What is the School Optional Report?
The School Optional Report is used to:
Update grades, or
Submit corrections
At any point during the current application cycle, after the initial School Report has been submitted.
Note:
The School Optional Report is not a substitute for the School Midyear Report or School Final Report.
How to submit the School Optional Report
Step 1: Navigate to Documents from the left side menu, search for the student, and click on the student's name or the arrow icon next to their details to access their document sending page.
Step 2: Navigate to the Common App tab and click on the Edit icon next to the “School Optional Report” details; the form will then open automatically.
Step 3: You will need to select the specific update on the School Optional Report form you want to make changes to for the student's application. Depending on which reasoning you select, you will notice the relevant section will appear on the left-side menu.
This can include updates such as Predicted Grades, allowing you to provide this critical information if it was not part of the initial submission.
Step 4: Once you have completed the necessary information that is required, you can click the pink Save button at the top.
If no error message appears and the status bubble is light blue, it indicates that your form has been successfully saved and is ready for submission.
Step 5: Select the School optional report by the checkbox, and click on the Send documents button to send it.
You will be prompted to confirm the sending, as it will be sent to all Common App universities selected by your student. Click on Confirm to proceed.
Once the submission is successful, the status bubble will turn green.
Restrictions and requirements:
Including Predicted Grades with the School Report (Alternative Option)
If Predicted Grades were not included in the initial School Report, you may revise it before submission. Follow these steps:
Unsubmit the School Report if it’s in progress without Predicted Grades.
Add the Predicted Grades to the School Report.
Resubmit the corrected School Report.
This approach ensures Predicted Grades are shared without needing to use an Optional Report submission.
Similar to the School Report, the accompanying documents (e.g. transcripts, change explanation) are sent bundled with the School Optional Report. They don't have separate checkboxes for sending.
The School Optional Report is like the school report and the counsellor recommendation in that it is a standard document submitted to all universities. You CANNOT send different versions to different universities.
"Important note: The Common App Report system is a one-and-done process. That means that once you submit a form, it’s sent to all the colleges you’re assigned to. That’s why it’s important not to customize your forms for a specific institution."
The School Optional Report can only be submitted TWICE (for example, for the same student, you can use the optional report to correct something from the School Report, and later use another optional report to correct something from the School Midyear Report).
Similar to the School Report, it will say 'submitted' for the School Optional Report on the student's Common App under the 'Recommenders and FERPA' section for any University.
Nothing can be submitted after the School Final Report has been sent, including the School Optional Report.
You can also ask our BridgeU Community, a space exclusively for our BridgeU counsellors to ask questions, share insights, provide feedback, and get help not just from BridgeU, but directly from other BridgeU counsellors.
Need Help?
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If you’re unable to find a solution in our help articles or need further assistance, you can reach out to the BridgeU Support team via Live Chat or email us at hi@bridge-u.com.