Senior College Night

1. Senior College Night September 18, 2013

2. Perspective… How to get into college in 1983: get good grades How to get into college in 2013: get good grades, speak six languages, be a rocket scientist, and end world hunger How to pay for college 1983: Work part time and summers. Maybe take out minimal loans.  How to pay for college 2013: Which of your organs is the most valuable?

3. PAHS Guidance Department • Rebecca Doutrich • College and Career Counselor • Kimberly Osborn • Senior Counselor- Class of 2014 • Elizabeth Kilpatrick • Junior Counselor- Class of 2015 • Judy Ishler • Sophomore Counselor- Class of 2016 • John Shackelford • Freshman Counselor- Class of 2017 • Mary Ashman and Connie Spinozzi • Department Secretaries

4. School Profile (Handout) • School and community information • Course requirements and offerings • Grading Scale, GPA ranges, and Percentiles • Overall school achievement and standardized test averages • Colleges and universities that have accepted PAHS students

5. Guidance Newsletter • Sent monthly via Skylert and Naviance • Copies available in the Guidance Office • Messages from the counselors • Announcements • Important dates and deadlines • Upcoming Events • Additional information (the college application process, etc.)

6. Naviance • Naviance is designed to • help connect students and parents with the high school counselors • Provide a resource for students to explore and gather information about goals, interests, and college planning • Organize admissions and application information • Be a tool to streamline the application process between the student, high school, and colleges • E.g. requesting and sending transcripts and letters of recommendation, sign up for college rep visits, etc.

7. Naviance • https://connection.naviance.com/phoenixville • Students: log in with student ID # • Parents: most parents have an account with their email address • If you have trouble logging in: • Click “forgot your password” • If you still have trouble, contact Guidance Office !

8. Naviance and the College Application Process • Search for colleges and research information • Add colleges you’re interested in • Track deadlines • Sign up for College Rep Visits at PAHS • Request letters of recommendation • Request transcripts

9. The College Application Process WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING?

10. The College Application Process • Finalize your college list • Continue to research colleges and visit campuses when possible • Access each college’s application to determine procedure, requirements, and timeline *see College Preparation Checklist

11. The College Application Process DEADLINES! • Admissions Office Deadlines • *College Admissions Terminology (handout) • PAHS Guidance Office transcript request deadlines Applications due to the college: Must be submitted by: October 15th September 24th October 30th October 9th November 1st October 11th November 15th October 24th November 30th* November 1st December 1st * November 1st *Any transcript that must be sent prior to the Thanksgiving break must be requested by November 1st! December 17th November 18th January 1st December 2nd January 15th December 13th

12. The College Application Process SAT/ACT Tests • SAT- www.collegeboard.org/sat Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Oct. 5 --- Sept. 23 Nov. 2 Oct. 3 Oct. 21 Dec. 7 Nov. 8 Nov. 25 • ACT- www.actstudent.org Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Oct. 26Sept. 27Oct. 11 Dec. 14Nov. 8 Nov. 22 • Official test scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to each college

13. The College Application Process Letters of Recommendation • Request letters from 2-3 teachers • In person • Through Naviance (handout) • Naviance Tools to complete (under “About Me” tab) • Resume Builder • “Senior Rec Survey”

14. The College Application Process Transcripts, GPA, and Class Rank • Transcripts • Includes courses taken from 9th -12th • Includes final grades from 9th -11th • Includes cumulative GPA from 9th -11th • Does not include test scores • GPA • Weighted, 4.0 scale • Cumulative (average) from 9th-11th • Can only be recalculated after 1st semester of senior year • Class Rank • We DO NOT report class rank • If requested by the college, we will provide percentile rank

15. The College Application Process Requesting Transcripts • For most colleges, “official” transcripts must be sent from the high school directly to the admissions office • Transcripts requests are made in Naviance (handout) • Transcripts will be sent within 15 SCHOOL days of the date the request was submitted. Please ensure that this is done more than 15 school days before the admissions deadline!

16. The College Application Process The Common Application www.commonapp.org Provides a common, standardized first-year application form for use at over 500 member institutions

17. The College Application Process The Common App and FERPA (see handout) • FERPA- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act • You must electronically sign the FERPA waiver of rights • Once you have searched for and added the colleges you will apply to, this can be found under the “My Colleges” tab by clicking on “Assign Recommenders.” It is the first paragraph, listed as FERPA Release Authorization. • We cannot send transcripts to any Common App college until you complete the FERPA release and match your account in Naviance!

18. College Rep Visits • Throughout the fall, college admissions representatives will be visiting PAHS and meeting with students in the Guidance Office • Rep visits will be announced in the mornings • The entire rep visit schedule is posted in Naviance! • Access the schedule and sign up to attend by logging in to Naviance, under the “Colleges” tab click on “View all upcoming college visits.”

19. Prospective Student Athletes • All prospective student athletes considering participation in a Division I or II school, must register for eligibility with the NCAA. • www.eligibilitycenter.org • Registration should be completed NOW! • Transcripts need to be sent to the NCAA (see handout) • SAT/ACT scores need to be sent from testing agency to the NCAA

20. Financial Aid • Contact each college’s Admissions and/or Financial Aid Offices in the fall to gather information on: • Scholarship opportunities, procedures and deadlines • Financial aid application process and deadlines • Availability of financial aid options • FAFSA • Free Application for Federal Student Aid • www.fafsa.ed.gov • AFTER January 1, 2014 • PAHS Financial Aid Night- December 5

21. Scholarships Where to look: • Colleges • May have specific deadlines, procedures, or separate applications to be considered • Naviance • Under “Colleges” tab, see Scholarship box at the bottom of the page. • “Scholarship List” will include scholarship information sent directly to PAHS • Scholarship Search Databases (see handout) • Local organizations, parent(s) place of employment, etc.

22. Upcoming Events • College Essay Review Workshop Sign up in the Guidance Office • September 26, 6pm-8pm • October 10, 6pm-8pm • SAT Boot Camp Information and Registration on PAHS Guidance webpage (under SAT Information) • October 3, 8am-2:30pm • Fall College Tour Forms available in the Guidance Office and on PAHS Guidance webpage • October 16-19 • PAHS Annual College Fair (moved to the fall!) • November 12, 6pm-8pm

23. Questions?

24. Thank you! Students who have not done so already, should make an appointment to meet with Mrs. Doutrich to discuss your college application plans! - Questions or concerns regarding anything college, admissions, career, etc. related can be directed to Mrs. Doutrich at doutrichr@pasd.k12.pa.us - Questions or concerns regarding anything related to schedules, classes, grades, behavior, social, emotional, etc. can be directed to Ms. Osborn at osbornk@pasd.k12.pa.us