1. RISING SENIOR CONNECTION What To Expect Your Senior Year: A brief overview of how to prepare for the world of college applications. April 21, 2016

2. WHAT TO EXPECT THIS EVENING … Introduction to the Senior Year Timeline Things to Know Questions

3. THE BUSIEST AND BEST YEAR EVER! School work in advanced classes Working after school Clubs Sports Tutoring Community Service Activities outside of school (Sports, Religious Activities, etc.) Senior Events at CHS SAT / ACT College Applications Scholarships Financial Aid College Visits Decisions about colleges

4. THE SPRING OF YOUR JUNIOR YEAR o Keep your grades up (As and Bs) o Talk with your parents and high school counselor about colleges that interest you o Research at least six or seven colleges that interest you o Create a list of questions to ask on campus visits o Visit colleges and talk with college students o Compare colleges that you visit o Start or update an academic resume o Investigate scholarship opportunities

5. THE SPRING OF YOUR JUNIOR YEAR o Volunteer for activities and clubs related to career interests o Maintain good relationships with teachers and counselor, they will be writing your recommendations o Register for the SAT and ACT (Juniors took the ACT on March 1 st at CHS.) You should be academically ready to take it by spring. If not, take it early in your senior year. o Attend a college fair o If you plan to participate in athletics in college, you will need to register through the NCAA Clearinghouse and provide transcript

6. THE SUMMER BEFORE YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Get a part-time job, apprenticeship, or internship; or job shadow in a profession that interests you o Continue to make college visits during the summer before your Senior year. o Narrow down school choices to your top five. o Your list may include 1 dream school, 2-3 competitive schools, 1 fall back school. o Finalize your resume

7. THE FALL OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Sign up for and take the SAT / ACT if you have not done so. o Check-in with your school counselor to make sure you are on track to graduate and fulfill college admission requirements o Keep working hard all year and keep your grades up; second semester grades can affect scholarship eligibility and admissions decisions. o Make a master calendar of all deadlines for applications and scholarships o Ask for references from teachers, school counselors, or employers early in the year or at least two weeks before application deadlines.

8. THE FALL OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Visit with admissions counselors who come to your high school o Attend a college fair o Begin your college essay(s) o Apply for admission at the colleges you've chosen and confirm that the universities or colleges have received all application materials. Deadlines vary and some are as early as October! o Use CFNC.org to send transcripts to North Carolina colleges and universities (including community colleges)

9. THE FALL OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Find out if you qualify for scholarships at each college to which you have applied o Start the financial aid application process – new FAFSA guidelines this year (more info expected Fall 2016) o Visit the school website for current scholarship opportunities o Watch the mail for your Student Aid Report (SAR) after the FAFSA is filed.

10. THE SPRING OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Use CFNC.org to send mid-year transcripts to North Carolina colleges and universities (including community colleges) o Visit colleges that have invited you to enroll o Decide which college to attend, and notify the school of your decision

11. THE SPRING OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Keep track of and observe deadlines for sending in all required fees and paperwork o Notify schools you will not attend of your decision o Continue to look for scholarship opportunities o Keep track of important financial aid and scholarship deadlines o Watch the mail for your Student Aid Report (SAR) after the FAFSA is filed.

12. THE SPRING OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR o Compare financial aid packages from different schools o Sign and send in a promissory note if you are borrowing money o Notify your college about any outside scholarships you received

13. THINGS TO KNOW: GPA Weighted GPA: Takes into account honors and AP Classes A in CP: 4.0 A in Honors: 5.0 A in AP: 6.0 Unweighted GPA: Uses a 4.0 scale despite the level. A = 4.0 B = 3.0 C = 2.0 D = 1.0 F = 0.0 Many universities look at weighted GPA but some look at unweighted GPA! Check out the college website to find out which one they use.

14. KNOW THE AVERAGES Appalachian State4.20 East Carolina3.50 NC A&T3.13 NC Central3.10 NC State4.44 UNC Asheville4.0 UNC Charlotte4.0 UNC Chapel Hill4.59 UNC Greensboro3.69 UNC Pembroke3.38 UNC Wilmington4.06 Western Carolina3.81 Elon3.95 Wingate3.34 Davidson4.29 Univ. South Carolina4.01 University of Virginia4.23 NYU3.71 UW Boston University3.60 UW University of Alabama3.65

15. THINGS TO KNOW: CLASS RANK Class rank allows admissions counselors to see how your grades compare to others in our school. Weighted GPA is used to determine rank Expressed as 1 out of 404 (The lower the number the better)

16. THINGS TO KNOW: WHAT ARE COLLEGES LOOKING FOR? The admission process varies from university to university. In general these factors are important when admissions offices consider your application:  Grades (GPA)  Rigorous course selection based on what we offer at CHS (Honors and AP)  Class Rank (May express as a top % of class)  Essay responses  Extracurricular Involvement with leadership  Community Service

17. THINGS TO KNOW: HOW TO APPLY Colleges prefer that you apply online. You can use one of a variety of methods  University website  CFNC – all North Carolina colleges (public and private)  Common Application (not all schools use Common App) All of these will require the student to create their own account. CFNC and Common App can repopulate your info into the applications to save you time.

