Wasilla High School Classes of 2016 & 2017 Senior Information

For more information see… Additional Support Mrs. Haerer A-D Mrs. Troisi E-K Mrs. Mulneaux, Counseling Secretary WHS Counselors Mrs. Smart L-R Mrs. Hinton, Registrar Mr. Paramo S-Z

A Few Suggestions Be organized Meet deadlines Stay in the race until you cross the finish line. Actions = Consequence Make good decisions!

Important Dates Oct. 18th – 19th Anchorage College & Career Fair – Oct. 14th – PSAT Oct 21st - ASVAB Oct. 18th – 19th Anchorage College & Career Fair – Egan Center (18th 1pm-5pm, 19th 9am-12pm) Dec. 15th - 17th - Semester Finals Watch for more information on these fall events: WorkKeys

Jan. 1st – FAFSA available online Feb – ASVAB March 2nd – SAT offered during school March 1st – ACT offered during school April 15th All correspondence should be completed to walk at graduation. April 23rd – Prom May 9th – 20th – AP Tests May 4th-5th Senior Finals May 10th – Senior Awards Night 7PM May 12th Graduation practice May 12th Graduation 7PM Menard Sports Complex

Post High School Planning What will I do? College Degree: *Associates *Bachelor *Master *Doctorate Vocational Training: *Certificate *Apprenticeship *On the job training Military: *Air Force *Army/Marine *Coast Guard *Navy

AKCIS http://acpe.alaska.gov/PLANNING/Education_Planning/AKCIS WHS Login Info: Username: wasillahs Password: 4Student Information on careers, colleges, and scholarships. Specific to Alaska as well as other states. Lots of information!

The Application Portfolio What You Will Need to Apply for… Colleges, Technical Schools, Scholarships, the Armed Services, Apprenticeship Programs & Jobs: Resume Essays and Cover Letters about You and Your Interests Letters of Recommendation from Teachers and Community Members.

College Application - usually online Transcripts – Ms. Hinton, Registrar GPA/Rank Letters of Recommendation Exams: SAT http://www.collegeboard.com ACT http://www.actstudent.org WHS code: 020155 *ZIP Codes to search for testing locations: 99654 (Wasilla), 99645 (Palmer), 99694 (Houston)

What you can be working on… Attend college, armed services, and technical college visits at WHS. Visits are in the announcements. If possible, visit college campuses. Investigate careers, colleges, and training programs. Start narrowing your focus. Select 3 to 5 colleges – create a folder for each one with deadlines and requirements written on the outside of each folder. Review your transcript to make sure you are taking the classes you need for graduation and post graduation plans. Take the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, and WorkKeys Create separate folders for copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation, resumes, and essays (have several copies of each). Make a folder for each scholarship that you apply for. Complete the financial comparison sheet.

Financial Aid Funding comes from many sources – Each college will create a proposal for you based on the FAFSA. Scholarships are typically awarded during your senior year. FAFSA After Jan 1st www.fafsa.ed.gov Personal: EFC Estimated Family Contribution FED. Gov’t: Grants Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans Work Study Scholarship: Academic Aptitude Athletic Unique Any and all

FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid January 1st – you’ll need an accurate estimate of your income and expected taxes. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and apply for a pin number a few days prior to actually completing the FAFSA. (It’s an electronic signature) You’ll be given an EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) amount and the EFC will be sent electronically to each college you designated on the FAFSA application. The college financial aid office will create a Financial Award Proposal and it will be sent to you for approval. Keep a file to refer to when you renew the FAFSA each year of college and Grad school. UAA Mat-Su offers FAFSA help to assist in the application process. Call and make an appointment.

WUE – Western Undergraduate Exchange Students are eligible to request a reduced tuition rate of 150% of resident tuition at participating colleges. Students must apply – a small number of awards are available. States participating: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Internet: AKCIS, fastweb.com, Google (watch for scams) Apply, Apply, Apply Scholarships At WHS: weekly updates posted in the counseling office. Also check WHS Counseling website for links. http://matsuk12.us/whs Internet: AKCIS, fastweb.com, Google (watch for scams) Schools: Your college or vocational program will usually have scholarships linked under financial aid. Keep track of deadlines and be professional and organized in your presentation. Don’t rule yourself out of applying! Typically, the closer the source of the money the higher your chances of receiving the money.

Alaska Performance Scholarship Up to $4,755 a year to schools in Alaska Based on GPA, ACT/SAT/WorkKeys scores Must fill out FAFSA Optional: Create an account on the Alaska Student Aide Portal (ASAP) 2 ways to qualify: 4 math, 4 science, 4 lang. arts, 4 social studies 3 math, 3 science, 4 lang. arts, 4 social studies, 2 foreign lang. *Some classes do not count for APS. Be sure to check with your counselor.

NCAA/NAIA NCAA – Division I and Division II NAIA – Intercollegiate Athletics at all other levels Register online for NCAA at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net Register online for NAIA at www.playnaia.org Registration with the Clearinghouse is a student/parent responsibility.

NCAA/NAIA NCAA Division I – NCAA Division II – NAIA – MUST MEET ALL MUST MEET 2 OF 3 English – 4 years English – 3 years Achieve a minimum of 18 on ACT or 860 on SAT Math – 3 years Math – 2 years Achieve a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 Science – 2 years Graduate in the top half of high school class Additional year of English, math, or science Social Science – 2 years Additional Academic Courses – 4 years **Requirements will be changing as of the Class of 2017.

NCAA/NAIA For NCAA Approved High School courses go to https://web1.ncaa.org/hsportal/exec/hsAction Type in 020155 for the ACT Code and select Search.  Select Show All Approved Courses, or Show All Denied Courses and compare to your completed and current courses. **Important Notices**  Changes to NCAA/NAIA are coming in 2016. Be sure to verify your college enrollment date to determine eligibility requirement. It is your responsibility as a student and an athlete to make sure that the CORE classes you are taking to meet NCAA and NAIA requirements are accepted.

Testing Requirements Students must take the ACT, SAT, or WorkKeys in addition to completing credit requirements to earn a diploma. Students are encouraged to take all 3 tests; however, the state will pay for one test administration per student. ACT, SAT, and WorkKeys will be offered during the school day.

Testing Requirements Class of 2016: most have already taken the WorkKeys , SAT, or ACT, one of which is required for graduation. If the student did not take one of these assessments last year, they will need to complete one of them this year in order to receive a diploma. Class of 2017: All students will need to select which test they will be taking this year and complete that test. This should have been completed when you did your online registration.

Testing Requirements Students who wish to improve their WorkKeys score from last year, may sign up to take WorkKeys during the school day at their expense. Students who wish to improve their ACT or SAT score may not sign up to take the ACT or SAT during the school day. These students will need to register for a regular Saturday test administration.

ACT Test Date: Registration Deadline: October 24 December 12 February 6 April 9 June 11 Answer every question. There is no penalty for guessing on the ACT. Sep. 18 Nov. 6 Jan. 8 Mar. 4 May 6 ACT includes: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. ***ACT will be offered during the school day Mar. 3rd

SAT Test Date: Registration Deadline: October 3 November 7 December 5 January 23 March 5 May 7 June 4 Don’t guess. Points are taken off for incorrect answers on the SAT. Sept. 3 Oct. 9 Nov. 6 Dec. 28 Feb 5 Apr. 8 May 5 SAT includes: Reading, Math, and Writing. ***SAT will be offered during the school day Feb. 25th