Can You Believe you are Seniors? Life after NW… Senior Orientation Class of 2018

Credits Required for Graduation: Are you on track? Subject Regents Regents with A.D. English 4 Social Studies Math 3 Science Art/Music 1 Health .5 PE 2 LOTE**can do 5 credits in Business, Tech, Art, Music or BOCES Electives 3.5 1.5 Total 22 Credits 22 credits

Regents Exams Required for Graduation Subject Regents Regents w/ A.D. English 1- ELA 11 Social Studies *2- Global & US 2- Global& US Math 1-Math 3- Algebra, Geometry and Trig Science 1-any science 2- Living Env. & Chemistry or Earth Science, or Physics LOTE 1 Total * Students can pass either Global OR US if they have passed one other additional regents exam. 5 exams 9 Exams

Post High School Options… What are your plans? 2 year college 4 year college Vocational or technical training Employment Military/ Armed Services “Gap Year” (tutoring, volunteering, travel, AmeriCorps, PeaceCorps, adventure programs… “I don’t have a clue!” (see your school counselor or Career Mentor ASAP )

Options for the Military ROTC Reserve Officers Training Corps Program offered at many colleges and universities Visit http://www.goarmy.com/rotc.html for information Military Academies – Service Academy Information Night Prepare for a career in the armed forces Army, Navy Air Force, Marines Entering the Military after graduation Discuss options with your family Contact a recruiter for more information Attend NW Military Fair

Completing Your List of Schools Visit schools (over nights) See Admission Representatives that visit NW Internet Talk to Alumni Find out about programs and majors Does your list contain Reach, Realistic and Safe Schools? Always remember…your school counselor and Ms. Szegda in the Career Center are here to help!

ASVAB Testing (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) All Juniors will be taking the ASVAB on Wednesday, October 18th This is an opportunity for students to explore their career aptitudes and interests and will help identify possible college majors and future careers The ASVAB will take place periods 1-4 in the D-wing

Top Factors in College Admissions Decisions (National Association of College Admissions Counseling, 2008) Factors Percentage Grades in College Prep Courses 80% Strength of Curriculum 64% Standardized Tests 58% Grades in All Courses 52% Essay/Writing Sample 26% Demonstrated Interest 22% Counselor Recommendation 21% Teacher Recommendation 20% Interview 11% Student Activities 7% Subject Tests (AP, etc)

Admissions Plans Early Decision- Generally applications are due by 11/1, 11/15 or 12/1. Students are LEGALLY BOUND to attend that college and must retract all other applications to schools once accepted. Make sure: Have I talked to a financial aid advisor to get an estimate of college costs to find out how Early Decision could affect my aid package? Have ruled out other schools at first choice Visited all Extensive research and conversation Hopefully multiple visits Do not look at it as the easiest way to get in Early Action- Similar to Early Decision, although students are not obligated to attend that college Rolling Admissions- No deadline or cut off date. Decisions are based on a rolling date. First in- first out. Regular Admissions- Deadlines run from 1/1, thru 3/15 and sometimes later. The admission letter will often not come out until March or April. One Deadline Date Open Admissions- Open acceptance of students For example, NCCC or ECC

Completing and Submitting Applications Again… BE AWARE OF DEADLINES to both colleges and to the counseling office! Follow directions carefully! Read applications THOROUGHLY Role of NW counseling office: Submit transcripts online or by mail Standardized tests posted to transcript Do letters of Recommendation upon request Let counselor know EVERY school you have applied to so we know to send in your transcripts, complete the Transcript Request Form

Applications Three ways: Common Application: www.commonapp.org Make your life easier!! SUNY Applications: www.suny.edu/student Individual college websites

Essay Writing Good way for college to know you Do not reiterate information that is already on the application Follow directions and guidelines Demonstrate good writing skills Share more in depth information, how or why something has impacted you. Own work Be yourself Unique Passionate Work with English teacher/ have it proof-read Spend the time… colleges look at them very seriously

