dhs counselors (A-D) (E-K) (L-R) (S-Z) Lead Counselor Mr. Westry Ms. Stinson Mrs. Montgomery Ms. Parker (A-D) (E-K) (L-R) (S-Z) Lead Counselor 2

Important Dates August 23 Individual Senior Conferences Begin September 12 Georgia State College Tour September 14 Scholarship Workshop October 4 ASVAB October 26 Financial Aid Night November 2 College Fair (during school day) November 3 Apply to College Day November 8 Kennesaw State February 16 HBCU Lunch Fair March 29 Career Day April 20 Academic Signing Day May 17 Senior Awards Night Future College Tours: UGA, UWG, Morehouse, Spelman, Clark, etc. Get prepared for life after high school Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to be when they are adults—and how they can get there. Others aren’t sure of their plans, and that's okay too. Regardless of what you want to be, you still need to prepare for which ever path you choose to take….careers, military, academic preparation for college, how to pay for college, and basically managing your life after high school graduation. This is why this year is so very important. You will need to make some very important decisions and we are here to assist you with your decision, which brings us to why we are here today. 3

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS 4 LA 4 Math 4 Science 1 Health/PE 3 Social Science (U.S. History and World History, Economics and Government) 3 Electives (Fine Arts/Technology/Foreign Language) 4 additional electives ____________________________ 23 credits

FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES Bachelor’s Degrees Public Colleges/Universities Private Colleges/Universities Admissions Requirements SAT and/or ACT for entrance exam May require letters of recommendation **2 years of same foreign language.

TWO-YEAR AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES Associate Degrees and Certifications Public Private Entrance Exams Vary Compass ACT or SAT No Entrance Exam Transfer to a four-year college TAG Program

MILITARY and WORKFORCE Opportunities Training Education Travel Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)—October 4 sign up counseling office. WORKFORCE/CAREER INFORMATION www.gafutures.org

SENIOR YEAR TIMELINE FALL Take SAT/ACT/ASVAB Complete FAFSA Attend Senior Conference with Counselor Research colleges & attend college fairs Begin to complete application packets College Essay Resume Letters of Recommendation College visits Get prepared for life after high school Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to be when they are adults—and how they can get there. Others aren’t sure of their plans, and that's okay too. Regardless of what you want to be, you still need to prepare for which ever path you choose to take….careers, military, academic preparation for college, how to pay for college, and basically managing your life after high school graduation. This is why this year is so very important. You will need to make some very important decisions and we are here to assist you with your decision, which brings us to why we are here today. 8

SENIOR YEAR TIMELINE SPRING Take SAT/ACT one more time, if needed Apply for scholarships Make decisions about college Complete FAFSA (if you didn’t in Fall) Avoid “senioritis” May affect college admissions May affect scholarships May affect graduation GRADUATE May 2018!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get prepared for life after high school Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to be when they are adults—and how they can get there. Others aren’t sure of their plans, and that's okay too. Regardless of what you want to be, you still need to prepare for which ever path you choose to take….careers, military, academic preparation for college, how to pay for college, and basically managing your life after high school graduation. This is why this year is so very important. You will need to make some very important decisions and we are here to assist you with your decision, which brings us to why we are here today. 9

Choosing a College that’s right for YOU!! Research the schools that interest you to ensure it’s the school that’s right for you SAT/ACT minimum GPA requirements (weighted/unweighted) Extracurricular/community service requirements Essays Financial requirements Target, Reach, Safe Schools College Visits Early Decision, Rolling Admission, Early Action Letters of Recommendation Complete Brag Allow 2 weeks for rec letters to be completed Panther Predictor Panther Predictor

SCHOLARSHIPS/ COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE DHS Website Updates/HCSS Website REMIND Scholarship Workshops Other (churches/businesses, etc.) ACCEPTANCE LETTERS Scholarships/Military/College Submit copies of acceptance letters to your Counselor

HOPE Scholarship Zell Miller Scholarship HOPE Scholarship HOPE Grant 3.7 GPA (Calculated by GSFC) Full tuition covered (15 credit hours) Rigor requirements 1200 SAT combined Reading + Math; 26 ACT composite score HOPE Scholarship 3.0 GPA (calculated by GSFC) 80-90% tuition covered Rigor Requirements HOPE Grant No GPA requirement For Georgia technical schools **Pass out “Want HOPE” brochure

HOPE Rigor Requirements In addition to GPA requirements, students must have 4 of these… AP courses Dual Enrollment courses Chemistry, Anatomy, Physics... Spanish II, French II, Spanish/French III+ Adv. Algebra, Pre-Cal, Adv. Math Dec.

Plan to Play Sports in College? You must visit the NCAA Eligibility Center !!! website www.eligibilitycenter.org After registering– request transcript be sent to NCAA Fee SAT/ACT scores sent via www.collegeboard.org or www.actstudent.org 14

GAFUTURES.ORG TRANSCRIPTS All students need an account! Frequently visit www.gafutures.org send transcripts /college admissions info financial aid/View your HOPE GPA apply for state scholarships/ grants First transcript is FREE! Each additional is $2. See Mrs. Cathy Robinson, Counseling Secretary Final Transcripts are sent to colleges during Summer

In Conclusion…. Please see your teachers for their scheduled tutorials offered before and after school. Parents, please make sure you monitor your student’s progress by visiting the DHS website and signing up for Parent Portal. Once you meet with your counselor individually, we will discuss your current courses to ensure you are on the right track for graduation. Other course recovery options – Faith Academy, Henry County Online, or Georgia Virtual School No we will take time to meet with you individually and discuss your transcripts and make sure that each student is in the correct class for graduation. We hope that every student will stay on track until graduation, in the event that you are not successful in all required classes 1st semester we will discuss ways for you to get what is needed to graduate on time. ANY QUESTIONS…. 16

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR!!!!