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High School for Environmental Studies444 West 56th St.

New York, NY 10019

Tel. (212) 262-8113 Fax (212) 262-0702

Jonathan Henkel, College Counselor Shirley H Matthews, PrincipalWelcome BackIt is the start of a new school year! With that, there are manynew experiences to look forward to and many changes to be

realized. Mainly, for seniors, this year marks the end of an eraand the start of a new beginning. All of the years spent in highschool are finally culminating into what your life will becomeafter graduation. As with many aspects of life, it is useful toemploy a fair amount of planning before embarking on yourfuture. This is why the college office existsto help you getready for that next big step in your life. So make yourselffamiliar with the resources at hand, and take note of theimportant changes that have taken place in the college officeover the summer.

The College OfficeOld and NewIf we have not yet met, allow me take this opportunity to

introduce myself. My name is Mr. Henkel, and I am excited tobe assisting you this year as your college counselor. It hasbeen nine years since HSES appointed me as the full-timecollege counselor. Over the course of this time we haveworked hard to provide an array of services to meet the needsof all our students. While we have accomplished a lot, not amoment goes by where we are not trying to improve ourservices and grow with the ever-changing world of collegeadmissions.

This newsletter is one way to stay up to date with theadmissions process and the goings-on in the college office.However, after eight years of producing the semi-annual

College Office Bugle, and its sister newsletter, theScholarship Bulletin, we are transitioning away from thismethod of communicating. The modern era has given way to amore effective approach to disseminating information. We cannow send updates to a wider number of people quicker andmore accurately with the help of our online blog and twitteraccount. You can sign up to receive these important updates,and reminders via e-mail and/or in a text message to your cellphone. For more info, visithttp://twitter.com/collegeoffice. Inaddition, you should visit the college office bulletin boards inthe guidance suite for more updates. There you will find dailyannouncements, monthly calendars, and more.

The office that is the college office is another useful resource

waiting for you to take advantage. Inside you will find alibrary of information and a computer lab, which is fullyfunctioning for students who wish to visit college-relatedwebsites. Many students have already begun to use this spaceto register for the SAT exams and explore variousundergraduate institutions.

We recognize the increasing need for computer access in thecollege admissions process. Please note that the use of thesecomputers will be monitored. They are intended for college-related services only! In addition, the printer is not to be usedwithout the explicit consent of the college counselor. Thesebasic rules will ensure that each student will have continuedaccess to online resources in a fully operational college officecomputer lab. Failure to comply by these regulations willresult in the loss of your computer lab privileges.

In keeping with this theme of technology, the college office iscompletely digitized. In fact, the entire application processwill now take place online. This will include sending yourhigh school records to colleges. Our Family ConnectionWebsite (connection.naviance.com/hses

) will be your one-stop-shop for tracking college applications, scholarships, andother related materials. This website has changed theapplication process at HSES entirely so it is important tofollow directions and ask questions when you needclarification.

We are also proud to re-introduce the College Office Blog.This web site is updated frequently with information relatingthe admissions process. If it has been a while since you visited

the college office, you should definitely visit us online at:http://collegeoffice.posterous.com.

There is so much more going on this yearbut I have run outof space. Be sure to read the rest of this newsletter for moreupdated information (especially the Application Processing Guidelines).You should continue to look out for new services in thecollege office, and never hesitate to ask me how I can help youafter all, I am your College Counselor.

Time to Tie Up Loose EndsThe start of the year has crept up on us and hit with a bang.The first SAT deadline is around the corner, and we arealready starting to think about when to turn in those collegeapplications. I encourage every senior to spend this week tyingup loose ends that may impact the college admissions process:

Finalize your college list (seniors typically apply toapproximately 7 colleges), and gather all necessaryapplication materials.

Any corrections or grade changes on your transcripts thatmay be outstanding need to be made ASAP. Changes thatare not complete on time will be reflected in your classrank. You will receive a rank toward the end of Sept.

Teacher recommendation letters must be requested earlyand will be completed electronically this year. Letter ofRecommendation Request Forms are available in thecollege office to teachers that request one. (Remember to

only request recommendations from people who knowyou well).

Work on the college essays for your applications. Make sure that your name is consistent throughout all of

your records. Different names appearing on your recordscould cause delays in this process.