Letters of Recommendation Check to see how many the school requires Student’s responsibility to ask teacher (ask early) and find out how they will submit letter Student will input teacher’s e-mail address in the CommonApp or SUNY APP and teacher will receive an e- mail request to submit a letter. Teacher has the option to: Submit online (highly recommended) Teacher can “opt out” of submitting electronically and mail it. **Don’t forget to fill out the “Background Sheet” or Resume for Letter of Recommendation to give to teacher/counselor!!**

Other Information for Application Supplemental Applications Schools want more info Additional essay(s) Writing Sample SAT subject test? Portfilios? Midyear Reports Final/End of Year Reports

Top 8 College Application Mistakes Senior year is hectic, but don't let that affect the quality of your college applications. Take your time, pay attention to detail and plan ahead so you can meet the deadlines. The most common mistakes on college applications that counselors and admissions staff see are:

Top 8 College Application Mistakes 1. Misspellings and grammatical errors—This is a big pet peeve of admissions people. Misspellings on something as important as the application shows that either you don't care or you aren't good at spelling. Some students even misspell their intended major. But don't stop with a spell check. Proofread for grammatical errors, too. 2. Applying online, but the application isn't actually submitted—If you apply online, you should receive confirmation that the college or university received it. Confirmation could be an email message, a Web page response or a credit card receipt. Follow through and make sure that your application has been received

Top 8 College Application Mistakes 3. Not submitting ALL of the required documents –Complete the transcript request form and turn in to the Counseling Center. 4. Listing extracurricular activities that aren't—Those that make the list include sports, the arts, formal organizations and volunteer work. Talking on the phone and hanging out with friends don't make the cut. Make sure your activity information is accurate. Colleges may check with your high school. 5. Not telling your school counselor where you've applied—Let your counselor know which colleges you're applying to, and ask him or her to review your high school transcript before sending it to colleges. Sometimes transcripts have errors.

Top 8 College Application Mistakes 6. Using an email address that friends might laugh about, but colleges won't—Select a professional email address. Keep your fun address for friends, but select an address using your name for college admissions.

Top 8 College Application Mistakes 7. Not checking your email regularly—If you've given an email address, the college will use it. You don't want to miss out on anything because you didn't read your email. 8. Letting Mom or Dad help you fill out your application—Admissions people know if your parents help, whether you have two different styles of handwriting or your admissions essay sounds more like a 45-year-old than a 17-year-old. It's fine to get advice, but do the work yourself.

BE AWARE OF DEADLINES Senior Year is all about DEADLINES– for college apps, financial aid & scholarships, changing courses, ordering your announcements, and completing all your requirements to GRADUATE!

Social Media Take down any inappropriate Social Media Posts ASAP!!!!

Comparison Chart ACT SAT $46, $62.50 with writing SAT - $46 SAT w/Essay $60 Measures academic achievement in English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning Designed to measure academic aptitude in critical reading, math and writing Each part 25% of score EBRW 1/2, Math 1/2, Writing Optional Scored based on number of correct answers. No penalty for guessing No penalty for guessing. Scoring scale 1-36 Scoring scale for each section 200-800, sum up of all three areas

SAT/ACT Dates in the Fall of 2017 * SAT and Subject Tests and ACT exams that are located at Niagara Wheatfield High School Test Date Registration Deadline SAT ACT Oct 7* Oct 28* Sept 8 Sept 22 Nov 4* Oct 5 Dec 2* Nov 2 Dec 9 Nov 3

SAT and ACT reporting/SAT Prep Check to see if schools need them officially reported Use six digit school code (335028) www.Collegeboard.org www.Act.org Compare ACT and SAT scores Check to see if SAT subject test is required for some colleges and universities. Free SAT Prep www.satpractice.org, www.sat.org/practice SAT Daily Practice Mobile App www.Sat.org/daily-practice

Financial Aid/Scholarships Seniors can apply for Financial Aid starting October 1st Go to www.fafsa.gov Scholarships are posted to the NW Counseling Center website Other websites: www.finaid.org/scholarships www.fastweb.com https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for- college/scholarships-grants www.scholarships.com www.schoolsoup.com YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO PAY TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP!!

