Preparing for College Ms. Hunt, IB School Counselor February 11, 2019

Junior Meeting Outline Course requests for Senior Year Graduation requirements Current GPA SATs and ACTs What are your plans for after high school? College, military, work Financial Aid and Scholarships In terms of the VA high school graduation requirements, students typically only need English 12 and Government, plus maybe a math or science. The Government course is covered with the IBMYP Government taken in 10th grade, plus the IBDP World Topics course taken in 12th grade. If a student is pursuing the full IB diploma, they will continue with the rest of their IB courses as seniors. Students will be given their current GPA as of first semester. We do not rank students until the beginning of senior year. Rank is the average of final grades from 9th-11th grade.

Register for the SAT and ACT Take one of the tests at least two times. No more than 3 times each. Need to Register? Visit www.actstudent.org or www.collegeboard.com ACT Test Dates Registration Deadline April 13, 2019 March 8, 2019 June 8, 2019 May 3, 2019 July 13, 2019 June 14, 2019 SAT Test Dates Subject Tests Registration Deadline March 9, 2019 See SAT website for available Subject Tests February 8, 2019 May 4, 2019 April 5, 2019 June 1, 2019 May 3, 2019 Students will need to do some research on whether or not they should take SAT Subject Tests. Only some schools require or recommend these tests be taken. Also, please note the ACT has a science portion unlike the SAT. Both of these tests are looked at by colleges across the country. It is no longer, West vs. East coast schools.

College Board: Big Future What does Big Future have to offer? College search engine Career and major exploration Financial aid Information on getting into college And so much more! Log in to your account today and begin planning for your college future! This is a fantastic resource for college searching! The College Board is the same company that puts on the AP courses and exams. Much of the language is geared towards students taking AP courses. For the IB students, I tell them to just switch AP for IB.

Creating a College List I encourage students to apply to 5-8 schools, but the most important thing is to have a good mix of schools. Using the GPA and test scores, students can get a general idea of where they land. Remember other important factors into the college admissions process include: personal statements, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, internships, volunteering, etc.

A look at the different types of college admission types. A student can only apply to one school Early Decision. If the student gets in to that school, they must attend that school. A student can apply to as many schools as they want for Early Action. Early action and decision are typically more competitive selections pools, but many universities and colleges select a good portion of their students from this pool. Schools typically post what percentage of a class comes from early decision/action or regular decision on their websites.

The Common Application The Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of more than 700 schools. Students can go ahead and create their Common App account now. Then over the summer, when juniors become seniors, they can begin to add schools to their account. The Common App has already posted the essay topics for next year. Summer is a fantastic time to work on college essays. The essay is one of the most important factors in college admissions. It is were the student can really show who they are as a person. Click here to explore the Common App Rollover- create your account now to get ready for Senior year Click here for the 2018-2019 essay topics

The Coalition Application More than 140 colleges and universities included Free online college planning tools Virginia Tech Fee Waivers

GRASP and Financial Aid Tucker GRASP Advisor: Brenda Jackson jrtucker@grasp4virginia.com What can GRASP do for you? Assist with the financial aid process Award and administer scholarships Inspire students to believe that secondary and post-secondary education are attainable You can now submit a FAFSA as early as OCTOBER 1, 2019. The GRASP Advisor is at Tucker on Wednesdays. For more information and resources, check out the GRASP website. http://grasp4va.org/ Financial Aid can be tricky to navigate if you have never done it before. Our GRASP representative is extremely helpful in providing assistance for understanding the FAFSA and how to fill it out. She will sit down with students and families for up to an hour to answer any and all questions you have.

Scholarships Scholarship Coordinator- Mrs. Jackie Smith, School Counselor Check out the scholarship newsletter each month on the 12th grade Schoology page Make sure you are aware of deadlines! Register for a free scholarship engine www.fastweb.com www.scholarships.com www.cappex.com FREE MONEY! Scholarships are typically offered to current seniors. There may be some scholarships out there for juniors, but the majority are for seniors. We offer a number of scholarships through the Scholarship Newsletter that is put out every month. It can be accessed through Schoology by the students and on the Tucker School Counseling website. You can also check out your employers, organizations, places of worship, etc. Every year we have scholarships go unclaimed. Please encourage your students to apply for these next year!

QuestBridge: College Prep Scholars and National College Match Program gives high-achieving, low-income juniors an early advantage in college admissions to top colleges and universities. All College Prep Scholars receive: Specialized guidance for the application process Personal essay coaching Identification by college partners to be admitted to highly selective colleges You could also receive: Full scholarships to summer programs All-expense-paid campus visits The deadline for the College Prep Scholars has passed, but students can still apply for National College Match. On this email, I have attached a pamphlet on how the National College Match works. Apply online for College Prep Scholars now at www.questbridge.org APPLICATION DUE MARCH 20, 2019! Apply for National College Match this summer!

College Planning Checklist: Spring Sign up to take the college admissions tests (SAT and ACT) Develop a list of schools that are of interest to you Make a list of factors important to you Continue college tours and visits IB Mid-Atlantic College Fair- April 6, 2019 Gar-field High School in Woodbridge, VA For more information and registration click here! Request information from colleges End Junior year strong! Summer Consider who will write your letters of recommendation Create a resume Download applications Write essays! This is a basic outline of what your students can be as they prepare for senior year. I will meet with them again at the beginning of senior year to talk about the application process.

If you have questions, please reach out to me!