1. WELCOME SENIORS! CLASS OF 2015

2. Your Counselors: North Building: Mr. SpreitzerA – G Mrs WadeH – Pa Mrs. DozemanPe – Z South Building: Mr. VeldkampA – Lo Mrs. VanheukelomLu - Z

3. New College Advisor Introducing Ms. Leacher Graduate of MSU At West Ottawa through Michigan State University College Advising Corps Will work mainly with “first generation” college students Helps with college choices, financial aid, scholarships, etc.

4. Purpose of this Meeting 1. Information about college applications 2. On – Site admissions 3. ACT retesting – dates 4. How to send your transcripts 5. Financial Aid 6. Scholarships

5. College applications Apply to colleges online –September through October IMPORTANT: Send transcript electronically www.parchment.com If you need a letter of recommendation give teacher and counselor at least one week’s notice! Answer questionnaire on Counseling web site under “Application Process” Make sure you send ACT scores

6. On Site Admissions – See your counselor for details Central Michigan University Monday, September 29 at 12:00 pm: short presentation followed by student appointments. Must have 3.0 GPA and 20 ACT score to sign up. Download paper application Western Michigan University October 20, all day…sign up for appointment. Download paper application

7. Two College Fairs Holland Area College Night September 25, 2014 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Hope College - DeVos Field House Christian College Fairs September 22, 2014 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Cornerstone University 1001 E. Beltline Ave NE Grand Rapids

8. The Common Application www.commonapp.org More than 500 member colleges Includes schools from Austria, Switzerland, U.K., France, and Italy Allows students to complete ONE application on line to multiple colleges and universities Must pay all college fees Fee waivers available to students on free and reduced lunch Must get recommendations from teacher and counselor

9. ACT Testing www.actstudent.org Next test: Saturday, October 25, 2014 Deadline is September 19, 2014 (this Friday) If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, see your counselor for a fee waiver

10. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) If you are a current senior... Workshop – January 13, 2015. English and Spanish presentations by Hope College – 7:00 pm-8:00 pm Parent(s) and student fill out information on federal website at www.fafsa.ed.gov.www.fafsa.ed.gov Apply by March 1 of 2015.

11. Scholarships www.westottawa.net/westottawa Counseling Scholarships Links to Internal Scholarships, The Hot Scholarship List, and scholarships offered by the Community Foundation of Holland and Zeeland (cfhz.org) – Community Impact, Find a Scholarship

12. Set up an individual meeting with your counselor Discuss ACT testing (sign up to retest, test tips, dates) Review career and college plans Learn how to do online college applications Learn how to search for scholarships that pertain to your intended major or an individual talent

13. Work Based Learning See Mr. David Clark, new Marketing teacher. Non-manufacturing internships See Mr. Cable, Industrial Tech teacher. Advanced manufacturing internships

14. Earning Seminar Credit: Go to www.careercruising.comwww.careercruising.com Look up new careers – save to EDP (check school subject, check clusters) Find a college – save to EDP Go into your EDP tab – update “Career Preparation” Work on building your resume Matchmaker – revise or check answers

15. THANK YOU, SENIORS! Post-HS Plans Survey: http://goo.gl/uOI5v1 Have a wonderful day!