Appoquinimink High School Guidance Department Welcome Class of 2017 Appoquinimink High School Guidance Department

Graduation Requirements

Senior Project Topic Approvals and Parent Notifications are due September 16th-via Schoology. These documents are counted as grades under Senior Project in MP 1. Senior Project is Pass or Fail and counts towards sports eligibility. Students in Fall English-Research papers due in October. Students in Spring English-Research papers due in February (don’t need to worry about now). Students should be working on their creative project, service hours, or additional research paper. Resume, reflection paper, and presentation information to follow. All questions should be emailed to Dr. Smith at Christiana.Smith@appo.k12.de.us

Student Success Plan (SSP) Completion Criteria Annual SSP Review Parent SSP Review Career Matchmaker My Skills Careers of Interest Schools of Interest Grade 9 Course Selections Grade 10 Course Selections Grade 12 Course Selections Career and Life Goals Career Cluster Selection Post Secondary Plan Career Planning Activities Extracurricular Activities Skills and Abilities www.careercruising.com/ssp Can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection Search for majors, schools, scholarships, etc. GREAT COLLEGE & CAREER EXPLORATION TOOL! *MANDATORY GRADUATION REQUIREMENT*

Diploma Order Form- Due October 3rd

Senior Profile & Parent Brag Sheet- Due September 30th

What is YOUR College Fit? 2-year (Associate’s) or 4-year (Bachelor’s) degree? In-state vs. out-of-state schools Large vs. small school Available majors Live on-campus or off-campus School climate/culture Should have safety school and reach school After narrowing down schools, look into what each school requires for their application (Common App)

Research Colleges that Fit www.careercruising.com/ssp www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org www.collegescorecard.ed.gov Do your research NOW! Will make fall that much easier Should come in to senior year with your list of schools you’d like to apply to

Ways to Apply to College Early Decision This is BINDING, meaning if your student is accepted to the institution they are expected to enroll Early application deadline Typically receive admissions decision by January This application is for students who absolutely know what their #1 choice school is Shows seriousness of applicant You can only apply Early Decision to ONE school

Ways to Apply to College Early Action This is NOT BINDING, meaning if your student is accepted to the institution they do not have to enroll Early application deadline Typically receive admissions decision by January

Ways to Apply to College Regular Decision This is NOT BINDING, meaning if your student is accepted to the institution they do not have to enroll Later application deadline

Types of College Applications School Application This application can be found on the institution’s Admissions page Common Application This application can be found on www.commonapp.org Utilized by nearly 700 colleges and universities worldwide One application that can be used for multiple schools Requires students to write essay from one of five prompts CA lengthy Encouraged to start early Should include safety school and reach school in 4-6 schools students apply to DTCC has open admissions- anyone can go

Information for Applications Name Address Phone number Student E-mail Address  This should be a PROFESSIONAL e-mail Social Security Number Citizenship and residency information High schools you have attended College credits you have earned (if applicable) Parental information Senior-year schedule Standardized test scores (www.CollegeBoard.org /www.ACT.org) Parents’ names and contact information (including their work numbers and emails), the college(s) they attended, if any, and graduation years.

What to send with your Application Official Transcript Letter(s) of recommendation Essay(s)/Personal Statement(s) Application Fee Official SAT/ACT scores

Employment https://det.delawareworks.com/

If you’re looking to enlist, you must take the ASVAB ASVAB Testing will be offered at AHS on 11/7/16 & 2/6/17 You can also contact a recruiter to schedule an ASVAB appointment

SAT/ ACT Scores Most schools require the SATs or ACTs of applicants as part of their application Most schools will accept either test Double-check with the schools you wish to apply to This information can typically be found on their Admissions page It is the STUDENT’S responsibility to send official SAT/ACT scores to the schools they are applying to SAT: www.collegeboard.org ACT: www.act.org If you qualify for free/reduced lunch see your counselor as you may qualify for a fee waiver We do NOT have login information for SAT/ACT, you have to retrieve it via forgot username/password links or calling site customer support directly

FREE Test Prep Can link CollegeBoard account to Khan Academy for customized test prep based off of PSAT scores

Registration Deadline SAT/ACT Test Dates SAT Date Tests Offered Register-By Date Late Registration October 1, 2016 SAT & Subject Tests September 1, 2016 September 20, 2016 November 5, 2016 October 7, 2016 October 25, 2016 December 3, 2016 November 3, 2016 November 22, 2016 January 21, 2017 December 21, 2016 January 10, 2017 March 11, 2017 SAT ONLY February 10, 2017 February 28, 2017 May 6, 2017 April 7, 2017 April 25, 2017 June 3, 2017 May 9, 2017 May 24, 2017 ACT Test Date Registration Deadline (Late Fee Required) September 10, 2016 August 7, 2016 August 8 – 19, 2016 October 22, 2016 September 16, 2016 September 17 – 30, 2016 December 10, 2016 November 4, 2016 November 5 – 18, 2016 February 11, 2017 January 13, 2017 January 14 – 20, 2017 April 8, 2017 March 3, 2017 March 4 – 17, 2017 June 10, 2017 May 5, 2017 May 6 – 19, 2017

