1. Class of 2019 Post High School Planning
Riverside High School

2. AGENDA Post-Secondary Options Naviance Student
Developing a College List
How to Apply
College Application Roles & Responsibilities
Financial Aid
Important Dates
Summary & Communication

3. POST HIGH SCHOOL OPTIONS
Two Year College
Four Year College
Professional Trade/Technical School
Apprenticeship Programs
Structured Gap Year
Military Options
Entrepreneurial Opportunities/Full-time Employment

4. Two Year College Northern Virginia Community College
Certificate/Career Programs
Associate Degrees
Guaranteed Transfer/Articulation Agreements
Lower Tuition
Open Admission

5. NAVIANCE STUDENT
Web-based platform used by students to research information on post high school planning
Every RVHS student has an account
School Counselors use Naviance to electronically send transcripts, recommendation letters, and other pertinent materials in the college application process

6. How to Log In to Naviance Student
Go to the RVHS School Counseling Page
On the left menu bar click Naviance Student
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the log in link
Username – Student ID
Password – six digit birthday (mm/dd/yy)

8. DEVELOPING A COLLEGE LIST
Preliminary List – 10 to 15
Evaluate/Research Options
Final List – 4 to 8
1 to 2 Safeties
1 to 2 Reaches
2 to 4 Matches

9. College Admissions is a Two Way Street
1. What are you looking for in a college?
2. What is a college looking for in you?

10. What are you looking for in a college?
Cost
Size
Location
Setting
Academic Programs/Majors
Activities/Athletics
Support Services
Facilities/Food/Housing
Safety
Diversity
Career Placement Services

11. Gather Information to find the right FIT!
Naviance Student
College Search Programs
College Board Big Future
RVHS Career Center
Admissions Offices
Campus Visits
College Rep Visits
College Fairs
Reference Materials

13. What is a College Looking for in you?
Course Rigor
Grades and GPA
Class Rank
Character
College Readiness Indicators
Leadership, Extracurricular Activities, Employment
Interviews
Letters of Recommendation
Essays
Demonstrated Interest

14. Template Editing Instructions and Feedback

15. Demonstrated InterestVS

16. RVHS by the numbers

17. Scattergrams

18. HOW TO APPLY

19. Keys to applying
Application needs to be completed by the student, not the parent
Start early
Be thorough & attentive to details
Be honest
Ask for help when needed

20. Deadlines/Admission Types
Regular
Rolling
Early Decision – Binding!!!
Early Action
Priority
Open Admission

21. College Applications Common App Coalition
Web-based Institutional Application
Paper (rare)

22. Common App Matching Common App Matching
If you are applying to a college through Common App you will need to match your Naviance Student and Common App accounts
This allows for the exchange of college application materials to be exchanged between Naviance Student and Common App
Instructions to do this can be found on the transcript request form or
meet with you counselor and they will walk you through the process

23. Coalition
RVHS sends application materials (transcript, school profile, secondary school report) via Naviance eDocs
Students must check a box in their Coalition application that indicates their transcript materials will not be sent directly through Coalition, but through other means (Naviance eDocs)

24. Are you looking to play sports in College?
NCAA Eligibility Center for Division 1 and Division 2 Athletes
Discuss your possibilities with your coach
Stay in contact with college coaches
Register with NCAA Eligibility Center and submit your transcript
Send official test scores online – use code ‘9999’
Complete the regular college admissions process through the admissions office

25. College Entrance Exams
Students (not Riverside) are responsible for getting scores sent to the colleges they are applying to
Send scores well before your college deadlines to ensure they are delivered on time

26. Mind the Details
Every College has the freedom to decide what is required in their application and the differences can be dramatic from school to school
Do your research to ensure you are following the application guidelines so your submission can be as strong as possible
Never be afraid to pick up the phone and call an admissions office for a direct answer

27. Colleges I’m Thinking About
Great way to keep track of schools you are thinking about applying to
Can view delivery type and deadlines for all schools in one place

