1. The College Application Process for State High
Class of 2017
Parent Evening Presentation

2. Counseling Office Personnel (i.e. the people you need to know)
Steve Guthoff - 12th grade Counselor A-K
Jack McCurdy - 12th grade Counselor L-Z
Karen Wolanski - College Applications & Transcripts Staff Assistant
Kathy Dodson - Receptionst & College Application (Schreyer Honors) Staff Assistant
Stephanie Blake – Receptionist & Staff Assistant
Nkenje Clark – High School Counseling Intern
Susan Marshall - Head Counselor, grades
9-12

3. Take Away Messages:
Highlights of State High’s college application submission process.
Preliminary information about Financial Aid/Scholarships.
Applying to college is not what it used to be.
This is all in the hands (and on the computer) of your student. YIKES!
What is your role as a parent? How much do you get involved?
Attending college is a financial decision that often impacts the whole family – talk about it together.
We are here to help and support you. Please feel free to ask.

4. Transitions…Cause your mental and emotional states to fluctuate wildly.
-This is Normal -This is Natural -This is Change Please watch this emotional video about making college decisions with your student and the changing roles you will have with your child as they graduate from high school. Sponsored by Loyola University of Maryland, it's call Embracing Change. Unsettledness does not equal Unhappiness We mention PSU frequently: what does it mean?

5. STAY INFORMED CHECK YOUR SCASD EMAIL FREQUENTLY !
Read the Counseling Bulletin & YOUR GRAND Future brochures for important info. and presentation dates.
Check the website for important information and announcements.

6. College Visits at State High & Additional Scholarship & College Information
Go to
Go to the high school main page.
In the middle of the page (in maroon), click on “Headlines.”
Click on College Visits, Scholarship Opportunities, or College News links.

7. Counseling Website:

8. YOUR Personal Responsibility
Communication, research, and following directions will be the key to successful submission of college applications.
The STUDENT (and his/her family) are ultimately in charge of college applications and making sure that all of the requirements and due dates are met for each one.
We will help – please do your research and then feel free to ask questions.

9. Where is your student now?
List of schools to apply to and DUE DATES?
SAT/ ACT taken and sent to schools? (can still register with late fee by 9/20 for October SAT exam)
Visited some schools?
Looked at college websites & researched application procedures and deadlines?
Registered with NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER (if planning to play D1 or D2 level) and requested a transcript?
On track to graduate from high school?
College planning guide was given to your student last spring. (additional copies available)

10. Typical Applications At State High
Penn State/Schreyer Honors College
Common Application
PASSHE Schools
The Coalition – very few
SendEdu
Paper – very few

11. General Application Information
Apply online if possible.
Apply to at least one “safety” school that is both academically and financially safe.
Try to limit your applications to colleges. (The average application fee is about $60 per application)
Some colleges waive the application fee if you apply online or while visiting the school.
Student may want to make a detailed checklist for each college application – this is critical to help keep track of deadlines and the various parts of each application.
Make sure student meets all deadlines for maximum consideration of acceptance.

12. More general info…
IMMEDIATELY: Create student profile, fill out demographic info, invite recommenders if letters are required.
Student works on their part of the application and submits by due date.
Student can check on website or with recommenders to make sure they have submitted their part by due date.

13. Example: Regular PSU Application
Go to admissions.psu.edu
Create a MyPennState Profile – if you already have a Penn State user id, use that.
Go to “Apply” and complete the online application.
You must choose an area of interest and intended major or DUS (undecided)
Select Fall or Summer admission – check “yes” to accept summer admission if you don’t qualify for fall UP (after the Campus Choice screen)
Choose a campus – only list an alternate if you are willing to attend that campus.

14. Starting semester screen shot:

15. Optional Summer Start Question
When selecting your major, this option will pop up if you originally selected Fall.

16. Areas of study at PSU requiring additional Math

17. PSU admissions cont’d
We encourage your student to complete application by October 31st to be extra safe, Nov. 30th is final deadline for maximum admissions consideration.
Make sure your student sends SAT and/or ACT scores directly to Penn State from the testing agency (it takes 2-3 weeks at least).
Check student MyPennState accounts regularly – they will be notified there if anything is missing.
Admissions decision will be made around or by January 31st, if completed application is submitted by November 30. Some application decisions may take longer.

