1. College Counseling Senior Parents
September 15, 2016
Getting it Done

2. College Counseling: Senior Parents
Resources
Your College Counselor
Naviance Family Connection
College Counseling Handbook Online
(password: sylvanus)
Also can access through the parent portal
College Publications, Guide Books, and Web Sites

3. College Visits TO THAYER: Published in Naviance, TNN, Daily Notices
Purpose: infomation sessions; meet admission reps.
Students sign up on Naviance
Class Conflict: get the teacher’s permission 24 hours in advance.
CAMPUS VISITS:
Weekends, holidays preferred when possible.
Check with teachers in advance.
Notify Thayer of impending absences.
Columbus Day, October 19th, Veteran’s Day - no school for seniors

4. Early Deadlines Early Decision: binding on applicant
Early Action: not binding on applicant. Applicant free to apply to more than one early program.
Early Action (single choice): not binding on applicant but restricted to one early application (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford).
Boston College: has Restricted Early Action; applicants not permitted to apply to another school for Early Decision.

5. Final Lists ED/EA rounds – develop a Plan A and Plan B.
Seek balance: possibles and likelies should outnumber reaches. Review the list on Naviance. Consult with college counselor on selectivity ratings.
Consider “financial safety schools,” if necessary. This might include public universities and it might include colleges designated as likelies where the student has more opportunity to earn a merit scholarship.

6. The Common Application
Nearly 700 colleges accept it.
Should be completed online at
Link with Naviance account – (1) sign FERPA waiver on Common Application account; (2) enter the student’s Common Application address in “Common App Account Matching” under “Colleges I am applying to” in Naviance.

7. College Essays
Drafts started during the summer – close to 80% of students already submitted to college counselor; Benelli Writing Center also available to help students with their personal statements.
Some Common Application colleges require supplemental essays. Check the schools on the student’s Common Application list to see if there are additional questions or written responses required for each institution.

8. Standardized Testing
Registration deadline (late fee) for 10/1 SAT is 9/20. Deadline for 11/5 SAT is 10/7. Deadline for 10/22 ACT is 9/16.
October & November exams: results available for early deadlines at most colleges (with some exceptions for November testing).
December & January exams: results usually available in time for regular decision deadlines (with some exceptions for January).

9. Reporting Test Scores
Students are responsible for submitting their scores directly to each college from the testing agency.
Score Choice – students can choose which tests they want to send
Superscore – most colleges take the highest scores from the different sections of the SAT; some colleges do the same with the ACT
Concordance tables: challenging this year to understand or trust the correlation between the new SAT and old SAT as well as the new SAT and the ACT

10. Teacher Recommendations
Students should be prepared to request two teacher recommendations (preferably from more recent teachers).
Seniors should contact teachers to request recommendations before the end of Sept.; make arrangements with teachers one month before the first application deadline.
Online submission through Naviance; a few colleges require submission by mail.

11. Transcripts & College Counselor Recommendations
Students need to meet with their college counselor to request transcripts and identify in Naviance the colleges where they are applying. They should make this meeting at least two weeks before their first deadline. This gives us time to prepare the college counselor recommendation, the student’s transcript, and other documentation.
For deadlines between 12/31 – 1/3, all transcript requests must be made by December 2.

12. Supplemental In-office Forms
From Student: Senior Questionnaire & Resume – complete online in Naviance
From Parents: Parent Response Form, return via or regular mail.

13. Financial Aid FAFSA – available on 10/1 – www.fafsa.ed.gov
CSS/Profile – available 10/1 – css.collegeboard.org
Scholarships – ongoing throughout the year. Check with individual schools to determine which ones offer merit-based scholarships. Naviance, fastweb.com, and scholarships.com are good resources to determine scholarships available from sources outside the colleges. Check with your local high school guidance office for additional scholarship opportunities in your town.

14. Student Responsibilities
Be the main point of communication with all parties involved in the process (college counselor, teachers, coaches, college admission personnel, etc.)
Complete application documents honestly and in own words
Be aware of standardized testing policies for colleges on list & submit test scores in advance of deadlines
Know the admission requirements and deadlines for each college where the student is applying
Stay on top of academic work

15. Counselor Responsibilities
Advise students on college selection and list balance
Provide feedback on written portions of the applications (application forms, activity lists, essays, etc.)
Support students in decision making
Counsel students and parents about critical steps in the college planning and application process
Communicate with admissions representatives on student’s behalf throughout the process
Submit a comprehensive letter of recommendation in support of the student

16. Parent Responsibilities
Provide support and guidance, but do not take over the college search and application process.
Empower students to communicate with the Thayer community members who are aiding their college process (college counseling, teachers, coaches, etc.).
Encourage students to communicate directly with college admissions personnel throughout the year.
Be upfront about financial limitations so expectations are realistic. Oversee the financial aid process.

17. Contact Us Thad Robey, trobey@thayer.org, 781-664-2222
Christine Woods,
Nellie Brennan Hall,
Mynetta Jones,
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