Be sure that your immigration status is complete and up-to-date. If not, you will not be eligible for financial aid.

All males age 18 or older need to register with theselective service in order to receive financial aid.

If you have not already taken the SAT exam, register totake it ASAP! It is suggested that students take the SATup to three times. Also be sure to register for the SAT IIand/or ACT exams if you plan to take them.

SAT DeadlinesBelow are important testing dates and the registrationdeadlines. Seniors that have not yet taken these exams youmustregister for the October Test!

Test Dates Deadlines

October 1, 20126 September 7, 2012

November 3, 2012 October 4, 2012

December 1, 2012 November 1, 2012January 26, 2013 December 28, 2012

March 9, 2013 February 8, 2013

May 4, 2013 April 5, 2013

June 1, 2013 May 2, 2013

ACT Deadlines

Test Dates Deadlines

September 8, 2012 August 17, 2012

October 27, 2012 September 21, 2012

December 8, 2012 November 2, 2012

February 9, 2013* January 11, 2013

April 13, 2013 March 8, 2013

June 8, 2013 May 3, 2013

The College Office BugleSeptember 2012

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College VisitsYou will be able to meet with college representatives andlearn more about their programs during the respective times.You must receive a pass from your teacher to attend a visitduring class. Check the Family Connection Website for themost up to date information on college visits. Visits will takeplace in the college office (room 2010).

All college visits are posted on the Online College OfficeCalendar:http://snipr.com/hsescalendar.

Special Programs and EventsAll special programs and events are now posted on our blog:http://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/events.

College TripsAll college trips are now posted on our blog:http://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/trips.

Open Houses and Information SessionsThe college office receives information on numerous openhouses and information sessions daily. There are too many

open houses in the coming months to list in this newsletter.Check the college website (http://collegeoffice.posterous.com

)for the most up to date information. Also check with thecollege admissions office for information regarding openhouses and/or information sessions.

Early Decision and Early ActionPlease be aware that early decision applications are bindingagreements. A student can only apply early decision to oneschool. By applying early decision, you are agreeing to attendthat institution if you are accepted. If you are accepted youmust withdraw any other application that you may havesubmitted. Early decision is only for students who are 100%

positive of the school they want to attend, regardless of thefinancial aid package! We require students applying earlydecision to sign a consent form along with their parents.

Students applying early action will submit their applicationearly and receive their admissions decision early. In mostcases this is not a binding agreement. Be sure to read theapplication and relevant literature carefully, and consult withyour college counselor if you have any questions or concerns.

Application Processing GuidelinesThe college office will be assisting students through thecollege application process. In addition to applications, fees,essays, SAT scores, supplemental forms, and recommendation

letters, all colleges require their applicants to submit officialschool records, which must come directly from HSES.Colleges will not accept these records from the studentsthemselves. In order to ensure timely and accurate processingof all application materials, it is essential that each studentfollow the college office guidelines described here. Theapplication processing guidelines changed last year, so please

read carefully before applying to any college.

All students should submit electronic applications to collegesthrough the internet. Filing an application in this manner willincrease accuracy and expedite processing. Students will bediscouraged from using paper application (go green!).

Students that do not have internet access should make use ofthe computers in the college office or other public terminalsin the city (most public libraries provide internet access). If a student isstill unable to submit an application online, they will need toobtain a paper application and are responsible for mailing itdirectly to the college along with all other required materials(excluding official school records).

CUNY (City University of New York) applications are online atcuny.edu/apply. No CUNY paper applications will beavailable in the college office. Students can apply to as manyas six CUNY Colleges with one application. The fee to applyto CUNY is $65. Students will have the option of paying

online with a credit card, or mailing the payment. If youdecide to mail your payment, include the Application FeeReturn Receipt which can be printed from your onlineapplication. Checks or money orders should be made out toUAPC (university application processing center) with your

Application Control Number on the front for trackingpurposes. No essays or teacher recommendations are requiredfor CUNY applications. All students should apply to CUNY!!!

