CLASS OF 2016 John F. Kennedy High School

◦ Schedule a Meeting with your Counselor ◦ Use Resources  Collegeboard.com ◦ College and Career Fairs  Woodbridge High School College Fair: Wed., Oct 28 nd 9:30 am to 12:30 pm  ALL SENIORS MAY ATTEND ◦ College Visits  Students must get a pass from their counselor ◦ Attend Open Houses

To be completedTimeline Continue to refine list of schools Begin to ask teachers for letters of recommendation September Counselor meetings with Early Applicants October SAT/ACT retakesOctober, November, December Early Decision, Early Action, Priority Deadlines November 1- December 1 Attend Financial Planning Meeting November Regular Decision Students Meetings with Counselors December Regular Decision Deadlines Financial Aid Filing January 1- February 15

◦ What is important to you?  BIG vs. SMALL  CLOSE vs. FAR ◦ What do you look for?  RETENTIONS RATES  DISCUSS $$$$$$$ BE UP FRONT!!!!  PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING F/A ◦ Amount of schools to apply to  2 SAFETY SCHOOLS (GURANTEED ADMISSION)  3-4 MATCH SCHOOLS; YOUR PROFILE MATCHES THE SCHOOL  1-2 REACH IF YOU PREFER!!!!! ◦ VISITING THE SCHOOL IS IMPERATIVE, PREFERABLY DURING SESSION.  OVERNIGHT VISIT ◦ BE REALISTIC, BE REALISTIC, BE REALISTIC

 Four-year College  Community College  Vocational & Technical School  Military  Employment

 Early Action ◦ Apply by Oct15. 1 or Nov. 15 ◦ Decision by mid December ◦ Non-binding  Early Decision ◦ Apply by Nov. 1 to Nov. 15 ◦ Decision by mid December ◦ Binding if admitted  Early Decision II ◦ Apply by Jan 1 ◦ Decision Feb. 1  Regular Admissions  Rolling Admissions

 Complete the application ◦ Online via the individual college/university websites  Check if your college accepts the Common Application  Requesting Letters of Recommendation  College Application Essays  Transcript Release Forms  Contacting Collegeboard and/or ACT to send testing scores. 4 for FREE!!!  Additional Supplemental Items ◦ Student Resume ◦ SAT Subject Tests ◦ Honors Programs Applications ◦ Additional Essays

 Approximately 500 colleges accept the Common App  Check each colleges individual application requirements ◦ Some Colleges may have additional individualized supplements  JFK CEEB CODE:  Seniors will need the teachers and counselor address for recommendations ◦ addresses available on JFK website ◦ Each school will have their own individual application fee  Save, Save, Save  Any questions, COME TO GUIDANCE 

 Most colleges and universities require two to three letters of recommendation ◦ Two letters from academic teachers, preferably from upperclassmen courses  Seniors are asked to provide a RAVE SHEET to each recommender (see guidance for sheet) ◦ Additional letters of recommendation may come from coaches, advisors, community members, etc. ◦ Please do not expect a recommendation to be done quickly. It is your job to ask early and make sure you have ample time to submit for your deadline!

SAT Testing: Collegeboard.com ACT Testing: Actstudent.org Use the above websites to register your Senior for upcoming administration of the test, use practice tests, and send scores to colleges. Things to know: ◦ JFK CEEB Code: ◦ College Codes will also be needed when registering to send scores. ◦ Fee waivers are available for both SAT & ACT for Seniors eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch Programs.

 Application Process ◦ Submit application using the colleges website ◦ Pay online application fee or mail in ◦ Submit Transcript Release form to Guidance ◦ SAT & ACT are required for admissions for MOSTschools ◦ Recommendation letters or college essay required in most cases ◦ Deadlines vary, students are responsible for know the DEADLINES!! ◦ DEADLINES  Early Decision; one school only, binding contract!  Early Action; non-binding  Regular Decision; latest deadline  Rolling Admissions

 Application Process ◦ Submit MCC application using the colleges website ◦ Pay online application fee or mail in ◦ JFK On-site Admission will be scheduled ◦ Submit Transcript Release form to Guidance ◦ SAT & ACT not required for admissions but score will determine need for placement testing ◦ No recommendation letters or college essay required ◦ Rolling Admissions ◦ NJ STARS Program: Top 15% of your class and eligible for financial aide  Other Community Colleges in State may offer some alternative majors, need to fill out an out- of county tuition waiver. Exp. Game Design

IF THE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY APPLICATION DEADLINE IS … YOU MUST REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS IN THE GUIDANCE OFFICE BY… November 1 st October 7 th November 15 th October 16 th December 1 st November 13 th January 1 st December 1 st January 15 th January 1 st February 1 st January 15 th February 15 th January 29 th ANY OTHER DEADLINES (including rolling) two weeks prior to deadline! IT TAKES APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS FOR GUIDANCE TO PROCESS YOUR REQUEST. PLEASE BE PATIENT. We are not simply sending a transcript. The forms we are asked to complete require thoughtful, personalized responses.

 DeVry University  Lincoln Technical School  Middlesex County Vocational Schools  Union County Vocational Schools  Stenotech Career Institute  Cosmetology Programs  Sanford Brown  ITT Technical Schools  Connecticut School of Broadcasting

 Please check the GUIDANCE TAB on the school website for updated Scholarships.  Elk's Scholarship (due 12/3/15)  YEF Scholarship (due 12/18/15)  Comcast Scholarship (due 12/4/15)  US JCI Senate Scholarship (due 1/11/16)  Students may find additional scholarships using websites such as: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ SCAM ALERT: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is… DO NOT provide too much personal and financial information to ANY scholarship application prior to review!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ :45 Registration starts 7:00 Workshop begins Due to the popularity of our free workshops, seats fill up quickly. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Register online: Or

 Wednesday Jan. 6:30  Must file the FAFSA form in order to receive financial aide!  WHS

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Apply after January 1, What can I do now? APPLY FOR A PIN Follow FAFSA on

 Any questions???????