Set... Pursue... Reach... Welcome parents/guardians and BHS Class of 2015!

Oh, how time flies That was then...This is now...

Helping your child take the next step into their future can make you feel like this... But no need to fear, Brookwood HS counselors are here to help your child set, pursue, and reach their goals!

Agenda  Graduation requirements  Planning for life after Brookwood HS  Georgia Student Finance Commission

Who is your child’s counselor? Our counselors serve students based upon the first letter of a student’s last name  A - DhMs. Medlin  Di - IDr. Benton  J - MDr. Benjamin  N - SDr. Dehnke  T - ZMrs. Byrd College & Career Coordinator – Mrs Donna Varzaly Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., M-F

Your child must complete a Senior Review  Who? – Anyone who is planning on graduating in December 2014, Spring, or Summer 2015  When? – In Guided Study, September 3 rd (note: this is different than in past years)  How? – A counselor will visit every senior guided study with completed senior review forms. Each student will review their individual courses needed to graduate as well as discuss post- secondary planning. Signed forms will be mailed home before November 1 st.  After September 3 rd, if seniors have more individual questions about credits or college planning, they can make an appointment with their counselor.

A student must have 23 credits in order to graduate HS Those credits must generally include the following: 4 LA 4 Math 4 Science 1 Health/PE 3 Social Science (U.S. History and World History, Economics and Political Systems) 3 Electives (Fine Art/Technology/Foreign Language) 4 additional electives

If your child has failed a required class, it is their responsibility to: Check on grades Contact a counselor to determine options Review School Plus options  Phoenix  Community Schools  Credit Recovery Review online options like

SENIOR CLASS SPONSORS  Ms. Dee Anna Bean (Room B27)  Mrs. Susan Lockwood (Room B29) Your child will see them about graduation events, such as: Senior Picnic Graduation announcements, robes, and accessories Graduation Ceremony

FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES  Bachelor’s Degrees  Public Colleges/Universities  Private Colleges/Universities  Admissions Requirements SAT and/or ACT for entrance exam May require letters of recommendation

Admissions statistics from three largest research universities in Georgia from Middle 50% Core GPA: SAT (CR+M+W ): ACT: AP/IB: 4-6 Early Action: Oct 15 Regular Deadline: Jan 15 Middle 50% Core GPA: SAT(CR+M): ACT: Priority Deadline: Nov 1 Regular Deadline: Mar 1 Middle 50% Core GPA: 3.8 (“A” Ave.) SAT: ACT: AP/IB: 6-11 Early Action: Oct 15 Regular Deadline: Jan 10

TWO-YEAR COLLEGES  Associate Degrees  Public  Private  Entrance Exams Vary Compass ACT or SAT  Transfer to a four-year college TAG Program *Most, if not all, two-year colleges now require two years of the same F.L. Contact the colleges for specific information.

TECHNICAL COLLEGES Programs Degree Certificate or Diploma  Compass Exam for Degree Program  No SAT/ACT Gwinnett Technical College offers more than 50 programs of study that a student can finish in two years or less.

MILITARY  Opportunities Training Education Travel  Policies/Expectations/Commitment  Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) – September 29th  Scholarships  Must be a high school graduate, no GED

ENTERING THE WORK FORCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER HIGH SCHOOL CAREER INFORMATION    College and Career Room DVD Library Books Dictionary of Occupational Titles Occupational Outlook Handbook

The College Application Process  College Visits  Financial Planning  The Application  Application Fees  Transcripts  Letter of Recommendation

How many schools should my child apply to?  1 (or more) “Dream School”  2-3 “Likely”—a pretty good chance of getting in  At least 1 “Safety”—a sure thing for admission and cost  Ultimately, deciding how many schools to apply to is a family decision. However, counselors generally recommend to consider applying to one to two schools in each category.

College Applications  Sources College Admissions Office College web site BHS College and Career Room  When Check Deadlines and plan!

Applying Early? Early decision and early action plans allow students to apply early (usually by October or November) and get an admissions decision December or January. Early Decision versus Early Action  Early decision plans are binding. A student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college.  Early action plans are similar but are not binding, which means students receive an early response but do not have to commit to the college until the normal reply date of May 1.  Please check the policies of the individual colleges/universities you are applying to if you are applying early.

College and Career Specialist  Mrs. Donna Varzaly Transcripts Provides requests for recommendations to counselors Great resource for scholarships – Check the Senior Bulletin Fee waivers -(SAT/ACT/ college application, if qualified)

“OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT”  OUT OF STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES Request “paper” transcript from Counseling Office – College and Career Room $5.00 cost Student must stamp, address, and mail sealed envelope.  GEORGIA COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ONLY FREE Online through Mid-Year and Final Will send paper copy for Final Transcript ($5.00) To learn how to request and request your transcript via GAcollege411, go to

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS/TESTS  S.A.T. I (reasoning tests)  A.C.T.  S.A.T. II (subject area tests)  ASSET/COMPASS Most public two-year colleges and technical schools in Georgia (UNG requires SAT/ACT)  Armed Services Vocational Battery Aptitude (ASVAB) – September 29th

Letters of Recommendation  Letters of recommendation are written only when requested  Find the Student/Parent Brag forms online at  Student and parent will complete the forms and the student will bring them to Mrs. Varzaly in the College and Career Room.  Plan ahead – Your child must allow two weeks for his/her counselor to complete his/her letter of recommendation  The student’s part of the application is expected to be completed beforehand.

THE LETTER OR ARRIVES....  ACCEPTED! (Hooray) Send deposits Celebrate!  Wait-listed Don’t panic Evaluate back-up plan  Denied— It’ll be okay Go to back-up plan

ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS  Student registers at  Student requests a transcript to be sent to NCAA Clearinghouse  Student sends S.A.T./A.C.T. scores to NCAA Clearinghouse, scores must be sent directly from the testing service  Student calculates core average according to NCAA requirements  Student and family review NCAA policies and procedures

Want more information about financial aid? Brookwood High School Attend Financial Aid Night, Sept. 17th at 7 p.m. (A Representative from Columbus State will be attending)

HELPFUL WEB SITES  Brookwood HS Counseling Department  Brookwood High School  College Board/S.A.T.  A.C.T.  Commons Application:

HELPFUL WEB SITES, CONT’D  Online applications for colleges in Georgia and much more  Georgia Student Finance Commission (H.O.P.E.)  Free application for Federal Student Aid

Sources of Information from BHS Counseling Department  BHS Counseling Dept. website at  Senior Bulletin – located on the Brookwood Counseling Website  Remind 101 – Ms Medlin’s Reminders

Door Prize! Check under your seat… If you have a pink sticky note, you can claim your door prize at the end of the presentation!

Introducing… Hal Wilkerson – Georgia Student Finance Commission:  HOPE Updates

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