Poolesville High SchoolClass of 2020

College Application Planning

Administrative Team• Ms. Deena Levine, Principal• Ms. Jennifer Herman, Assistant Principal

– (current) Grades 10 and 12• Mr. John Butler, Assistant School Admin.

– (current) Grades 9 and 11• Ms. Allison Wilder, Magnet Coordinator• Ms. Susan Krouner, School Business Admin.

School Counseling StaffCounselors:• Mr. Greg Hand, A-E• Ms. Melissa Nagy, F-Ho• Ms. Barbara Martin, Hp-M • Mr. David Gysberts, N-R• Ms. Nelly Boishin, S-Z

Registrar: Mrs. Hornburg (Rm. 51)College & Career Information Coordinator:

Ms. Rosalie DeOto (Rm. 10) Secretary:

Ms. Lisa Fedders

Agenda

• Review types of college applications & vocabulary• Discuss how to use Naviance student to refine

college search• Review what students can do before the school year

ends• Discuss what students can work on over the

summer • Discuss how parents can help in the college

application process

Types of College Applications*Check on Naviance to see “delivery type”

Institutional: apply directly to a particular college (e.g.-Georgetown, Towson, MIT, VA Tech)

Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/

Coalition Application: http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/

Service Academy Applications(West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy)

*applications open soon & most have early deadlines (Oct. 11-Nov. 1)*must apply directly through Federal representatives (US Congressmen, US Senators)

Congressman Trone (6th district): https://trone.house.gov/services/military-academy-nominations

Congressman Raskin (8th district): https://raskin.house.gov/services/academy-nominations

Senator Cardin: https://www.cardin.senate.gov/help/service-academy

Senator Van Hollen: https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/constituent-services/academy-nominations

Be aware of these college terms:• PRIORITY DEADLINE: Students will be considered for

every financial aid program for which they may be eligible. (University of Maryland, College Park-Nov.1)

• EARLY DECISION: A binding commitment. Once admitted, all other applications must be retracted.

• EARLY ACTION: Admission decisions are made by an early date.

• ROLLING: An admission decision is made as applications arrive at the college.

• DEFERRED: A decision on the application is postponed until a later time. The student may, or may not, end up on a waiting list.

*Mobile Friendly→ can access from any device*Go to the PHS website→ Quick Links (left on

homepage or all the way at the bottom on mobile) → click Naviance Student to sign-in

*Save PHS website and Naviance home page to “favorites” or “bookmarks”

Using Naviance Student

UsingNaviance Student:

College Search and Application Program• Update Student Profile to add parent

email. For password help, contact the Counselor or CCIC.

• Students are able to see likelihood of acceptance to a college based on PHS graduates from the last several years (GPA/Test Score)

• Most college applications are submitted electronically using Naviance including Common & Coalition Applications

Finalize “Colleges I’m Thinking About” List In Naviance

• Click the to add colleges to your list• Include “reach”, “target”, and “safety”

schools on the list• Consider financial cost, but do not eliminate

a school based on cost

Finalize “Colleges I’m Thinking About” List In NavianceConsider applying to at least one of the following:

• REACH: your academic credentials (grades, test scores) fall in the lower end, or even below, the school’s average range for the cohort of students accepted in the previous year; any college with 10% or less admission rate.

• TARGET: your academic credentials fall well within the school’s average range for the most recently accepted class.

• SAFETY: your credentials exceed the school’s range for the average 1st-year student; reasonable certainty of acceptance; one you would be happy to attend and at least one that you know your family can afford.

(adapted from: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/dream-match-safety-schools#Dream)

Finalize “Colleges I’m Thinking About” List In Naviance

*If you plan to apply to more than 6-10 colleges, then you have not done enough homework. Keep working on

narrowing down your list!*Focus on finding the right “fit” for YOU!

(consider academic, social, financial, geographic factors)

BEFORE THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR:

Students: (mandatory) Complete and return the self-evaluation. This helps your counselor write the best possible letter of recommendation.

Parents: (optional) Complete Parent Questionnaire. This can give counselors insights into your child’s life that they may not reveal and may be helpful to provide context for the counselor’s letter of recommendation.

*Both forms can be found on the Counseling webpage:https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/poolesvillehs/counseling/

TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS

Students: Request BEFORE end of school year Only ask for the number of recommendations you need!

Most colleges only want one teacher letter of recommendation. Some may want two. Don’t ask more than two teachers for a recommendation.

Counselor recommendations do not need to be requested.

Morehead-Cain Scholarship: a four-year, fully funded educational experience for students of the highest caliber at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

*PHS will nominate ONE student. *If interested, please see Ms. Deoto in Room 10, or visit PHS counseling webpage. *In order to be considered, please complete questionnaire and return to Ms. Deoto by June 10 at noon.

For more information, visit: http://www.moreheadcain.org/

COLLEGE ESSAYS

*Start working on these over the summer*Have multiple people read and review for edits (not your parents)*It’s important to use YOUR voice!

Find Common App. essay prompts here: https://www.commonapp.org/whats-appening/application-updates/2019-2020-common-app-essay-prompts

*For Common App or Coalition, check for “supplemental,” “optional,” or “recommended” essay and be sure to complete and add those to your application.

Organization is Key!

Keep track of…

• What are the deadlines?• What are the essay requirements?• How many teacher

recommendations are needed?

SAT Subject Tests What are they and who needs to take them?

• Most colleges do not require subject tests

• May be used for admission and/or placement

• When required, most colleges ask for math and one other subject test

• Check college applications carefully for requirements!

A bit of application info…• MCPS does not use class rank.

Please indicate that our school system “does not rank” when asked this question on applications.

• Grading scale: MCPS uses a 4 point scale. (weighted and unweighted)

• Senior class size: 285

College Admissions

Office

Student makes request for PHS to send

Transcript, School Profile,Magnet Descriptions,

Counselor & Teacher Recs through Naviance

Student completes

online application

through Common App or through College website

(non-Common App Schools)

Student requests SAT

& ACT Scores to be sent by test companies

To Capture the process…

Parent Considerations in the Process…

• Discuss guidelines for a realistic college choice (i.e., cost, distance from home)

• Help keep track of deadlines and requirements

• Attend Financial Aid Night at PHS in the Fall

• Complete the FAFSA starting Oct. 1

Additional Student Considerations…

• Please use an appropriate email

• Use social media responsibly!

We will review nuts & bolts of the application process after the first week of 12th grade...

Please don’t panic! We are

here to

help!

QUESTIONS??