The College Application Process

People to Know!  Counselors Works With  Loretta Collins A-D  Herb CrowellE-La  John PembertonLe-Ra (until 11/1)  Amy WebsterLe-Ra (after 11/1)  Teresa SavageRe-Z  CCC Coordinators  Danielle SeifertAll Students  Eman AbdullahiAll Students

MPS Credit Values Re-Scaled CourseCreditsMake-up English4 credits (4 years) After school credit make- up starts soon. Complete form in counseling office. Social Studies4 credits (4 years) Math3 credits (3 years) Science3 credits (3 years) Health1 credit (1 year) PE1 credit (1 year) Fine Arts1 credit (1 year) Total Credits21.5 credits Take ACT or Accuplacer My Life PlanComplete all Assignments

From a Director… Every year thousands of students go through the college search. Every year thousands of students end up in college... …You will too.

Counselor Advice for Students Yes, soon, you will be making a leap into your future. You can do it.  Make informed choices  Engage with the process  Use your resources well  Remain calm and organized  The “best” school is the one that fits you best. By the way, there is no one single “best" school for you.

Where Should You Be Now? Making your list. Meeting with your counselor.

Roles  Student Project Manager (aka “The Application Doer”, “The Appointment Maker”, “The Requester of Letters”)  Parent Provide supporting conversations Providing reality checks (financial resources, fit)  Counselor/Career Center Coordinator Answer questions Provide resources Send transcripts and forms/writing letters/assisting teachers Provide reality checks

General Instructions to Students  Create College List  Complete Applications  Make Appointment with Counselor  Request letters from teachers, if needed  Request test scores sent from ACT/SAT, if necessary  Track Application, Transcripts, and Letters  Know your deadlines (Regular, EA, ED) NOTE: Students can send applications in piecemeal

Create Your List

Creating Your List  A good school is one that is a good fit for you  A school where you will be happy, engaged, grow and that meet your needs  Educational  Personal  Social  Financial

Create Your List  Factors in your “Objectively Important Profile” (published)  G.P.A.  Class Rank  ACT or SAT Test Scores  Factors in your “Subjectively Important Profile” (unpublished)  Rigor of Courses  Activities/ Unusual Talent  Diversity (Race, Ethnicity, Income, Geography)

Create Your List  Likely – realistic  Your profile is SIGNIFICANTLY stronger than the typical freshman  60-90% chance of admission  Possible – selective  Your profile is similar to the typical freshman  30-60% chance of admission  Reach – more selective  Your profile is not as strong as the typical freshman  less than 30% chance of admission

Select your best test! Select the school you’re interested in!

Use of Scattergrams

College Visits To Washburn  Why Sign Up For College Visit?  Meet College Reps  Ask questions  Explore colleges without leaving Minneapolis!  Help add or remove schools from your list!  Learn about summer opportunities  Project Success college tours

College Visits Students must be responsible for getting their own passes if they want to meet with a college.

Complete Your Applications

 Most applications are online…  Common Application  Minnesota State Colleges and Universities  University of Wisconsin System  Individual College Websites

Common Application  Single application that can be sent to participating schools.  500+ member institutions  Must create an account and communicate with counselor.  Some member institutions require the Common App; Optional for others; Institutional App is sometimes easier

Complete Your Applications: Tips  Be Professional!  Appropriate grammar, punctuation  Formal language; do not use texting/tweeting format  Professional address  Student should apply; not the parent  Follow all directions  Be aware of deadlines; know the meaning of Early Decision, Early Action, Priority, and Regular Decision

Meet With Your Counselor

Meet With Your Counselor!  Set up your appointment!  See Maggie Carlson in the counseling office  Counselors will help you wherever you are in the process.

Meeting with the Counselor Step 1 Develop Potential College List Step 2 Determine Requirements & Complete Application(s) Step 3 Request test scores sent from ACT/SAT Step 4 Initial application meeting (15-30 minutes) Add schools to which you are applying to Naviance Transcripts, requests for fee waivers, profile, permission to send data form, student ratings forms all sent. Don’t need college’s form. Report to counselor who is writing recommendation (if required). Must fill out “Recommendation Form” on Naviance. 2 weeks notice minimum! Matching Common App with Naviance (if required) $2 per transcript Step 5 Interview Meeting, if necessary (40-45 minutes) Counselor Interview must be at least two weeks prior to deadline. Step 6 Follow-up with your Counselor either in person or over to either add schools to your list or if you have other questions. Remember! All pieces of the app don’t have to be sent at the same time!

If needed… Request Letters Of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation  Check applications carefully to see if you need one  Also check how many. Send the appropriate number.  Fill out Rec Forms (Naviance- “About Me tab”)  Request 3-4 weeks prior to when needed  Thank you note to teacher

If you haven’t already… Send Your ACT Scores

 If you added schools to a previous ACT  Make sure they are the schools your are actually applying to!  If you did not…or if you have added schools…  Log into actstudent.org and request you ACT be sent.  $12 per score, per school.

Track Your Applications

Seriously. Do it. Time for a Deep Breath…

Weekly Rotating Counselor Advisory Presentations 1. Senior Meeting (9/16) 2. Common App (9/23, 9/30) 3. Essay Tips (10/7, 10/21) 4. Open Q and A (10/28) 5. Broadening Your Search, Financial Feasibility (11/4, 11/11) 6. MNSCU, Community and Tech Ed Schools (11/18,12/2) 7. Financial Aid Overview (12/9, 12/16) 8. Open Q and A (1/6) 9. FAFSA (1/13, 1/20) 10. Local Scholarships (1/27- 2/3) 11. Doing the Math: Comparing Financial Aid Packages (3/23, 4/6)

Fall Timeline Theme: Applications 10/1CSS Profile available 10/3 SAT Reasoning and Subject tests 10/5 ALC Starts; Grad status letter #1 sent home 10/21-22 National College Fair 10/24 ACT (deadline to register 9/18) 11/1 Typical Early Decision or Early Action deadlines 11/7 SAT Reasoning and Subject tests 11/10Washburn College Fair

Winter Timeline Theme: Scholarships and Financial Aid 12/5 SAT Reasoning/Subject Tests 12/10 Financial Aid Night 12/12 ACT (Deadline to register 11/6) 12/15 U of M, TC application deadline 1/1-2/1 Typical regular admissions deadlines 1/22 FAFSA Night 2/2 Washburn Scholarship apps distributed 3/1 College Application admit decisions start to be announced 3/1 FAFSA “Deadline” to optimize financial aid

Spring Timeline Theme: Decision Making/Graduation 3/25 Spring Break: Final visits to colleges? 4/8 Grad status letter #2 mailed home 4/15 Financial aid letters sent home 5/1 College Enrollment Decisions Due! 5/1 Washburn Scholarships announced (Date TBD) 6/2 Washburn Graduation (4:30pm) 6/15 Final transcripts mailed to colleges from counseling office 7/1 Be sure to request AP/IB/College credits are forwarded to college

Finally…

Web-based College Search Resources  Naviance- Super College Match Good for sorting schools given individualized criteria Information comparing oneself to former WHS applicants  Collegeboard.org Broader information comparing oneself to all applicants Cross references schools (i.e. “those applying to school A also apply to schools B, C, and D”  Collegeresults.org Groups “similar” schools together for comparison by varying metrics like demographics, admission rates, financial aid awards

Financial Aid and Scholarships  December 10th at Washburn: Merit Aid  January 22 nd at Washburn: FAFSA Night  Net Price Calculators  Any institution that can receive student financial must supply a calculator on it’s website  Several “vendors” of net price calculators so they may look different.  Don’t forget about FAFSA estimators   