1. Trinity HS Senior College Planning Meeting Mon. , Sept
Trinity HS Senior College Planning Meeting Mon., Sept. 29th, :30PM HOW TO PLAN, APPLY, AND PAY FOR COLLEGE

2. Welcome parents
I am Leigh Bell, school counselor for students with last names L-Z
I help all students navigate college admissions, financial aid, and scholarships
I have been the senior counselor for 14 years now and been in education for 18 years.
New to Trinity this year and happy to be a part of Bulldog Nation!

3. TONIGHT’S TOPICS
Extracurricular Activities & Community Service through high school
Course selection & grades and how that impacts college admissions
ACT/SAT tests and preparation
Applying to college
Paying for college
Advice from parent of 2014 graduate
General Q&A

4. Extracurricular Activities & Community Service
Both play a big role in competitive college admissions & competitive scholarship success
Students need to keep track of their volunteer work & extracurricular activities since 9th grade on their own student data sheet. See Jane Doe sample data sheet in your folder. Always give your data sheet to a recommender and include with scholarship applications
Be specific about “what” you did within your community service, hours devoted, leadership positions held
Colleges and scholarships want to see long-term service to fewer activities rather than the chronic “joiner” who is in too many activities/clubs and has very little tangible leadership or service hours within each activity

5. How to possibly win those BIG scholarships
A student who can demonstrate initiation of a community service project or event shows a level of commitment, leadership, maturity, and achievement much higher than merely participating in a project initiated by someone else.
Try to start earlier than the senior year if possible to garner BIG scholarship consideration, however, it is never too late to do something early in your senior year for later scholarships.
Example: A graduate initiated, planned, and carried out a 5K race in their town to benefit a children’s summer camp that she had worked at as a
camp counselor. She worked with town officials
to conduct planning, got t-shirts donated, etc.

6. Course Selection & Grades
Have students select a curriculum that is right for their ability and work ethic
Students NEED a challenging curriculum if they are college bound
Sometimes making a B in an AP class looks better than straight A’s in standard/Honors CP classes. See what the college(s) think…
If a student is in CP level classes, try integrating one or two Honors courses first; then if there’s success there, try an AP class or two.
Admission to the most competitive colleges requires a few to several AP courses (3-7)

7. ACT test- 2 or 4 year colleges
Curriculum based test- English, Math, Reading, Writing, and Science sections
Score range is 1-36 for each section
All colleges require ACT + Writing for admissions
To register, pick up registration info. from Mrs. Crotts in the guidance office OR register
Cost is $54.50 per test administration
Fee waivers applicable for free or reduced lunch-see Mrs. Crotts.
Take at the end of Algebra II, no later than end of junior year

8. ACT test- more details
All current seniors took the ACT test here at Trinity HS for free on March 4th, Student scores on this test are applicable towards college admissions applications during their senior year. At the time of that testing session, students were given the opportunity to send their scores to up to 4 colleges for free. To send additional score reports, you must log onto and click on Send your scores on the left-hand side of page. Scores for that March ACT test are not on the high school transcript at this time due to restrictions by DPI.

9. SAT test- 2 or 4 year colleges
Aptitude based test- Critical Reading, Math, & Writing sections
Score range for each section
To register for test, get registration information from Mrs. Crotts in guidance office or at
Cost is $52.50 per test administration
Fee waivers applicable for free or reduced lunch-see Mrs. Crotts.
Take at the end of Algebra II, no later than end of junior year
SAT scores are not on the HS transcript. Test scores be sent directly from the College Board testing agency:

10. What Is A Good ACT or SAT Score?
It all depends on which colleges you are interested in applying to!
(Avg. score ranges based on College Board 2014 publication)
Duke University ( SAT CR + M only)/ (ACT)
UNC-Chapel Hill / 26-31
ASU / 24-28
UNCC / 21-25
ECU / 20-23
WCU / 20-24
Lenoir-Rhyne / 19-23
High Point /
NC Central /
Winston-Salem State / 17-19

11. Minimum admissions standards to UNC system institutions
Appalachian State East Carolina
Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State
North Carolina A&T State North Carolina Central
NC School of the Arts North Carolina State
UNC-Asheville UNC-Chapel Hill
UNC-Charlotte UNC-Greensboro
UNC-Pembroke UNC-Wilmington
Western Carolina Winston-Salem State
THEN….
YOU MUST MEET THESE MINIMUM ADMISSIONS STANDARDS:
1) 2.5 WEIGHTED CUMULATIVE GPA
AND…
2A) 800 SAT SCORE (CRITICAL READING & MATH ONLY) OR
2B) 17 ACT COMPOSITE SCORE

12. Going to College
Highly recommend students creating an account and regularly using
Their motto is “Plan, Apply, and Pay for College”
Plan: materials on their website allow students to align their high school curriculum to their college & career goals
Apply: students can apply online to most any 2-year/4-year NC college using CFNC & send their HS transcript
Pay: students can search for NC based scholarships only available through CFNC; parents can set up 529 savings accounts for their children through CFNC and also get parent/student loans through CFNC

