R-S Central High School Junior Planning Presented by Mrs. Davis

I am available to assist you in planning for success in the following areas: Academic Career Personal/Social

SAT /ACT Register to take the SAT and/or ACT 1 st or 2 nd Semester of your junior year. Your scores should meet the entrance requirements of the university you wish to attend. You can check university requirements at

SAT /ACT Register to take the SAT and/or ACT early in your senior year (if your previous scores do not meet the entrance requirements of the university you wish to attend).

Register online at board.com You can pay by credit card or fee waiver OR come to the counseling office for a registration booklet; you can pay by check, money order, or fee waiver.

SAT Fee Waiver If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, you also qualify for an SAT fee waiver which entitles juniors and seniors to take the SAT two times (total) free of charge. Request the fee waivers from the counseling office before you register.

To prepare for the SAT visit board.com or Get a practice booklet from the counseling office.

If you plan to attend a community college (ICC) when you graduate, you do not need to take the SAT or ACT. SAT /ACT are required by the 4 year universities for students who plan to attend immediately after high school.

If you plan to attend ICC or any community college, you will need to take the ASSET or COMPAS assessment by 2 nd semester of your senior year. Again, an SAT/ACT score is not necessary for admission to a community college.

Transcripts Carefully check your high school transcript for mistakes; all high school and college courses should be included. If you see any mistakes, please see me immediately!

NCAA ClearingHouse If you plan to participate in college sports, you must submit an application to NCAA. If you do not, you will not be permitted to participate in any college athletic program.

You should register with NCAA during your junior year in high school. The website is

In order to qualify, you must meet the requirements set forth by NCAA concerning your GPA and the 16 required core courses. NCAA does not accept most credit recovery courses; therefore, if you fail a core course, you will need to retake the entire course. Go to the website, see your coach, or see a school counselor for details.

Students must meet the SAT or ACT requirements in order to qualify with NCAA. When you register for the SAT or ACT, be sure to have your scores sent directly to NCAA. The code is NCAA will not accept SAT/ACT scores that are printed on your transcript; if you do not use the code, you will have to pay to have the scores sent separately.

FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid This is the first step in applying for almost all financial aid.

FAFSA Application Process STEP 1 Get a FAFSA pin number for yourself and your parent at

Submit your FAFSA application as soon AFTER January 1 st as possible of your senior year. You must use the information from your parents’ income tax return, so you may want to let them know in time to gather and submit tax information as soon as possible; the deadline is usually early March, but each college may vary. Also, once the money is gone, there is no more! It is in your best interest to submit asap.

FAFSA4CASTER To practice the FAFSA and get an estimate of how much financial aid you can expect, go to You can do this at anytime.

FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process by providing you with an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid. In addition, FAFSA4caster will increase your knowledge of the financial aid process and provide information about other sources of aid.

Another feature of FAFSA4caster is the "FAFSA4caster Tip". These tips appear throughout the site and provide you with information that will help make preparing for college and the financial aid process easier.

But that's not all. If you use FAFSA4caster, when you're ready to officially apply for aid, FAFSA4caster will transfer all of your data to the FAFSA on the Web application, making the experience of applying for federal student aid a lot easier for you. You will only have to update the information.

So help make your forecast a bright one by not only planning for college but by preparing for the costs of a college education. Go ahead and get started... use FAFSA4caster now!

Opportunities for Juniors PSAT: Juniors in the top 20 GPA are encouraged to take the PSAT their Junior year – free of charge. You automatically will be entered in the National Merit Scholarship. Juniors who make top PSAT scores in the nation will be awarded scholarships. Register in the counseling office in late September.

Governor’s School Juniors who are interested in spending 6 weeks in the summer on a college campus studying with other high school students from across NC may apply for Governor’s School. It is a very academically competitive program; top students are selected. Check in the counseling office for more information. Application is due in October each year.

Carolina Catalyst Conference Interested students may apply to spend a free weekend on the UNC Chapel Hill campus discussing relevant topic with other high school students from across NC. The application is due early November. Listen for announcements.

The following opportunities are for students who may want to attend these schools: Gardener-Webb Junior Scholar Wofford Junior Scholar Furman Junior Scholar See your school counselor for more information.

Prudential Spirit of the Community Award For students who have diligently accumulated community service volunteer hours. Deadline for application is in October. Listen for announcements.

Summer Ventures in Science and Math Rising juniors and seniors spend 4 weeks on a North Carolina college campus – free of charge! Visit the school counseling office for online application information. Deadline is in January. Listen for announcements.

Project Uplift Current Juniors who are ranked in the top 25 % of their class can apply to spend a weekend on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill.

College Foundation of North Carolina CFNC Open your free account at Create my account… follow directions.

The CFNC site connects you to the website of every college and university in NC. You can access applications, financial aid opportunities, admission requirements, campus statistics and highlights, contacts, and much more!

Applying to College After researching CFNC and other resources: 1.Select at least 3 colleges that meet your academic needs. 2. Make sure you know the application deadlines! Each college is different! 3.From their websites, retrieve applications so that you know what is expected when you begin the process. Applying to College After researching CFNC and other resources: 1.Select at least 3 colleges that meet your academic needs. 2. Make sure you know the application deadlines! Each college is different! 3.From their websites, retrieve applications so that you know what is expected when you begin the process.

Check the college website for SCHOLARSHIPS particular to that school. It is very important to meet the deadlines if you want to be considered for these scholarships. For example, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, USC, etc. have October 1 st deadlines for their merit scholarships. Stay informed!

FYI: Chapel Hill offers the Carolina Covenant Scholarship for students who are accepted to Carolina but cannot afford the costs. It pays 100%, so don’t let $ keep you from applying! Other universities offer similar opportunities. Check the websites.

Listen carefully to Announcements! Most scholarship and summer opportunities are announced during school announcements so that everyone has equal opportunity. If you are absent, check to see what you miss.

BE PROACTIVE! Much literature and information is available in the school counseling office. Please stop by to take advantage of all that we have to offer. Thank you for viewing this presentation. Please come by the counseling office for more information.