1. SENIOR MEETING 2014 COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 Please take notes as needed! Check out website http://www.rochester.k12.mi.us/stoney- creek-high-school/pages/83760/college-admission-how-to- apply-to-collegehttp://www.rochester.k12.mi.us/stoney- creek-high-school/pages/83760/college-admission-how-to- apply-to-college

2. Refresher…..how to choose a college to best fit you! Major or Degree of interest: Make sure the college has the major or degree you are interested in. Size: What size do you prefer? large, medium or small Location: Does location matter to you? Campus life: Activities, sports, clubs, etc. Cost: Does it fall in the financial plan? College Visits: You must visit before making your final choice Make appointment, try to sit in a class, talk to students, ask lots of questions

3. Refresher….what colleges look at Grades in college prep courses Strength of curriculum/rigor of schedule (including senior year) ACT/SAT Grades in all courses Essay Letters of Recommendation Extracurricular activities

4. Admission Policies Regular admissions: apply by November and you are usually notified in April Rolling Admissions: colleges review applications in “batches” and make their decision in about 4-6 weeks. Apply ASAP! (September/Early October) Early action/notification: apply early and get an admissions decision in advance-not legally binding Early decision: apply early and get an admissions decision in advance- legally binding if you are accepted and you must go to that school. On-site admissions Open admissions: examples are OCC, MCC

5. ACT/SAT TESTS If you still want to take or retake the ACT or SAT the dates are as follows. ACT: Test date October 25 th, registration deadline September 19 th Register at www.actstudent.org SAT: Test date October 11 th,registration deadline is September12 th Make sure you send the scores to colleges you are applying We do NOT send ACT/SAT scores with your transcript Stoney Creek’s High School: 233-201

6. Scholarships Commit the time to research and apply for scholarships Check SCHS scholarship folder on the counseling website Look over college scholarship and financial aid web pages (some examples) www.finaid.org www.meritaid.com www.fafsa.gov www.fastweb.com www.careercruising.com www.collegeboard.com www.scholarships.com www.fastaid.com Check out the Greater Rochester Foundation Scholarships this fall! Watch deadlines and look at requirements Complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You may submit the financial aid forms starting January 1, 2015; however you may begin the process prior.www.fafsa.ed.gov Financial Aid night is November 20 th at 6:30 pm. Tell your parents please.

7. NCAA (D1/D2 college athletics) If you plan to participate in Division I or II sports in college you must register and send your ACT or SAT scores to the NCAA Clearinghouse; code 9999. Register at www.eligibilitycenter.org. www.eligibilitycenter.org It is very important to make sure that your courses meet academic eligibility requirement. (For example, Intro to films is NOT an approved English course and students should be taking another approved English course such as Myths, Strange/Mysterious, Poetry, and Exploring Lit) If you are interested in playing division 1 or 2 athletics in college please make sure you tell your counselor.

8. College Night & College Rep Visits College Night is at Stoney Creek HS October 14 from 6:30-8:00 Click here to sign up for fall college rep. visits at SC. Click here

9. AP Exams and Scores Testing will be in May 4-15, 2015 Almost all colleges give credit or a waiver for a 5, most for a 4 and some for a 3 If you are taking AP classes this year you will need to register and pay in February for your AP exam. More information to follow. If you have AP scores or classes if might be helpful for you to review your potential colleges AP guidelines. Check the college website.

10. TIME TO APPLY!

11. Steps to Processing Your College Applications Online Step 1: Send ACT or SAT scores to colleges from testing agency if you haven’t already done so. Step 2: Locate and Complete the ONLINE College Applications. Note any deadlines or early action dates. It is good goal to complete all college applications by October 31st. Tips-hit SUBMIT (double check you submitted). Once the college receives any information from you, they will create a file for your materials. Colleges wait to receive all of the application requirements before they will read your application. It is the students' responsibility to make sure that all required materials are received. Step 3: Request a transcript online at www.parchment.comwww.parchment.com

12. TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS

13. 2 Simple Steps To Request and Send an Official Transcript STEP 1: Create a Parchment account 1) Go to www.parchment.comwww.parchment.com 2) Click on the link ‘Sign up”. 3) Enter your email address and select a password 4) Enter Basic Info (need parents signature) STEP 2: Ordering a Transcript (after you have registered) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8su7ph6jU&src_vid=zS52ANkO3zw&feature=iv&an notation_id=annotation_4007334895 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8su7ph6jU&src_vid=zS52ANkO3zw&feature=iv&an notation_id=annotation_4007334895 1) www.parchment.comwww.parchment.com 2) Enter your email address and your Parchment password and click Sign In. 3) Follow the instructions for selecting colleges to which your transcript should be sent. For other organizations, such as scholarship providers, click the link under “Select Other Destinations” or “NCAA” and enter the information requested. For COMMON APPLICATION USERS please see instructions on next slide

14. Regular Online College Applications Steps (non common application members) Send ACT/SAT SCORE from testing agency Complete Online College App Request Transcript at www.parchment.com DONE!

15. COMMON APPLICATION www.commonapp.org

16. Common Application Users 1. Create an account at www.commonapp.org and record your Common Application ID. Complete all parts to the common application.www.commonapp.org 2. Utilize the Recommender Assignments section of the Common App Online to invite your counselor and teachers to be recommenders. This will trigger an email message to the counselor and teacher(s), providing instructions on submitting school forms online. Please provide your recommenders a completed Student Profile Form. 3. Do NOT request a transcript to be sent to Common Application or directly to your Common Application school(s) on parchment! When you assign your counselors as a recommender, they will upload your transcript to Common Application with the Secondary School Report. 4. Midyear and Final reports will be sent to Common Application in the same manner. https://appsupport.commonapp.org/link/portal/33011/33013/Article/780/Training-Resources http://blog.commonapp.org/2014/07/28/prospectiveapplicants/ http://www.admissions.umich.edu/drupal/common-app-tip-sheet

17. Common Application Recommenders

18. Letters of Recommendation Pick people who know you well Ask “do you feel you know me enough and do you have enough time to write a supportive letter of recommendation” Give them a completed Student Profile Sheet and a resume if you have one. Give them a couple weeks to write it Give them stamped envelope addressed to the college if it is NOT a common application school Thank them and write them a thank you note Follow up with them if you are accepted *Remember to check each schools college application requirements. Most schools in MI except for, U of M, do NOT require a letter of recommendation.

19. Common Application Steps Send ACT/SAT Scores directly to testing agency Complete all parts to the Common App Assign recommender & counselor on common app DONE!

20. Some Deadlines to be aware of…. University of Michigan: Early Action deadline= November 1 Early Action Release decision no later than December 24 Michigan State University ASAP but by November 1 for full scholarship consideration FAFSA: apply ASAP starting January 1, 2015

21. AFTER YOU APPLY What’s next…..

22. 7th Semester Grade Request & Midyear Reports If you receive a request for 7th semester grades or midyear report from your college you must submit a request at www.parchment.com www.parchment.com

23. Change in your Senior Schedule Your senior schedule is included on your transcript. If you make a change in your schedule once your transcript has been sent to the colleges, you MUST contact each college admission office to update them with your change.

24. Make your senior year count! Colleges look at your senior year course selection Colleges look at senior grades Many letter of acceptance will say “ your admission is contingent upon your continued successful performance” It is not at all rare for a college to withdraw an offer of admission when grades drop significantly over the course of the senior year. So maintain a challenging course load and stay active and involved

25. What do Colleges do once they have the student’s application? Either they…. 1. Accepted: info on housing, orientation, financial aid 2. Deferred: Ask student to provide more information. 1 st semester grades, updated test scores etc. 3. Wait listed: Just have to wait. Still considering your application, but must hear from the admitted students first before they may offer you admissions. Ask if funds will be available if you're accepted 4. Denied: cannot offer you admissions. (You could check on Jan-term admissions or a summer start.)