River Hill HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT AUGUST 27, 2015

(H-N) Mrs. Coe (A-G) Mrs. Fairley (O-Z) Dr. Saunders AAM Mr. Lauer Administrative Team Mrs. McKinley Principal

Student Services A-Da - Mr. Ives De-J - Mrs. Babe K-M - Mrs. Pizzo N-Sm - Mr. Vangeli Sn-Z - Mr. Krouse ESOL - Mrs. Miller

Students show HAWK PRIDE every day in every way! ❑ Punctuality ❑ Respect ❑ Integrity ❑ Determination ❑ Excellence

Student Responsibilities and Behavior Student and Parent Handbook, ● HCPSS Policies ● Student Code of Conduct ● Safe Schools ● Family Involvement

GOALS OF EVENING To provide a clear understanding of how to request a recommendation from your teacher and how to request a transcript/letter of recommendation from Student Services. To provide an overview of how to use the Common App and other electronic applications. To provide strategies and input on the admissions process. To understand how Naviance can help students with the college application process.

7 Web based service designed especially for students and parents. Comprehensive website that you and your child can use to help in making decisions about courses, colleges, and careers. Linked with Naviance Succeed, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that is specific to River Hill. Naviance Family Connection connection.naviance.com/riverhillhigh

8  View guidance news bulletins  View college visits and sign up  Create a résumé  Complete a college search  Complete a career search  Develop a prospective college list  Provide access to scholarship search engines; over a hundred national scholarships are available  Maintain journal entries  Game Plan Survey  Complete school developed surveys  Compare colleges  Links to selected third party resources (i.e. College Board, Financial Aid, NCAA, Careers, College searches, etc.)  Track deadlines  View scattergrams WHAT CAN STUDENTS AND PARENTS DO USING FAMILY CONNECTION?

REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS, LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION THE COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT PROCESS

 SUBMIT WAIVER OF RIGHTS FORM  SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM  MATCH COMMON APP AND NAVIANCE Student Services PART

Waiver of Rights: This form must be completed once by all students wishing to send letters of recommendation to college. Complete and return to Student Services before you invite teachers on Naviance!

TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM Submit Transcript Request Form The Transcript request form must be submitted 20 school days prior to your FIRST college deadline. The deadline is October 1 st for the November 1 deadline!

Transcript Request Form Return to Student Services with $4 per transcript!

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION: WHAT GETS SENT? A certified copy of your high school transcript which includes your current schedule River Hill High School Profile Letter of recommendation from counselor (if requested) Note: 1. Official transcripts CANNOT be released until after the first week of October. 2. Midterm grade reports will be sent for all students to all schools included on your transcript request form. ALL TRANSCRIPTS, LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FROM COUNSELORS AND TEACHERS WILL BE SENT THROUGH NAVIANCE

 PERSONALLY ASK TEACHERS (SPRING)  COMPLETE TEACHER INPUT FORM (SPRING)  REQUEST TEACHER ON NAVIANCE (SPRING)  SUBMIT TEACHER REQUEST FORM (HARD COPY) TO TEACHER  WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE! TEACHER PART

Personally Ask Two Teachers to Write your Letter of Recommendation (Spring Junior Year) ASK TEACHERS FOR LETTERS **It is imperative that you ask the teachers face to face or send them an requesting this.

When the teachers agree to write your letter, complete the teacher information form. (Spring Junior Year) TEACHER INFORMATION FORM

TEACHER REQUEST ON NAVIANCE Request Teachers on Naviance (Spring Junior Year)

INVITING TEACHERS ON NAVIANCE Colleges tab  Colleges I’m Applying To  Under “Teacher Recommendations” click in “add/cancel requests”  Use the drop down menu to select teacher(s)  Click “Update Requests” button to finalize requests

TEACHER REQUEST FORM Submit Teacher Request Form The Teacher request form must be submitted 20 school days prior to your FIRST college deadline. The deadline is October 1 st for the November 1 deadline!

Complete & return to each of your teachers

SUGGESTIONS FROM TEACHERS Be sure you are including what you want written in the recommendation in your teacher input form. This is your opportunity to diversify your application. Be thoughtful of who you are asking to write your recommendation. A thank you note is appreciated. Let the teachers know where you got accepted!

Parents are asked to complete the parent input form to help counselors write the letter of recommendation. (Spring Junior Year) PARENT PART

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER  COMMON APPLICATION  MATCHING NAVIANCE WITH COMMON APP  SAT/ACT  MAKING A LIST  USING NAVIANCE  UPCOMING DATES

COMMON APPLICATION Create a Common App Account

Common Application can be used to apply to over 600 Universities.

MATCH YOUR COMMON APP- NAVIANCE “Match” your Common App account and your Naviance account

Matching Common App & Naviance

REGISTER AND STUDY FOR THE SAT/ACT Register for October 3rd SAT Deadline: September 3rd Register for October 24 th ACT Deadline: September 18th

CREATING A LIST 1-2 Reach schools A school where you fall below the average GPA and SAT Scores /50 schools Schools that you meet the GPA and SAT averages. 1-2 Safe Schools Schools where you are clearly above the average GPA and SAT’s. BE OPEN MINDED AND REALISTIC A SAFE SCHOOL NEEDS TO BE FINANCIALLY SAFE AS WELL

NAVIANCE CAN HELP YOU CREATE A LIST

ADMISSION DECISIONS Early Decision: Early Decision:Early deadline, early response, BINDING Early Action Early ActionEarly deadline, early response, NON-BINDING Priority Deadline Priority DeadlineStudents apply by an earlier deadline, and receive priority over students who do not meet the deadline. Decisions are usually given by January 31 Rolling Admissions Rolling AdmissionsStudents are accepted/denied as applications are received Regular Admission Regular AdmissionApply by regular deadline (usually Jan 15) and hear a response by April 1

UPCOMING DATES September 3: SAT Deadline for October SAT. October 1: Deadline to request teacher recommendations for November 1 college deadline. October 1:Deadline to request counselor recommendations for November 1 college deadline. November 1:Deadline for UMCP, UMBC, JMU, and most early action decisions. December 1:Deadlines for Delaware, Towson January/February 2015: Complete FAFSA Form. Nov - April 2015: Receive Decisions from Colleges. May 1, 2015: Make Final Decision on School Attending

FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid - First step in the financial aid process. Use to apply for federal student aid, such as grants, loans and work-study. Allows students and their parents to borrow money to help pay for college. Usually have low interest rates and offer attractive repayment terms, benefits and options. Generally, repayment of a federal loan does not begin until after the student leaves school. Can be used to pay school expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies and transportation.

FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid - Federal Deadline - Online applications must be submitted by midnight Central Daylight Time, June 30, Any corrections or updates must be submitted by midnight Central Daylight Time, September 15, State Deadline (Maryland) – Must be received by midnight March 1, College Deadline - Each college may have a different deadline.

CLOSING THOUGHTS 1. Visit your prospective campuses. (Again.) 2. Make the most of your choice. 3. If money is an issue, see your counselor. There are lots of ways to access college and many scholarship and grant programs available. 4. “Don’t forget what you do in college is much more important than where you go to college.” -- Philip A. Ballinger, director of undergraduate admissions, University of Washington, Seattle

HELPFUL HINTS Colleges look at your applications as a whole package. o Use different parts of application to highlight different parts of yourself, ie teacher rec, counselor rec, personal essay, short answers Meet all deadlines. Utilize all your resources. Counselors, teachers, parents, friends, workshops at school, admissions counselors, financial aid counselors Be realistic when making your list. Check the Naviance website for scholarships, college information.