1. Appoquinimink High School Guidance Department
Welcome Class of 2017
Appoquinimink High School Guidance Department

2. Graduation Requirements

3. Senior Project
Topic Approvals and Parent Notifications are due September 16th-via Schoology.
These documents are counted as grades under Senior Project in MP 1.
Senior Project is Pass or Fail and counts towards sports eligibility.
Students in Fall English-Research papers due in October.
Students in Spring English-Research papers due in February (don’t need to worry about now).
Students should be working on their creative project, service hours, or additional research paper.
Resume, reflection paper, and presentation information to follow.
All questions should be ed to Dr. Smith at

4. Student Success Plan (SSP)
Completion Criteria
Annual SSP Review
Parent SSP Review
Career Matchmaker
My Skills
Careers of Interest
Schools of Interest
Grade 9 Course Selections
Grade 10 Course Selections
Grade 12 Course Selections
Career and Life Goals
Career Cluster Selection
Post Secondary Plan
Career Planning Activities
Extracurricular Activities
Skills and Abilities
Can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection
Search for majors, schools, scholarships, etc.
GREAT COLLEGE & CAREER EXPLORATION TOOL!
*MANDATORY GRADUATION REQUIREMENT*

5. Diploma Order Form- Due October 3rd

6. Senior Profile & Parent Brag Sheet- Due September 30th

7. What is YOUR College Fit?
2-year (Associate’s) or 4-year (Bachelor’s) degree?
In-state vs. out-of-state schools
Large vs. small school
Available majors
Live on-campus or off-campus
School climate/culture
Should have safety school and reach school
After narrowing down schools, look into what each school requires for their application
(Common App)

8. Research Colleges that Fit
Do your research NOW! Will make fall that much easier
Should come in to senior year with your list of schools you’d like to apply to

9. Ways to Apply to College
Early Decision
This is BINDING, meaning if your student is accepted to the institution they are expected to enroll
Early application deadline
Typically receive admissions decision by January
This application is for students who absolutely know what their #1 choice school is
Shows seriousness of applicant
You can only apply Early Decision to ONE school

10. Ways to Apply to College
Early Action
This is NOT BINDING, meaning if your student is accepted to the institution they do not have to enroll
Early application deadline
Typically receive admissions decision by January

11. Ways to Apply to College
Regular Decision
This is NOT BINDING, meaning if your student is accepted to the institution they do not have to enroll
Later application deadline

12. Types of College Applications
School Application
This application can be found on the institution’s Admissions page
Common Application
This application can be found on
Utilized by nearly 700 colleges and universities worldwide
One application that can be used for multiple schools
Requires students to write essay from one of five prompts
CA lengthy
Encouraged to start early
Should include safety school and reach school in 4-6 schools students apply to
DTCC has open admissions- anyone can go

13. Information for Applications
Name
Address
Phone number
Student Address  This should be a PROFESSIONAL
Social Security Number
Citizenship and residency information
High schools you have attended
College credits you have earned (if applicable)
Parental information
Senior-year schedule
Standardized test scores ( /
Parents’ names and contact information (including their work numbers and s), the college(s) they attended, if any, and graduation years.

14. What to send with your Application
Official Transcript
Letter(s) of recommendation
Essay(s)/Personal Statement(s)
Application Fee
Official SAT/ACT scores

15. Employment

16. If you’re looking to enlist, you must take the ASVAB
ASVAB Testing will be offered at AHS on 11/7/16 &
2/6/17
You can also contact a recruiter to schedule an ASVAB appointment

17. SAT/ ACT Scores
Most schools require the SATs or ACTs of applicants as part of their application
Most schools will accept either test
Double-check with the schools you wish to apply to
This information can typically be found on their Admissions page
It is the STUDENT’S responsibility to send official SAT/ACT scores to the schools they are applying to
SAT:
ACT:
If you qualify for free/reduced lunch see your counselor as you may qualify for a fee waiver
We do NOT have login information for SAT/ACT, you have to retrieve it via forgot username/password links or calling site customer support directly

18. FREE Test Prep
Can link CollegeBoard account to Khan Academy for customized test prep based off of PSAT scores

19. Registration Deadline
SAT/ACT Test Dates
SAT Date
Tests Offered
Register-By Date
Late Registration
October 1, 2016
SAT & Subject Tests
September 1, 2016
September 20, 2016
November 5, 2016
October 7, 2016
October 25, 2016
December 3, 2016
November 3, 2016
November 22, 2016
January 21, 2017
December 21, 2016
January 10, 2017
March 11, 2017
SAT ONLY
February 10, 2017
February 28, 2017
May 6, 2017
April 7, 2017
April 25, 2017
June 3, 2017
May 9, 2017
May 24, 2017
ACT Test Date
Registration Deadline
(Late Fee Required)
September 10, 2016
August 7, 2016
August 8 – 19, 2016
October 22, 2016
September 16, 2016
September 17 – 30, 2016
December 10, 2016
November 4, 2016
November 5 – 18, 2016
February 11, 2017
January 13, 2017
January 14 – 20, 2017
April 8, 2017
March 3, 2017
March 4 – 17, 2017
June 10, 2017
May 5, 2017
May 6 – 19, 2017

