Wallkill Senior High School College Planning Guide

Wallkill Senior High School College Planning Guide   Counseling Office Mr Voleile Derisse VDerisse@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us Mrs Opal Reid-Apronti OReid-Apronti@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us Mrs Angela Terralavoro ATerralavoro@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us Mrs Sara Veach SVeach@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us Guidance Secretaries Mrs Sue Rotunda Ms Donna Brouard Junior year Checklist September o Check your schedule Make sure you have all your academic classes, including PE/electives If you have a problem, see your counselor ASAP o Research colleges using www.collegeboard.org o Register for PSAT’s in the guidance office October/November o Take your PSAT’s o Attend college fairs o Listen for the announcements for college representative visits at WSHS and meet with any that you are interested in! December/January _ o Start preparing for the SAT/ACT o Students with IEP’s who would like to take the SAT’s should let their counselor know of their intentions to take the SAT’s o Attend College Admission/Financial Aid Night at WSHS February _ o o o o o Register to take the SAT/ACT in May/June of this school year See your counselor if you need a fee waiver for the SAT/ACT Practice for the SAT/ACT on their websites Look into the SAT II’s…do the schools that you are interested in require them? Plan to visit colleges in the spring Remember- Start local March/April o Visit Colleges! Call the admissions office, make appointments to go visit! Get business cards and follow up with thank you notes! o Wallkill Senior High School College Fair! o Orange County Counselors Association College Fair late Spring at SUNY Orange, Middletown 7:00 PM for parents and students o Look for great summer opportunities-internships, volunteering, etc o Are you looking for specialty schools, i.e Art School/Fashion? Start contacting the college and ask what they require in a portfolio o IEP/504 students did you ask for your SAT accommodation form? May/June _ o Take your SAT/ACT o Complete Questionnaire Page July _ o Are you a student-athlete? Register for the NCAA for Division I and II schools using https://web1.ncaa.org Senior Year Checklist September/October o Continue researching and visiting colleges! o Attend your schedule Senior Interview with your counselor and receive an unofficial transcript o Check dates for SAT/ACT o Meet with college representatives at WSHS o Have your student questionnaire completed o Prepare your art/music portfolio o Narrow down 5-8 schools including reach and safety schools o Request letters of recommendation from your teachers and follow up with thank you letters! o Become familiar with The Common Application, www.commonapp.org o If you are using Common App, make sure you tell your teacher first so that they can upload their letters of recommendation online and you can “invite” them on the Common App o Start completing the initial application process (create account, demographics) online o Write your passwords somewhere you can reference them!! o You MUST tell your counselor that you have applied online o Get started on your college essay- Those students who attended the WSHS Guidance office College Essay Writing Workshop in the Spring, should review that essay that they wrote during the workshop o SAT II’s? Does your college require it? o Student athletes- Did you register with the NCAA? o Free/reduced lunch students- you need an application waiver? o Submit FAFSA form www.FAFSA.ed.gov o November o Are you taking the SAT/ACT again? Do you need a fee waiver? See your counselor ASAP! o Be sure to send your SAT and ACT scores directly through these testing agencies to the schools you applied to! (Not sure if this is required? Call the admissions office directly) Many schools not accept the SAT/ACT scores that are on the student transcript from WSHS o Finances should be discussed with your parents o Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov and get a FSA for you and your parents o We strongly encourage a Thanksgiving Deadline for all applications! December _ o Attend WSHS College Information and Financial Aid Night January _ o Local scholarships will start to be announced and posted on our website o Parents- complete your taxes as early as possible to help complete the FAFSA form o Males need to be sure that they have completed the Selective Service form once you turn 18 (you will not be eligible for financial aid if this form is not submitted on www.sss.gov) February/March o o o o o o Still haven’t applied to college- It’s not too late! See your counselor ASAP Keep your counselor informed of acceptances/denials Four weeks after mailing FAFSA, look for Student Aid Report (SAR) Review and submit all additions and corrections on the SAR Parents- use offered scholarships as a bargaining tool with other schools! Keep a record of all college acceptances April/May o Admissions letters arrive! o If you have not heard, call the admissions office o If you were not admitted to any colleges, talk to your counselor ASAP, we can help you with choices o Review all financial aid packages o Send enrollment and deposit checks to your accepted college o Take AP exams o June/July o Send thank you notes to any scholarship program as well as anyone who has helped you along the way o Make sure you complete the WSHS Exiting/Post-secondary survey and write in where your final transcript should go Final transcripts will be mailed out in the beginning of July 2017 o We hope you enjoyed this journey! Visiting College The best way to learn about a college is to visit while classes are in session or attend an Open House.  Most open houses are during the fall and spring.  If you would like to visit the college, you simply call the admissions office and make an appointment When visiting, bring this book with you and ask the sample admissions rep questions as outlined on page 19   Top Questions to ask a college representatives     Make sure you get business  cards and follow up with thank  you notes.  If you visit a private  school, they may waive your  application fee.   You may also  ask if the college allows for  overnight visits Remember to keep in touch  with the admissions counselors­ they will be the ones that will  be making/advocating for you  to attend their school!     