The College Application Process For State College Area High School Class of 2017 September 2016 Steve Guthoff (A-K), Jack McCurdy (L-Z), Nkenje Clark (School Counseling Intern) Karen Wolanski & Kathy Dodson

Provide details about the process of submitting college applications Provide preliminary information about applying for Financial Aid and Scholarships Know that we are here to help and support you in this process. ASK US!

YOU MUST CHECK YOUR SCASD FREQUENTLY !!!! THIS IS THE WAY WE WILL CONTACT YOU AND SHARE INFORMATION WITH YOU ABOUT COLLEGE APPLICATIONS, UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES, GRADUATION INFORMATION, ETC. ALSO… Check out the Counseling college planning and college admissions/application links on the high school website for additional info.

Are ultimately in charge of your college applications and making sure that you meet all of the requirements and due dates for each one. Communication, research, and following directions will be the key to success. GOOD LUCK!

Have you taken the SAT or ACT? There is still time to register for the (Oct.) SAT’s with a late fee up to Sept 20 th. Use your 4 free schools for sending scores. Do you have a list of schools of interest to apply to and their due dates? Have you visited some of those schools? Have you looked at their websites & researched their application procedures and deadlines? (are SAT Subject tests required, etc?)Do you fit their profile? Have you registered with the NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER and requested your transcript to be sent if you plan to play sports at the collegiate level? If you are completely overwhelmed by these questions, then read your College Planning Booklet and start with 1 application. Reference: the Senior Year Outline

Penn State & PSU Schreyer Honors College Common Application Coalition: see recommendations on later slide Other – SendEdu, PASSHE Schools, paper apps.

Go to admissions.psu.edu Create a MyPennState Profile – if you already have a Penn State user id, use that. Go to “Apply” and complete the online application. You must choose a major; or DUS (undecided) Select Fall or Summer admission – check “yes” to accept summer admission if you don’t qualify for fall UP (after the Campus Choice screen) Choose a campus – only list an alternate if you are willing to attend that campus.

When selecting your major, this option will pop up if you originally selected to start in the Fall.

Functions & Trig or higher required for several majors (see next slide). Advanced courses are equivalent to Honors when filling out Academic History section. Short personal statement and activities list required. Hit “Submit” after payment is made ($65) Print and bring Web Application Counselor Form to Mrs. Wolanski in North Counseling. Fill out & sign a transcript request form – located in North Counseling Office (not online version)

Complete application by October 31 st to be extra safe, Nov. 30 th is final deadline for maximum admissions consideration. Make sure your SAT and/or ACT scores are sent directly to Penn State from the testing agency (it takes 2-3 weeks at least). Check your MyPennState account regularly – you will be notified there if anything is missing. Admissions decision will be made around or by January 31 st, if completed application is submitted by November 30. Some application decisions may take longer.

1) Penn State requires test scores from either testing agency, and will use test scores to advantage the applicant. The test date with the best total will be used for our decision. Penn State does not require the writing score on either exam. 2) American Sign Language can now be used to satisfy the World Language requirement. 3) MyPennState now includes a checklist of items needed and received. It supplies much more specific information so students can do self-service and do not need to call or wait for replies. 4) Nursing is still a popular option with wonderful job placement. It is very competitive at University Park but there are five other campuses that offer the same Nursing degree: Altoona, Erie, Fayette, Mont Alto and Worthington Scranton. 5) Please be sure students have a complete application submitted before November 30. A complete application includes transcript, test scores, application and an application fee.

6) The ranges in the chart below represent the middle 50 percent of students offered admission for Summer/fall 2016—they are not cutoffs or averages. This chart is for estimating purposes only and in no way represents a promise or guarantee of admission. Placing in the upper end of both ranges increases the likelihood of being offered University Park for a fall start in your choice of major. Placing in the lower end may require you to be more flexible about starting in the summer or making a campus (and perhaps major) choices. We expect admission to University Park for both summer and fall will be VERY competitive this year. Summer/Fall 2016 Middle 50% GPA and SAT Statistics: University Park High School GPA (4.0 scale) Pre-March 2016 SAT*: Critical Reading + Math New SAT (debuted March 2016)** with Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + Math: *For summer/fall 2016 admission, the writing portion of the SAT administered prior to March 2016 was not used in the application review and decision. **The new SAT scores shown here represent conversions of the prior test’s scores to fit the new test’s structure and 1600-point scale.

