Students will be knowledgeable about the following:  Options After High School  Standardized Testing  Researching Colleges  Applying for College  Family Connection

 A-Car - Mrs. Gaskins  Cas-F - Mr. Brown  G-Kh - Mrs. Handville  Ki-Om - Mrs. Casillas  Op-Se - Mr. Jackson  Sf- Z - Ms. George  College and Career Counselor – Mrs. Kellogg  Director of Counseling – Mr. Supon

Trade & Technical School 4-year college 2-year college Military

 START EARLY if you are thinking of enlisting  Contact recruiters this summer  Sign up to take the ASVAB in the fall  ROTC options at four year colleges  Enlistment vs. officer

 Check out the many offerings at NVCC ◦ Certificates (many in less than two years)  If NVCC doesn’t have what you want, do your research ◦ Culinary Institute, Universal Technical Institute, ECPI, Paul Mitchell the school, etc. can be great options, but read the fine print

 2-year options: Community College (Northern Virginia Community College NOVA) ◦ PATHWAYS PROGRAM  Application deadline: November, 2015 ◦ Earn a Certificate (C or CSC), Applied Associates Degree (AAA or AAS), Associates Degree (AS or AA) to enter the College Transfer Program ◦ Guaranteed Admissions Programs available at many VA schools ◦ Right in our backyard, a great bargain, small classes … especially if you aren’t sure what you want to do

 How to find the “best fit:” ◦ Coursework, average GPA and test scores ◦ Majors ◦ Location ◦ Size ◦ Athletics ◦ Population demographics ◦ Clubs and organizations, Greek Life ◦ Military affiliation  Use SuperMatch™ college search on Family Connection

 Visit as many colleges as possible this summer to narrow down your list  Create a solid list of 4-6 schools that you will apply to ◦ Include reach, target and safety schools (majority target schools)  Know the application deadlines for the colleges where you are applying ◦ Early decision: apply early, find out early, BINDING ◦ Early action: apply early, find out early, non- binding ◦ Regular decision

 If possible, take the SAT and ACT spring of junior year. Then, retake one fall of senior year.  Spend the summer preparing for whichever test you will take in the fall  SAT vs. ACT ◦ SAT – intelligence test ◦ ACT – aptitude test  Fee waivers are available if you qualify - See Mrs. Kellogg  Send your scores to schools BEFORE you take the test ◦ Schools use the best score

Family Connection  Use to research colleges, scholarships, see upcoming college visits and events, order transcripts, and much more.  Link on Gar-Field webpage  Username: student id number  Password: birthday (mmddyy)

 Reps from schools all over VA and surrounding states visit GFHS throughout the fall  Sign up on Family Connection ◦ You can find upcoming visits under the “colleges” tab  Print out your registration confirmation, this is your pass!  Tips ◦ Have 2 questions ready to ask each representative such as “ How large is your average class?” or “What is the average GPA for incoming freshmen?” ◦ Try out at least one college you have never heard of.

 Check any colleges or universities you are interested in for potential institutional scholarships ◦ Check out college websites for early scholarship deadlines!  Family Connection has a list of national and local scholarships  Apply to any and all that you are eligible for, it’s FREE MONEY!

 Make post-graduation plans ◦ Trade School? 2-year college? 4-year college? ◦ Develop a timeline and set deadlines  Prepare for SAT/ACT  Register/take the SAT/ACT  Research and visit colleges  Finalize list of colleges to apply to  APPLY!

 Are you a first generation college student? You have an additional opportunity to participate in a new program that will give you extra information.  You will learn how to get into college, pay for college and stay in college. (40% of college students don't graduate).  We will meet 1-2 times a month.  If you are interested, your name, student ID# and preferred address to The subject line should be your name.