1. Presented by the WHS Guidance Department

2. February/March:  Register for/prepare for the SATs  Meet with counselor to begin discussing plans for post- graduation  Familiarize yourself with your transcript; you can’t search appropriately if you’re not informed  Begin searching for colleges/universities/technical programs  Choose classes for senior year  Begin and/or edit your Activity Sheet

3. March - June:  Register/take the SATs (or ACTs)  Meet with counselor to discuss options  Continue searching for post-secondary schools and adding to “Prospective colleges” list on Naviance  Visit college campuses  Continue working on your activity sheet  Ask for letters of recommendation

4.  Naviance, Collegeboard.org  What to consider when choosing a college: - Geographic location - Majors - Size - Cost - Selectivity - Setting (Rural, Urban, Suburban)  Develop a list of schools that you are interested in

5.  Schedule college visits/tours with the Admissions Department  Write down questions you want to ask  Prepare for questions they may ask you  Send a thank you email or note  Plan to narrow down your list of schools by Fall of Senior year

6.  Attend College Fairs - Hartford National College Fair, Wednesday, March 25 th 6:30-8:30pm, CT Convention Center Wolcott HS College Fair – Thursday September 24 th 6 – 7:30  Plan to attend college rep visits at Wolcott HS in the fall

7.  Be open minded to schools  Start with a larger list and narrow when it is time to apply  Ideally apply to 5 – 7 Schools  1 – 2 Reach  2 -3 Reasonable  1 – 2 Safety  Consider academics and finances when applying

8.  Transcript  Rigor  GPA / Rank  Trend  Standardized Test Scores  You as a person  Essay  Extracurricular  Letter of Recommendation

9.  Measures ability to critically reason, apply mathematical concepts and write  Register for an SAT test at collegeboard.org  ALL juniors created a collegeboard account with their counselors. DO NOT create a 2 nd account  Recommendation: Take SAT once in Spring of Junior year and once in Fall of Senior year  Pay attention to registration deadlines!  Fee waivers are available to families with a lower income level. See your counselor for more info.

10.  Score reports  Remember: You are responsible for sending your scores to each college you apply to!  Test Optional – fairtest.org  Practice for the test – mycollegequickstart

11.  Assesses general educational development and ability to complete college-level work  Can be taken in lieu of SAT or in addition  www.act.org for test dates and to register for a test www.act.org  ACT-W  Pay attention to registration deadlines!

12.  Required by some colleges, usually more competitive institutions  Check individual colleges website to find out if they require subject tests  Register for tests on collegeboard.org  You cannot take subject tests on the same day as the reasoning test  Plan accordingly!

13.  What is it? Why is it important?  It lists all the activities you were/are involved in during high school, including sports, clubs, work experience, community service, etc.  The teachers and your counselor will use it as a reference when writing your recommendation letters.

14.  Each student will need at least two teacher recommendations  You may also need a letter from your counselor  You may get additional letters beyond that (ex. coach, boss)  Make sure your Activity Sheet is completed before asking for recommendation letters.

15.  What is it? Who uses it?  www.commonapp.org www.commonapp.org  We will teach students how to fill out as part of our September lesson  Supplemental Forms  Look over the essay prompt choices

16.  Allows the student to explain to the admissions committee who they are beyond their transcript  Do not plagiarize, they will know!  Make the essay personal, original, authentic  PROOF READ!  Have someone look over your essay before submitting it

17.  Follow the guidelines set by the college  Begin writing your essays over the summer  Meet with your English teacher in the fall for assistance on proofreading your essay

18.  Make sure you are taking challenging courses in your senior year  Do not slack off!  Colleges will see grades up to the last semester of Senior year  Avoid Senioritis!!!!!!!!!

19.  When choosing to apply to a college, a student has to decide which application plan is best for them:  Regular Decision - Many colleges establish a deadline by which all applications must be received. All students are then notified of the college's decisions at a uniform response date  Early Decision - Many colleges offer this plan to applicants who are sure they want to attend the college. This college should clearly be the applicant's first choice, as it is a binding agreement and if the student is accepted, they are expected to attend that school.

20.  Early Action – Admission program in which applying early gets you an earlier response. This is a non-binding agreement.  Rolling Admissions- no particular deadline… colleges admit on a rolling basis  Check with each school you are applying to on what application plans they use and what those deadline are.

21.  There are three divisions in college sports – 1,2 and 3 (check w/ each school to find out what division they are in)  If you plan on applying to Division 1 or 2 schools, you MUST register with the NCAA Clearinghouse  Students should be registered by the end of their Junior year of high school  Website: www.eligibilitycenter.orgwww.eligibilitycenter.org  Ask your Guidance Counselor to send a transcript to the Clearinghouse at the end of your Junior year

22.  You must also request your SAT/ACT scores to be sent from collegeboard.com to the Clearinghouse  Maintain good grades and do your best on the SAT’s!

23.  Community Colleges  Accuplacer  Cost effective  Certificates, A.S. degree, and Courses transfer to 4 year colleges.  Articulation agreements with the state universities, UCONN, and many private and out of state institutions

24.  Technical / Trade School  Apprenticable trade training  (HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, etc) Typically less than 2 years in length. Speak with your counselor for more information

25.  Military  ASVAB Test every November at WHS  Enlistment  ROTC  Academy

26.  FAFSA / CSS Profile  Merit Money  Financial Aid Workshops offered Fall 2015  Scholarships – Local / Regional

27.  There will be a Senior College night in the Fall that all current Junior parents should attend. We will explain the actual application process at this meeting.  We will give a detailed overview of Financial Aid  Make sure you seek out help from your School Counselor throughout this process.  Don’t procrastinate.  Communicate with your parents throughout the process.  Do your best  HAVE FUN!!!!!!!