1. WELCOME TO COLLEGE INFO NIGHT! Hosted by: Lindsey Bateman, Allison Mock & Mat Rapoza RCHS School Counselors

2. IMPORTANT TERMS O Early Decision O Early Action O Regular Admission O Rolling Admission

3. The College Application O Components O Basic student information O Transcripts & School Profile O Test scores O List of activities O Essays (when required) O Recommendations (when required) O Interviews (when required/offered)

4. WHAT DO COLLEGES WANT TO SEE? THE FIVE Ps: Program Performance Potential Participation Personality

5. PROGRAM

6. School Profile O A copy of this will be sent with the transcript to every school O Gives a general overview of RCHS so the college admissions counselors have a better idea of what type of academic environment each student comes from.

7. PERFORMANCE

8. Transcripts Traditional Method: Blue Form New Process: Online Requests O Provide completed blue form to Ms. van Ravenswaay two weeks before application deadline O Request transcripts through Parchment.com O See handout with instructions

9. Additional Guidelines O Transcript requests will be processed in the order in which they are received. O Estimated RCHS processing time: 1-2 days O Colleges have their own processing time! O Suggested timeline: request transcripts 1-2 weeks prior to application deadline

10. POTENTIAL

11. STANDARDIZED TESTS O SEE HANDOUT: 2014-2015 TEST DATES & COMPARISON CHART O All tests at RCHS except February/June ACTs and June SAT O Registration deadlines are generally one month prior to test administration date.

12. STANDARDIZED TESTS O These tests are not the determining factor of admissions – just part of a package O Do not measure creativity, motivation, imagination, special talents, or intellectual curiosity O Performance in challenging courses is a better predictor of success

13. PARTICIPATION

14. PERSONALITY

15. Student Brag Sheet O REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS WHO NEED A COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION O DUE DATES: O October 1: for all applications due November 1—January 1 O December 1: for all applications due January 15 or later (and all “rolling” applications)

16. The Essay O If a school has an optional essay/personal statement, pretend it is REQUIRED O This is the best way for the college to know who you are

17. Essay Help O Lunch Bunch O Tuesdays and Thursdays during 4 th period O Begins Tuesday, September 16 O Individual Appointments with Counselor (schedule in advance) O W&L Student Mentor Program

18. Community College O Students go to community college for a variety of reasons: O Reduced cost O Unable to be admitted to first choice school due to high school GPA – can earn admission through Guaranteed Admissions Agreements O Chosen career only requires 2 year degree or certificate program O Not sure of intended major O Not ready to leave home

19. Enrollment Options O Part-time or full-time course load O Fall, spring, or summer courses O Flexible hours O Online courses O Hybrid courses O Distance Learning

20. How to Apply O Complete Online Application – www.vccs.eduwww.vccs.edu O Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA) O Send official transcripts O Take Placement Tests O Make an appointment with an advisor O Register for classes O (See handout: “Community College Checklist for Seniors”)

21. Helpful Tools O Application Manager Template O College Cost Calculator O College-Career Weekly Update

22. Financial Aid O Financial Aid Meeting in January O Based on MERIT and NEED O What can you do now? O Get tax information together as soon as possible O Get FAFSA PIN for student and parent – www.pin.ed.gov www.pin.ed.gov O Get an estimate using College Cost Calculator

23. Scholarships O Check the College and Career Weekly Update OFTEN for local and state scholarships O Online scholarship searches O www.fastweb.com www.fastweb.com O www.scholarships.com www.scholarships.com O www.finaid.org/scholarships www.finaid.org/scholarships **If you have to pay to enter, it’s a scam**

24. QUESTIONS?