College 201 - Senior Student Presentation Sept16

Application Components Student Online Application  Name and address, the basics  Résumé or activity list  Essay when requested  Supplements as required by colleges  Application fee

Welcome to Senior Year!

Mr Masters A-F Mrs Gilsdorf G-M

Ms Cooper N-Z

See what the GHS Class of 2016

“College is a match

to be made, not a prize to be won.”

-Frank Sachs, The Blake School

 Remember to apply to a safety school,

“likely” schools, and a “reach” school

 The only way to guarantee a denial is to not apply…rejection is part of the process

 Have weekly meetings with your parents to talk about your progress

 Schedule final college visits and interviews if necessary

 Technology first impressions

A few reminders from

last year…

Do not fear the unknown!

You will get through this college

application season!!!

Application Components

 Student Online Application

 Name and address, the basics

 Résumé or activity list

 Essay (when requested)

 Supplements as required by colleges

 Application fee

 Official test scores

 Transcript

 School Profile

 Counselor letter of recommendation (when required)

 Secondary School Report/Counselor Report

 Teacher Letter of Recommendation (when required)

Step 1: Have all of the appropriate accounts

set up!

- Naviance: Have a valid Naviance Student

Account…Watch out for typos!!!

- Common Application: Create a Common App

Account if your colleges accept Common App

& write down your username & password!

…Watch out for typos!!!

- FERPA: Complete the FERPA waiver in

Common App, again if your colleges accept Common App

Step 2: Fill out the online application(s)!

 Where do I find the

application?

 Is it a Common App school?

Step 3: Add all of your colleges to Naviance!

 See page 4 of “How to Apply”

for screen shots!

 Matching your Naviance

account with your Common App

account

Step 4: Request teacher

& counselor letters of

recommendation

 Are they required?

 What it means to the teacher/counselor

to write a letter

 Requesting a teacher letter (see form)

 Requesting a counselor letter (see form)

What if I already requested teacher letters last year using the old

form?

The more time you give us the better!

Step 5: Send ACT

and/or SAT scores

 Have official SAT &

ACT scores sent directly from the testing agency

to your particular college.

- www.collegeboard.org

- www.actstudent.org

Yellow Sheet

Are your test scores

reflective of you?

 Some schools have Test Optional policies, which allow the student to decide if

he/she wants to submit test scores as

part of their application.

- www.fairtest.org

- See your School Counselor to work out a

strategy if test optional may apply to you.

* Beware of the fine print around how

colleges/universities may still use/require test

scores

Step 6:Requesting a Transcript!

 One BLUE Form for every

school to which you apply.

 We cannot send your

transcript until we have

this form on file!

Blue Sheet

You MUST turn in your BLUE form at least

Before you want your transcript to be sent!

***See Important Counseling Office Deadlines!***

Step 7: Follow up!

 You did it! Let your counselor know

of application outcome.

Especially if you have been waitlisted,

as it is important to follow-up with

the college

Sticker time!

 Other things to know…

How to know that my materials got to

my college (e.g it is NOT instant)

How to transfer college credits…and what to mark in Common App about it!

Reminder: What Your School Counselor Does NOT Send to Colleges

 Test Scores

 Transcripts from COTC, OSU, Denison

Once you’ve done all of this work…how do they make the decision?

ADMITTED DEFERRED WAITLISTED DENIED

If this is how you’re now

feeling…

Don’t worry! We are going to be with you every step of the way!

 Use your “How to Apply to College”

packet

 Stay organized! Figure out a system

that works for you (i.e excel

spreadsheet, checklist, binder, folder, etc.)

How do I keep track

of it all?

What other students do:

 Folders  Make a folder for all of your

college-related papers

 Lists  List each school in the order of the first

deadline you are trying to meet

 Excel Sheets  Use Excel to keep track of each

school, deadlines, cost, etc

 Naviance  has deadlines and links to the college’s

website

Knowing your deadlines…

Types of Application Deadlines

Regular Decision:

 Students submit an application by a specified date and receive a decision in a clearly stated period of time.

