1. Planning Your Next Move…
Counselors-Students-Parents
Working Together
Lincoln Southwest High School – Class of 2020
Senior Family Meeting
(Please shut off or mute cell phones.)
Our goal for the senior class is to assist them in preparing to move in a direction of their life’s journey-whether that be continuing their education, working full-time, joining the military, or pursuing another option.

2. COUNSELING CENTER STAFF
Brooke Sharpe (A-C)
Greg Sederberg (D-He)
Eric Feeken (Hf-L)
Dr. Joyce Lehn,Team Leader (M-N)
Anders Peterson (O-Sl)
Tim Ernst (Sm-Z)
~September 5, 2007

3. Agenda:
College Funding
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
Senior Year Overview - Auditorium – Mr. Ernst
Scholarships - Commons – Mr. Peterson

4. EducationQuest
Please welcome R.J. Vega from EducationQuest for information on College Funding.

5. Moving forward…
LPS Graduation Requirement
Government & Politics
New- Community service (which include reflection writing.) – 20 hours, 5 hours must be completed in the term GOPO is TAKEN.
RJ Vega, 
EducationQuest representative will be at LSW on Wednesday’s to work with families on Financial Aid by appointment. To schedule go to
Graduation requirements are the basic minimum needed for graduation, not for college admission requirements.
A letter will be mailed in August to seniors who needed additional graduation requirements.
Government and Politics hours need to be completed by their due dates
There is a direct link about Go/Po hours on Dr. Ted Larson’s (LSW Social Studies Dept Chair) home page
Appropriate schedules vary with the students’ individual goals
A rigorous schedule is recommended for students who are planning on attending a 4-year school
While some students are working & saving for college, students should continue involvement in school & community activities
Family decision-making should be a priority during the senior year.
Dream college letter
Face book.

6. The Counselor’s role…
Conducts individual meetings with seniors – starting this week and continuing through Term 1.
Checks seniors’ progress in completing graduation requirements
Assists seniors with completing the ScholarshipQuest scholarship search
Provides information about
college and/or career
planning process

7. Communication updates…
Counseling Center’s web site
Packets from senior meeting
Synergy ParentVUE
Bulletin boards
Daily bulletin & Silver Talon
School Messenger – phone calls & s

8. Counseling Center Google Classroom
Seniors will have the opportunity with Class of 2020 in google classroom to get messages from the Counseling Center regarding college visits, and information pertaining to seniors.
We are working on a different way to keep students current

9. Counseling Center Google Classroom Message
We have the following college visit for the months of August/September: Savannah College of Art & Design Wed., August 28th 9:00 a.m. Buena Vista University Thur., Sept. 5th 9:00 a.m. University of Chicago Wed., Sept. 18th 1:00 p.m.

10. Making Post Secondary Decisions is a Process
Every student and family will be at a different place at a different time in the process.
DO NOT get caught up in the frenzy of what others are saying and doing.
Trust that it will be fine in the end.

11. Preparing for options…
Employment
Military
Two-year college
Academic Transfer
Four-year college
Tonight we will be focusing specifically on the college process.

12. The student’s role… Use resources well
Bring questions to senior meeting
Counseling center resources
Computers
College guides
Appointments - 2:15pm on
early release Tuesdays
Counselor web site
Check calendar regularly

13. Student responsibilities…
Register for admissions tests
Complete college applications
Request teacher & counselor recommendations
Provide registrar with transcript requests
Search & apply for scholarships
Work with parents to file financial aid applications by deadlines

14. Applying to College: Out of State Colleges
We encourage students to apply to their “dream school” and well as safety schools or schools that students can see themselves attending if they to not get accepted to the “dream school”.
Selective Schools reject 92-94% of their applicants. Do not take it personally. You may not fit the profile that school is looking for in their new freshmen class.
Have a back up plan
Pay attention to DEADLINES. Missing a scholarship deadline shows the college the student is not mature and does not handle responsibility.

