1. SENIOR CLASS MEETING: POST-SECONDARY PLANNING September 16, 2015

2. Counselor Advice Yes, soon, you will be making a leap into your future. You can do it. Always strive to:  Make informed choices  Engage with the process  Use your resources well  Remain calm and organized  Not a life or death decision

3. Helpful Resources  Counselors  Loretta Collins: A-D  Herb Crowell: E-La  Amy Webster/John Pemberton: Le-Ra  Teresa Savage: Re-Z  Danielle Seifert/Eman Abdullahi: CCC Coordinators  Educational Talent Search (Tues & Wed)  Upward Bound (Mon & Wed after school)  College Admission Offices!  College Rep Visits at Washburn:  Sign up on Naviance (visit schedule)  Pass will be sent by Danielle/Eman

4. MPS Graduation Requirements CourseCreditsMake-up English4 credits (4 years) After school credit make- up starts soon. Complete form in counseling office. Social Studies4 credits (4 years) Math3 credits (3 years) Science3 credits (3 years) Health1 credit (1 year) PE1 credit (1 year) Fine Arts1 credit (1 year) Total Credits21.5 credits Take ACT or Accuplacer My Life PlanComplete all Assignments

5. Next Steps…Pick Your Path  Military  Gap Year  Service – Americorps  Travel  Apprenticeship/Work  College/University  2 year or 4 year?  Public or Private?

6. Senior Year Timeline  Fall: Applications 9/17 College Application Night for families 10/5Senior Status letters sent home 10/21-22 National College Fair @ Convention Center 10/24 ACT (register by 9/18) 11/10 MNACC College Fair @ Washburn 11/19 Scholarship and Financial Aid Night  Winter: Scholarships/Financial Aid 12/12 ACT (register by 11/6) 12/15 U of M application deadline 1/28 FAFSA Night 2/1 Washburn Scholarship Applications distributed 3/1 Application Decisions 3/1 FAFSA “Deadline”  Spring: Graduation 4/8 Graduation Status letters sent home 4/15Financial Aid packages 5/1 Make Final Decisions 6/2 Graduation 4:30pm

7. Roles  Student  Project Manager  Naviance (Managing Tool)  Parent  Supporting conversations  Reality check  Balance between independence/dependence  Counselor/Coordinator  Answer questions  Provide resources  Reality check  Write letters if needed; send transcripts and forms

8. Have a balance of “Reach,” “Possible” and “Likely” schools College: Determining Your List

9. Determining Good Schools  A good school is one that is a good fit for you  What is a good fit? A school where you will be happy, engaged, grow and meet your needs (educational, personal social and financial)

10. Using Your Numbers: Your Profile  Factors in your “Profile”  G.P.A.  Class Rank  ACT or SAT Test Scores Rigor of Courses Activities/ Unusual Talent

11. Comparing Your Profile  Likely – realistic  Your profile is SIGNIFICANTLY stronger than the typical freshman  60-90% chance of admission  Possible – selective  Your profile is similar to the typical freshman  30-60% chance of admission  Reach – more selective  Your profile is not as strong as the typical freshman  less than 30% chance of admission

12. Use of Scattergrams

13. General Application Tips  Professional  Appropriate grammar, punctuation  Spell/Grammar check  No texting!  Professional e-mail address  Your application (not Mom’s!)  Honesty & Integrity  Read the Directions  Answer the questions  Meet Deadlines

14. Applications/Deadlines  All applications should be done on-line  Options  The Common Application  Institutional Application  Know your deadlines  Rolling Admissions  Regular Deadline  Early Action/Priority Deadline  Early Decision

15. Naviance: Tracking Tool

16. Teacher Letter of Recommendation  Check applications carefully to see if you need one (Kevin or your counselor can help you with this)  Request 2-4 weeks prior to when you need them  Write a thank you note to teacher

17. Weekly Senior Advisory Meetings  The Common App  Writing a Good Essay  The University of Minnesota  Scholarships  Understanding Your Financial Aid Package  Applying for Financial Aid  2 Year Community and Technical Colleges  The Minnesota State College and University System

18. Senior Advisory  Get pass from Advisory Teacher  Presentation in the CCC  Presentations will rotate through mid-February  Presentations will 10-15 minutes. Remaining time can be used on college, scholarship, or financial aid applications.  First session- September 23 rd - “The Common App”

19. Engage! Step 1Pre-application appt. with counselor or CCC if necessary (20 minutes?) Step 2 Develop Potential College List Step 3 Determine Requirements & Complete Application(s) Step 4 Request test scores sent from ACT/SAT Step 5 Initial application meeting (15-30 minutes) Add schools to which you are applying to Naviance Transcripts, requests for fee waivers, profile, permission to send data form, student ratings forms all sent. Don’t need college’s form. Report to counselor who is writing recommendation (if required). Must fill out “Recommendation Form” on Naviance. 2 weeks notice minimum! Matching Common App with Naviance (if required) $2 per transcript Step 6 Interview Meeting, if necessary (40-45 minutes) Counselor Interview must be at least two weeks prior to deadline. Step 7 Follow-up with your Counselor either in person or over e-mail to either add schools to your list or if you have other questions. Remember! All pieces of the app don’t have to be sent at the same time!