18. THINGS TO KNOW: PARTS OF AN APPLICATION There are a few things you will want to make sure you submit with every application  Application (personal info, essays, etc.)  Transcript  ACT / SAT Scores  Essays (may or may not be required – however, it is a good idea to complete optional essays!)  Letters of Recommendation (may or may not be required) * It is the student’s responsibility to follow up with the college to make sure all components of the application are received.

19. THINGS TO KNOW: PARTS OF AN APPLICATION Some majors within a university may require a separate application. There may also be separate applications to apply to honors colleges and for school-specific scholarships.

20. THINGS TO KNOW: EARLY DECISION / EARLY ACTION Early Decision: Binding decision. If accepted, a student must enroll or lose an enrollment deposit. A student accepted under early decision must withdraw all other college apps. Early Action: Nonbinding decision. A student may apply early but can apply to other colleges early and make a decision in the Spring. (Acceptance rates are usually higher for ED / EA Applicants) Regular Decision: Nonbinding decision. A student applies with the standard applicant pool.

21. WHY APPLY EARLY? When applying early, you may have more access to scholarships within the university. You will have more time to decide which college you want to attend. Only apply Early Decision if you know that a particular school is a definite first choice.

22. THINGS TO KNOW: SENDING TRANSCRIPTS In State:  Send your transcript through CFNC.  FREE!  Allow 3-5 days to be posted and 2 weeks for the college to receive.  Directions to sending your transcript through CFNC are on the School Counseling website. Out of State:  Send a paper copy of your transcript.  Complete our form (in student services) and provide $3 for each transcript for processing.  Transcripts will be processed within 5 school days. Students must pick up the transcripts and are responsible for mailing them to the colleges. Common App and some other school sites allow counselors to post the transcript electronically. This method is also FREE.

23. THINGS TO KNOW: SENDING TEST SCORES You will need to send your standardized test scores (ACT and SAT) to each university as part of your application. There are two ways to submit scores:  You are given the chance to send your scores to 4 schools prior to the test (during registration)  Take advantage of this opportunity! This is FREE and scores are sent to the schools very quickly.  Send scores online through ACT / SAT Websites  $11-$12 per report  Takes at least 1 week to process

24. VIEWING / SENDING ACT SCORES ONLINE To access the ACT test scores that you received from the CHS Administration, please create an ACT account and answer the following questions accordingly: If you have any problems linking you account, please contact 319-337-1270

25. THINGS TO KNOW: SCHOOL REPORT Many schools require that your counselor complete a school report as part of your application The school reports include info regarding:  GPA  Class Rank  Report on the types of classes offered at CHS (AP and Honors level)  Evaluation of rigorous course load.  Character evaluation  How long we have known the student  Written recommendation

26. THINGS TO KNOW: RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations are a big part of the college application and scholarship process. Requirements vary –  Some schools require that you send 1-3 recommendations, some schools have made recommendations optional and some schools explicitly say NOT to send recommendations.  Following their expectations is very important.  Some recommendations have prompts.  Some recommendations must be completed on a required form.

27. THINGS TO KNOW: RECOMMENDATIONS Please allow ample time (2 weeks) for teachers and counselors to write recommendations. If you are asking teachers to write a recommendation, it is always great to include a resume with the request.

28. THINGS TO KNOW: ESSAYS Essays allow the admissions counselor to get to know you. (Think of the essay as an opportunity to help yourself stand out … a chance for your application to come to life) Essays should  Be unique to you  Be genuine  Answer the prompt  Be reflective (How did you grow? How did you change? How did you make a difference?)  Be creative  Be specific – it is better to zero in on a specific example than be broad and vague. Be prepared for “out-side-of the-box” essay prompts.

29. THINGS TO KNOW: SR. RECOMMENDATION PACKET We are asking any senior that plans on requesting a recommendation or school report to complete the Senior Recommendation Packet. This packet will help us write a more thorough recommendation for you.

30. SR. RECOMMENDATION PACKET Contents of the recommendation packet  Student questionnaire  Parent questionnaire  Teacher recommendations  Student resume  Counselor Recommendation Request Form

31. EX. COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION REQUEST

32. SR. RECOMMENDATION PACKET This packet is available on the CHS School Counseling Website. http://chs.ucps.k12.nc.us/documents/CHSSenior RecommendationPacket8.26.pdf We encourage students to go ahead and complete this application now before the busyness of fall application time!

33. QUESTIONS?