SENIOR NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2018

Mahwah High School Senior Guidance Newsletter October 2018 Dates to Remember: Thursday Oct 4th Senior Parent Night • • A Conversation with a Tufts Admissions Rep: CLICK HERE The Dean of Princeton answers about the college process: CLICK HERE There are parts to this series, so you can scan back to read the entire article Last day to drop a full year course Friday October 5th Last day to register for Nov SAT Saturday Oct 27th ACT Test date ********************** Important links: Click here for the following Documents: • • • • • MHS College Visit Form College Application Handbook Financial Aid Info NCAA Recruitment Handbook And much more! ACT TEST DATES SAT TEST DATES Naviance Need College Help? The counselors will be available every Monday and Friday, during lunch in Room 229 ready to answer any and all student questions about the college process You can stay for minutes or 30, but we will need to see your face to make sure you get to where you need to be with your applications Visit with College Reps! Some colleges Visiting Mahwah: U Delaware, URI, U Arizona, Scranton, Fordham, Sacred Heart, U Mass, Elmira, Babson and the list goes on!      A comprehensive list is posted on Naviance under “Visit Schedule.” Students must sign up in Naviance day in advance (parents cannot access this feature from their accounts) After you sign up, print the screen that says you have registered and bring it to your teacher Students who not follow this process will not permitted to attend the session Please understand that not all colleges and universities visit Mahwah High School Coffee with Counselors On Thursday, October 18th @ 8:40 am in the Auditorium, the MHS Guidance Department will be hosting our very first “Coffee with Counselors” for parents Please come by for a cup of Joe and meet the counselors This hour long discussion will focus on Guidance services, Naviance, and student stress Please RSVP to Mrs Denise Wright: dwright@mahwah.k12.nj.us so we can plan accordingly Follow Us! Click to Stay Connected! Creating and Printing a Resume in Naviance Many colleges will give you the option of submitting a resume to highlight the activities you are involved in outside the classroom Remember: the only activities that appear on your transcript are ones that you have participated within the walls of Mahwah High School If you volunteer work or hold a job, you need to tell a college or they won’t know! Don’t be humble! Naviance has a great, easy to use, resume feature To print a resume: Go to the About Me tab Click Resume Click Customize Your Printable Resume Click Create a New Print Format Give your resume a title Select a Style Next to References, click the radio button to include or not include References Select the primary boxes and the secondary boxes and / or Radio buttons of information within each sections that you would like to be included in your resume Click Save and Close 10 Click the View/Print icon to view and print the resume 11 If a student prints the resume to PDF using a print to pdf feature, then the student can have an electronic copy available to send out to colleges Transcripts What is your transcript? It is a record of all courses taken in high school, and the grades and credits earned in those classes It also lists your decile rank, personal information, and numerical average A transcript is official only if it bears the raised school seal and is sent directly from our school to a college, agency, or other institution • REMINDER: ONCE AN APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED YOU WILL RECEIVE AN AUTOMATIC REPLY STATING THAT YOUR TRANSCRIPT HAS NOT YET BEEN RECEIVED REST ASSURED YOUR TRANSCRIPT WILL BE SENT SHORTLY • All college applications and many scholarship applications require an official high school transcript, faculty/staff recommendations and other supporting data It is very important for students and parents to be aware of application and transcript deadlines • We cannot provide official copies of transcripts to students or parents We can only send official transcripts to agencies, colleges, companies, employers, and organizations that provide scholarships We can provide students with an unofficial copy of their transcript • Requesting Transcripts: All transcript requests must be completed on Naviance (Colleges >>>Transcripts>>> Request Transcripts) Please keep in mind the following deadlines: *TRANSCRIPT DEADLINES * APPLICATION DEADLINE MUST REQUEST TRANSCRIPT IN NAVIANCE November 1, 2018 Thursday, October 11, 2018 November 15, 2018 Thursday, October 25, 2018 January 1, 2019 Monday, December 3, 2018 January 15, 2019 Monday December 14, 2018 Click here for a list of… Schools that superscore the ACT Frequently Asked Questions Q: How I request a letter of recommendation from a teacher? A: First, you need to ask, face-to-face, if your teacher will write one for you If they say yes, you need to submit a request in Naviance (COLLEGES >>>COLLEGES I AM APPLYING TO) Q: How many times should I take the SAT or ACT? A: After you settle on your testing strategy, most students take the test times in the spring and if you need to once in the fall of senior year Studies have shown that any time after doesn’t improve your score Q: What is the Common Application? A: The Common Application allows you to apply to over 700 schools with one application You can find more info at commonapp.org Q: What’s the FERPA? A: When requesting letters of recommendation in Naviance, you will need to complete the FERPA