1. Senior College Planning
September 2016
(Students, log into Naviance please)

2. Evening Events for Seniors and their Parents
Senior College Planning Night
Guidance will review college planning and discuss in-depth the nuts and bolts of application submission.
Thursday September 29th, 6:00pm HS Auditorium
MA Public College Fair and Financial Aid Night together for your convenience
MA Public College Fair
Speak directly with admissions representatives from any of our MA Public Colleges.  This is a great opportunity to ask specific program questions as well as pick up general information on the schools. 
Wednesday, October 19th 6:00pm - 8:00pm HS Gym
Parent Financial Aid Night
A counselor from the Mass Education Financing Authority will discuss the ins and outs of financial aid; the forms, the formulas colleges use, and what an aid package might look like.  Very informative!
Wednesday, October 19th, 6:00pm HS Auditorium

3. Communicate, communicate, communicate
@nashobaguidance – Mrs. Hilliger will use twitter for deadlines, notices, etc
Naviance will be your hub
Makes a connection with Common App
Recommendation surveys
Transcript requests
College rep visits
Scattergrams
Etc
Newsletter ed to student and parent s

4. College Rep Visits Sign up on Naviance
Albertus Magnus College
Johnson State College
Springfield College
American International College
Keene State College
St. Lawrence University
Anna Maria College
Lasell College
Stonehill College
Assumption College
Lesley University
Stony Brook University
Baldwin Wallace University
Long Island University, Brooklyn
Suffolk University
Bay State College
Lyndon State College
SUNY College at Geneseo
Becker College
Michigan State University
The University of Arizona
Bentley University
Mount Holyoke
The University of Scranton
Castleton University
Mount Ida College
University of Connecticut
Clarkson University
Muhlenberg College
University of Delaware
Colby College
New England Institute of Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Colgate University
Nichols College
College of the Holy Cross
Plymouth State University
University of Maine
Curry College
Providence College
University of Maine at Farmington
Dean College
Quinnipiac University
University of New England
Dickinson College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of New Hampshire at Durham
Drew University
Rivier University
Endicott College
Roger Williams University
University of Rhode Island
Fisher College
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of Southern California
Fitchburg State University
Sacred Heart University
University of Southern Maine
Flagler College
Saint Anselm College
University of Toronto University of Vermont
Franklin Pierce University
Saint Joseph's College-ME
Gettysburg College
Salve Regina University
Ursinus College
High Point University
Seton Hall University
Vanderbilt University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Simmons College
Western New England University
Hofstra University
Skidmore College
Wheaton College MA
Iona College
Southern New Hampshire University - Salem
Johnson & Wales University
Sign up on Naviance under College Tab. Ask teacher permission first. Track interest. Rep most likely reading your application first time around.
Get teacher permission to miss class!

5. Standardized Testing The SAT and the ACT
SAT - details and registration at 
Test: October 1
Sign up by: September 1
Late sign up: September 20
(Scores available starting Oct 20)
Test: November 5 Sign up by: October 7 Late sign up: October 25
(Scores available starting Nov 23)
Test: December 3 Sign up by: November 3 Late sign up: November 22
(Scores available starting Dec 22) 
ACT - details and registration at Test: October 22 Sign up by: September 16 Late sign up: September (Scores available starting Nov 8) Test: December 10 Sign up by: November 4 Late sign up: November 5-18 (Scores available starting Dec 20)
All dates offer SAT 2 as well.

6. Sending Your Scores (Assume they take 2+ weeks to reach the college)
SAT –
Colleges need an official score report from College Board – YOU MUST SEND THIS.
Send free to 4 colleges with your test – or up to 9 days after your test. After that it is $12 per school – log into your CB account to send. (Fee waivers available)
You can choose which scores to send by test date for the SAT, and by individual test for SAT Subject Tests. By default your entire SAT testing record – your “score report” – is sent.
Some school require ALL test scores, others will let you choose which to send. CHECK TESTING REQUIREMENTS AT EACH OF YOUR COLLEGES
For help deciding between scores on the old SAT — last given in January 2016 — and the new SAT, compare your scores using the SAT score converter at the CB website.  You should feel comfortable sending scores from both tests, however, since colleges have procedures for comparing the scores.
Most colleges “super score” – take the highest Reading, Math & Writing from across test dates. However, they will NOT super score a combination of “old” SAT and “new” SAT.
ACT –
Colleges need an official score report from ACT– YOU MUST SEND THIS.
Send free to 4 colleges until the Thursday after your test date. After that it is $12 per school . (No fee waivers available)
You send (and pay for) each test setting separately. You CANNOT send an entire score report, containing multiple ACT exams, as a single entity like you can with the SATs.
Not all schools “super score” --- combine subscores to make the highest composite.

7. For example …
Everyone is different, pay attention to each schools requirements for testing. Emphasize this is only one example, a lot of schools are like this.

8. Counselor Recommendation Appointment (specific meeting focused on the recommendation letter)
October 15th deadline exception.

9. Meet with your Guidance Counselor Regularly
Update on where you are in the process
Go over college options
Discuss testing needs
Review application timelines
Update college list in Naviance
Make a SPECIFIC appointment for the recommendation
At least 3 weeks prior to first deadline
Hopefully it will be much earlier – think 4-6 weeks
We cannot guarantee a letter if we do not have time to write it !

