1. Navigating your senior year successfully
Senior Information
Navigating your senior year successfully
Graduation is June 1, 8:30 a.m.

2. Your counselors… Ms. Donna Taylor – A-H
Mrs. Celeste Bearden– I-R
Ms. Deborah Ware – L-Z

3. Communication… School Wide Announcements Naviance Remind Raptor Report
AMHS Counseling Department Website
Senior Lounge Bulletin Board

4. Guidance Remind Sign Up to Receive Important Updates From Your AMHS School Counselors
Instructions on the AMHS Website under School Counseling Department

5. College Application Process
First Steps
List of colleges
Deadlines (early action, early decision, regular decision)
Gather application tools (resume and senior information sheet, parent info, test scores)
Start the application
Common App (is integrated with Naviance)
College Website
Coalition App

6. College Application Process
Things your application may include:
Demographics
Essay
Activities / Honors
Community Service
Test Scores
Letters of Recommendation
Transcript

7. The College Essay
Essay should be clear, concise, creative and grammatically correct
In many cases this is how the Admissions Office gets to know you as a candidate (why you are a “good fit” for that school)
Be interesting!
Have multiple people review and edit
Essays should be written to each specific school’s prompts (do not cut and paste)

8. Letters of Recommendation
Make sure recommenders know you well and will write a good letter for you
Request recommendations in a timely manner
Tell recommenders when your senior information sheet is complete in Naviance
Provide recommenders with information on the colleges you are applying to, how your letters are to be sent (including address) and provide all deadlines
Write your recommenders a thank you note

9. Senior Information Sheet

10. Sending Test Scores
Official scores must be sent directly from CollegeBoard and ACT (student’s responsibility)
Most colleges super score (the SAT primarily)
Be aware of credential deadlines and testing dates

11. Transcripts All transcript requests must be entered in Naviance
Be aware of credential deadlines
Please allow two weeks from the time of request for transcripts to be sent
Official transcripts will be uploaded through Naviance or will be mailed from the school
Transcripts cannot be ed directly to you or to a school (per state and FERPA regulations)
All transcript requests must be entered in Naviance

12. SC Uniform Grading Scale
As of August 15th, 2016, the grading scale has
changed to a 10 pt. scale
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F=59 and below

13. Access through the AMHS Website or at connection. naviance
Access through the AMHS Website or at connection.naviance.com/academicmhs
User name: SmiJoh1234
Password: Student ID #
Do NOT Change your password!!!

19. Scholarships / Financial Aid
Scholarship information will be sent out through Naviance, Remind, and through school announcements
Students must check for scholarships regularly
Scholarship information PowerPoint is on the Guidance Webpage
FAFSA is your official financial aid application
FAFSA forms will be on-line beginning October 1, 2017

20. Life Scholarship / Palmetto Fellows
3.0 GPA
1100 SAT or 24 ACT
Palmetto Fellows:
4.0
1400 SAT (CR and Math) or 32 ACT
Early Award: November is last test date
Scores from the October and November ACT or SAT need to be sent directly to the SC Commission on Higher Education

21. Palmetto Fellows Late Award- must be eligible by June 15, 2018
Test Scores from April, May and June must be sent directly to the SC Commission on Higher Education
Additional Student Requirements:
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all qualifying SAT and/or ACT scores are received by their school counselor
It is the student’s responsibility to notify their school counselor of Late Palmetto Fellows applications and testing dates

22. Finalizing Decisions Visit colleges
Meet with college admissions reps when they visit Magnet
Admission reps schedules are posted on Naviance and sent out through Remind
Keep all scholarship offers from all schools and bring a copy to your counselor
Let your counselor know of your final school choice (you will need to indicate your choice in Naviance)

23. Upcoming Programs On Going: September 21 Palmetto Tour(6-7:30 pm)
Dartmouth, Princeton, Vanderbilt
September 24 Coalition of Colleges (7-9:00 pm)
Emory, U Va, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis
September 25 Discover Duke (7-8:30 pm)
October 3 Exploring College Options (7:00 pm)
Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, U Penn, Stanford (N. Charleston Marriott)
October 9 MIT (7:00 pm)
On Going:
College Admissions Rep visits (check Naviance)
IGP’s

24. Finish Strong! Final thoughts about your application:
Honesty and integrity
Completeness and accuracy
Don’t over-extend yourself
Review social media accounts
Final thoughts about your grades and attendance
Colleges request mid-year reports
College acceptances are conditional upon your final transcript