College Application Kick-Off

Class of 2020

Your Counselors

• Mr. Heupel A-Ch

• Mrs. Scahill Ci-Go

• Mr. Ringa Gp-La

• Mrs. Sagala Lb-O

• Mr. Arnold P-Se

• Mr. Paulus Sf-Z

• Mrs. McGahan Post-Secondary Counselor

• Mrs. Hartley Post-Secondary Counselor

Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC)

Corp Outreach Specialist

•“State’s Financial Aid” Office

•Chebriah Nelson

•Chebriah.nelson@illinois.gov

•847-626-4019

•Office Hours at Almond

•Begin every Thursday during periods 3-6 starting September 19

Follow us on Instagram@wthsccc

Accept our Canvas Course—coming soon!

Presentation Objectives

• Applying

• Sending supporting documents

• Requesting letters of recommendation

• Using Naviance to help in the application process

• Finding information about scholarships and financial aid

• Where you can go for more help

Responsibilities

Student

•Decide WHERE to apply

•Complete the application

•Write your essay

•Ask for letters of recommendation (if required)

•Request transcripts

•Send test scores

•Meet all deadlines

Parent/Counselor

•Provide support

•Provide guidance

•Provide assistance

•Supply twin extra-long bed sheets

Deciding Where to Apply

• Continue to visit campuses, attend college fairs and visit with admission reps that come to Warren.

• Your best “final” list should include a combination of:

• Reach Schools

• Possible Schools

• Probable or “Target” Schools

• Safety Schools (financial, location)

• ALL OF WHICH YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO ATTEND!

Definitions:● Reach- A “dream school” where admission chances are

either unlikely or perhaps unattainable. Can also be

considered a “toss-up”.

● Possible- A school in which you fit the freshman profile

academically, but it’s still extremely competitive and

no guarantee.

● Probable- Chances of getting in are strong. This is getting

harder and harder to predict.

● Safety- Can be considered a “back up” for either location or

financial reasons.

What do I need?

•Application

•Essay

• Not ALL schools require an essay! (Crowd cheers!)

•Transcript

•Test Scores

•Letters of Recommendation

***ONLY IF REQUIRED!

• Application Fee

Anything Else?• Some highly selective

schools will require or recommend an INTERVIEW. If you have to interview, set it up in a timely manner and see your School Counselor for tips!

• For the Visual and Performing Art majors, you will be expected to submit a PORTFOLIO or attend an AUDITION.

The Application

• Apply Online

• Institutional Application

• Found on the school’s website

• The Common Application

• www.commonapp.org

• The Coalition Application

• www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org

• Make sure you are entering the correct information. Once submitted, it’s difficult to go back and make changes.

• Be aware of deadlines!

• There are now over 900 Common Application member colleges & universities

• One application

• Includes one Common App essay, plus supplemental essays.

• Counselor recommendation and Secondary School Report

• Teachers must submit a Teacher Evaluation Form with their letter of recommendation.

• Common Application Workshop on September 5th during all lunch periods in the College & Career Center – sign up in Naviance!

Application LingoTerm Description Typical Deadline

Regular

Decision

Requires application information to be

submitted by institution’s stated

deadline.

January 1st

Early Action Accelerated admission process. You will

typically be notified of a decision by mid-

December. But you do not have to

inform the institution of your decision

prior to May 1st.

November 1st

Early Decision For applicants committed to their college

choice. Binding application. Acceptance

requires you to withdraw applications to

other colleges.

November 1st

Rolling

Admissions

Student applications are reviewed and

admitted on a continuing basis. Priority deadline

(Nov. 15th)

The Essay• This can be the most difficult part of the application, so let us help

you!

• English teachers

• The Resource Room (Library)

• Your counselor/parents

• Why do you have to write an essay????

• Shows your writing skills

• Shows your personality and adds another dimension to your application

• Allows you to address something that you can’t on the application

The Essay Continued….• Types of essays you might be

asked to write:

• Open ended

• Personal statement

• Response to a specific

question

• Make sure you answer the

question

• Graded writing sample from

Jr/Sr year

• Common Application

Supplement

•Tips:

• Proofread, proofread,

proofread

• Watch out when using

the college’s name in

your essay. It’s easy to

send that essay to the

wrong school! It

happens!