10. Teacher Recommendations
Majority of privates need two; most publics need one
Specific major might warrant a specific teacher
Most kids balance math/science & humanities
Not necessarily where you got an A - think about who knows you best
Keep teachers apprised of your deadlines
If you haven’t been in contact since last spring then it is time to update them.
Write a thank you note after!
At this time we do NOT want you to put teacher names into Naviance….. Stay tuned.
Personal deadlines are fine for your materials but we can guarantee to the college deadline.

11. Things to do in Naviance – Update College List1 2

12. 3
I clicked “directly to institution” 4
(complete the Common App Match once)
This tells Mrs. Hilliger how to submit the transcript package and what your application deadline is.
If you have a specialized deadline, such as nursing, that is not in the system, see your guidance counselor to have a custom date set for you

13. Fill this out with your counselor at least 3 weeks before your first deadline

14. Mrs. Hilliger will hold these. Once you are ready to apply:
You MUST stop by and fill out the college and the decision plan and the deadline – for every one of your schools.
Emphasize 3 working days prior to deadline. Any January 1st deadlines need to be in by December 15th.

15. Admission Plans EA, ED, Regular, Priority
However, most schools are either EA or ED
Typically, the uber-competitive schools tend to be a single ED program.
EA is a tool to help spread out application reading
For Example:
Application Program
Deadline
Notification
ED 1
Nov. 15
Mid- December
EA 1
Dec. 1
Mid-February
ED II
Jan. 15
Mid- February
Regular
Feb. 1
Late March

16. Demonstrated Interest
Campus Visit
Request for info – especially if far away
College rep visits NRHS
Common App
Account created after you have applied

17. Common App Tips Education
Counselor Title – “Guidance Counselor”
Counselor – First_Initial
Counselor Phone –
Other School – only if you transferred into NRHS
Community Based Organization – not applicable
Colleges/Universities – only Dual Enrollment courses
Grades
Rank – None
Graduating Class Size – 248
Cumulative GPA – use weighted
GPA scale – 5.0
GPA weighting – Weighted
Current Courses – Semester
Honors – things not listed elsewhere; not everyone has them; lots of latitude for the student. You can input up to 5.

18. Common App Tips Tests Taken Which set of scores is better?
In ADDITION to sending official scores, you can list your HIGHEST scores on the CA
You can change this section if you have some test required schools and some test optional schools
Which set of scores is better?
SAT Understanding Scores The College Board (
SAT Score Converter | SAT Suite of Assessments – The College Board (
SAT Concordance Tables for Higher Education - The College Board (

20. Common App Tips Activities
List in order of importance to you – once you have multiple activities listed, an arrow shows up so you can arrange the order
List EVERYTHING that you do even if it is not an “organized” activity
Work, clubs, church responsibilities, family responsibilities, hobbies that take significant time, etc
You are allowed 150 characters for details, honors won, and accomplishments, and then 50 for position/leadership description and organization name.
Activity Type: JV/VARSITY Athletics
Activity Name: Hockey
Position/Leadership: Center – Starter
Describe Activity: Our team won back to back State Championships
Room for 10 Activities
You do not have to have all 10 filled in
If you have many “small” commitment activities, lump them together

21. Common App Tips Supplemental or Short Answer Essays
While your main essay is a formal piece of writing, your short answers are just as important and in some ways more so. If you produce a beautiful, well written, carefully edited main essay and dash off your short answers it will not speak well of you.
Each opportunity you have to write is an opportunity to portray your thoughts, priorities and personality. Try not to repeat information found elsewhere – if the topic IS repeated the sentiment expressed should be new.
Some colleges will have just one, two or even no extra questions. Others may have multiple – we’ve seen years when Tufts had 6 extra questions. They can be factual, funky, or downright weird …. That’s OK, it’s an attempt on the admissions committee to give you a chance to express yourself.
UVA puts it well with this advice to their applicants: The word limits are there so you know that we are expecting short statements, not term papers. Be concise and thoughtful in your statement and try to convey your voice and style in your words. This is the one spot on your application where your personality gets to shine, so don’t treat this like a formal school assignment.

22. Many, many colleges now ask a student WHY the student has chosen to apply.
Not only does the college want to understand the personality of the student, but they also want the student to understand the personality of the campus. Essentially this question asks the student, “Why, from your perspective, are we a good match?”
What a GREAT OPPORTUNITY – you get to tell them in what way you are a good fit !!!
Different versions of this question include:
Why do you want to go to College X ?
Why are you a good match for College X ?
What is it that you like best about College X ?
How will you contribute to the campus or community at College X ?
Our best advice is to keep these questions in mind when you visit a school – hopefully as you leave that visit you will have an answer. Jot it down – you need to remember it for the application!
If you don’t have a ready answer (or perhaps you haven’t visited or did so long ago), do some research on line. Look through the courses offered in your major, look at the research professors are doing, review the advising system, browse through the club descriptions, explore ….
Avoid telling the college they have a strong program in your major or that they promote internships or have a great location. If you find yourself reminding the college admissions committee of the selling points of their school (which, of course, they already know), then you have not only missed the opportunity of making that connection between your and the campus, but you have also implicitly told them you don’t know why or how you match with this school.