Official Transcripts Students MUST complete a Transcript Request Form for each school they are requesting transcript for Common Application schools can all be listed on one form When official transcripts are ready to be picked up, it is the student’s responsibility to place stamp on envelope and mail out For Common Application schools , Counselors will upload transcript to Common App for schools to access Students should allow up to 10 school days for transcript requests to be processed

Letters of Recommendation Teachers, Coaches, Counselors, Volunteer Supervisors, etc. Letters of recommendation should NOT come from family members Complete Student Brag Sheet/Senior Profile to help school recommenders supplement your letter of recommendation Will be available to seniors over summer & can be found on Guidance webpage Ask for letters over the summer so that you have them ready to go for the fall!

Essays/ Personal Statements Every school will differ in their essay/personal statement requirements Pay attention to application requirements for EACH individual school you are applying to Essays/ personal statements provide you with opportunity to share more about yourself outside of academics ELA teachers are EXCELLENT resource to utilize Make sure you answer the prompt/question Don’t reiterate your resume/transcript Show them your character/more about who you are (values, what is important to you, your experiences and how they’ve made you who you are today and influenced your future goals)

Application Fees Every school will differ in their application fee These fees can add up quickly! Make sure you aren’t applying to schools just for the sake of applying If you qualify for free/reduced lunch see your counselor as you may qualify for a fee waiver

How to Prepare for College Applications Research schools Complete Student Profile/Parent Brag Sheet (online) Complete College Essay(s)/Personal Statement(s) Request Official Transcripts from Guidance (form) Request Letters of Recommendation Discuss Application Fees Register for SAT/ACT and send scores to schools

FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid Federal Aid, State Aid, Institutional Aid If you student is college-bound, you need to file FAFSA! FAFSA will ask for personal information, tax information, schools student has applied to, etc. and will identify your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Some schools require you to file in order to receive scholarships and other institutional aid (i.e. SEED) Every school differs in percentage of NEED met Cost of Attendance (COA) Expected Family Contribution (EFC) NEED

FAFSA FAFSA has changed! Available beginning October 1st Will ask for 2015 tax information Student and 1 parent/guardian will need to apply for FSA ID (used to sign and submit FAFSA) The sooner you complete FAFSA, the more aid you may be eligible for! You can always update FAFSA with additional schools your student has chosen to apply to List ALL schools student is considering Can always log back in and update information as needed

$tand by Me Services Provides FREE services, including FAFSA completion assistance and advisement on ways to save for college Contact: 302-255-9621 www.standbymede.org 9/20-6pm: Paying for College 9/27-6pm: FAFSA Walkthrough 10/13-6pm: FAFSA Completion Workshop

Scholarships Students should make it a priority to search for scholarships frequently Guidance webpage/ College & Career Corner webpage Delaware Scholarship Compendium becomes available late fall Each scholarship has it’s own criteria and deadline Local scholarships become available for students to apply for in the spring and will be awarded at Senior Awards Night Check website frequently! We are constantly updating with scholarship information as we receive it Helpful tools handout in back

Fall Events for Students Frequent college visits to AHS AHS College & Career Fair-11/1/16 Field trips to DE colleges-11/29 Wilmington University Financial Aid Workshops-9/20 @ 6pm (Paying for College) 9/27 @ 6pm (FAFSA Overview) 10/13 @ 6pm (FAFSA Completion) Pay attention to College & Career Corner website & the morning announcements for these dates Over 60 visits to AHS this past year- speak with admissions rep that will read your application

College Application Month National “Reach Higher” Initiative from the White House Encourage all students to take control of their own destiny by applying post-secondary institutions to continue their education beyond high school Delaware College Application Month (CAM): October 17th- November 18th AHS will participate one week out of the month, during which all seniors will be scheduled time in the computer lab to work on college applications DE and select non-DE schools will be waiving application fees for entire month

Delaware Goes to College www.DelawareGoestoCollege.org Texting Campaign- stay abreast of important dates and information relating to college! Cards with texting campaign information are available in back of auditorium AHS will participate one week out of the month, during which all seniors will be scheduled time in the computer lab to work on college applications DE and select non-DE schools will be waiving application fees for entire month

NCAA www.ncaa.org Talk to your coach regarding NCAA requirements

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AHS Senior Counselors Monica Parker Last Names A-D Monica.Parker@appo.k12.de.us Meghan Setser Last Names E-K Meghan.Setser@appo.k12.de.us Christine Czajkowski Last Names L-R Christine.Czajkowski@appo.k12.de.us Elaine McCall Last Names S-Z Elaine.McCall@appo.k12.de.us Brandon Townsend College & Career Counselor Brandon.Townsend@appo.k12.de.us