20. Official Transcripts
Students MUST complete a Transcript Request Form for each school they are requesting transcript for
Common Application schools can all be listed on one form
When official transcripts are ready to be picked up, it is the student’s responsibility to place stamp on envelope and mail out
For Common Application schools , Counselors will upload transcript to Common App for schools to access
Students should allow up to 10 school days for transcript requests to be processed

23. Letters of Recommendation
Teachers, Coaches, Counselors, Volunteer Supervisors, etc.
Letters of recommendation should NOT come from family members
Complete Student Brag Sheet/Senior Profile to help school recommenders supplement your letter of recommendation
Will be available to seniors over summer & can be found on Guidance webpage
Ask for letters over the summer so that you have them ready to go for the fall!

24. Essays/ Personal Statements
Every school will differ in their essay/personal statement requirements
Pay attention to application requirements for EACH individual school you are applying to
Essays/ personal statements provide you with opportunity to share more about yourself outside of academics
ELA teachers are EXCELLENT resource to utilize
Make sure you answer the prompt/question
Don’t reiterate your resume/transcript
Show them your character/more about who you are (values, what is important to you, your experiences and how they’ve made you who you are today and influenced your future goals)

25. Application Fees Every school will differ in their application fee
These fees can add up quickly! Make sure you aren’t applying to schools just for the sake of applying
If you qualify for free/reduced lunch see your counselor as you may qualify for a fee waiver

26. How to Prepare for College Applications
Research schools
Complete Student Profile/Parent Brag Sheet (online)
Complete College Essay(s)/Personal Statement(s)
Request Official Transcripts from Guidance (form)
Request Letters of Recommendation
Discuss Application Fees
Register for SAT/ACT and send scores to schools

27. FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Federal Aid, State Aid, Institutional Aid
If you student is college-bound, you need to file FAFSA!
FAFSA will ask for personal information, tax information, schools student has applied to, etc. and will identify your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Some schools require you to file in order to receive scholarships and other institutional aid (i.e. SEED)
Every school differs in percentage of NEED met
Cost of Attendance (COA)
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
NEED

28. FAFSA FAFSA has changed! Available beginning October 1st
Will ask for 2015 tax information
Student and 1 parent/guardian will need to apply for FSA ID (used to sign and submit FAFSA)
The sooner you complete FAFSA, the more aid you may be eligible for!
You can always update FAFSA with additional schools your student has chosen to apply to
List ALL schools student is considering
Can always log back in and update information as needed

29. $tand by Me Services
Provides FREE services, including FAFSA completion assistance and advisement on ways to save for college
Contact:
9/20-6pm: Paying for College
9/27-6pm: FAFSA Walkthrough
10/13-6pm: FAFSA Completion Workshop

30. Scholarships
Students should make it a priority to search for scholarships frequently
Guidance webpage/ College & Career Corner webpage
Delaware Scholarship Compendium becomes available late fall
Each scholarship has it’s own criteria and deadline
Local scholarships become available for students to apply for in the spring and will be awarded at Senior Awards Night
Check website frequently! We are constantly updating with scholarship information as we receive it
Helpful tools handout in back

31. Fall Events for Students
Frequent college visits to AHS
AHS College & Career Fair-11/1/16
Field trips to DE colleges-11/29 Wilmington University
Financial Aid 6pm (Paying for College) 6pm (FAFSA Overview) 6pm (FAFSA Completion) Pay attention to College & Career Corner website & the morning announcements for these dates
Over 60 visits to AHS this past year- speak with admissions rep that will read your application

32. College Application Month
National “Reach Higher” Initiative from the White House
Encourage all students to take control of their own destiny by applying post-secondary institutions to continue their education beyond high school
Delaware College Application Month (CAM):
October 17th- November 18th
AHS will participate one week out of the month, during which all seniors will be scheduled time in the computer lab to work on college applications
DE and select non-DE schools will be waiving application fees for entire month

33. Delaware Goes to College
Texting Campaign- stay abreast of important dates and information relating to college!
Cards with texting campaign information are available in back of auditorium
AHS will participate one week out of the month, during which all seniors will be scheduled time in the computer lab to work on college applications
DE and select non-DE schools will be waiving application fees for entire month

34. NCAA
Talk to your coach regarding NCAA requirements

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36. AHS Senior Counselors Monica Parker
Last Names A-D
Meghan Setser
Last Names E-K
Christine Czajkowski
Last Names L-R
Elaine McCall
Last Names S-Z
Brandon Townsend
College & Career Counselor