28. COLLEGE APPLICATION ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Student
Parent
School Counselor
Teacher

29. Student aka “The Applicant”
Responsible for …
Evaluating and developing a list of schools to apply to
Completing College Applications in a timely and concise manner
Sending official test scores through College Board or ACT
Turning in Transcript Request Forms (10 school days prior to first application deadline)
Submitting Senior Self Assessment and Parent Assessment to counselor if counselor recommendation is needed (10 school days prior to first application deadline) – form can be located in the Senior Resources Page
Following up with college admission offices to verify that applications are complete

30. Transcript Request Form
Transcript Request Forms must be filled out and submitted to the counseling office in order to send transcripts out to schools you are applying to
Takes care of sending out initial transcript, mid-year transcript, and final transcript
Sit down with counselor and go over the details of this form BEFORE turning in
One form per college, student & parent signatures are required on the form
Copies of the form can be found in the school counseling office or online in the senior resources page -

31. Turn your materials in 10 school days prior to your deadlines!
Counselors are dealing with large numbers of seniors and their applications throughout the Fall
Don’t wait until the last minute to get your stuff to them so they have ample time to process everything

32. Parent Responsible for …
Submitting Senior Parent Questionnaire - form can be located in the Senior Resources Page
Signing Transcript Request Forms
Completing FAFSA
Helping child stay on top of deadlines

33. Counselor Responsible for …
Meeting individually with each Senior in their caseload
Go over plans for post high school options
Ensure seniors are aware of their remaining graduation requirements
Review Transcript Request Form with student
Sending out requested College Materials
Official Transcript
School Profile
Secondary School Report
Writing and sending out Counselor Letter of Recommendation and/or Secondary School Report (if needed)

34. Teacher Responsible for …
Providing a Teacher Letter of Recommendation if requested and agreed to
Submitting Recommendation Letter electronically through Naviance or other specified way

35. How to request a Teacher Recommendation
Request in person from your recommender FIRST
Then request electronically through Naviance Student
When making the request inform teacher of deadlines and which colleges the letter should be sent to
College Requirements vary – Send only what is requested
Remember to thank teachers for submitting a rec on your behalf

36. FINANCIAL AID Financial Aid Night FAFSA Workshops
September 27th, 7 pm, RVHS Auditorium
FAFSA Workshops
October 20th, 9 am – noon, Stone Bridge HS
Financial Aid Applications & Opportunities to Explore
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) – opens October 1st
CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile – opens October 1st
Institutional Financial Aid & Scholarship Applications
VTAG (Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Application)
Individual Scholarship Applications
LCPS Scholarship & Financial Aid Handbook
Naviance Student
Many others …

37. IMPORTANT DATES
September 17th – September 21st – Senior Post High School Planning Presentations
September, October and November – Senior/Counselor 1 on 1s
September 20th, 7 pm, RVHS Auditorium – Senior Parent Post-Secondary Planning Night
September 22nd, 9 am, NOVA Loudoun Campus, Personal Statement/Essay Workshop
September 23rd, 2:30 – 5 pm, Stone Bridge HS – LCPS College Fair
September 27th, 7 pm, RVHS Auditorium - Financial Aid Night
October 20th, 9 am – noon, Stone Bridge HS – FAFSA Completion Workshop
October 25th, 7 pm, Tuscarora HS - HBCU College Fair
February 5th, Broad Run HS, Time TBD – Gap Year Fair
April 3rd, 6 to 8 pm, Academies of Loudoun, Career & Apprenticeship Fair

38. College Representative Visits
Various College Representative Visits
Over 50 different schools
Throughout the Fall & Winter
RVHS Career Center
Sign up through your Naviance Student account

39. SUMMARY & COMMUNICATION

40. Communicate
It is likely you will run into questions as you go through the post high school planning process
Don’t hesitate to reach out to your counselor with any concerns
Also refer to the senior resources page on the RVHS School Counseling page

41. Keep working hard during
Thank you!
Keep working hard during
Senior Year
Questions?