Letters of recommendation Most colleges/universities require letters of  recommendations from your teachers.  We  suggest that students ask for at least two  letters of recommendations from teachers  that know them well. You should also follow up with a thank you note Step 1: Ask your teacher for the letter of  recommendations.  If yes, move to step 2 Step 2. Give your teacher a copy of your  resume and your transcript along with a  thank you note stating the following: Dear Mr. Smith, Thank you very much to agreeing to write a  letter of recommendation on my behalf.   Attached, please find my Letter of  Recommendation Questionnaire and my  transcript for your reference.  My intended  major is  _.  Please turn it into to  my school counselor,  _ by  November 1st.   Specify if you are also applying via Common App and if so, they will be receiving an email from Common App to upload a letter Class of 2017 graduation requirements Regents Diploma- 20 credits Regents exams Plus one pathways or Regents exams of 65 or above Advanced Regents Diploma- 20 credits Regents exams of 65 or above *The three year foreign language sequence and exam may be replaced with a sequence in another area                                                     Terminology you should know: Associates Degree- year school- SUNY Ulster, Orange or Dutchess Bachelors Degree- year school- SUNY New Paltz, Marist Masters Degree- usually years Major- your concentration Minor- a second concentration Undergraduate- a college student who has not earned their bachelors degree Prospective student- YOU! Deadline- the last possible date that something is due Early Decision- a legally binding agreement that if you are accepted to that particular college, you must go and rescind all other applications Early Action- You apply to the college early (October) and you find out if you are accepted early How to start your college search… Visit: www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org for an interactive college search process Your big future begins with you — it’s your journey Asking yourself questions can help your figure out who you are and where you want to go College Search Step-by-Step Find Colleges That Are Right for You Although there's no magic formula for choosing a college, you can start by asking yourself some questions that help most students find the right fit Use https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleg e-search  Learn about some key college search categories  Answer questions to discover what's important to you  Get advice from college students and educators well? The Hudson Valley is home to great colleges and want you to visit! Call their admissions office and ask when their college tours are given and make that appointment! Make the most of College Fairs in the area.  Class of 2017 Letter of Recommendation Questionnaire  (to be given to your counselor/teachers)  Name   Email: What academic organizations you belong to? (ex: NHS, SGA) _ What offices have you held in those organizations? What academic awards have you received? (ex: achievement awards) _ What school offices have you held? (ex: SGA, class officer) _ What athletic programs have you participated in and for how long? _ What athletic/music/ art/volunteer awards or recognitions have you received? (ex: MVP, section champ) _ What other extracurricular activities have you participated in? (clubs, band, chorus) What jobs have you had outside school? Anything else you would like included The Differences between the SAT and ACT     SAT­ Reasoning Test ACT           Scholastic Aptitude Test   Two sections Math  and Evidence Based  Reading and Writing  Time­ 3 hrs and 50  minutes long w/  optional essay  Scores range from  200­1600     No penalty for  guessing  Essay optional  Math­ more Algebra  than Geometry  Cost $43.00 no essay American College Test   Measures academic  achievement in English, Math, Reading and  Science Reasoning  (writing optional)  Time­ 3 hrs and 25  minutes long  Scores range from 1­36  Scores are based on  number of correct  answers.  No penalty for guessing  Cost­ $39.50 (without  writing)           $56.50 (with writing)  $54.50 w/essay  Late registration +  $28.00                                                           Subject Test or SAT II’s The SAT II’s or Subject Test are administered by the College Board and are given on the same day as the SAT’s Reasoning Test Tests are designed to measure your knowledge or skill in a particular subject area and to apply that knowledge Many of the more selective colleges require the SAT II’s You should go on the college website to see if your college requires it You may take one, two or three subject tests in one day, but you cannot take it the same day as you are taking the SAT I’s Each test in one hour long Examples of tests are Literature, World History, Languages and Science Visit www.collegeboard.org for subjects and registration ** WSHS is not a testing site for the SAT’ s or ACT’s Common testing sites include Pine Bush HS, Newburgh Free Academy and Goshen HS Remember when registering for the SAT’s and ACT, you MUST upload a clear picture of yourself 2016-2017 SAT Registration Date SAT Subject  SAT Date Tests Available (Find Dates) Late Registration  Deadline Registration  Deadline Deadline for  Changes Mail Oct. 1,  2016 Register Nov. 5,  2016 Register Dec. 3,  2016 Register Phone/ Online See SAT Subject  Tests available on  Sept. 1, 2016 this date Sept. 13,  Sept. 20,  2016 2016 Sept. 20, 2016 See SAT Subject  Tests available on  Oct. 7, 2016 this date Oct. 18,  Oct. 25,  2016 2016 Oct. 25, 2016 See SAT Subject  Tests available on  Nov. 3, 2016 this date Nov. 15,  Nov. 22,  2016 2016 Nov. 22, 2016 ... Keene State? ?College  Kenyon? ?College  Kettering University  Keuka? ?College  Keystone? ?College  King's? ?College  King's? ?College? ?London  Knox? ?College  Lafayette? ?College  Lake Erie? ?College ...  Gettysburg? ?College  Gonzaga University  Goshen? ?College  Goucher? ?College  Green Mountain? ?College  Grinnell? ?College  Guilford? ?College  Gustavus Adolphus? ?College  Hamilton? ?College  Hamline University (MN)... Hampden­Sydney? ?College  Hampshire? ?College  Hanover? ?College  Hartwick? ?College  Harvard University  Harvey Mudd? ?College  Haverford? ?College  Hawai'i Pacific University  Hendrix? ?College  Heythrop? ?College,  University of London