18. Key updates from PSU
) Penn State requires test scores from either testing agency, and will use test scores to advantage the applicant. The test date with the best total will be used for our decision. Penn State does not require the writing score on either exam.
2) American Sign Language can now be used to satisfy the World Language requirement.
3) MyPennState now includes a checklist of items needed and received. It supplies much more specific information so students can do self-service and do not need to call or wait for replies.
4)  Nursing is still a popular option with wonderful job placement.  It is very competitive at University Park but there are five other campuses that offer the same Nursing degree:  Altoona, Erie, Fayette,
Mont Alto and Worthington Scranton.
5) Please be sure students have a complete application submitted before November 30.  A complete application includes transcript, test scores, application and an application fee.
have a complete application submitted before November 30.  A complete application includes transcript, test scores, application and an application fee.

19. More key updates from PSU
The ranges in the chart below represent the middle 50 percent of students offered admission for Summer/fall 2016—they are not cutoffs or averages. This chart is for estimating purposes only and in no way represents a promise or guarantee of admission. Placing in the upper end of both ranges increases the likelihood of being offered University Park for a fall start in your choice of major. Placing in the lower end may require you to be more flexible about starting in the summer or making a campus (and perhaps major) choices.  We expect admission to University Park for both summer and fall will be VERY competitive this year.
Summer/Fall 2016 Middle 50% GPA and SAT Statistics: University Park
High School GPA (4.0 scale) :
Pre-March 2016 SAT*:
Critical Reading + Math:
New SAT (March 2016)**Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + Math:
*For summer/fall 2016 admission, the writing portion of the SAT administered prior to March 2016 was not used in the application review and decision.
**The new SAT scores shown here represent conversions of the prior test’s scores to fit the new test’s structure and 1600-point scale.

20. Schreyer Honors College
Complete regular PSU application on-line.
Indicate that you want to complete the Schreyer on-line application when prompted.
Another Application Fee of is required.
This application is a tremendous amount of work and the program is very competitive.
Here are the State High stats from 2016:
74 applied, 20 were offered acceptance, and 13 attending according to our senior survey.

21. Go to www.commonapp.org to begin
Common Application
The “Common App” is an online college admissions application that may be used to apply to any of over 700 colleges in the US and around the world. Application information needs only to be completed once, then it is sent electronically to all of the schools you are applying to.
To complete the application, students will need: copy of HS transcript; list of activities/sports/jobs/volunteer hours; test scores and dates; parent/guardian information; recommenders names and addresses
Go to to begin

22. Other Types of Applications
Very few paper applications are accepted anymore.
PASSHE Schools (Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, etc., SendEdu, The Coalition and other online applications.
If the entire application is not online, make sure student prints out all forms for teachers and counselors and give them to the appropriate people. (Usually found under a “secondary forms” section on the application)
If the entire application is to be mailed, student needs to bring in a large envelope with 4 stamps and addressed to the college.
Flow charts available for each different “kind” of application.

23. Submitting SAT/ACT Scores:
To submit SAT scores to a college or university, your student needs to go to where they registered and paid to take the SAT exam.
Click on the link to submitting scores.
Find the code numbers for the colleges you are sending the scores to.
Pay, by credit card, for each college scores are sent to (first 4 are free if listed when registering for the SAT).
Send scores.

24. Requesting a Transcript:
You must complete a transcript request form for each college/institution that needs your transcript with Mrs. Wolanski in the North Counseling Office in order to have your transcript submitted.
Transcripts are free for current students.
THE ONLINE FORM IS ONLY FOR GRADUATES OF STATE HIGH. DO NOT use this online request form.
Make sure your request is in at least 3 weeks (15 school days) before it is due.

25. Transcript Request Form When you come in to the counseling office to request your transcript, please have the following information: your due dates, names of recommenders and envelopes if necessary.

26. Fee Waivers
If you receive free or reduced lunch, please see your counselor (or Mrs. Wolanski) for fee waivers for college applications, SAT’s, etc. Please ask if you are unsure about qualifying.

27. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
not needed by every college/university
PSU does not require recommendations, with the exception of Schreyer Honors College.
Some colleges will require specific subject teachers.
If you need a Counselor letter of recommendation, you will need to fill out the Counselor Composite and complete the Evaluators Request Form.
Waive your right to read the recommendation.

