1. Whiting High School Senior Information August 25 th, 2015 Selene Giron – School Counselor

2. The Process Begins….  Senior meetings will begin in September  Finalize college selections (before October 1 st )  College applications  Update or start an academic resume  Continue to look at possible majors  Go on college visits  Take the SAT/ACT  Meet with college representatives when they visit

3. College Applications  Most applications are available online  Counselor Forms can be printed and brought to Ms. Giron  Transcripts will be sent electronically through Parchment  WHS cannot send in any money  A folder should be kept with all your college information  Keep a calendar of deadlines  Ask teachers for recommendations

4. Where to access college information  Click on Counselor’s Corner

5. College Go! Week  A great time to apply! Starts September 21-25  Certain colleges and universities will waive the application fee during this week  Purpose: to help students plan for college  Great resource! Visit: http://www.in.gov/collegegoweek/http://www.in.gov/collegegoweek/

6. College Application Tips  Write neatly  No nicknames  Write in pen – all in one color  Complete all required sections  Sign it!  Apply online if possible  Create a professional email (jsmith@gmail.com)  Goal: Have applications submitted by Thanksgiving

7. Parchment.com  WHS will now use Parchment.com to send transcripts electronically.  Students must have a valid email to create a parchment account  Ms. Giron will no longer accept paper-form requests!

8. College Entrance Exams ACT  Register online at www.actstudent.org www.actstudent.org SAT  Register online at: www.collegeboard.org www.collegeboard.org o Be sure to send scores to Whiting – CEEB: 153810 o Be sure to send scores to colleges o See Ms. Giron about a fee waiver if you qualify for free-reduced lunch.

9. COLLEGE IS EXPENSIVE, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE  In 2014-2015,  Average Community College ~ $3,400  Average Public University ~ $19,000  Average Private University ~ $42,000 trends.collegeboard.org

10. Financial Aid Information  FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)  Complete FAFSA online: Both STUDENT and PARENT need a PIN  PIN is the electronic signature  Apply early for PIN numbers at www.PIN.ed.govwww.PIN.ed.gov  www.FAFSA.ed.gov is the website to complete the FAFSA online. www.FAFSA.ed.gov  Deadline is March 1 of your Senior year  Attend Financial Aid Night at WHS on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium

11. College Quick Facts  Many families qualify for financial aid even though they think they make too much money  Colleges are in competition for students  Colleges will pay for good students  90% of students attending private college receive some sort of financial aid

12. Scholarship information  Apply early and apply often  There are many good scholarship search engines online that are free:  Scholarships.com  Fastweb.com  These types of search engines help you find scholarships, jobs, and internships. They also provide information about the entire financial aid process  Be on the look out for scams!

13. Merit-Based Scholarships  Related to academic performance  Usually need a 3.0 GPA and above AND/OR high standardized test scores  Ex: PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship  Automatically considered for merit-based scholarships when you submit college application  If you do not qualify for an academic scholarship, don’t worry!

14. Student Specific Scholarship  Chances are there is at least one scholarship out there that you’re eligible for  Make a list of what makes you special, and look into organizations, local groups and/or private corporations that may have funding set aside for education  Ex: Scholarships for left-handed students, students with a particular last name, tall students and students who are vegetarians  The good thing about having a unique hobby is that the awards for those hobbies may be less competitive than needs-based or high-profile scholarships

15. Local Scholarships  Scholarship providers like to see people from their communities succeed  They often offer local scholarships available only to residents of their community  Ex: BP offers scholarships to children of its employees  Ex: McDonalds offers scholarships to employees who are a high school senior and show commitment to school, work, and volunteering in their community

16. Be on the look out for scholarships in the…..  Announcements during Choice  School’s website (Counselor’s Corner)  Also in your English class with Ms. Markovich

17. Websites of Interest  www.collegeboard.org www.collegeboard.org Information about SAT, SAT practice tests, SAT sign-up, links to college websites  www.khanacademy.org www.khanacademy.org FREE Online practice for the redesigned SAT  www.act.org www.act.org Information about ACT, ACT practice tests, ACT sign-up and more  www.learnmoreindiana.com www.learnmoreindiana.com Indiana’s own website to research colleges and careers  www.scholarships.com www.scholarships.com Free internet college scholarship search and financial aid resource  www.fastweb.com www.fastweb.com A great site for researching scholarships and getting financial aid information

18. Websites of Interest Cont’d  www.knowhow2go.org www.knowhow2go.org Provides useful information by grade level to prepare for college, apply to college, what to ask on a campus visit, and much more!  www.triptocollege.org www.triptocollege.org Provides college planning timeline, figures and information about preparing and paying for college, a savings growth calculator, and information about Indiana Colleges  www.Wachovia.com/CollegeReady www.Wachovia.com/CollegeReady Offers products and services for parents and students who need to fund a college education  www.ecampustours.com www.ecampustours.com Take a virtual tour of over 1200 college campuses! A great place to start the college search process  www.indianacareerexplorer.com www.indianacareerexplorer.com Online system that helps students plan for a career through exploration of majors, occupations, and interests

19. Questions?