Complete regular PSU application on-line. Indicate that you want to complete the Schreyer on- line application when prompted. Another Application Fee of is required. Reminder: Have your counselor’s and teachers’ s handy for requesting recommendations. Recommendations need to be requested 3 working weeks (15 school days) before due date—Counselor Composite packet must be complete at that time for recommendation to be written by counselor. Complete Another Transcript Request form w/ Mrs. Dodson in the Counseling Office. This application is a tremendous amount of work and the program is very competitive. Here are the stats from 2016: 74 applied, 20 were offered acceptance, and 13 attending according to our senior survey.

The “Common App” is an online college admissions application that may be used to apply to any of nearly 700 colleges in the US and around the world. Application information need only be completed once, then it is sent electronically to the schools you apply to. To complete the application you will need: copy of HS transcript; list of activities/sports/jobs/volunteer hours; test scores and dates; parent/guardian information; recommenders names and addresses Go to to beginwww.commonapp.org Read all directions regarding Common Application. Begin by completing your personal info. under the Common App tab and then go to My Colleges tab to invite your recommenders. Check for supplemental materials your college(s) may require for admissions.

Get teachers’ permission before submitting their names as recommenders. Invite your recommenders online (usually 1-2 teachers and a counselor) Waiving your right to read recommendations is strongly recommended. Print out a hard copy for your records. Complete a Transcript Request Form for each Common Application School – See Mrs Wolanski. Complete Counselor Composite information for counselors—must be in to Counseling office 3 working weeks (15 school days) before due date. We do not rank There are 547 students in the class of 2017; we have a 4.0 grading scale and always use your weighted GPA.

For the class of 2017, we are not recommending the use of the Coalition for the college application process (unless you are applying to Coalition exclusive schools - U of Florida and Washington, or if this is the platform that will help you to apply to the bulk of your schools). This is a new platform that is still working out many of the bugs. As a senior, you have not had time to add info. to the Coalition “locker”, which adds to your Coalition profiile. Use the regular undergraduate application for PSU,esp. if you are applying only to PSU. If you do plan to use the Coalition, please stop in and let Mrs. Wolanski know.

SendEdu, PASSHE Schools (Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, etc.), Coalition and other online applications Make sure you print out all forms for teachers and counselors and give them to the appropriate people. (Usually found under a “secondary forms” section on the application) Each application is a bit different, follow the directions carefully and take your time. Paper – very few. If your entire application needs to be mailed, bring in a large envelope with 4 stamps and addressed to the college. Sign a Transcript Request form for each college you apply to! Flow charts available for each different “kind” of application.

If you receive free or reduced lunch, please see your counselor (or Mrs. Wolanski) for fee waivers for college applications, SAT’s, etc. For Penn State, stop and save your application when you get to the payment screen – see Mrs. Wolanski before submitting if you qualify for a fee waiver.

Many colleges require essay(s). You may want to seek help from your English teacher or another resource. Read the College Planning Book about the essay on pages or go to educationplanner.org, collegeboard.com or use other online resources. Have at least one person proof your essay. Make sure that you are coming across the way you intended.

PSU regular app. does not require recommendations. Teacher recommendation—any 9 th through 12 th grade teacher may write a recommendation. Teachers write about you in their classroom, counselors write a composite recommendation about you. Some colleges will require specific subject teachers. Counselor recommendation – Jack McCurdy, Steve Guthoff, Jill Campbell, Jen Rand (or any counselor/LE teacher you have been working with). If you need a Counselor letter of recommendation, then you will need to fill out the Counselor Composite packet and complete the Evaluators Request Form.

Other colleges that require recommendations state that teachers and counselors may mail/upload recommendations separately. You will need to provide the teacher/counselor addresses to these colleges on your application. Waive your right to read the recommendation. Understand what this means. If all documents must be sent together from the counseling office, you must provide the 9x12 self- addressed stamped envelope with 4 stamps.

