As the school year draws to a close, counselors are already gearing up for the next document submission season. We've pinpointed the most frequently asked questions.
1.For students who haven't attended our school throughout high school, can their transcripts from previous institutions be uploaded in Cialfo?
Absolutely! The process of uploading transcripts can be done either in bulk or individually for each student. If you prefer the latter method, navigate to cDocs, search for the student's name, then select 'Upload Documents'. You'll be able to drag and drop the file from your browser, select 'Transfer Transcript' as the document type, then complete the upload.
If you would like to bulk upload transcripts, then check out this Help Article: Bulk Uploading Transcripts
2.Many of our current Grade 11 students are creating their Common App accounts. What should we know?
For students applying in the upcoming cycle, Common App accounts should only be linked after the Common App rollover period is completed in the first week of August.
Students in the lower grades should not be linking their Common App accounts before the current application cycle has ended. Even if they try to do so, all Common App accounts will be unlinked during the rollover period in preparation for the next cycle.
3.Can students begin requesting recommendations now?
Yes! In Configuration, scroll down to cDocs Preferences, and you can choose to turn on the ability for students to request recommendations. Here are student instructions for how they can request recommendations.
4.Can students answer questions or submit some form of reflection to teachers from whom they’ve requested recommendations?
They sure can! Again, in Account - Configuration - cDocs Preferences, you’ll find a section to add questions. Students can then answer these questions to provide teachers with additional information that is useful when writing letters of recommendation. Students can also upload a file or a shared Google document link to share with teachers.
Student Instructions: Requesting Letters of Recommendation
Teacher Instructions.: Teacher Recommendations
5.Some teachers are leaving at the end of the school year, can they upload their letters of recommendation?
No problem! In fact, either the teacher can directly upload their letters of recommendation or the counselors can do it for them. Just make sure they are uploaded as a PDF.
6.Will I always be able to send documents through cDocs?
During the majority of the year, cDocs is always available. However, in line with Common App's rollover period that occurs in the last week of July, document sending through Common App will be unavailable for that few days.
Enhancing Document Accuracy for Gap Year Students and Outdated School Information
The system will not automatically regenerate old reports, but now it will identify gap-year students and clearly notify counselors whenever documents may contain outdated or mismatched school information, allowing them to verify details before sending documents.
When warnings will appear
Scenario 1 — School Information was updated
If a counselor updates School Information and there are existing unsent reports created before the update:
A warning banner will appear on the student’s cDocs profile/submission page
The banner will show which documents may be outdated
Scenario 2 — School Information hasn’t been updated for a new cycle
If school information hasn’t been reviewed since the previous graduation year:
An “Action Needed” indicator will appear
This reminder will appear 2 weeks prior to the new Common App cycle
Which documents may appear in the warning
Only outdated documents for that student will be shown dynamically, such as:
Common App School Report
Counselor Recommendation
Common App Mid Year Report
Common App Optional Report
Common App Optional Report 2
Common App Final Year Report
“Mark as updated” button
Counselors can click “Mark as updated” after reviewing the documents:
The warning banner will disappear
The banner will reappear only if the same school information update activity happens again in the future
Need more help?
Our Client Support team is available via Live Chat 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, so you can get help anytime during the work week through Chat with Cialfo.
If you’re unable to find a solution in our help articles or need further assistance, you can contact the Cialfo Support team via Live Chat or email us at [email protected].