o Research colleges using www.collegeboard.orgo Register for PSAT’s in the guidance office October/November________________________________ o Take your PSAT’s o Attend college fairs o Li
Trang 1Wallkill Senior High School College Planning Guide
Counseling Office
Mr Voleile Derisse VDerisse@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us
Mrs Opal Reid-Apronti OReid-Apronti@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us
Mrs Angela Terralavoro ATerralavoro@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us
Mrs Sara Veach SVeach@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us
Guidance Secretaries
Mrs Sue Rotunda
Ms Donna Brouard
Trang 2o Research colleges using www.collegeboard.org
o Register for PSAT’s in the guidance office
October/November
o Take your PSAT’s
o Attend college fairs
o Listen for the announcements for college representative visits at WSHS and meet with any that you are interested in!
December/January _
o Start preparing for the SAT/ACT
o Students with IEP’s who would like to take the SAT’s should let their counselor know
of their intentions to take the SAT’s
o Attend College Admission/Financial Aid Night at WSHS
o Register to take the SAT/ACT in May/June of this school year
o See your counselor if you need a fee waiver for the SAT/ACT
o Practice for the SAT/ACT on their websites
o Look into the SAT II’s…do the schools that you are interested in require them?
o Plan to visit colleges in the spring Remember- Start local
March/April
o Visit Colleges! Call the admissions office, make appointments to go visit! Get business cards and follow up with thank you notes!
o Wallkill Senior High School College Fair!
o Orange County Counselors Association College Fair late Spring at SUNY Orange, Middletown 7:00 PM for parents and students
o Look for great summer opportunities-internships, volunteering, etc
o Are you looking for specialty schools, i.e Art School/Fashion? Start contacting the college and ask what they require in a portfolio
o IEP/504 students did you ask for your SAT accommodation form?
May/June _
o Take your SAT/ACT
o Complete Questionnaire Page 8
July _
o Are you a student-athlete? Register for the NCAA for Division I and II schools using https://web1.ncaa.org
Trang 3Senior Year Checklist
o Continue researching and visiting colleges!
o Attend your schedule Senior Interview with your counselor and receive an unofficial transcript
o Check dates for SAT/ACT
o Meet with college representatives at WSHS
o Have your student questionnaire completed
o Prepare your art/music portfolio
o Narrow down 5-8 schools including reach and safety schools
o Request letters of recommendation from your teachers and follow up with thank you letters!
o If you are using Common App, make sure you tell your teacher first so that they can upload their letters of recommendation online and you can “invite” them on the
Common App
o Start completing the initial application process (create account, demographics) online
o Write your passwords somewhere you can reference them!!
o You MUST tell your counselor that you have applied online
o Get started on your college essay- Those students who attended the WSHS Guidance
office College Essay Writing Workshop in the Spring, should review that essay that
they wrote during the workshop
o SAT II’s? Does your college require it?
o Student athletes- Did you register with the NCAA?
o Free/reduced lunch students- do you need an application waiver?
o Finances should be discussed with your parents
o Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov and get a FSA for you and your parents
o We strongly encourage a Thanksgiving Deadline for all applications!
Trang 4o Parents- complete your taxes as early as possible to help complete the FAFSA form
o Males need to be sure that they have completed the Selective Service form once you turn 18 (you will not be eligible for financial aid if this form is not submitted on
www.sss.gov )
February/March
o Still haven’t applied to college- It’s not too late! See your counselor ASAP
o Keep your counselor informed of acceptances/denials
o Four weeks after mailing FAFSA, look for Student Aid Report (SAR)
o Review and submit all additions and corrections on the SAR
o Parents- use offered scholarships as a bargaining tool with other schools!
o Keep a record of all college acceptances
April/May
o Admissions letters arrive!
o If you have not heard, call the admissions office
o If you were not admitted to any colleges, talk to your counselor ASAP, we can help youwith choices
o Review all financial aid packages
o Send enrollment and deposit checks to your accepted college
o We hope you enjoyed this journey!
Trang 5Most colleges/universities require letters of recommendations from your teachers. We suggest that students ask for at least two letters of recommendations from teachers that know them well. You should also follow
up with a thank you note.
