1. Senior College Planning for Parents WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!!!

2. TODAY YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT: What you need to know to finalize your child’s post- secondary plans Forms / Applications / processes / timelines Related items: Financial Aid & Scholarships

3. BUT FIRST – A QUICK LOOK BACK. WHAT YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW

4. Post Secondary Options College College 4 year college 4 year college 2 year college 2 year college Career / Technical School Military (ASVAB will be given November 16 th at Wolcott HS) Employment

5. DO YOU HAVE A LIST?? Narrow down your list of choices Ideally apply to 4-7 schools 1-2 Reach Schools 2-3 50/50 schools 1-2 Safe schools Consider academics and finances when developing your list.

6. What you need to be doing this Fall

7. Meet Admissions College Fair September 24 th 6-7:30pm College Fair September 24 th 6-7:30pm Financial Aid Presenter 5-6pm Financial Aid Presenter 5-6pm Open Houses on campus Open Houses on campus OCT 14 th WHS Senior College Visit Day OCT 14 th WHS Senior College Visit Day Schedule interview (if offered) Sign up for College Rep visits in the Career Center Sign up for College Rep visits in the Career Center Do an interview right here!

9. STANDARDIZED TESTS Students must register to take the SAT and/or ACT at: www.collegeboard.org and www.act.orgwww.collegeboard.orgwww.act.org You can opt to take both SAT and ACT Some schools may require SAT II Subject Tests and some are Test Optional http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional Test prep is absolutely essential to success on these tests There are free SAT prep resources on NAVIANCE and Collegeboard NVCC is offering a class: The flyer is in your handouts Wolcott High School CEEB Code: 070-871 If you qualify for a fee waiver – see your counselor BEFORE registering

10. SAT TEST DATES Test DateRegistration Deadline Nov 7 Oct 9 Dec 5 Nov 5 Jan 23 Dec 28 March 5 Feb 5 May 7 April 8 June 4 May 5

11. ACT TEST DATES Oct. 25, 2014Sept. 19Sept. 20 - Oct. 3 Oct. 25, 2014Sept. 19Sept. 20 - Oct. 3 Dec. 13, 2014Nov. 7Nov. 8 - 21 Feb. 7, 2015Jan. 9Jan. 10 - 16 April 18, 2015March 13March 14 - 27 June 13, 2015May 8May 9 - 22 Test DateRegistration Deadline Oct 24 Sept 18 Dec 12 Nov 6 Feb 6 Jan 8 April 9 March 4 June 11 May 6

12. Sending SAT / ACT: Students are responsible for sending scores to every college through Collegeboard or ACT Do not wait until the last minute to send your scores; processing takes a few weeks Four registration score reports are available for FREE up to nine days after the test date (then a fee of $11.25 applies)

13. Activity Sheet To request a letter of recommendation: Your child needs to have finished their Activity Sheet (samples in Naviance) Check for spelling errors Don’t forget to include activities outside of school as well as in school (40 hours community service) Should include grades 9-12 The more thorough the better the letter we can write

14. Recommendation Letters Typically two teacher recommendation letters are needed Try to get one from a subject that pertains to your major You may also need a School Counselor letter Guidance sends all recommendations and transcripts: students are responsible for requesting Thank you Note

15. College Essay Find out how many essays are required If a school doesn’t take Common App they may have their own essay topic In addition, some colleges may have writing supplements At least one person should proofread your essay Most likely your English teacher and/or School Counselor

16. Common App Essay Prompts for this Year

17. Essay Continued NEVER SEND AN ESSAY WITH GRAMMATICAL ERRORS!!! Follow the guidelines: word amount, length of essay, topic

18. APPLICATION PROCESS Apply through https://www.commonapp.org/Loginhttps://www.commonapp.org/Login In Discovery, all students created a common app account (last week or tomorrow) Check the college website if they don’t accept the Common Application If you qualify for a fee waiver see your counselor Go over your application with your counselor before submitting After you have applied fill out a transcript request form and hand it in to your counselor- Transcript Request forms MUST be returned to guidance no later than 5 school days before the deadline to ensure processing.

19. Community College www.ct.edu Process for applying is different than 4 year colleges Applications available approx. January Do not need to send rec letters, essay, or test scores (unless for placement testing) Offers transferrable credits Onsite admissions interviews in the Career Center (NVCC & Tunxis) Dual Admissions Program www.ct.edu/admission/dual

20. FINANCIAL AID FAFSA Submit ASAP after January 1 st but before March 1 st www.fafsa.ed.gov CSS Profile- Available starting October 1 st File in early fall of senior year! List of CSS schools can be found on www.collegeboard.org www.collegeboard.org Scholarships Local

21. Scholarships Local scholarships will start to come in around October Visit Naviance frequently for updates to the list Pay attention to deadlines !!!Free Money!!!

22. SCHOLARSHIPS CONTINUED SCHOLARSHIP WEBSITES www.finaid.org www.fastweb.com http://studentaid.ed.gov www.collegeboard.com www.scholarships.com NAVIANCE (“Scholarship List” under colleges tab): http://connection.naviance.com/wolcott

23. Advice for Students: Make an appointment with your counselor ASAP and visit frequently Don’t procrastinate Do well in your classes Try not to stress out

24. Questions??