1. The College Application Process For State College High School Class of 2015 9/2014 Alice Ball (A-K), Tanya Anderson (L-R), Susan Marshall (S-Z) Mrs Wolanski & Mrs. Dodson

2. YOU MUST CHECK YOUR SCASD EMAIL FREQUENTLY !!!! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU AND SHARE INFORMATION WITH YOU ABOUT COLLEGE APPLICATIONS, UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES, GRADUATION INFORMATION, ETC.

3. Are ultimately in charge of your college applications and making sure that you meet all of the requirements and due dates for each one. Communication, research, and following directions will be the key to success. GOOD LUCK!

4. Have you taken the SAT or ACT? ( over 850 schools that allow alternative SAT/ACT options for acceptance like graded work) www.fairtest.org Do you have a list of schools? Have you visited some of the schools? Have you looked at their websites & researched their application procedures and deadlines? (are SAT Subject tests required, etc?) Have you registered with NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER and requested your transcript to be sent if you plan to play sports at the collegiate level? If you are completely overwhelmed by these questions, then read your College Planning Booklet and start with 1 application.

5. How to Apply to College (Three basic types of applications) Penn State/Schreyer Honors College Common Application Other applications (on-line and paper)

6. Complete on-line application – a short personal statement is required. Bring in the Web Application Counselor Form---Mrs. Wolanski Sign a Transcript Request form--- Mrs. Wolanski Must choose a school and a major or DUS Fall admission vs. summer admissions Campus Choice (see next slide) College Prep Math 1-4= (Alg. 1, Alg. 2, & Geometry) Trig. Is required for Business, Engineering, Science, IST Advanced courses are equivalent to honors Foreign Language requirement - 2 yrs. to graduate from PSU Complete application by Oct. 31 st to be safe. SAT & ACT scores: YOU NEED to have them sent directly from College Board. It takes at least 2-3 weeks. PSU will not process your application without SAT scores.

8. PSU fall admission is most competitive. On a 4.0 scale, 3.52-3.97 GPA and 1730 – 1980 on the SAT represents the middle 50 % of students offered admission Placing in the upper end of these ranges increases your likelihood of being offered your first choice of starting semester and campus and/or major. GPA accounts for 2/3 of the decision, remaining 1/3 is based on other factors including standardized test scores, special talent, personal statement and activities. International applicants are now required to submit SAT or ACT’s. Students offered admission to Nursing must start and finish at the same campus in which they start. Deadline is November 30 th like all other applications.

9. Complete regular PSU application on-line Indicate that you want to complete the Schreyer on- line application. Complete Transcript Request form w/ Mrs. Dodson in the Counseling Office. Reminder: Have your counselor’s and teachers’ emails handy for requesting recommendations. Recommendations need to be requested at least 3 working weeks before due date—Green Sheet must be complete at that time for recommendation to be written by counselor. This application is a tremendous amount of work. Here are the stats from last year: 70 applied, 19 were offered acceptance and 13 are attending. That means 49 were rejected but 34 of those are still attending PSU. Two students withdrew due to early action at another university.

10. Go to each College Website before applying and check for supplements. The info is on the Common Application website as well. Read all directions regarding Common Application. Get teachers’ permission before submitting their names as recommenders. Invite your recommenders online (usually 1-2 teachers and a counselor) Waiving your right-to-privacy is strongly recommended. Print out a hard copy for your records. Complete a Transcript Request for each Common Application School – See Mrs Wolanski. Complete Green Sheet information for counselors—must be into Counseling office 3 working weeks before due date. We do not rank There are 557 students in the class of 2015 and we have a 4.0 grading scale and always give your weighted GPA

11. Most apps are on-line. Make sure you print out all forms for teachers and counselors and give them to the appropriate people. (Usually found under a “secondary forms” section on the application) Each application is a bit different, follow the directions and take your time. If you bring in your entire application to be mailed you need to bring in a large envelope with 4 stamps and addressed to the college. Sign a Transcript Request form for each college! Flow charts available for each different “kind” of application.

12. If you receive free or reduced lunch, please see your counselor (or Mrs. Wolanski) for fee waivers for college applications, SAT’s, etc.

13. Many colleges require essay(s). You may want to seek help from your English teacher. Read the College Planning Book about the essay on pages 16-20 or go to educationplanner.org or collegeboard.com or use resources in counseling office. Schreyer Honors College of PSU requires three essays - begin them now! Have at least one person proof your essay. Make sure that you are coming across the way you intended.

