R-S Central High School

Junior Planning

Presented by Mrs. Davis

I am available to assist you in planning for success in the following areas:

AcademicCareer

Personal/Social

SAT /ACTRegister to take the SAT and/or ACT 1st

or 2nd Semester of your junior year. Your scores should meet the entrance

requirements of the university you wish to attend. You can check university

requirements at www.cfnc.org

SAT /ACTRegister to take the SAT and/or ACT

early in your senior year (if your previous scores do not meet the

entrance requirements of the university you wish to attend).

Register online atwww.college board.com

You can pay by credit card or fee waiver

ORcome to the counseling office for a registration booklet; you can pay by check, money order, or fee waiver.

SAT Fee WaiverIf you qualify for free or reduced lunch, you also qualify for an SAT fee waiver

which entitles juniors and seniors to take the SAT two times (total) free of charge. Request the fee waivers from

the counseling office before you register.

To prepare for the SATvisit

www.college board.comor

Get a practice booklet from the counseling office.

If you plan to attend a community college (ICC) when you graduate, you do not need to take the SAT or ACT. SAT /ACT are required by the 4 year universities for students who plan to attend immediately after high school.

If you plan to attend ICC or any community college, you will need to

take the ASSET or COMPAS assessment by 2nd semester of your

senior year. Again, an SAT/ACT score is not necessary for admission to a

community college.

Transcripts

Carefully check your high school transcript for mistakes; all high school

and college courses should be included. If you see any mistakes, please see me

immediately!

NCAA ClearingHouseIf you plan to participate in college

sports, you must submit an application to NCAA. If you do not, you will not

be permitted to participate in any college athletic program.

You should register with NCAA during your junior year in high school.

The website iswww.eligibilitycenter.org

In order to qualify, you must meet the requirements set forth by NCAA concerning your GPA and the 16

required core courses. NCAA does not accept most credit recovery courses;

therefore, if you fail a core course, you will need to retake the entire course. Go to the website, see your coach, or see a

school counselor for details.

Students must meet the SAT or ACT requirements in order to qualify with

NCAA. When you register for the SAT or ACT, be sure to have your scores sent directly to NCAA. The code is 9999.

NCAA will not accept SAT/ACT scores that are printed on your transcript; if you do

not use the code, you will have to pay to have the scores sent separately.

FAFSAFree Application for Federal

Student Aid

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

This is the first step in applying for almost all financial aid.

FAFSA Application Process

STEP 1 Get a FAFSA pin number for yourself

and your parent atwww.pin.ed.gov

Submit your FAFSA application as soon AFTER January 1st as possible of your

senior year.You must use the information from your parents’ income tax return, so you may

want to let them know in time to gather and submit tax information as soon as possible;

the deadline is usually early March, but each college may vary. Also, once the

money is gone, there is no more! It is in your best interest to submit asap.

FAFSA4CASTER

To practice the FAFSA and get an estimate of how much financial aid you

can expect, go to http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/

You can do this at anytime.

FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process by providing you with an

early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid.

In addition, FAFSA4caster will increase your knowledge of the financial aid process and

provide information about other sources of aid.

Another feature of FAFSA4caster is the "FAFSA4caster Tip". These tips appear

throughout the site and provide you with information that will help make

preparing for college and the financial aid process easier.

But that's not all. If you use FAFSA4caster, when you're ready to

officially apply for aid, FAFSA4caster will transfer all of your data to the

FAFSA on the Web application, making the experience of applying for federal

student aid a lot easier for you. You will only have to update the

information.

So help make your forecast a bright one by not only planning for college but by

preparing for the costs of a college education.

Go ahead and get started... use FAFSA4caster now!

Opportunities for JuniorsPSAT: Juniors in the top 20 GPA are encouraged to take the PSAT their Junior year – free of charge. You

automatically will be entered in the National Merit Scholarship. Juniors who make top PSAT scores in the

nation will be awarded scholarships. Register in the counseling office in late

September.

Governor’s SchoolJuniors who are interested in spending 6

weeks in the summer on a college campus studying with other high school students

from across NC may apply for Governor’s School. It is a very academically

competitive program; top students are selected. Check in the counseling office for

more information. Application is due in October each year.

Carolina Catalyst ConferenceInterested students may apply to spend

a free weekend on the UNC Chapel Hill campus discussing relevant topic with other high school students from

across NC. The application is due early November. Listen for announcements.

The following opportunities are for students who may want to attend these

schools:Gardener-Webb Junior Scholar

Wofford Junior ScholarFurman Junior Scholar

See your school counselor for more information.

Prudential Spirit of the Community Award

For students who have diligently accumulated community service

volunteer hours. Deadline for application is in October. Listen for

announcements.

Summer Venturesin Science and Math

Rising juniors and seniors spend 4 weeks on a North Carolina college

campus – free of charge!Visit the school counseling office for

online application information.Deadline is in January.

Listen for announcements.

Project Uplift

Current Juniors who are ranked in the top 25 % of their class can apply to spend a weekend on the campus of

UNC Chapel Hill.

College Foundationof

North CarolinaCFNC

Open your free account at www.cfnc.org

Create my account…follow directions.

The CFNC site connects you to the website of every college and university

in NC. You can access applications, financial aid opportunities, admission requirements, campus statistics and

highlights, contacts, and much more!

Applying to CollegeAfter researching CFNC and other resources:1.Select at least 3 colleges that meet your academic needs.2. Make sure you know the application deadlines! Each college is different!3.From their websites, retrieve applications so that you know what is expected when you begin the process.

Check the college website for SCHOLARSHIPS

particular to that school.It is very important to meet the

deadlines if you want to be considered for these scholarships.

For example, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, USC, etc. have October 1st

deadlines for their merit scholarships. Stay informed!

FYI:Chapel Hill offers the

Carolina Covenant Scholarship for students who are accepted to Carolina

but cannot afford the costs. It pays 100%, so don’t let $ keep you from applying! Other universities offer similar opportunities. Check the

websites.

Listen carefully to Announcements!Most scholarship and summer

opportunities are announced during school announcements so that everyone

has equal opportunity. If you are absent, check to see what you miss.

BE PROACTIVE!Much literature and information is available in the school counseling

office. Please stop by to take advantage of all that we have to offer. Thank you for viewing this

presentation.Please come by the counseling office

for more information.