EXCELSIOR Scholarship Household Adjusted Gross Income for 2016 taxes $110,000 or lower Attend a SUNY or CUNY 2yr or 4 yr school Take 30 credits per year towards graduation Maintain good academic standing $5,500/Year Students must live full time in NYS for the number of years in which they received the scholarship

Enhanced Tuition Award Students going to a NYS Private School Eligiblity same as Excelsior NYS gives college up to $6,000 (TAP and ETA Combined) and college matches the amount Local schools participating Alfred U Canisius Hilbert Houghton Keuka Niagara Cornell

Upcoming Events SUNY College Fairs – Various Locations in New York State Buffalo, NY Location – University at Buffalo, September 17, 2017 – 4:00 pm Daemen College Fair – Daemen College September 18, 2017 - 6:30 – 8:00 pm NOCA College Fair- NCCC September 21, 2017 – 6:30 – 8:00 pm NCCC Instant Admissions- Career Center US Service Academy Information Night –Clarence High School October 2, 2017 – 6:30 pm WNY Colleges at NW - ALC October 3, 2017 – 11:00 – 11:40 am

Additional College Programs Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, Stanford Program – Buffalo Niagara Marriott September 24, 2017 7:00 pm Emory, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, University of Virginia, Washington U of St Louis Program – Canisius High School September 27, 2017 7:00 pm Brown, U of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Rice Information Sessions – various locations – www.exploringeducationalexcellence.org SUNY Fall, 2017 Open Houses – www.suny.edu/attend

College Visits Career Center University of Buffalo September 18th 11:45 Clarkson University September 20th 10:15 Culinary Institute September 20th 11:00 SUNY Oswego September 21st 8:45 SUNY Polytechnic September 21st 10:15 SUNY Canton September 22nd 8:45 SUNY Brockport September 25th 12:30 WNY Colleges October 3rd 11:00

College Visits Cont’d Keuka College October 10th 9:30 St. John Fisher October 11th 10:15 SUNY Potsdam October 11th 11:00 SUNY Geneseo October 16th 10:15 Canisius College October 24th 1:15 D’Youville College October 26th 11:00 Mercyhurst October 27th 10:15 University of Tampa October 31st 8:45

WNY Colleges Visit to NW Tuesday, October 3, 2017 11:00 – 11:40 am ALC Colleges Attending: Alfred State Hilbert College Alfred U Houghton College Bryant and Stratton Jamestown Community College Buffalo State Medaille College Canisius NCCC Daemen Niagara University D’Youville St. Bonaventure Erie Community College Trocaire College SUNY Fredonia University at Buffalo Genesee Community College Villa Maria College

You have many resources! Search for colleges: www.collegeboard.org www.petersons.com www.collegeview.com www.usnews.com Financial Aid and Scholarships www.fafsa.ed.gov www.finaid.org Choices program available in the Career Center As are Guidebooks, College Catalogs, etc. NW Counseling and Career Center www.nwcsd.k12.ny.us

Due Dates OCTOBER 1st 2017 www.fafsa.gov Counseling Office Due Dates Applications due in counseling office by October 31st. We process over 1,500 applications! Keep in mind, we need at least ONE WEEK advance notice to process transcripts Financial Aid Application: OCTOBER 1st 2017 www.fafsa.gov

NCAA Initial Eligibility Division 1 & 2 must meet eligibility NCAA: www.eligibilitycenter.org Fee Request your transcript When do I register? You can register anytime after you compete 6 semesters of high school. Most students will register at the beginning of their senior year How do I qualify to participate in sports at a D I or II school? Complete minimum of 16 core courses 10 or more must be completed before you start 7th semester Take your SAT or ACT Eligibility is determined by sliding scale You MUST have your SAT or ACT scores sent to NCAA directly from collegeboard or ACT. Scores on a high school transcript will NOT be accepted NCAA code is 9999

Once a falcon, always a falcon! Final Thoughts Relax… you’re almost there! Work Hard-don’t catch Senioritis Enjoy the journey! Be Balanced It’s your senior year… Make Memories!!! and remember…. Once a falcon, always a falcon!