14. If you need a counselor recommendation for any college you are applying to, make sure that you have completed these forms at least 3 weeks before the recommendation is due College Application To-Do List Information For Letter Of Recommendation In – House Evaluation Forms (4)

15. PSU does not require recommendations, with the exception of Schreyer Honors College. Teacher recommendation—any 9 th through 12 th grade teacher may write a recommendation. Teachers write about you in their classroom, counselors write a composite recommendation about you. Some colleges will require specific subject teachers. Counselor recommendation – Tanya Anderson, Alice Ball, Susan Marshall, Jill Campbell, Jen Rand (or any counselor/LE teacher you have been working with). If you need a letter of recommendation you will need to fill out the Green Sheet packet and have 3- 4 teachers fill out white in- house evaluation sheets (returned to us).

16. Some colleges want to receive recommendations and transcripts together. If this is what the college requires, then all documents must be sent from the counseling office (you provide the 9x12 self-addressed stamped envelope with 4 stamps). Other colleges that require recommendations state that teachers and counselors may mail/upload recommendations separately. Waive your right to read the recommendation.

17. Apply online if possible. Apply to at least one “safety” school that is both academically and financially safe. Try to limit your applications to 4 - 6 colleges. The average application fee is $50 per application. Apply as early as possible to get maximum consideration. Make a detailed checklist for each college application.

18. Counseling Office Team * Treat them well *

20. You must complete a transcript request form for each college/institution that needs your transcript with Mrs. Wolanski in the North Counseling Office in order to have your transcript submitted. (transcripts are free for current students) THE ONLINE FORM IS ONLY FOR GRADUATES OF STATE HIGH. Do NOT use this online request form. Make sure your request is in at least 3 weeks before it is due.

21. School Report Forms (Counselor fills out) Early Decision Agreement Mid Year Report College Specific Financial Aid Forms Athletic Supplement Arts Supplement Final Report/Transcript

22. Paper Applications 9x12 envelope, addressed with 4 stamps Transcript/Mid Year Report A regular legal size envelope, addressed with 1 stamp is required to send all transcripts unless it is being sent to PSU, for the Common App, or through SENDedu

23. Rolling admission Early decision Early action Regular decision Note: For both transcript and recommendations, make sure that you give the counseling office and your counselor at least 3 weeks notice. Example, if the deadline is December 1 st have all your requests in by November 9 th.

24. PSU App should be submitted by Oct. 31 st to be safe Early Decision and Early Action applications that are due November 1 st must be submitted to us by Oct. 10 th to be on time December 31 st or January 1 st due dates must be submitted to us by December 2 nd due to the holiday break. Jan. 15 th due dates must be submitted to us before the holiday break. Feb. 1 st due dates must be submitted by Jan. 9 th to our office.

25. You apply to a college and never come to the counseling office to request your transcript to be sent from our HS to the college. You apply to a college and forget to send your SAT/ACT scores to the college. You apply to college and forget to download all the necessary forms. You miss a deadline. You forget to ask for teacher and/or counselor recommendations. You forget to hit the submit button.

26. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student AID (FAFSA) soon after Jan 1st, 2015. A FAFSA is also needed for the parent/student loan process. Fill Out CSS Financial Aid Profile if required by the college (usually private colleges require this). PSU students should complete their FAFSA on the web by March 1 st for maximum financial aid consideration. Become familiar with the financial aid process. Read the financial aid section in the College Planning Book - pages 24-32. Visit http://www.finaid.org/ for a preliminary financial aid estimate.http://www.finaid.org/ Attend financial aid nights: - PHEAA – webinar on December 11, 2014 @7pm ( Details to follow) -Penn State Financial Aid – November 18th, 2014 @ 7pm South Aud.

27. Comprehensive Scholarship Information - www.fastweb.com www.fastweb.com Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency - www.pheaa.org www.pheaa.org State High Senior Scholarship Book –will be distributed during March, 2015 in your ENGLISH classes (copies will also be available in Counseling Office) Resources in North Counseling Office Employment/religious affiliations/military Many colleges give out hefty merit financial aid College specific scholarships can be found on the college websites sometime mid-fall/early winter

28. Go to www.scasd.orgwww.scasd.org Go to the high school main page Under the Welcome section in the middle of the page (in maroon), click on Headlines Click on College Visits and/or Scholarship Opportunities Lock Haven Instant Decision Day – Oct. 7 th. Details to come

29. You will receive a copy of your unofficial transcript in English class later this week. Please check this document to make sure that it is accurate and that it meets high school graduation requirements: 22.5 credits needed to graduate: - 4 credits in English and History - 3 credits in Science and Math - 1.8 credits in Phys. Ed. - 1.0 credits in Health -.20 credits in Driver’s Ed. - 5.5 credits in Electives - Graduation Project (pass/fail) - 20 Community Service Hours (pass/fail)

30. Just ask… There are many ways to do this, but we recommend applying now, defer your acceptance, and enjoy your gap year. Does NOT impact your acceptance, in fact, it may enhance it if you apply at a later date.

32. Transitioning from High School to College