Have a SUCCESSFUL Senior Year

Timelines for 9th – 10th For Freshmen and Sophomores Before the school year gets underway, you should start practicing good time management and organization skills. If you don't already, start using a daily planner to organize your schedule and keep track of homework and other activities. Get involved! If you are involved in extracurricular (Clubs) & volunteering activities, you should start keeping track of your hours and activities/projects for college admission applications. Plan ahead so you can balance your time successfully between these activities and your school work. Start a PORTFOLIO of all your activities both on campus as well as in the community! CLASS RANKING starts HERE!!!! This impacts admissions as well as scholarships! At the end of your sophomore year, begin finding out about DUAL Credit and AP courses for college credit from your guidance counselor.

Personality/Career Test It is a great idea to take a personality test (ASVAB) your junior year to begin identifying which career your personality is best suited for. Once you have identified the career, you can begin to see which colleges are the best choice for that type of career You can inquire at your local school, Guidance Office, for more information.

11th (Assessment/Scholarship search) 11th Grade Academics are always your first responsibility in high school, but in-depth involvement in extracurricular activities provides another learning experience (Keep track of your GPA and class ranking). Volunteer to lead a project: Serve as a committee or project chair. Develop your problem-solving, organizational, and leadership abilities. (add to PORTFOLIO) Know the sponsor: Interact more with the adult or faculty sponsor of the clubs or organizations you belong to. This person may prove to be a great advisor through high school (You will need to ask them to provide you with a LETTER of RECOMMENDATION for college) Continue taking AP classes as well as DUAL Credit classes, if available. Begin to take ACT prep classes and take exam as early as possible Register to take the ACT. You will take the ACT in March for free, you do not need to register for the March test given at school. Begin scholarship search: online application to local scholarships, online scholarships, as well as institutional scholarships (those provided at the college/university you are applying to). Make sure you are on track to graduate, if not, what do you need to do about it?

SENIOR YEAR Check to see that you have completed all the courses necessary for graduation. If not, make sure they are on your schedule for your senior year. Take and Retake (if necessary) ACT and/or SAT. Study and work hard to pass all sections of required tests NOTE: Check EARLY to see which is accepted at the college/university you are applying to.. Ensure you have done the following: submitted applications (common application or individual application to college/university) prior to deadlines Submitted all scholarship applications prior to deadline Requested a PIN for you and for your parent in order to complete the FAFSA Completed the FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) as early as possible (applications can be submitted starting October 1st of each year for the following academic year.) Accept Financial Aid offered. Most schools require you to fill out the FAFSA whether you are attending a technical school, University, College or if you know you won’t qualify for financial aid.

Admissions Process Research Your Options Not sure which college or university you'd like to apply to? Not sure about the requirements for applying to the one you’ve chosen? Here's some information you might find helpful: Take a Campus Visit You are allowed 2 excused college visit absences per year, your Senior year. You will need to check the website of the school you are interested in visiting, for Spotlight days or days/ times they offer campus tours. Some schools will waive the application fee if you visit their school. Ask questions about admission acceptance when you are on your visit. All schools have different admissions policies. Admission Applications If you apply with a paper application or online, most schools require you to pay a fee to apply. Sometimes the application fees are cheaper if you apply online. If you are on Free/Reduced lunch and applying to colleges, your Guidance Counselor can fill out a fee waiver for application fees for schools in Kentucky. Not all colleges, technical schools or universities accept fee waivers, however, we can send an application fee waiver for you. Schools will also need a copy of your high school transcripts, you will need to get a copy from the Guidance Office or have the Guidance office mail your transcript to the school of your choice.

ACT Information To get more information on the SAT or SAT Subject Tests, access useful tools, or register, visit the College Board's Web site(www.collegeboard.org) To get more information on the ACT and to access useful tools, or register, visit : www.actstudent.org.

Scholarship Search Check the Guidance Counseling website for Scholarship information. All Scholarship information that is offered to students at our high school is on the website. We have a spreadsheet with detailed information on the name of the scholarship, when it’s due and where to get an application. Please check the website regularly and also check your school email account for scholarship applications emailed directly to you.

Creating a College Budget 1) Access the college “Cost of Attendance” link on the college website or from the Getting In book that is distributed to Seniors at the beginning of the year. 2) Pay attention to the costs for each item (tuition/fees, books/supplies, transportation, personal items, room/board) 3) Log on to www.kheaa.com and create a zip access account then fill out your college cost and planning report. 4) www.GoHigherKY.org is also a great website for checking out different financial aid avenues and processes. 5) Compare school award letters (loans, scholarships, etc.) 6) Create a FAFSA ID from https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid and Apply for federal/state scholarship/loans ASAP after October 1st at (www.fafsa.ed.gov).

QUESTIONS Please contact the Guidance Counselor at (502)484-4197 or email doug.wainscott@owen.kyschools.us