1. Class of 2015 Senior Pathways Night

2. HKHS Counseling Department
Maryann Grimaldi, Dean of Academics Emily Baerlein, School Counselor Peter Ettlinger, School Counselor Stacey Mahoney, School Counselor Christine Smith, Secretary Gina Voytek, Secretary

3. Counseling Celebrations!
Data for the Class of 2014
$257,058 in local/regional/state scholarships
More than $2.25 Million awarded in Merit Aid
2 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test Commended Scholars (based on junior year PSAT)
89.2% going to a four or two year college
Students are attending schools as far away as California and Georgia and Canada, but mainly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions
46 Colleges/Institutions hosted this fall; 150 last spring at our 5th annual College Fair
86% had a post-secondary experience (internships/college course)
Newsweek- One of the top 500 high schools in the United States; one of only 13 selected in Connecticut

4. Time Line
Over the past two weeks, counselors met with all seniors in small groups during advisory to review Naviance/Common Application process and senior packet contents
Over the next few weeks, students should:
start their applications (Common Application or College specific)
work on essays with counselor and/or current English teacher
complete Candidate Biography Form (Naviance)
request teacher Letter of Recommendation- relevant to future studies, should be a junior year academic teacher (in person and on Naviance).
Counselors will meet one-on-one with seniors (lunch, before/after school, during elective classes), starting with Early Action/Early Decision students first to review/finalize college lists, and to review application process

5. Senior Packet Contents
Naviance Student Powerpoint
Info & procedures for submitting college applications- Pink
Timeline for applications
Counselor recommendation- Goldenrod
Candidate biography, Senior Parent Input (Naviance)- Yellow
Teacher recommendation (1)- Salmon
FERPA (Paper and Common App)-Blue
Transcript requests- Electric Blue
Sample resume- Tan
SAT & ACT information- Neon Yellow
Scholarship/Financial Aid information- Green
NCAA Clearinghouse information- Purple

6. Important Terms To Remember
Early Action- Common deadlines- 11/1, 11/5, 12/1. Non-binding, receive early response without commitment
Early Decision- Common deadlines- 11/1, 11/5, 12/1. Binding agreement, full commitment on the part of the student to attend specific college/university
Reach Schools- Colleges a student would like to attend and their chances of admission are less than likely
Schools are very competitive for this student
Range Schools- Colleges a student would like to attend and they have a 50/50 chance of being accepted
Safety Schools- Colleges a student would like to attend and their chances of being accepted are likely

7. Who takes care of what?? Students Parents HK HS Send SAT/ACT scores
Pay for SAT/ACT scores
Send transcript/ Q1 grades/ mid year grades
Submit applications
Pay for applications
Send letter(s) of recommendation
Draft/Edit/Revise College Essay
Complete CSS Profile (maybe)
Send school profile
Request letter(s) of rec.
Complete FAFSA
Send Secondary School Report
Check for work-based scholarship
Request transcripts
Apply for scholarships

8. School Reports/ Records
Q: How will we know if the college/institution has received our materials?
A: The student/parent can monitor in Naviance the progress of their school materials. Once the college receives the material via Edocs, the counseling department will receive a confirmation message. This can be viewed in Naviance as well through student/parent accounts.
When print materials are sent out, we send a postcard with each application packet that is then signed by admissions personnel upon receipt and returned to us (in most cases)
**Students can often check their application status online using the college’s website and an id number generated by the college once the application is processed.**

9. Weighted GPA covering grades 9-11 & Rank
Current senior year classes

11. Testing SAT I – Reasoning- Critical Reading, Math & Writing/Essay
SAT II- One Hour Subject Specific Tests- more selective colleges, check with each individual school, check on “recommended” vs. “required”
ACT- English, Math, Reading, Science Reasoning, “optional” writing component. Some schools may take ACT in place of SAT II subject tests. Students should take the writing section as it will be required by many schools when submitting ACT scores
FairTest.org- More than 800 colleges are test optional.
**Official test scores need to be sent directly to Colleges/NCAA directly from SAT/ACT.**
Even though transmission is electronic, please allow 2 weeks for delivery.

12. Testing Registration/Reporting
REMEMBER our school code is
MUST BRING REGISTRATION and CURRENT Photo ID
Pay attention to deadlines & register on time!!
All students must send their SAT/ACT scores directly from the testing agency to their colleges/NCAA(9999)
Online Registration
SAT-
ACT-

13. DATES & DEADLINES Upcoming SATs- Upcoming ACTs-
October 11, HK HS
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: September 12
LATE REGISTRATION: September 30
November 8, HK HS
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: October 9
LATE REGISTRATION: October 28
December 6, 2014
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: November 6
LATE REGISTRATION: November 24
Upcoming ACTs-
October 25, HK HS
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: September 19
LATE REGISTRATION: October 3
December 13, 2014
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: November 7
LATE REGISTRATION: November 21

14. Test Prep Options Books- sample tests, strategies, questions
Online SAT/ACT prep
Group Prep- i.e. Ivy Bound, College Planning Partnerships, Kaplan, Princeton, SAT 101 (HK Rec Dept)
Individual Tutoring focuses on student’s deficits

15. (SNOW DATE: December 3rd)
Financial Aid
CSS/ Financial Aid Profile- check and see if your schools require this. Can be completed starting on October 15th.
Boston University, Boston Ccollege, Colby, Drexel, Fairfield, Fordham, George Washington, Northeasten, Quinnipiac, Roger Williams, University of New Haven
FAFSA- MUST be completed by all applicants for federal student aid every year.
After January 1st with the previous year’s tax information
Types of Aid
Grants
Loans
Scholarships
Work Study
Financial Aid Formula :
Cost of Attendance
Expected Family Contribution
Pell Grant
Aid from other sources
$$ Your Financial Aid Package $$
Every college website has a cost calculator for your convenience.
REMINDER!!! FINANCIAL AID NIGHT December 2nd at 6 PM Presented by Carolyn Karno , Education Funding Strategies
(SNOW DATE: December 3rd)

16. Up coming events October 15, 2014- December 2, 2104- January 7, 2015-
Seniors will have a class picture, be measured for cap and gown ($15 check payable to University Cap and Gown)
All seniors will attend a college panel presentation focusing on the application process.
December 2, 2104-
Financial Aid Night- 6pm Auditorium
January 7, 2015-
Alumni Day: Seniors will attend a Q&A in a small group with HK alums to discuss the first year college experience.

17. Helpful Resources
Available in our offices: college and career information, Naviance
College Rep Visits – DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THE SCHEDULE (available on Naviance/homerooms/counseling website)
Please check out our school counseling website- a link can be found on
Career Center – college visits, coach visits, interviews, etc.
College Fairs – check our website for upcoming local fairs
Websites:
SAT Registration, College Quick Search, CSS /Financial Aid Profile ( )
ACT Registration- (
FAFSA (
NCAA Clearinghouse (

18. Naviance
If you need your login information contact your child’s counselor.
After logging in, Click on the “About Me Tab”
Complete Parent Feedback Survey found on the left hand side of the page
FERPA- Must complete in Common App/Naviance and Paper Copy (Pink and Yellow Forms in Senior Packet)
“Colleges I am thinking about”/ “Colleges I am applying to”
Modality of application- Common App, paper, school site
Letters of recommendation- Check college requirements
Transcript request/status
Sites: District:
Common App:

19. Keep In Touch- Communicate with your Counselor
Please don’t hesitate to have your senior stop by to ask any questions and feel free to drop us an anytime.
Conferences will be held 10/29 and 10/30.
Peter Ettlinger-
Stacey Mahoney-
Emily Baerlein-