WELCOME SENIORS! Post-Secondary Planning: The Time is NOW

Who Is My Counselor??! Last NameCounselor A-EJulia Fisher F-MaLinda Videll Mc-RiOlga Cordero Ro-Z Maura Brady-McMullen

First things first... Graduation Requirements 4 credits (4 years)Language Arts 3 credits (3 years)Math 3 credits (3 years)Science 3 credits (3 years)Social Studies.5 credits (1 sem.)Health 2 credits (4 classes)P. E..5 credits (1 sem.)Practical Art.5 credits (1 sem)Fine Arts 8 creditsElectives 24.5 Total Credits NCAA: y_center/Quick_Reference_Sh eet.pdf y_center/Quick_Reference_Sh eet.pdf Credit Recovery Options BYU eCredit Oct 3 rd deadline Sem 1 1 credit per semester Unsure? See you counselor!!

The Honors Credit Check

The VPA Credit Check – Performing Arts

The VPA Credit Check – Visual Arts

The STEM Credit Check

What are my options for after high school??

Explore Your Choices Military Service – Americorps Apprenticeship/Work Travel College/University 2 year or 4 year? Public or Private?

Start Talking... Parents Teachers Family Members Counselor College Representatives – what to ask them? Military Representatives Friends

How do I begin this process? Determine your priorities—use a check list Remember parents may have different priorities from students – Cost – Size – Majors – Location – Selectivity – Public/Private Visit, visit, visit college campuses!! – what to ask?

Community Colleges Many Advantages: – Smaller class sizes – Less expensive – Can live at home – If you’re not quite ready to go to a 4 year college – Flexible schedules, night, weekend classes – 60/60 Beware Proprietary Schools!!! – (Everest, Heritage, Westwood, DeVry) – If you’re unsure, ask!

What are colleges looking for? Academic Record – GPA, class rank, improvement, difficulty of classes Testing – ACT or SAT with writing Extracurricular Activities – Work – Community service Letters of Recommendation Honors and Awards Essays Interviews Commitment/Passion Leadership

TESTING ACT – Next test October 26 Register before Oct 11 – late fee will be added $36.50(+late fee) no writing/$52.50(+late fee) with writing Register at SAT – see blog Register at Accuplacer (Community College Placement Test) – ask the community college for more info Don’t wait to retake!!

Letters of Recommendation Check applications carefully to see if you need one Choose a teacher, coach, administrator, counselor, who knows you really well Request 2 -3 weeks prior to when you need them Always provide a complete list of schools to which you are applying; always provide stamped addressed envelopes We will give it to you – you mail it. Send a thank you note

Essays/Personal Statement Don’t make up hardships Demonstrate Character Convey what they wouldn’t glean from your application alone Have others read it for feedback (not just your parent)

College Application Steps 1. Complete application – online is best 2. Request teacher or counselor recommendations at least 3 weeks in advance of due dates -- only if needed 3. Make sure ACT or SAT scores are sent to the college directly from ACT or SAT when you test or indicate they be sent on your transcript request

You are responsible for meeting deadlines and submitting complete applications!

College Searches on the Web Collegeincolorado.org Colleges That Change Lives Ctcl.com Local College Fairs collegefairsdenver.org College View collegeview.com Peterson Education Petersons.com (Quick test-prep searches are available on this site including ACT, ASVAB, SAT, MCAT, TOEFL, firefighter and many, many more!) College Search Collegesurfing.com College/Major Search/Test Prep Princetonreview.com College Answer Collegeanswer.com College Board On-line Collegeboard.com College Campus Tours Campustours.com College Planning C3apply.org College Search Embark.com Go College Search Gocollege.com How to Choose a College Usnews.com (click on “education”)

College Fairs Day/Night College Fair – October 17, Thursday – 6:00 – 7:30 – Silver Creek HS Out of State College Fair – October 9, Wednesday – 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Monarch High School, 329 Campus Drive, Louisville

October is College Application Month

How Do I Pay for College??! Parents/own money Scholarships Financial Aid – Grants – Work Study – Loans College Opportunity Fund (COF) – Collegeincolorado.org

Things to Know…. Two-thirds of college students graduate with some debt, the average being $20,000 Your chances of getting a full-ride scholarship are slim: 1 in 50,000 Scholarships are not just for Athletes and Brains Scholarships are not just for financially needy families

Scholarships Time = Money! If you are awarded a $1000 scholarship and it took you 6 hours to complete the application you just earned $166 an hour

Where do I look for Scholarships? College currently attending/will be attending Within the college: Financial Aid office, Academic Depts. Internet Library Employer (Tuition Re-imbursement, Loan Re-payment) Local Businesses: Target, Walmart, Burger King, McDonald’s Church/Congregation High School Counselor

Free Scholarship Searches (National Medical Fellows) (for CU Boulder) (Student Exchange Program in the western US)

FAFSA FREE Application for Federal Student Aid January 1 st, 2014 FAFSA night – Wed., Feb. 12 th, :30 – 6:00 pm

Loans To apply for a student loan, student MUST file FAFSA Loans must be repaid Repayment begins either after student graduates or is no longer enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours.

Blog: Twitter: SHSCounseling1 15 Min. Senior Meetings—sign up!!