1. WJHS Counselor Tips for Applying to College How do I get started?

2. Applications Visit the college resource center in the Guidance Office for applications. If application are not present, request application from college/university. Fill out the application in blue or black ink OR type it. BE NEAT! If the application requires your school’s CEEB code, fill in 181-985.

3. Complete a request for your official transcript. Forms are in the Guidance Office. Turn in to Mrs. Curry—please allow at least 1 week turn around time. Enclose the transcript and application fee if required. If you are on the free/reduced lunch program, see your counselor for a fee waiver. If the application requires letters of reference from your counselor-- see your counselor for reference forms. Please give the counselors at least 1 week to complete these.

4. Check over the application before mailing it to make sure it completed thoroughly and accurately. It is not necessary for you to have received your ACT or SAT scores before submitting your application. If you indicated on your testing registration form the colleges you want to receive your scores, they will be sent once the test is scored. ACT or SAT sends these scores, not WJHS.

5. If you did not request your scores to be sent to the colleges where you are applying, forms are available in the Guidance Office for you to complete and send in with a processing fee. Again, please allow staff at least 1 week to process and send. Last, MAKE COPIES of your application before mailing it in.

6. Fall Senior Calendar Counselors will meet with your through your English IV classes to review your high school record to ensure that your schedule is on track to complete graduation requirements and/or pre-college curriculum. Continue to participate in extra curricular and volunteer activities and take on leadership roles. Register to take the ACT and/or SAT.

7. Read Getting In, a handbook of information about admissions, costs, financial aid and academic programs for Kentucky postsecondary schools, and request application, materials and catalogues from colleges that interest you. Register on www.gohigherky.org (Part of your ILP Process). Counselors will help you in your English IV class.www.gohigherky.org

8. Get organized! Make a calendar showing application deadlines for admission, financial aid and scholarships. Attend college fairs and open houses, meet with college representatives, and schedule campus visits. Register for and take college entrance exams as necessary, making sure you have requested your test scores be sent to the colleges of your choice.

9. Begin gathering information needed to complete applications – test scores, essays, letters of recommendations, personal data sheets, etc. If you are applying for Early Decision, send in your applications before the deadline! Attend Senior Conferences with your counselor (via English IV class). Be sure to place your order for invitations for graduation, caps and gowns, and accessories. A deposit will be required to place your order with the balance due when items are delivered. See Mrs. Egan for more info!

10. 12 Steps to Financial Aid 1. Financial aid includes three different types of programs. Grant or Scholarship—Free $ Work Study Loans 2. Look for outside scholarships. Most local scholarships arrive in the spring. Various websites to search for scholarships are available. 3. Beware of scams that offer to find you scholarships and financial aid for free.

11. 4. Get to know the FAFSA. www.fafsa.ed.govwww.fafsa.ed.gov 5. Your parents’ financial information, in conjunction with yours, will be used to determine what the federal government says you can afford for a year of college. 6. You and your parents need a pin number to apply on line. www.pin.ed.gov You must file early!!!!!!! You can’t file any earlier than January 1 of your senior year. In order to be eligible for state grants and scholarships, many deadlines may apply. Kentucky requires applications be sent by March 15. Federal deadline is July 2. www.pin.ed.gov

12. 7. Once you decide where you’re applying for admission, find out what financial aid forms and deadlines each college has. 8. College is an investment in your future. You may need to take out a loan to pay for college. The Federal Stafford loan is likely to be part of your financial aid package. Other loans may also be available to help you meet the cost of your college tuition. For information on federal loan options, visit www.studentaid.ed.gov. www.studentaid.ed.gov

13. 9. There are several loan forgiveness programs. Kentucky has the student loan people (www.studentloanpeople.com )

14. 10. When you receive financial aid packages form the colleges where you have been admitted, place them side by side for comparison. First compare the costs of attendance for each institution, including tuition, room and board, books and transportation. The compare the amounts and types of awards that are being offered by each college.

15. 11. Remember that May 1 of your senior year is the National Reply Date. Nearly all institution expect students to make an enrollment decision by this date by submitting a tuition deposit and accepting financial aid awards. 12. TAKE A DEEP BREATH! RELAX. Use the free resources that are available to find the assistance you need to attend your dream school, and remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question when the answer could mean the difference between attending your first-choice college or not.