whiting high school senior information august 25 th, 2015 selene giron – school counselor
TRANSCRIPT
Whiting High School Senior Information
August 25th, 2015Selene Giron – School Counselor
The Process Begins….
Senior meetings will begin in September
Finalize college selections (before October 1st)
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
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
Where to access college information
Click on Counselor’s Corner
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/
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 ([email protected])
Goal: Have applications submitted by Thanksgiving
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!
College Entrance Exams
ACT
Register online at www.actstudent.org
SAT
Register online at: www.collegeboard.org
o Be sure to send scores to Whiting – CEEB: 153810
o Be sure to send scores to collegeso See Ms. Giron about a fee waiver if you
qualify for free-reduced lunch.
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
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.gov
www.FAFSA.ed.gov is the website to complete the FAFSA online.
Deadline is March 1 of your Senior year
Attend Financial Aid Night at WHS on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium
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
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!
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!
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 educationEx: 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
Local Scholarships
Scholarship providers like to see people from their communities succeed
They often offer local scholarships available only to residents of their communityEx: 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
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
Websites of Interest www.collegeboard.org
Information about SAT, SAT practice tests, SAT sign-up, links to college websites www.khanacademy.org
FREE Online practice for the redesigned SAT www.act.org
Information about ACT, ACT practice tests, ACT sign-up and more www.learnmoreindiana.com
Indiana’s own website to research colleges and careers www.scholarships.com
Free internet college scholarship search and financial aid resource www.fastweb.com
A great site for researching scholarships and getting financial aid information
Websites of Interest Cont’d 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
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
Offers products and services for parents and students who need to fund a college education
www.ecampustours.com
Take a virtual tour of over 1200 college campuses! A great place to start the college search process
www.indianacareerexplorer.com
Online system that helps students plan for a career through exploration of majors, occupations, and interests
Questions?