Step 1: Ask your teacher for the letter of recommendations. If yes, move to step 2
Step 2. Give your teacher a copy of your resume and your transcript along with a thank you note stating the following:
Dear Mr. Smith, Thank you very much to agreeing to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf. Attached, please find my Letter of
Recommendation Questionnaire and my transcript for your reference. My intended major is _. Please turn it into to
my school counselor, _ by November 1st.
Specify if you are also applying via Common App and if so, they will be receiving an email from Common App to upload a letter.
Trang 6Class of 2017 graduation requirements
4 Regents exams Plus one pathways or
5 Regents exams of 65 or above
8 Regents exams of 65 or above
*The three year foreign language sequence and exam may be replaced with a sequence in another area
Terminology you should know:
Associates Degree- 2 year school- SUNY Ulster, Orange or Dutchess
Bachelors Degree- 4 year school- SUNY New Paltz, Marist
Masters Degree- usually 6 years
Major- your concentration
Minor- a second concentration
Undergraduate- a college student who has not earned their bachelors degree Prospective student- YOU!
Deadline- the last possible date that something is due
Early Decision- a legally binding agreement that if you are accepted to that
particular college, you must go and rescind all other applications
Early Action- You apply to the college early (October) and you find out if you
are accepted early
Trang 7How to start your college search…
Visit: www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org for an interactive college search process
Your big future begins with you — it’s your journey Asking yourself questions can help your figure out who you are and where you want to go.
College Search Step-by-Step
Find Colleges That Are Right for You
Although there's no magic formula for choosing a college, you can start by asking yourself some questions that help most students find the right fit
Use
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleg e-search
Answer questions to discover what's important to you.
The Hudson Valley is home to great colleges and want you to visit! Call their admissions office and ask when their college tours are
given and make that appointment!
Make the most of College Fairs in the area.
Trang 88 What jobs have you had outside school?
Anything else you would like included
Trang 9The Differences between the SAT and ACT
Time 3 hrs and 25 minutes long
Scores range from 136.
Scores are based on number of correct answers. No penalty for guessing.
Cost $39.50 (without writing)
$56.50 (with writing)
Subject Test or SAT II’s
Trang 10The SAT II’s or Subject Test are administered by the College Board and are given on the same day as the SAT’s Reasoning Test Tests are designed to measure your
knowledge or skill in a particular subject area and to apply that knowledge Many of the more selective colleges require the SAT II’s You should go on the college
website to see if your college requires it You may take one, two or three subject
tests in one day, but you cannot take it the same day as you are taking the SAT I’s Each test in one hour long Examples of tests are Literature, World History,
Languages and Science Visit www.collegeboard.org for subjects and registration
** WSHS is not a testing site for the SAT’ s or ACT’s Common testing sites include Pine Bush HS, Newburgh Free Academy and Goshen HS
Remember when registering for the SAT’s and ACT, you MUST upload a clear picture of yourself.
2016-2017 SAT Registration Date
SAT Date SAT Subject Tests Available
(Find Dates)
Registration Deadline
Late Registration Deadline
Deadline for Changes Mail Phone/ Online
Nov. 22,
2016 Nov. 22, 2016
Trang 11 Sunday administrations usually occur the day after each Saturday test date for students who cannot test on Saturday due to religious observance.
If you miss the late registration deadline, you may be able to get on thewaitlist
Your registration options will be limited if you aren’t taking the SAT forone of its mainpurposes
Trang 12
2016-2017 ACT Registration Dates
Trang 13Top Questions to ask a college representatives
A firm handshake and eye contact show respect and interest Dress
appropriately for the meeting with the representatives Speak clearly and
confidently Ask them for a business card and send them an email thanking them for taking the time to meet with you
What GPA/SAT/ACT do I need to be considered for your school?
Do I need the SAT II Subject Test? In what area?
Do you hold interviews as part of the admissions process?
What are your popular majors?
What is the total cost to attend?
How many students receive financial aid and what is the average award?
Are applicants automatically matched to scholarships based on their application file?
What kind of services does your school provide? (tutoring, freshman seminar)
Are there any programs for minority students?
How many applications did you receive last year? How many did you accept?
Trang 14Remember that the college representatives that you will meet at college fairs, high schools or colleges are usually the ones who will make the decision on your application as whether or not you are accepted or denied.
