Senior College Planningfor Parents

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!!!

TODAY YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT:

• What you need to know to finalize your child’s post- secondary plans

• Forms / Applications / processes / timelines

• Related items: Financial Aid & Scholarships

BUT FIRST – A QUICK LOOK BACK. WHAT YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW

Post Secondary Options

• CollegeCollege• 4 year college4 year college• 2 year college2 year college

• Career / Technical School• Military (ASVAB will be given

November 16th at Wolcott HS)• Employment

DO YOU HAVE A LIST??

• Narrow down your list of choices• Ideally apply to 4-7 schools

• 1-2 Reach Schools• 2-3 50/50 schools• 1-2 Safe schools• Consider academics and

finances when developing your list.

What you need to be doing this Fall

Meet Admissions

• College Fair September 24College Fair September 24thth 6-7:30pm 6-7:30pm• Financial Aid Presenter 5-6pmFinancial Aid Presenter 5-6pm

• Open Houses on campusOpen Houses on campus• OCT 14OCT 14thth WHS Senior College Visit Day WHS Senior College Visit Day

• Schedule interview (if offered) Sign up for College Rep visits in the Sign up for College Rep visits in the

Career CenterCareer Center Do an interview right here!

STANDARDIZED TESTS• Students must register to take the SAT and/or ACT at:

• www.collegeboard.org and www.act.org • You can opt to take both SAT and ACT• Some schools may require SAT II Subject Tests and

some are Test Optional http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional

• Test prep is absolutely essential to success on these tests• There are free SAT prep resources on NAVIANCE and

Collegeboard • NVCC is offering a class: The flyer is in your handouts

• Wolcott High School CEEB Code: 070-871• If you qualify for a fee waiver – see your counselor

BEFORE registering

SAT TEST DATESTest Date Registration Deadline

Nov 7 Oct 9Dec 5 Nov 5Jan 23 Dec 28

March 5 Feb 5May 7 April 8June 4 May 5

ACT TEST DATES

Oct. 25, 2014 Sept. 19 Sept. 20 - Oct. 3

Oct. 25, 2014 Sept. 19 Sept. 20 - Oct. 3

Dec. 13, 2014 Nov. 7 Nov. 8 - 21Feb. 7, 2015 Jan. 9 Jan. 10 - 16

April 18, 2015 March 13 March 14 - 27June 13, 2015 May 8 May 9 - 22

Test Date Registration Deadline

Oct 24 Sept 18

Dec 12 Nov 6

Feb 6 Jan 8April 9 March 4

June 11 May 6

Sending SAT / ACT:

• Students are responsible for sending scores to every college through Collegeboard or ACT

• Do not wait until the last minute to send your scores; processing takes a few weeks

• Four registration score reports are available for FREE up to nine days after the test date (then a fee of $11.25 applies)

Activity SheetTo request a letter of recommendation:

• Your child needs to have finished their Activity Sheet (samples in Naviance) •Check for spelling errors•Don’t forget to include activities outside of school as well as in school (40 hours community service)•Should include grades 9-12•The more thorough the better the letter we can write

Recommendation Letters

• Typically two teacher recommendation letters are needed

• Try to get one from a subject that pertains to your major

• You may also need a School Counselor letter• Guidance sends all recommendations and

transcripts: students are responsible for requesting

• Thank you Note

College Essay

Find out how many essays are requiredIf a school doesn’t take Common App

they may have their own essay topicIn addition, some colleges may have

writing supplementsAt least one person should proofread

your essayMost likely your English teacher and/or

School Counselor

Common App Essay Prompts for this Year

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Essay Continued

NEVER SEND AN ESSAY WITH GRAMMATICAL ERRORS!!!

Follow the guidelines: word amount, length of essay, topic

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Apply through https://www.commonapp.org/Login In Discovery, all students created a common app

account (last week or tomorrow)• Check the college website if they don’t accept the

Common Application• If you qualify for a fee waiver see your counselor• Go over your application with your counselor before

submitting• After you have applied fill out a transcript request form

and hand it in to your counselor- Transcript Request forms MUST be returned to guidance no later than 5 school days before the deadline to ensure processing.

Community College• www.ct.edu• Process for applying is different than 4 year

colleges• Applications available approx. January

• Do not need to send rec letters, essay, or test scores (unless for placement testing)

• Offers transferrable credits• Onsite admissions interviews in the Career

Center (NVCC & Tunxis)• Dual Admissions Program

• www.ct.edu/admission/dual

FINANCIAL AID

FAFSA• Submit ASAP after January 1st but before March

1st

• www.fafsa.ed.govCSS Profile- Available starting October 1st

• File in early fall of senior year!• List of CSS schools can be found on

www.collegeboard.org Scholarships

• Local

Scholarships

Local scholarships will start to come in around October

Visit Naviance frequently for updates to the list

Pay attention to deadlines!!!Free Money!!!

SCHOLARSHIPS CONTINUED

SCHOLARSHIP WEBSITESSCHOLARSHIP WEBSITES• www.finaid.org• www.fastweb.com• http://studentaid.ed.gov• www.collegeboard.com• www.scholarships.com

• NAVIANCE (“Scholarship List” under colleges tab):

http://connection.naviance.com/wolcott

Advice for Students:

• Make an appointment with your counselor ASAP and visit frequently

• Don’t procrastinate• Do well in your classes• Try not to stress out

Questions??