1. John F. Kennedy High School
CLASS OF
2018

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

4. Senior Year Overview To be completed Timeline
Continue to refine list of schools
Begin to ask teachers for letters of recommendation
September
Counselor meetings with Early Applicants
October
SAT/ACT retakes
October, 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

5. PICKING THE RIGHT SCHOOL DO THE RESEARCH
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

6. Vocational & Technical School
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN?
Four-year College
Community College
Vocational & Technical School
Military
Employment

7. When will you apply? Early Action Early Decision Early Decision II
Apply by Oct15. 1 or Nov. 15
Decision by mid December
Non-binding
Early Decision
Apply by Nov. 1 to Nov. 15
Binding if admitted
Early Decision II
Apply by Jan 1
Decision Feb. 1
Regular Admissions
Rolling Admissions

8. Important things to do! 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

9. The Common App www.commonapp.org
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

10. Recommendations
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!

11. SAT Testing: Collegeboard.com ACT Testing: Actstudent.org
SAT & ACT Testing
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.

12. 2017-18 TESTING DATES at JFK! Next Test Dates Register Deadline
SAT’S AUG. 26 JUL. 28
OCT. 7 SEPT. 8
NOV. 4 OCT. 5
DEC.2 NOV. 2
*MAR. 10 FEB.9
*MAY 5 APRIL 6
*JUNE 2 MAY 3
AVAILABLE AT JFK!
*MAKE SURE YOU PICK YOUR FOUR FREE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES (SENIORS ONLY)!!
*Please note: ALL seniors are scheduled to take the SAT’s on Oct. 11 FREE of CHARGE!

13. 2017-18 TESTING DATES at JFK! Next Test Dates Register Deadline
ACT’S SEPT. 9 AUG. 4
*OCT. 28 SEPT. 22
DEC. 9 NOV. 3
FEB. 10 JAN. 12
APRIL 14 MAR. 9
JUNE 9 MAY 4
JULY 14 JUN. 15
AVAILABLE AT WHS!
*MAKE SURE YOU PICK YOUR FOUR FREE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES (SENIORS ONLY)!!

14. 4-year University or College
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

15. Middlesex County College www2.middlesexcc.edu
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

16. MAJOR DATES AND DEADLINES
IF THE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY APPLICATION DEADLINE IS …
YOU MUST REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS IN THE GUIDANCE OFFICE BY…
November 1st
October 7th
November 15th
October 16th
December 1st
November 13th
January 1st
January 15th
February 1st
February 15th
January 29th
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.

17. Vocational Schools 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

18. Scholarships Please check the GUIDANCE TAB on the school website
for updated Scholarships.
Elk's Scholarship (due 12/3/17) 
YEF Scholarship (due 12/18/17) 
Comcast Scholarship (due 12/4/17)
US JCI Senate Scholarship (due 1/11/18)
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!

19. FREE COLLEGE FINANCIAL PLANNING NIGHT
Wednesday, October 21, 2017
Colonia High School
180 East Street
Colonia, NJ 07067
6:45 Registration starts
7:00 Workshop begins
Due to the popularity of our free workshops,
seats fill up quickly.
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Register online: Or

20. HESAA Financial Aid Night
Wednesday Jan. 6:30
Must file the FAFSA form in order to receive financial aide!
WHS

21. Follow FAFSA on twitter @FAFSA What can I do now? APPLY FOR A PIN
What is FAFSA?
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Follow FAFSA on
Apply after October 1, 2017
What can I do now? APPLY FOR A PIN

22. Thank You!
Any questions???????