28. Inviting recommenders

29. Counselor Recommendation Packet – student may pick this up in the Counseling Office
College
Application
To-Do
List
Evaluation
Request
Form
Information
For
Letter Of
Recommendation
If your student needs a counselor recommendation for any college they are applying to, make sure that they have completed these forms and turned them in to their counselor at least 3 weeks(15 school days) before the recommendation is due.

30. Additional forms your student may need to submit:
Early Decision Agreement
Mid Year Report
School Report Forms (Counselor fills out)
College Specific Financial Aid Forms
Athletic Supplement
Arts Supplement
Final Report/Transcript
Your student must Read and Follow all directions for every application.
Online applications require a credit card (probably yours).
THERE IS TYPICALLY A CHECKLIST ON THE WEBSITE AS TO WHAT IS NEEDED FOR EACH APPLICATION

31. DEADLINES:
. PSU App should be submitted by Oct. 31st to be safe. November 30th is the official date.
Early Decision and Early Action applications that are due November 1st must be submitted to us by Oct. 11th to be on time.
December 31st or January 1st due dates must be submitted to us by December 1st due to the holiday break.
Jan. 15th due dates must be submitted to us before we leave for the holiday break. (12/22)
Feb. 1st due dates must be submitted by Jan. 11th to our office.

32. Common Mistakes On College Applications
Your student applies to a college and never comes to the counseling office to request a transcript to be sent from our HS to the college.
Your student applies to a college and forgets to send his/her SAT/ACT scores to the college.
Your student applies to a college and forgets to download all the necessary forms.
Your student misses an application deadline.
Your student forgets to ask for teacher and/or counselor recommendations.
Your student fills out the application but forgets to hit the submit button.

33. Admissions Plans:
Rolling Admissions - decisions are made on a “rolling” basis as applications are received. This is very common and colleges are aware that high schools can’t send transcripts until after the first few weeks of school.
Early Decision – if accepted, applicants are obligated to attend a school to which they apply under this agreement. This requires a signed contract between the family and the school. Decisions are made early and the contract can ONLY be broken for financial reasons.
Early Action – admission decisions are made early, but there is no contract obligating applicants to attend.
Regular Decision – there is a single deadline and all decisions are made at the same time. Many colleges have “internal” decision dates (like PSU’s Nov. 30th date).

34. Financial Aid
Become familiar with the financial aid process – review the Financial Aid section in the College Planning Guide pages
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after Oct. 1st, 2016 to apply for grants, loans and work/study.

35. Financial Aid (cont’d)
PSU students should complete their FAFSA on the web by Feb. 15th, for maximum financial aid consideration.
Make sure you meet deadlines for other schools – every school differs with deadlines.
Visit for a preliminary financial aid estimate.
Use the Net Price Calculator for each school to estimate costs
Attend financial aid nights:
Penn State Financial Aid Night – Sept. 7pm - North Aud.
PHEAA Webinar – Oct. 7 pm

36. Scholarship Search
Comprehensive Scholarship Information -
Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency -
State High Senior Scholarships –applications available online in March of 2016
Resources in North Counseling Office
Employment/religious affiliations/military
Many colleges (esp. small, private) award significant financial aid to offset college costs.
College specific scholarships can be found on the college websites sometime in mid-fall/early winter

37. UPCOMING EVENTS:
PSU Financial Aid Night: Tuesday, Sept. 20th, @ 7pm (date may change – watch for announcements)
PHEAA Webinar: Oct. 7:00pm (further details will be ed to you about how to join this Webinar)
Dec. 6th – workshop (during school day) to help students/parents with completion of the FAFSA. Details to come.
Life’s Next Transition – High School To College presentation: early March, 2016

38. TRANSCRIPTS
We asked students to check their transcript in HAC to make sure that it is accurate and that they meet high school graduation requirements. It’s important to ensure that transcripts are accurate before we send them out to colleges.
22.5 credits needed to graduate:
- 4 credits in English and History
- 3 credits in Science and Math
- 1.8 credits in Phys. Ed.
- 1.0 credits in Health
-.20 credits in Driver’s Ed.
- 5.5 credits in Electives
- Graduation Project (pass/fail)
- 20 Community Service Hours (pass/fail)

39. GOOD LUCK!