Senior College Planning Night September 6, 2018

Getting Ready for College Continue to work hard and stay motivated Organize yourself with a planner or calendar to keep track of dates and deadlines Time Management Be self-sufficient Cook basic meals, do laundry, schedule your own appointments, wake yourself up in the morning Attend “accepted student day” events on campus and learn where important offices are and resources that are available to students.

Information for Applications Mr. Dave Manners, Guidance Counselor – 267-893-2512 Ms. Valerie D’Alonzo, Guidance Counselor – 267-893-2512 Fax Number: 267-893-5846 School Code: 391045 Grading Scale: 4.0 (weighted) #Seniors: 516 Rank: “NA” - We do not rank

Application Deadlines Early Action (EA): You apply early and find out your decision early. You can apply to many schools “EA” Early Decision (ED): This is binding. Only apply to 1 school Early Decision-- your 1st choice. If admitted ED, you MUST attend! You can still send in other regular decision and early action applications If you are applying ED through Common App, the student, parent, and counselor have to sign the online ED agreement. Rolling: Admission decisions are made approximately 4 weeks after your application is complete. State schools are rolling admissions. Look for a “Priority Date” (i.e. PSU Priority Date: Nov. 30) Nov. 1 or 15th

Steps for Applying Fill out your college applications Using either: The college’s own application The Common Application OR The Coalition Application Request your transcripts from Guidance on Naviance Request letters of recommendation from 1-2 teachers Send your “Official” SATs/ACTs Each piece will arrive at your schools separately

Guidance will Send: 1. Your transcript (which includes unofficial SAT/ACT scores) 2. A recommendation if requested 3. Secondary School Report 4. A copy of your senior schedule

Transcript Request Process Step 1:  Sign, and return the Release of Records Authorization form to Ms. Matthews in the Guidance Office. One per student   This must be turned in before you can add colleges to “Colleges I’m Applying to” and request transcripts and recs on Naviance REMINDER: Complete your Counselor Rec Survey in Naviance & Waive your FERPA in Common App Step 2:  Follow all instructions on the Step-by-Step Instructions for Sending Transcripts – 2nd page of your handout. You will add colleges to your list in Naviance, and electronically request that we send your Transcript to each school listed. Step 3:  Request Teacher Letters of Recommendation in Naviance

FERPA Waiver – Check the first box

Transcript Status You can see when we send out your transcripts on Naviance. Initial Materials Submitted (this means they were sent) or Pending (in progress).

Sending MP1 Grades & Mid-Year Grades We will automatically send your mid-year grades to all of the schools you have applied to after the first semester grades post at the very end of January. MP1 grades are occasionally requested. Please stop by guidance to fill out a request form if you need us to send them. Cumulative GPAs update after you finish a course.

College Visits at CB West College Reps will begin visiting West mid-September Sign up on Naviance This is the last chance for you to meet the person who will read your application!!

Resumes and Interviews You will each have to complete a resume as part of your Career Plan this year You can use a template in Word Optional: Upload your resume to the Common Application Some schools request interviews for admission We will hold a college interview workshop in the guidance conference room for students who are required to interview for admission. Sign up on Naviance (in the college visit section)

SAT & ACT Sending Scores 2018 Testing Dates ACT: September 8, October 27, December 8 SAT: October 6, November 3, December 1 Register on Collegeboard for the SAT and ACT.org for the ACT Some colleges request you to send “Official Scores” from Collegeboard or ACTstudent.org Use your FREEBIES! Send scores to 4 colleges for free when you register for SAT/ACT SAT/ACT score comparison chart: SAT/ACT Concordance Table Test Optional Schools: Fairtest.org/university/optional

Wednesday, October 3 – District Financial Aid Night at CB South FAFSA Federal Application for Federal Student Aid The FAFSA opens on October 1 FAFSA.ed.gov CSS Profile For elite private schools Starts October 1 Costs: $25 for first schools, $16 for each additional school css.collegeboard.org Wednesday, October 3 – District Financial Aid Night at CB South

Scholarships Most scholarship money comes directly from your college Common Application: Scholar Snapp connects you with scholarship opportunities if you select “Yes”. Naviance Scholarship list* Continuously updated with any material that comes into the guidance office College Board Scholarship Search: “Big Future” Fastweb.com ***Most scholarship applications on Naviance become active in the spring***

Upcoming Dates Financial Aid Night - October 3 @ 7pm at CB South Back To School Night – September 13 @ 7PM at CBW

Q&A Can any teacher send a recommendation through Naviance? Only current CB West teachers; Former teachers, coaches, and MBIT teachers will have to mail, email or fax their recommendations—please provide them with stamped, addressed envelopes if needed. If colleges can see my senior schedule and I have early release or late arrival, will my schedule look too easy? If you have taken appropriately challenging classes for your main subject areas and have room for a few LA’s or ER’s, it’s ok to take them. Colleges focus more on your major subject areas then on electives or study halls. See the next slide to see how counselors rate the level of rigor in your schedule Do I have to send the Common App to all of my schools at the same time? No, but your common app content and main essay will need to be complete before you send it anywhere I’d like to attend college rep visits, but can’t miss class time, what should I do? If it’s a large visit like PSU, Pitt or Temple, and you don’t need the info update, you don’t need to attend. If it’s going to be a small group meeting with the rep, you should try to stop down to say hello and pick up paperwork, then let the rep know that you have to go to class. The visits take approximately 30 mins. When is the District College Fair? April 3 at CB South. If you are looking for one in the fall, here is a link to college fairs in our region: https://www.pacac.org/college-fairs If my first 2 SAT scores are similar, is it worth taking a 3rd SAT? It may be worth it if you have done something to improve your scores, like an additional Math class or a Test Prep class.

Appendix A: Common App Counselor Ratings

Appendix B: Common App Teacher Ratings