15. Applying to College: Nebraska Colleges
Follow the Rule
Apply at 2 NU Campuses
Apply at 2 Nebraska Private Colleges
Apply at 2 State Colleges
An ACT of 26 may not qualify you for any scholarships at UNL but could qualify for free tuition at Peru St., Wayne St. or Chadron St.
Nebraska private colleges could give you $5000 a year for a 22 ACT and every 3 ACT points could mean $1,500 in annual grants.

16. New UNL Scholarship Deadline
The new deadline for merit-based scholarships is February 1.
UNL will accept test scores from the February 2020 test date (some individual scholarship programs may have earlier deadlines).

17. Finish Strong
The letter from the college that says you have been accepted is based on past performance and the classes you have indicated you are taking the senior year. If academic performance or the senior year schedule changes, it can impact the admission decision.

18. Social Media
The impact of social media on the college admissions process has increasingly become a two-way street. While students are researching prospective schools on Facebook and Twitter, admissions departments are also checking up on prospective students’ social media profiles.
When applying to college, it is vital for you to present your best self not only on your application, but also online. Your application will tell the admissions officers about your interests, the type of student you are, and how well you performed in school. But your online presence will tell admissions officers, and future employers, how you present yourself in public, and how your projected image fits in with their particular institution.

19. Social Media
Your social media presence is playing a part in your consideration for admission, and admissions officers are paying attention to what they find.
36% of admissions officers surveyed said they Google prospective students.
68% said they look up applicants on Social Media.
45% said that when checking up on a student’s online presence, they found something that negatively impacted an applicant’s chances of getting in, up 10% from last year.
In June, Harvard University had revoked the acceptances of 10 admitted applicants after they were found to have participated in a inappropriate social media posts.

20. Accounts
is outdated for teenagers however colleges and scholarship agencies still communicate by .
Make sure your student has a professional account and remind them to check it the account at least weekly.
We have had agencies contact the counseling center asking why a student has accepted a scholarship and after talking with the student we find that the student did not check the account.

21. Resources for seniors…
Visit with college reps at LSW & College SCC Sun., 9/16 1-3pm
Participate in college campus visits
Attend Open Houses on campuses
Conduct scholarship searches
Research financial aid opportunities
NCAA/NAIA student-athlete information Contact Mr. Ernst in the Counseling Center Ext ,

22. Online assistance… ACT -www.act.org LSW Counseling Center
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
FAFSA (submit after Oct. 1st)
EducationQuest
ACT -
SAT -
National Scholarship Searches linked from Counselor’s page on LSW web site
ScholarshipQuest
NE, LSW & LPS Scholarships
t/s_login.asp
Learn To Dream Scholarship

23. Upcoming events at LSW
LSW Apply2College Now on Thursday, September 25th from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Students can sign up for a pass to leave class and apply to college with the help of counselors and College representatives. More information will be coming to seniors.
The Susan T. Buffett Foundation Scholarship Scholarshiphttp://buffettscholarships.org/college-scholarships will be in late October or early November. This is a chance for seniors to meet with Buffet representatives and find out about eligibly and the application process. More information will be coming to students as the date in confirmed.

24. COUNSELING CENTER STAFF
Brooke Sharpe (A-C)
Greg Sederberg (D-He)
Eric Feeken (Hf-L)
Dr. Joyce Lehn,Team Leader (M-N)
Anders Peterson (O-Sl)
Tim Ernst (Sm-Z)
~September 5, 2007

25. COUNSELING CENTER STAFF
Mr. Michael Barber –
School Social Worker – available Monday-Friday
Mrs. Miranda Blackwell –
School-based therapist – available on Tuesdays and Fridays – referral and parent/guardian permission forms must be completed 
Mr. John Hastings –
Counseling Center Administrator
Mr. Romulo Vega –
EducationQuest Foundation Representative – available at Southwest on Wednesdays by appointment