SUNY (State University of New York) applications are alsoavailable online. Most of the SUNY Colleges will accept thecommon application and students should complete theapplication online at commonapp.org. If the SUNY you areapplying to does not accept the common application, visithttps://www.suny.edu/gosuny. Students should ONLY apply

through this website if the college does NOT accept thecommon application. Students can apply to several collegeswith one SUNY application. Each college to which the studentapplies has a $50 application fee. Mailed payments should besent and made out to SUNY APC (with the students social securitynumber written on the front for tracking purposes).

Private College applications should be completed online.Students applying to private colleges must use the CommonApplication (www.commonapp.org) whenever possible. Thisone application is accepted by over 400 colleges across thecountry. If a college does not accept the common application,visit the colleges website directly. Application fees, essays,recommendations, and other required materials vary bycollege. Please read and follow the directions carefully.

Students are responsible for sending each college all materialsrequired for their application. This typically includes, but isnot limited to the application, application fee, essay(s), SATscores, supplemental forms, and recommendation letters. Mostof the time, this information can be sent electronically. SATscores need to be sent through the College Board directly. Thiscan be done online atwww.collegeboard.com.

Students must then add each college to the colleges Imapplying to list on the Family Connection Website(connection.naviance.com/hses

) by the posted deadline (see

deadlines below). In addition, students must complete thePrivacy Notice for Common Application in the collegessection of this website. It is critical that students submit theirapplications, and complete these two steps before the HSESdeadline regardless of the deadline each individual collegemay post. HSES is not able to send materials to a college untilafter this process is completed entirely. In order to manage allof the applications for each student the system will be shutdown after the deadline for processing and new collegescannot be added.

The Family Connection Website will be used to track thematerials submitted and sent by the HSES college office. Thedocumentation required to be sent by the high school will

vary, but typically includes a counselor section (often referred toas School Report or Counselor Recommendation Form), school profile,and transcript. HSES will send this information electronically;therefore individual college forms do not need to be submittedto HSES. Teacher recommendations will also be sent throughthis website. The HSES college office is not responsible formaterials sent by the student or in disregard of our guidelines.Failure to adhere these guidelines will delay processing andmay jeopardize your admission status.

Application DeadlinesIt will take the college office approximately three to fourweeks to process any given application listed on the Family

Connection Website. In order to meet the deadline to everycollege for each student, it is extremely important that youcomplete your application, list ALL of your colleges on thiswebsite, and complete the Privacy Notice for CommonApplication by the deadline posted below.

College Due Date HSES Submission DeadlineEarly (all applications due to the college before 12/01/12) 10/15/12Regular(all other applications) 11/13/12

The college office will NOT accept new applications betweenthe posted deadlines. This time will be used to processpreviously submitted applications. Please note that the collegeoffice will be closed for most of December to process

applications, and will not accept new materials at that time.

If there are any questions please ask Mr. HenkelCollege Counselor

(jhenkel@schools.nyc.gov

). The college office is located in theGuidance SuiteRoom 2010.

http://snipr.com/hsescalendarhttp://snipr.com/hsescalendarhttp://snipr.com/hsescalendarhttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/eventshttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/eventshttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/tripshttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/tripshttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/http://collegeoffice.posterous.com/http://collegeoffice.posterous.com/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/cuny.edu/applyhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/cuny.edu/applyhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/commonapp.orghttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/commonapp.orghttps://www.suny.edu/gosunyhttps://www.suny.edu/gosunyhttp://www.commonapp.org/http://www.commonapp.org/http://www.commonapp.org/http://www.collegeboard.com/http://www.collegeboard.com/http://www.collegeboard.com/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/2008-2009/2008-2009%20Newsletter%20Backup/connection.naviance.com/hseshttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/2008-2009/2008-2009%20Newsletter%20Backup/connection.naviance.com/hseshttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/2008-2009/2008-2009%20Newsletter%20Backup/connection.naviance.com/hsesmailto:jhenkel@schools.nyc.govmailto:jhenkel@schools.nyc.govmailto:jhenkel@schools.nyc.govmailto:jhenkel@schools.nyc.govhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/2008-2009/2008-2009%20Newsletter%20Backup/connection.naviance.com/hseshttp://www.collegeboard.com/http://www.commonapp.org/https://www.suny.edu/gosunyhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/commonapp.orghttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/cuny.edu/applyhttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/http://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/tripshttp://collegeoffice.posterous.com/tag/eventshttp://snipr.com/hsescalendar