the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (Colleges >>>Colleges I am Applying To) Before a teacher will write a letter of recommendation on your behalf, you must waive your right to access it at a later time It is in your best interest to waive your right If you don’t, it sends a message to a college that you have something to hide, and that’s why you want to retain access to your letter If you have any concerns, reach out to Mr Gliatta Q: If I want to participate in athletics at the Division I or Division II level in college, what I have to do? A: You must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse: www.eligibilitycenter.org Q: Where I begin with the college process? A: The best place to start is on Naviance Go to Colleges>>>College Search This simple search will help you clarify what you are looking for After you this search, you can “pick” some of these schools and add them to your list When you have your Junior Conference with your counselor, you will have something to start with and your counselor will help you from there Q: What are some tips for going on a college visit? A: First, you need to make sure you fill out the proper paperwork so your absence is excused (more information can be found on the Guidance website) Seniors get excused absences A personal visit to a post-secondary institution is often the most useful step in helping students and their parents decide whether or not to apply to a particular school Here are a few other tips: • Take the admissions tour The tour guide will show you the main parts of the campus as well as answer any questions that you may have Take advantage of this opportunity to find out history and other facts about the college • Take your own tour After the admissions tour is over, you may want to take time to tour the campus on your own This will allow you to view areas that were not part of the admissions tour, such as the parking facilities or actual classrooms Check out areas that will specifically pertain to your major If you want to major in biology, check out the labs If you want to major in music, take a look at the music rooms • Don't forget to ask questions You may want to prepare a list of questions to ask beforehand just to make sure that you don't forget anything Ask questions regarding academic, financial, housing/food, social, community, athletic, and safety aspects (Do a Google search for some ideas) • Take Notes You will be visiting a lot of colleges and they will all become a blur after a while Have a notebook for your college visits handy so you can write down your initial impressions • Talk to the students Don’t be shy about stopping a student on campus and asking them how they like it Or why did they apply? Most students have no problem offering an opinion • Grab a copy of the school newspaper You will get a flavor of the school that you won’t find in any guidebook or online • Eat in the cafeteria Q: I am completely and utterly lost! What I do? A: Take a deep breath and see your counselor or e-mail your counselor for direction! Financial Aid Here are a few places to start Remember, we will be hosting Financial Aid Night on Tuesday, January 10th • Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) • The Net Price Calculator is a tool that you can use to estimate your “net price” to attend a particular college or university Net price is the difference between the “sticker” price (full cost) to attend a specific college, minus any grants and scholarships for which you may be eligible Sticker price includes direct charges (tuition and fees, room and board) and indirect costs (books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses) How does it work? First, the Net Price Calculator looks at the sticker price Then, using the financial information you enter into the calculator, the Net Price Calculator estimates the amount of money your family would be expected to contribute to pay for college Finally, the Net Price Calculator evaluates your eligibility for financial aid at specific colleges by matching your financial and personal characteristics to the criteria that schools use to distribute financial aid (need-based grants as well as merit-based scholarships) • The CSS/Financial Aid Profile: is the financial aid application service of the College Board More than 500 colleges, universities, graduate and professional schools, and scholarship programs use the information collected on the PROFILE to determine eligibility for nonfederal student aid funds • FINAID:FinAid is the most comprehensive free resource for objective and unbiased information, advice and tools about student financial • FAFSA FORECASTER:Free Application for Federal Student Aid The is a form that can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students (undergraduate and graduate) in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid (including the Pell grants, and work-study programs) • Scholarship Search Engines: Click for a list of some great places to start to search for money! ... NAVIANCE November 1, 2018 Thursday, October 11, 2018 November 15, 2018 Thursday, October 25, 2018 January 1, 2019 Monday, December 3, 2018 January 15, 2019 Monday December 14, 2018 Click here for... strategy, most students take the test times in the spring and if you need to once in the fall of senior year Studies have shown that any time after doesn’t improve your score Q: What is the Common... proper paperwork so your absence is excused (more information can be found on the Guidance website) Seniors get excused absences A personal visit to a post-secondary institution is often the most