If you need a counselor recommendation for any college you are applying to, make sure that you have completed these forms at least 3 weeks before the recommendation is due College Application To-Do List Information For Letter Of Recommendation Evaluator’s Request Form

Apply online if possible. Apply to at least one “safety” school that is both academically and financially safe. Try to limit your applications to colleges. The average application fee is $55 per application Many colleges waive the application fee if you apply online or while visiting the school. Make a detailed checklist for each college application – this is critical to help keep track of deadlines and the various parts of each application. Make sure you meet all deadlines for maximum academic and financial consideration.

IMMEDIATELY: Make your profile, fill out demographic info, invite your recommenders if letters are required. Work on your part of the application and submit by due date. Feel free to check on website or with recommenders to make sure they have submitted their part by due date.

Counseling Office Team * Treat them well *

You must complete a transcript request form for each college/institution that needs your transcript with Mrs. Wolanski in the North Counseling Office in order to have your transcript submitted. (transcripts are free for current students) THE ONLINE FORM IS ONLY FOR GRADUATES OF STATE HIGH. Do NOT use this online request form. Make sure your request is in at least 3 weeks before it is due.

Paper Applications 9x12 envelope, addressed with 4 stamps Transcript/Mid Year Report A regular legal size envelope, addressed with 1 stamp is required to send all transcripts unless it is being sent to PSU, it’s through the Common App, or through SENDedu (we will do those electronically)

Early Decision Agreement – you must clearly understand your obligations Mid Year Report School Report Forms (Counselor fills out) College Specific Financial Aid Forms Athletic Supplement Arts Supplement Final Report/Transcript It is up to you to research and complete any additional forms/requirements needed for your applications.

Rolling admission – decisions are made on a “rolling” basis as applications are received Early decision – Legally binding contract that if accepted, applicants are obligated to attend a school to which they apply under this plan. Decisions are made earlier than under other plans. **Early action – admission decisions are made early, but applicants are NOT obligated to attend Regular decision – there is a single deadline and all decisions are made at the same time

Note: For both transcripts and recommendations, make sure that you give the counseling office and your counselor at least 3 weeks notice. PSU App should be submitted by Oct. 31 st to be safe Early Decision and Early Action applications that are due November 1 st must be submitted to us by Oct. 11 th to be on time December 31 st or January 1 st due dates must be submitted to us by December 1st due to the holiday break. Jan. 15 th due dates must be submitted to us before we leave for the holiday break on Dec. 22nd. Feb. 1 st due dates must be submitted by Jan. 11th to our office.

You apply to a college and never come to the counseling office to request your transcript to be sent from our HS to the college. You apply to a college and forget to send your SAT/ACT scores to the college. You apply to college and forget to download all the necessary forms. You miss a deadline. You forget to ask for teacher and/or counselor recommendations. You forget to hit the submit button.

Become familiar with the financial aid process. Review the Financial Aid section in the College Planning Guide pages and check out the financial aid link on the HS Counseling website. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after Oct. 1st, 2016 to apply for grants, loans and work/study. THIS IS A NEW DATE USING THE PRIOR- PRIOR YEAR’s TAX INFORMATION (PPY) Create a FSA ID at out/fsaid Fill out CSS Financial Aid Profile if required by the college (many private colleges require this).

PSU students should complete their FAFSA on the web by February 15 th 2017 for maximum financial aid consideration. Make sure you meet deadlines for other schools Visit for a preliminary financial aid estimate. Use the Net Price Calculator for each school to estimate costs Attend financial aid nights: - Penn State Financial Aid Night –Sept. 20th- North Aud. - PHEAA/Financial Aid Webinar – Oct. 7 pm

Comprehensive Scholarship Information Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency State High Senior Scholarships –applications not available online until March of 2017 Resources in Counseling Office and on the Counseling website under the financial aid link Employment/religious affiliations/military Many colleges award significant merit financial aid, so do NOT be deterred by the sticker price. College specific scholarships can be found on the college websites sometime in mid-fall/early winter

Go to Go to the high school main page In the middle of the page (in maroon), click on “Counseling Info” Click on “College Visits” and/or other links of interest.

Please check your transcript in HAC to make sure that it is accurate and that you meet high school graduation requirements. It’s important to insure that transcripts are accurate before we send them out to colleges credits needed to graduate: - 4 credits in English and History - 3 credits in Science and Math credits in Phys. Ed credits in Health -.20 credits in Driver’s Ed credits in Electives - Graduation Project (pass/fail) - 20 Community Service Hours (pass/fail)