• YOU write it!

• Watch word count

• Get help from a Warren

resource.

The Application Fee• Expect to pay for each application

you submit.

• Not all applications will have a fee.

• If you are on fee waiver, colleges will typically waive the application fee. See your counselor for more information.

• Keep these fees in mind when applying, as it can get costly!

Transcripts• Once you complete the application,

login to Naviance to request your

transcripts be sent to the school.

• Allow two weeks for your transcript to

be processed

• Some schools like Illinois, Illinois

State, Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska

and several others will not accept

transcripts. Instead, the application

asks you to enter your grades as they

appear on your transcript (self-

reported).

WTHS reports

your weighted

GPA (weighted

grade points

from Honors or

AP classes).

Test Scores• Your SAT/ACT score is not on

your transcript, so you will have

to go to the test site to create an

account and send them.

• The cost is $13 per ACT score

report.

ACT.ORG to send

• The cost is $12 per SAT score

report.

COLLEGEBOARD.ORG to send

• Some schools like U of I, Illinois

State, Iowa State, and others

have you self-report your scores.

• Keep deadlines in mind

Letters of Recommendation• Not all schools require a letter of recommendation!

• If a school doesn’t accept them, don’t send one. They don’t like that.

• Please allow at least two weeks notice to process your letter of rec.

• Make the request of the teacher in person (usually a junior year teacher) and then add the request in Naviance.

• Supply the teacher or counselor with the student and parent questionnaires. We use these to write your letter of recommendation.

• All letters of recommendation are sent through Naviance.

• Send a thank you note to the recommenders.

Video

Both are

accessible on

the College

Application

webpage as a

PDF.

Paying for College

• Financial Aid Night is scheduled for Tuesday,

September 10th at 7:00 p.m.

• FAFSA is available October 1st, 2019

• College/University Scholarships on school’s website

• Check the Naviance “Scholarship List” periodically and do

the “National Scholarship Search”

• www.goingmerry.com

• www.collegegreenlight.com

• www.cappex.com

• Net Price Calculator

Better Make Room Initiative

Final Reminders• Senior Year Counts! Do your best!• Check your WTHS email weekly for important information

throughout the school year!

• Numbers for you to know:

• We use a 4.0 GPA scale

• Our school CEEB Code is 142-175

• There are 1027 students in your graduating class.

• Declaration Day is Friday, May 1st

• Your graduation date is Sunday, May 17th, 2020!!!

* LET US HELP YOU!

Stop by the College and

Career Center during your

lunch period or study hall

(periods 3-6 as open office

hours).

College-Career Website!

• WTHS Comprehensive College & Career planning website for use in grades 9-12

• Accessible by searching “College-Career Center” on Warren’s website

• Resources & Info

•College Application and College Visits

•Paying for College

•Career Resources

•College-Bound Athlete

•Summer Programs and Volunteer Opportunities and MORE!

Post-Secondary Planning Guide!• Information is tailored for all students to prepare for post-secondary academic,

career and personal decisions!

• Includes:

•Exploring Post-High School Options

•Self-Reflection suggestions

•Timeline (FR-SR)

•Tips for Researching Schools

•The Application Process

•Financing Your Education

•Glossary of common college terminology

•College Comparison worksheet

•Minimum Course Requirement Comparison for WTHS Graduation vs. College Entrance

Still have questions??? Contact your counselor!Name Serving students with the

last name starting with

Email Phone

Dan Heupel A-Ch dheupel@wths.net 847-548-7110

Jen Scahill Ci-Go jscahill@wths.net 847-548-6804

RJ Ringa Gp-La rringa@wths.net 847-548-6695

Betsy Sagala Lb-O bsagala@wths.net 847-548-6146

Kyle Arnold P-Se karnold@wths.net 847-548-6982

Jayson Paulus Sf-Z jpaulus@wths.net 847-548-6955

Carri McGahan Almond Post-Secondary Counselor cmcgahan@wths.net 847-548-6709

Trini Hartley O’Plaine Post-Secondary

Counselorthartley@wths.net 847-599-4532