1. Franklin High School Start the College Process NOW !

2. Why Go To College?  College is a pathway to success and a better life.  College graduates have half the unemployment rates of high school graduates.  Study what you care about.  College is fun! Hundreds of different clubs and activities and thousands of new people to meet.

3. What Colleges Are Looking For  A well-rounded student (GPA, class rank, course load, test scores, extracurricular activities)  Essays matter !  Take the SAT and ACT more than once (collegeboard.org and actstudent.org)  Each college has their own requirements (review their website)

4. Finding the Right College Things to Consider:  Cost (In-State versus Out-of-State Tuition)  Big School vs. Small School  Public vs. Private University  Majors offered  Location (weather, big versus small city, distance from home)  Research colleges on-line (virtual tours)

5. Finding the Right College Ask Questions to the Right People  Visit colleges and/or talk to admissions counselors  Talk to recruiters who visit Franklin  Go to Franklin College Night  Visit Mr. Couder in the GO CENTER!! (S133)

6. College Visits at Franklin

7. Applying to Colleges  Pick at least 5 to 6 colleges to apply to (dream, realistic, safety)  Check deadlines and requirements for each college (early action, regular admission, scholarship)  Complete application essays (have them reviewed and edited)  Use applytexas.org and commonapp.org to save time  Have SAT and/or ACT scores sent to colleges  Visit business office at Franklin to send official transcripts to colleges  If necessary, ask teachers and counselors for recommendation letters (at least 3 weeks before deadline)  SEEK OUT SCHOLARSHIPS!!

8. Financial Aid

9. Types of Financial Aid  Scholarships- Merit or Need Based  Grants- Federal or State  Loans  Work Study- Earn While You Learn

10. Applying for Federal Aid  When you are applying for admission, you are not applying for federal aid  These are two distinct processes.  If you are accepted into a college, enroll, and do nothing else, you WILL NOT receive any financial aid.

11. FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid Apply Early  Between January & March of your senior year Website  www.fafsa.gov

12. Why Fill Out FAFSA? Filling out FAFSA qualifies students for:  need-based grants  loans  work-study. Expected Family Contribution  The FAFSA is used to calculate your “expected family contribution” or EFC, a measure of your family’s annual ability to pay for college.

13. GRANTS Two types of grants:  Government Grants- based on financial need  Institutional Grants- distributed at the discretion of the school

14. LOANS Subsidized  must demonstrate need  U.S. Department of Education will pay (subsidize) the interest that accrues while in school Unsubsidized  not based on need  most everyone can qualify PLUS Loans  Parent Loans

15. Federal Work Study (FWS)  Provides part-time employment while you are enrolled in school  Employment may be on or off campus  Inquire about jobs at your college’s Student Employment Office

16. Texas Student Aid Programs  Toward Excellence, Access and Success (TEXAS )Grant  Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG)  Texas Public Educational Grant  Top 10% Scholarship  Texas B-On-Time Loan  Colleges Access Loan (CAL) Program

17. Scholarships

18. Scholarship Facts  Most scholarships come from colleges  Scholarships are awarded for academic merit, talent or need  Very few scholarships pay the entire cost of attendance  No scholarships go unclaimed  The larger the scholarship, the more competition  Scholarships can be renewable or non-renewable  All scholarships have a deadline!  Best time to apply for scholarships is NOW!!

19. Tips for Finding Scholarships  Work closely with counselors and college readiness teacher (Mr. Couder)  Create online accounts with scholarship databases  Apply only for scholarships that you qualify for and are obtainable  Look for local community scholarships www.fastweb.com www.finaid.org www.scholarships.com

20. Strategies for Winning Scholarships It’s a numbers game  To win more scholarships, apply to more scholarships, but only if you qualify You can’t win if you don’t apply  1 in 4 students never applies for financial aid It gets easier after your first 6 applications  Essays can be reused and tailored to each new application Don’t miss deadlines!!!

21. Beware of Scholarship Scams  If you have to pay money to get money, it is probably a scam  Nobody can guarantee that you’ll win a scholarship  Do not give out personal information like bank account numbers, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers  Beware of the unclaimed aid myth

22. SAT and ACT  School-wide SAT in October free of charge  Must bring photo ID day of exam  SAT or ACT score needed for admission to almost all universities  You should take the SAT and/or ACT multiple times

23. ACT Dates SY 2015-16 TEST DATEREGISTRATION DEADLINELATE FEE REQUIRED SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 AUGUST 7, 2015AUGUST 8-21, 2015 OCTOBER 24, 2015 SEPTEMBER 18, 2015SEPTEMBER 19-OCTOBER 2, 2015 DECEMBER 12, 2015 NOVEMBER 6, 2015NOVEMBER 7-20, 2015 FEBRUARY 6, 2016 JANUARY 8, 2016JANUARY 9-15, 2016 APRIL 9, 2016 MARCH 4, 2016MARCH 5-18, 2016 JUNE 11, 2016MAY 6, 2016MAY 7-20, 2016

24. SAT DATES SY 2015-16 TEST DATENORMAL DEADLINELATE REGISTRATIONONLINE SCORE RELEASE OCTOBER 3, 2015 SEPTEMBER 3, 2015SEPTEMBER 22, 2015OCTOBER 22, 2015 NOVEMBER 7, 2015 OCTOBER 9, 2015OCTOBER 27, 2015NOVEMBER 26, 2015 DECEMBER 5, 2015 NOVEMBER 5, 2015NOVEMBER 23, 2015DECEMBER 24, 2015 JANUARY 23, 2016 DECEMBER 28, 2015JANUARY 12, 2016FEBRUARY 11, 2016 MARCH 5, 2016 * FEBRUARY 5, 2016FEBRUARY 23, 2016MARCH 24, 2016 MAY 7, 2016 *APRIL 8, 2016APRIL 26, 2016MAY 26, 2016 JUNE 4, 2016 *MAY 5, 2016MAY 25, 2016JUNE 23, 2016

25. AP Exams  AP Exams are administered by schools worldwide on set dates each May.  Exams usually last around three hours.  Each AP Exam contains: *Multiple-choice questions *Free-response questions (essay, problem- solving, oral response)  AP Exam fee for 2016 is $92 per exam  Students that are eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch, will pay a reduced rate per exam.

26. Why Take AP Exams? Most two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States offer credit or advanced placement for qualifying AP Exam scores (3 or better on a scale from 1-5).  Credit : Students earn credit toward their college degrees.  Advanced placement : Students can skip introductory courses and move directly into higher-level classes, and/or fulfill general education requirements.  DAP: Must take and “pass” 4 AP Exams

27. DUAL CREDIT through EPCC Dual Credit Courses offered at Franklin :  English 3, English 4, English 4 British Literature, US History, Geology  Check to see if your chosen colleges accepts this dual credit.

28. Franklin Counseling Website

29. Counseling Website Visit the Franklin counseling website to get information on the following:  Information about credit by exam, credit recovery, AP and Dual Credit  Helpful tips about applying to college and creating a college planning guide  Links to study aids for the SAT and ACT  Scholarship and financial aid information

30. Go Center Website

31. Class of 2017

32. raise.me  What is raise.me?  Discover colleges and earn scholarships for your academic and extracurricular achievements throughout high school. (“Micro-Scholarships”)  You could be eligible to earn Micro- Scholarships towards our partner colleges. These achievements can include good grades, participating in clubs, playing on a sports team, & volunteering. They can include AP courses, honors classes, and dual credit courses, too.