Welcome to our senior post-secondary planning night Class of 2017 Welcome to our senior post-secondary planning night

agenda Post-secondary options Nvcc pathway to the baccalaureate program Jill Lawson, pathway counselor College application process Financial aid & scholarships

Other Post-secondary options Full-time employment Apprenticeship programs volunteer service/gap year Military & Military Academies Rotc programs Trade/technical schools

Pathway to the baccalaureate PATHWAY: A special program at NOVA designed for students who: Are interested in obtaining a bachelor’s (4 year/college) degree May need assistance with the process and Are interested in starting at NOVA and transferring to George Mason or another 4 year college/university Will graduate no later than August 2017 Have a strong desire for academic success No minimum GPA is required to apply

Pathway to the baccalaureate Pathway Benefits in High School Individual meetings with Pathway counselor in the career center (meet about college transition issues, major/career planning, etc.) Workshops on the application process Preparation for placement tests & take placement test at riverside Assistance with financial planning – including help with applying for financial aid, scholarships and NOVA payment plan Priority course registration

Pathway to the baccalaureate Pathway benefits at nova Academic, career, transfer, financial aid counseling One-stop shop Can request same counselor at NOVA until transfer! Guaranteed admission agreements Special Pathway agreement with George Mason Univ. Special Pathway sections of College Success Skills course Regular academic and social activities Mid-Semester Progress Report

Pathway to the baccalaureate Important points: Applying for and participating in the Pathway program does not bind you to NOVA – you can still apply/go to a 4 year school Pathway students can transfer to ANY 4 year school, does not have to be GMU All NOVA students can take advantage of the GAA’s, but Pathway students can start the process early and are provided additional support NOVA application and the Pathway application are different

Pathway to the baccalaureate What do I do now? Notify Mrs. Hale that you are thinking about the Pathway Program Attend the pathway information session on October 12th at 10am in the career center – sign up via family connection Obtain and fill out a Pathway application, we will be having a lunch workshop on November 1st, if you have additional questions Return the application to Mrs. Hale by the deadline, November 10th! Acceptance decisions will be mailed out at the end of December/early January

The college application process Family connection Developing a college list/supermatch What are colleges looking for? Applications & deadlines common app account matching – ferpa Letters of recommendation Sending test scores, transcripts, SSr & School Profile Application status Financial aid & scholarships

Family connection Visit RVH School Counseling page Click on Naviance – family connection Scroll down to login to FC Students : Username is you student id password is your 6 digit birthdate (mmDDYY) Parents: registration info has been emailed to you and can be resent

Family connection

Family connection

Developing a college list The traditional factors Location Diversity Size Housing Cost – financial aid/scholarship Religious affiliation Athletics/extracurricular activities Career services available Safety Majors/programs offered Class size Food

What are colleges looking for? Course rigor Grades/gpa College entrance exams Leadership, extracurricular activities Letters of recommendation Essays Demonstrated interest

The application Most applications are submitted online and are available now! Print and review your application before you submit it. Seniors are responsible for completing and submitting their own applications! Many colleges use the common application Students are responsible for meeting and knowing all application deadlines (early, regular, etc…)

Application Admission Early Decision Students should only apply ED if they have a definite first choice and are 100% committed to school despite cost. If accepted, there is a binding commitment to enroll. Applications are due early November and notifications are posted/mailed by December. Students must complete SAT/ACT prior to applying. Early Action Similar ED but application, if accepted, is a non-binding commitment. Students may apply to more than one early action school as well as regular decision schools. Students enter early application because institutions typically accept around 1/3 of their incoming students this round. Application Admission Regular Decision Applications typically due from January 1st to mid-April. Typically includes a larger pool of applicants. Outcomes include accept, deny, or wait listed. Be aware of scholarship or honors program deadlines. Decisions are posted or emailed by spring. Rolling Admission Applications reviewed as submitted and rendered decisions throughout admissions cycle. Students notified within weeks of applying .

deadlines

Stay organized!

Common app account matching

Common app account matching Create an account or log-in if you already have an account. Use an email address that you will remember as you will need it to match in Family Connection.

ferpa In order to sign the FERPA agreement, which is needed to match your common application, you must add one college to the “MY COLLEGES” section.

