners.

  1. Click the pencil icon to the left of the name on the student record.
  2. Bio banners will appear.
  3. Click on Accepted / Declined banner

Track acceptances, majors, rewards and the inevitable results - easy!



Export App Tracker to Files Tab

You can also export the App Tracker directly to the student's Google drive folder. Clients are impressed with the comfortable review of a spreadsheet, delivered directly to their email box. 

  1. Export the App Tracker using the Round button.
  2. Goto to Assignments tab.
  3. Make a New Assignment, copy to parents, start date today. Link Assignment to the spreadsheet in student's folder. Email.

Onto the next section in your Training Program, Student & Parent Portals.

 

Still have questions or need additional support?

Write down any questions you have, and if needed, meet with a Tech Mentor to supplement your self-guided setup.

Assignments from App Tracker



Counselor Community Study Hall

On Fridays, CounselMore members meet for Study Hall


Join us and you will hear things like this:

We asked a Counselor: 

"How do you use the App Tracker at the time of enrollment choice?"

This is what they said:

 

Onto the next section in your Training Program, 3) Student & Parent Portal

 

Still have questions or need additional support?
Write down any questions you have, and if needed, meet with a Tech Mentor to supplement your self-guided setup.
 
 

What does the Parent portal look like?

View_parent_portal
 

Counselors move to the Biographical Banners by clicking the pencil but for parents there is a button to move between biography and process flow.

Student_portal_goto_info-button

 

How to generate assignments from the Student list and App Tracker - Article here

👍   Now that you've complete the Self Study, make a list of your questions and reserve a seat at a live training session. You will find a complete schedule here.