13. Planning for College Applications
Grades from 9th grade are reflected in a student’s cumulative GPA when they apply to college
If you plan to apply to one of these colleges, taking AP classes is a MUST:
Davidson, Duke, NC State, UNC-CH, Wake Forest
Other colleges that it would be helpful to take AP to improve your file: ASU, ECU, UNC-Wilmington (these are getting more competitive)
Talk to individual colleges to see what kind of curriculum they expect to see

14. Applying to College
Research which colleges meet your needs! Adhere to admissions deadlines!
Take into consideration: Majors offered, cost, location, size of college, student demographics, extracurricular opportunities, financial assistance available, student’s maturity level, etc.
Start taking visits to colleges and/or college fairs to see if you “click” with that college. Many people change their mind after a college visit.

15. Applying to College Recommendation: Apply to at least 3 colleges
1) dream school, 2) “I think I can get in there” school, and 3) “Sure Thing” school(s).
Make sure you have taken the ACT or SAT by the end of the first semester of the senior year.
If you used a fee waiver and took the ACT or SAT on a Saturday, then you qualify for 4 college admissions fee waivers.
Make a list of pros and cons for each college if you are having a tough time making a decision
Some families let each college’s financial aid package make their decision on where the child will attend college. Students will be offered the most financial aid their first year of college. That amt. will likely go down each year afterwards.

16. College Application Week 2014
Will be held at Trinity HS from Nov. 10th-14th. Contact Shannon Edwards for details
For students who have not yet applied to a NC college using
Seniors can use class time to complete online college applications with the help of adult volunteers.
Many private and some NC public colleges will waive their application fees that week.
NOT for those seniors that want to meet early admissions deadlines.

17. Paying for College
If there are no college savings in place, then here are other options:
Financial Aid- FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Based on family’s finances. Application available Jan. 1st of student’s senior year. Must re-apply each year in college. Completing the FAFSA is necessary for consideration for ALL grants & federally managed loans. Financial Aid meeting with CFNC representative at Trinity HS on Monday, Dec. 15th. CFNC’s FAFSA Day is Feb. 28th, 2015
Scholarships- Merit based, leadership, diversity, and/or athletically based. Students must show talent for academics or athletics. Typically, academically based scholarships require grades at minimum GPA of 3.0 or better and essays/interviews are likely required in application process. Another good website to look for scholarships is through
Work Study- Students can be placed on campus to work for limited hours and earn money either to help pay for college costs or earn spending money. Apply through FAFSA
BEWARE of scam scholarship finders!

18. Scholarship app.’s & interview tips….
Seniors must be willing to write essays for scholarship applications
Ask for recommendations WELL IN ADVANCE
On an essay or interview, seniors need to focus on what is unique and/or compelling about themselves- makes them memorable
Be specific with concrete examples of leadership, community service (include hours), any struggles, WHY are they deserving.
Being a good academic student is sometimes just not enough when in high competition
Practice interviewing with adults to weed out bad habits and get advice on how to improve

19. In Review…. Get involved in community & at school
Create data sheet early, save it, and add to it!
Start researching college options
Take college entrance tests & STUDY for them!
Visit colleges and/or college fairs
Get organized with dates/deadlines
This is a joint effort: family members need to work together and help each other.
Talk to high school counselors and ask questions- we love questions!

20. Survival Tips from a parent who has lived it….
Mrs. Kristi Green whose daughter is at UNC-Chapel Hill.
My tips:
1) Get on my list
2) Stay tuned to my website for announcements
3) Do your own research through other means
4) Make it a priority to find $$ for college

21. PARENT SURVIVAL TIPS CONTINUED…
VISIT the college campus and try to visit a dorm room. Your student needs to know what college living "feels" like. Could save some money this way because dorm life may not be what they thought it would be.
Take the SAT or ACT immediately!
Look to see what the qualifications are for all schools in which you are interested in applying---be realistic as well.

22. Inside your CFNC folder tonight…
Bright yellow sample student data sheet
Bright pink CFNC account set-up & sending electronic transcripts directions
Stapled Trinity FAQ sheet
Gray ACT & SAT test dates & registration deadlines
Orange sheet: Basic Steps to Navigating the Senior Year
Lime green Timeline for College Bound Trinity seniors
College Advice from College Officials document
Stapled cream colored scholarship listings
Light green North Carolina College Application Week flyer
Blue sheet of minimum UNC admissions requirements
ACT/SAT Average admissions ranges for NC colleges
Stapled NC four year college profiles
Trinity HS financial aid meeting flyer for December

23. QUESTION & ANSWER… WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
IF YOU THINK OF QUESTIONS LATER, PLEASE ME AT or call me at ext. 111
Mr. Mel Jones (Names A-K) questions at or call him at ext.112
Please encourage other Trinity parents of seniors or underclassman to join my group or tell them to look at the my website & bookmark it for all this information. Go to the Trinity HS website & find my website under School Counselors on the left hand side of the page.