1. 12 th Grade Parent Meeting with College Counselors Ms. Bhure, Mr. Hinchey, and Ms. Smith Tuesday, September 2 nd, 2014

2. The senior year (Grade 12) is when everything comes together and students see the rewards of their hard work and planning. Help your senior set priorities, clarify goals, and get applications completed on time.

3. The parent’s role… A parent should NOT be: A crutch An added source of pressure A roadblock A rumor-monger A parent SHOULD be: A mentor A counselor An honest information source A partner

4. What to do as a parent/guardian of a 12 th grader Continue to monitor academic progress. Help your child turn his/her ‘activities record’ into a resume/CV. Help set up a calendar for the year. Have your child sign up for any required standardized test. Set up an appointment with the College Counselors. Are you ok with their “list”? Discuss financial considerations Realistic expectations?

5. Oversee the completion of applications Helpful tips from the College Counseling Office: Students should have a diverse list of universities that they are applying to, including a “likely” or “safety” school. This is a university to which your child is certain to be accepted and one you can definitely afford. Keep a copy of each completed application for your files. Be sure to note the date it was submitted. Universities usually contact students to let them know they’ve received their application. If you don’t hear from a university, contact the Admissions Office to make sure they have everything they need.

6. Which admissions process best suits you? (US) Non-restrictive application plans: Regular Decision Rolling Decision Early Action (EA) Restrictive application plans: Early Decision (ED) Restrictive Early Action

7. ACS Deadlines October 10: UCAS application for Oxford, Cambridge, and the following courses: medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences. October 20: Early Decision and Early Action for US universities. December 1: All other applications to the US and UK. If applying outside of the US or UK, please make sure the College Counselor knows! As soon as possible: Rolling applications in the US (or other institutions that follow this deadline).

8. Financial Aid/Scholarships For US citizens applying to US universities: Complete the FAFSA and submit it as soon after January 1 st as possible. https://fafsa.ed.govhttps://fafsa.ed.gov Check the financial requirements of the university: - CSS Profile - Do you qualify for residency? - University-specific forms Does the university give out scholarships or merit-aid? Financial aid for international students is limited.

9. Scholarship websites: This is not an extensive list, but should get you started… www.fastweb.com www.scholarships.com www.fastaid.com www.collegeboard.org

10. MAKING THE DECISION! At some point in the spring, your child must decide which university to attend. If possible, do not choose a university before visiting it. Once the decision is made, complete all the necessary forms, and as a courtesy, notify the other universities. There may be a number of additional forms to complete during this time: immigration, housing, special needs/accommodations, orientation, etc.

11. Words of Wisdom From former ACS students “The most important thing about the process is to remain as organized as possible; make a checklist, a spreadsheet, a calendar, etc.” “There are so many things that you need to be on top of and it’s important that you don’t get overwhelmed and actually realize what it is that you have to do (e.g. asking for recommendations).” “Try to begin everything as early as possible, preferably over summer. The process will probably take longer than you realize and in 12 th grade you get swamped with school work (especially for the IB), so it’s nice to have all your college stuff more of less ready and out of the way before all the heavy duty school work begins.”

12. Thank you! Any Questions???? Ms. Bhure gbhure@acs-schools.com Mr. Hinchey rhinchey@acs-schools.com Ms. Smith psmith@acs-schools.com