1. Welcome Class of 2016

2. Scholarships Be sure you are checking deadlines Scholarships are Posted several places... School website, Counseling Office Scholarship Bulletin Board, outside resources Allow yourself PLENTY OF TIME for submissions … plan ahead Scholarships offered by individual schools in many cases have different deadlines than general application/admission deadlines Fill out the application NEATLY AND IN INK!

3. College Visits College Admissions Counselors are those representatives who lead these informational sessions - Take Advantage of these Opportunities Many times the Admissions Counselor is an alum of the school Great opportunity to learn more about the school, campus life, application requirements and gain advice

4. Student Emails Make it a habit to check your school assigned email Our communication with you will likely start with an email Your student email is part of the data already pre-loaded for your transcript submissions – make sure you are checking it for updates

5. Letters of Recommendation ASK your teacher, counselor, pastor, friend to write a letter on your behalf. If you know the letter will be submitted electronically, be sure to get the ‘okay’ from the person before submitting their name. Give your reference PLENTY of time to write your letter. Give your reference detailed info on what the letter is for whether a scholarship or a general reference to go along with your application. If there is something specific you would like them to mention, tell them. Offer your reference a Student Activity sheet when you ask. After ample time has past, follow up to be sure they have submitted the letter. You, the subject, are not to see the letter of recommendation… please don’t ask to see it. You had enough faith in them to ask them to write it, didn’t you?

6. Transcript / College Application Submission Process This is YOUR responsibility. Do your research on the expectations and requirements for the school(s) you are planning to apply to. Now is the time for you to be proactive, organized, and keeping a calendar dedicated to deadlines. Utilize the admissions office of the school you are applying to. Call them and ask questions/verify you have everything to complete your application! Your application and transcript and supplemental documents are not expected to be submitted at the same time, not even the same day/week. Be sure to bring in all the supplemental forms for each school with all the generic information (Name, DOB, SSN, Schedule, School, CEEB Code, Counselor, Counselor Contact Info) filled out NEATLY AND IN INK. ( See the backside of the Parent Permission Form for the school/counselor info you may need to complete forms. )

7. PARCHMENT Electronic Transcript Vendor - All Transcripts are sent via Parchment Parent permission form is REQUIRED for all students. If you aren’t planning to further your education, it is recommended for ALL seniors to set up a Parchment account. Upon return of the signed parent permission form, your registration code will be emailed to you. This registration code connects you to the data that has already been preloaded into the Parchment system as a help to you as you go through the initial set up of the account. Once you’ve set your account up, you have the ability to request transcripts at any time. For Concurrent Enrollment and Dual Enrollment Students, please be sure to edit your information to include your enrollment at BRCC/JMU in order to request your transcript be forwarded from that school to the college(s) you are applying to. SDHS cannot send transcripts for colleges All supplemental forms/letters of recommendation will be sent separate from the transcript in order for each document to be tracked.

8. Parchment continued Benefits – Time, you may request transcripts at any time once your account has been set up – Tracking, you and the counseling office have the ability to track each item after it is processed – once you see the status of complete, you know the college has the document and has processed it – Each document submitted has a document ID (DID) assigned to it – Should you choose to allow it (an option you’ll select during the set up of your account)... Colleges/universities you may have never heard of can see your information and request to learn more about or make an offer to you – You can see where you rank among your peers in terms of scores – You can see what your chances are of getting into a particular school

9. Remember... Yes, it is your senior year, and yes you should make the most of it... BUT, remember, a college has every right and can rescind your offer if you ‘don’t keep up your end of the deal’... Continue to strive for your best, even after you’ve received your acceptance letter.

10. HELP! We are here to assist you and guide you through the application process... Please come in and ask if you have questions or need advice …