Electronic Partners (EP) are schools that work with Penn State Undergraduate Admissions to send and receive information over the Web through the Web Counselor System (WCS).

The Web Counselor System (WCS) allows schools to submit student credentials for evaluation via the Web. The system also provides other services that keep counselors up-to-date on the status of their students' applications. Schools first become Electronic Partners (EP) with Penn State, and then are granted access to the system.

What services are provided on the Web Counselor System?
EP school counselors are able to:

• view a list of all applicants to Penn State
• view each applicant's current status
• view a list of those students who have completed Web applications
• complete the school counselor information page of the Web application online
• fax student transcripts to a dedicated 800 fax line. Electronic submission of credentials and faxing transcripts apply only to students who complete Web applications.

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How will being an Electronic Partner with Penn State benefit our school?
Becoming a Penn State Electronic Partner (EP) benefits the school in a number of ways:

• Because the school will submit the grading profile only once, counselors need not complete the profile for every applicant. The counselor page will be reduced to only three or four questions. This can be a real time-saver for counselors,
• Submitting the profile once promotes consistency in evaluation of students from your school.
• Counselors will have access to real-time status information for applicants.
• By working with Penn State electronically, we are able to more efficiently collect all of the information needed for a student's application. It is much less likely that errors will occur since data is passed directly from your computer system to ours.
• Perhaps most importantly, becoming an EP school allows Penn State to continue to build strong relationships with the schools and counselors we serve.

Can the Web Counselor System be used for both Web and paper applicants?
No. WCS can only be used to submit credentials for Web applicants.

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Who is the Primary Contact person and for what is he/she responsible?
The Primary Contact person is the point person for the school and the person with whom we will communicate regarding the school's grading profile. The Primary Contact can be anyone the school designates, regardless of title or position. However, this person's responsibilities lend themselves to someone in the school who has the authority to establish and verify the school's grading profile that will be used to evaluate all applicants from your school.

The Primary Contact person is responsible for submitting the school's grading profile on an annual basis. The Primary Contact is also responsible for keeping in contact with the local campus admissions officer, or admissions representative for the school's geographic region, to troubleshoot, train staff, and provide feedback on the use of the system.

Do counselors need a User ID and Password?
Because this is a highly secure system, counselors and/or staff who use the WCS are required to establish an account. After a school becomes an Electronic Partner, the primary contact person is authorized to create accounts for staff. The user ID and password are emailed directly to the account holder.

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What procedure will counselors follow to complete a student's application?
After logging into the site, counselors see three choices:

• The All Applicants link provides a list of all students who have applied to Penn State, regardless of the type (Web or paper) of application. This interactive list provides a real-time status for each student.
• The Paper Applicants link provides a list of all applicants who have submitted paper applications. This is not an interactive list, but can be used for reference or to contact students who might need a traditional counselor page completed.
• The Web Applicants link provides a list of all applicants who have completed a Web application. This interactive list is used to complete the online counselor form.

  After clicking on the Web Applicants link, the counselor sees two lists. On the left are the students who need some type of action by the counselor. By clicking on the student's name, the counselor sees several questions to answer. Depending on the submitted profile, we will ask for the weighted or unweighted grade point average, the weighted or unweighted class rank, the date the applicant entered your school, and anticipated graduation date. Counselors also have the ability to tell us about any special circumstances affecting the student that are important to the evaluation of his/her application.

  Once the student's credentials have been submitted, a personalized fax cover sheet is printed by the counselor. The cover sheet and transcript are then faxed to a dedicated 800-number fax. No need to follow up with a transcript via US Mail.

Again, electronic submission of credentials is only available for those students from partner high schools completing the Web application.

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What about students who apply using a paper application?
Penn State prefers that students submit Web applications. There has recently been a dramatic increase in the number of Web applications, with the majority of applications coming in electronically. We expect that as EP schools see the ease with which counselor information can be submitted electronically (and see the benefit to the student), counselors will actively encourage electronic applications.

Should a student complete the paper application, the counselor information page must be completed using the traditional paper format. The student should provide the counselor with the page, and the transcript and information page must be mailed to Undergraduate Admissions. The 800 fax line may not be used for submitting data for paper applicants.

Do all counselors need to participate?
We expect that all counselors, or staff responsible for submitting student credentials, at EP schools will use this system to submit student data. Before deciding whether to become an EP school, you should determine if this will work for all staff.

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How are counselors trained?
Each participating Pennsylvania school has a local Penn State campus representative who will act as the contact person for training and troubleshooting. Out-of-state schools will work with the admissions counselor for that geographic area.

How can Penn State Admissions be both high tech and high touch?
Penn State takes great pride in being able to move into a highly technological realm while creating a personalized experience for our applicants. Our staff is committed to continuing our one-to-one contact with both families and counselors whenever possible. Through our outstanding campus visit program, telephone and e-mail access for students and counselors, representation at college fairs across the nation, and high school visits, Penn State staff are able to connect with students and answer questions about what the University has to offer.

This new system is simply a means to collect the data necessary to make an admissions decision. Our efforts are driven by requests from counselors and students alike to make the application process more efficient.

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Whom should I contact if I have questions?
As you begin to consider whether your school should participate, please feel free to contact us at DASE@psu.edu with any questions you may have. We will be happy to answer any of your questions, orient you further to the system, and help you decide whether this will work for your school, students, and counselors.

Our school wants to be an Electronic Partner. How do we get started?
If your school is ready to become a Penn State Electronic Partner, please go to https://www.admissions.psu.edu/wcs/eprequest.