Commitment Level: Non-binding

Types of Application Deadlines

What does it mean if they use

Types of Application Deadlines

Early Action:

• Students apply early and receive a decision well in advance of the institution’s regular response date Commitment Level: Non-binding

– Ohio State University

• Early Action and Priority Scholarships—Nov 1!!!

Types of Application Deadlines

Early Decision I:

• Students make a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted they definitely will enroll The application deadline and

decision deadline occur early.

• Miami University—Nov 15 Deadline

• This binding option is intended for students who

are willing to commit themselves to Miami University as their first college choice Students may apply to only one college as an Early Decision candidate Applicants contractually agree to

withdraw all applications to other colleges and attend Miami if accepted

Commitment Level: Binding!

Types of Application Deadlines

Early Decision II:

• Students found out they did not get in to their first choice school and then decided on another school that they want to attend if they were accepted Or they decided to apply to this selective school later in their senior year

• Denison University and Kenyon College —Jan 15 Deadline

• This binding option is intended for students who are

willing to commit themselves to the school Applicants

contractually agree to withdraw all applications to other colleges and attend this school is accepted

Commitment Level: Binding!

Types of Application Deadlines

Priority Deadline:

• Students apply by a specified deadline to be

considered for a full range of scholarships,

housing preferences, special program, etc.

• Ohio State University—Nov 1 deadline

• University of Alabama—December 15 deadline

• Kent State—January 15

Commitment Level: Non-binding

Picking Your Deadline

 Early Action - November 10

 Regular Decision - January 10

 What’s the advantage of each deadline?

Other Application Components

 SAT Subject Tests

 Remember you can sign up for a maximum of 3 subject tests on any SAT regular test date

 Usually 1 hour for each subject test

 You cannot take the regular SAT on the same day

as the subject tests

 To find out if your school requires SAT Subject Tests, check your school’s application checklist

 Interview

 Portfolio

Honors Programs

 If you qualify for a college or university Honors Program you should DEFINITELY consider it!

Benefits could include:

 Additional engagement and rigor

 More opportunities for one-on-one connection with

professors/faculty

 Additional scholarship money

 Priority registration for classes

 Smaller class sizes with equally motivated students

 Special housing opportunities

For consideration  May need to apply by earlier deadline!

Sports in College

 If you may play Division I or II athletics in

college, you must register with the NCAA

eligibility center at www.eligibilitycenter.org

 Verify you have completed all necessary courses

to be eligible for NCAA DI or DII athletics

 GPA and Test score sliding scale

Financial Aid as Part of Your

Application Process

 Don’t let the “sticker price” stop you from applying

 Remember the Financial Aid presentation from

College 101 in the spring?

 Grants, loans, scholarships, and work study

 Local scholarships

 Check down in the counseling office on Scholarship Board, read announcements sent through schoology, and check out any announcements posted in

schoology in Class of 2017.

 Know your college’s financial aid deadline

 With FAFSA being available earlier, financial aid

deadlines may be earlier for universities

What is FAFSA again???

 Free Application for Federal Student Aid

 www.fafsa.gov

 Completing and submitting the FAFSA ® is free and quick, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college.

 Many states and colleges use your FAFSA data to determine your eligibility for state and school aid, and some private financial aid providers may use your FAFSA information to determine

whether you qualify for their aid.

 FAFSA is available for the first time October 1 and you use

your parent’s Prior-Prior Year Taxes (2015 Taxes)

 Financial Aid Night—For Parents and Students

 Wednesday, October 19 at 6pm at C-TEC.

Upcoming Application

Work Sessions

September:

 Monday, September 19 (No School)  1:00-3:00 PM

in the senior lounge

October:

 Monday, Oct 17 (No School) 1:00-3:00PM in the senior lounge

 ASVAB TESTING—Monday, Oct 17 from 12PM-3PM

 If interested, let the counseling office know!

 Mid-year Reports  The counselors

will send these automatically to every school you have applied, which includes

a transcript with your 1st semester

senior grades.

 You do not need to bring us anything!

May 1

 Deposit Deadline  Colleges have a

reply date of May 1st, by which you must confirm with an acceptance

letter and deposit to attend your

school of choice!

Start NOW!

“We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.”

- Calvin Coolidge