The College Application Essay
Your college essay, regardless of topic choice, should demonstrate your
character, voice and background It helps to set a context in which your
application will be reviewed A Personal Statement is just that: personal
This statement reflects an event that happened may explain for example a gap in your transcript
Top Ten Tips for Writing a College Essay excerpts
from the National Associations for College
Admissions Counselors www.nacacnet.org
Start early The more time you have, the less stress you'll have You'll have plenty of time to give the
essay your best effort
Be yourself Take a moment to think about what interests you, what you love to talk about, what makes
you sit up and take notice if it's mentioned in class or on TV Then write about it One of the biggest mistakes students make is "writing what they think others want to hear, rather than about an issue, event, or person that really had significance for them," says an admission and financial aid official at a New York college An essay like that is not just boring to write, it's boring to read
Be honest You're running late (see #1), you can't think of what to write, and someone e-mails you a
heartwarming story With just a tweak here and there, it could be a great essay, you think It's what you would have written if you'd just had enough time Don't be fooled! College admission officers have read hundreds, even thousands of essays They are masters at discovering any form of plagiarism Adapting
Trang 15an e-mail story, buying an essay from some Internet site, getting someone else to write your essay, admission people have seen it all Don't risk your college career by taking the easy way out
Take a risk On the other hand, some risks can pay off Don't settle for the essay that everyone else is
writing Imagine an admission officer up late, reading the fiftieth essay of the day, yours Do you want that person to nod off because he or she has already read ten essays on that topic? "The danger lies not
in writing bad essays but in writing common essays, the one that admission officers are going to read dozens of," says an associate director at a Pennsylvania high school "My advice? Ask your friends what they are writing, and then don't write about that!"
Keep in focus This is your chance to tell admission officers exactly why they should admit you
Unfortunately, some students try to list every single reason, their stellar academic record, their athletic prowess, their community service, all in a page or two When that happens, the essay looks like a grocery list Even though the Common Application main essay has a suggested minimum of 650 words, with no limit, every admission officer has a big stack to read every day; he or she expects to spend only
a couple of minutes on the essay If you go over 700 words, you are straining their patience, which no one should want to do Instead, read the essay question carefully and jot down a few ideas Then choose the one that looks like the most fun to write about Stick to that main theme throughout the essay You don't have to list all your achievements, that's what the rest of the application is for Use the essay in a creative way to help the admission officers get to know you as a person
Write and rewrite Don't try to write a masterpiece on your first try It's not possible, and all that pressure
is likely to give you writer's block For your first draft, write anything that comes to mind about your topic Don't worry too much about grammar or spelling Just get it down on paper (or computer screen) Then let it "rest" for a few hours or a few days When you come back to the draft, look for ways to make it more focused and better written Some people are "fat" writers: they write long, wordy first drafts that need to be shortened later Others are "skinny" writers: they write short and simple first drafts and then need to add details or examples to "flesh out" the skeleton Either way, don't be afraid to make major changes at this stage Are there details that don't really relate to the topic? Cut them Do you need another example? Put it in
Get a second opinion Even best-selling novelists ask other people to read their manuscripts before
they're sent to the publisher When you've rewritten the essay to your satisfaction, find someone who can give you advice on how to make it even better Choose a person you respect and who knows something about writing, a favorite English teacher, a parent, or a friend who writes for the school paper Ask them to tell you what they like best about your essay, and what you can do to improve it Criticism of your writing can be tough to hear, but try to listen with an open mind You don't have to make every
Trang 16change suggested, after all, it's your essay and no one else's, but you should seriously consider each suggestion
Proofread Finally, you're ready to send your essay Not so fast! Read it over one more time, looking for
those little errors that can creep in as you write or edit If you're using a computer, also run a spell check Sometimes, it can be difficult to catch minor typos—you've read the essay so many times that you see what should be there rather than what is there To make sure you catch everything, try reading your essay out loud or having someone else read it out loud to you
THE COMMON APPLICATION
The Common Application is a notforprofit membership organization that, since its founding over 35 years ago, has been committed to providing reliable services that promote equity, access, and integrity
in the college application process. We serve students, member institutions, and secondary schools by providing applications that students and school officials may submit to any of our over 500 members. Membership is open to colleges and universities that promote access by evaluating students using a holistic selection process.
The Common Application
All Members
There are now over 500 Common Application members in 47 states and the District of Columbia, as well
as in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Qatar, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. While they represent tremendous diversity in size, mission, location, and selectivity, they all share a commitment of promoting access through holistic admission.