Match complete

Adding colleges to your list

Delivery types

Letters of recommendations

Letters of recommendations Select Teacher and include a personal note to include but not limited to: the schools of which you are applying to that you would like for them to write a recommendation letter for – remember to ONLY ask a rec. letter for the schools of which you want them to send them to Please be courteous by first asking your teacher for a recommendation letter in person before filling out this form

Test scores Seniors are responsible for determining the tests needed for the colleges they are applying to: SAT (for determining admissions) ACT (for determining admissions) SAT Subject Tests (for determining placement) AP Test Scores Students need to be aware of test registration deadlines. Seniors are responsible for having their test scores sent to the colleges they are applying to Requests are made directly through the College Board or ACT, RVHS does not send test scores! www.collegeboard.org www.actstudent.org Check with your intended colleges to see their requirements, including the essay component if you send both old and new sat scores, you can’t mix scores to superscore, which means colleges will see both sets of scores.

Sat testing dates Act testing dates

transcripts Transcript Request form release of records: One required for every college you apply to Due at least 10 school days before application deadline Get form from the School Counseling Office No fees for transcripts Return your form to mrs. Gobrecht in the school counseling office Mid-year Transcripts are sent automatically in mid-February and include: 7th semester recalculated GPA Class Rank Final transcripts are sent automatically to the students college of choice by mid-June

school secondary report (ssr) Most colleges require a Secondary School Report form as part of the application for the counselor to complete and submit. There is no need to bring/send these to us. We will send a comprehensive “universal” rvhs Secondary School Report and School Profile for all students to each college. This form includes feedback from the counselor about each student, along with the opportunity to recommend the student for admission. Note: this will often suffice as the Counselor Recommendation, but it is the student’s responsibility to let the counselor know if a letter of recommendation is needed or required.

School profile Sent with every transcript comprehensive and accurately portrays the uniqueness of riverside

Application status

Financial aid The 2017–18 FAFSA will launch on Oct. 1, 2016. FAFSA4caster is a free financial aid calculator that gives you an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid. This information helps families plan ahead for college. You must use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to apply for aid once you’ve decided to apply for admission and attend college. Attend our Financial Aid Night at Riverside on November 3rd at 7pm Attend the FAFSA Workshop at Riverside on January 11th at 6:30pm

scholarships HELPFUL WEBSITES ON OUR SCHOLARHIP LINK Career center LCPS SCHOLARSHIP & FINANCIAL HANDBOOK WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.ORG COLLEGES YOU’RE APPLYING TO

COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS SUMMARY DEVELOP A LIST OF COLLEGES YOU’RE INTRESTED IN, REQUIREMENTS, DEADLINES, ETC… Senior submits application electronically to the college Senior submits the essay electronically to the college (if applicable). Senior has test scores sent directly to the college by the SAT (College Board) or the ACT. Senior should request a transcript by submitting a Transcript Request form for each college to Mrs. GOBRECHT in School Counseling. RVHS will send a Secondary School Report & SCHOOL PROFILE to the college Senior may request letter of recommendation (if needed) from their counselor and/or teachers. Senior should complete and submit the Senior Info packet at least 10 school days before the college deadline to their counselor.

SENIOR CHECK-LIST LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FAMILY CONNECTION LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS SENIOR SELF-ASSESSMENT SENIOR PARENT SURVEY FERPA WAIVER MATCH COMMON AP REQUEST LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION CHECK APPLICATION STATUS COMPLETE SENIOR SELF- ASSESMENT FIRST ASK YOUR TEACHER BEFORE SUBMITTING TEACHER RECC. VIA FAMILY CONNECTION WRITE A THANK YOU CARD ATTEND FINANCIAL AID NIGHT ON NOVEMBER 3RD SEE Mrs. Hale for scholarships Visit our page for info and follow us on twitter and connect with us on remind to get updates!

Stay connected! @RVHCounseling  

Rvhs first graduating class! Keep senior grades up All acceptance letters are contingent upon successful completion of senior year June 12th will be here before we know it Thank you for coming