Preparing for College - The Application Process

1. Preparing for College - The Application Process Upper Merion Area High School Guidance Department May 16, 2012

2. Words of Wisdom • The College Search • Scholarships and the Reality of College Costs • Parent Tips • Next Steps • Nut and Bolts • Other Agenda

3. What information do college admission officers review?

4. ACT • Consists of four tests: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing • Writing component is optional • Top composite score is 36 • SAT • Consists of three tests: Verbal, Math, Writing • Each test is scored on a scale of 200-800 • SAT II • Twenty different subject tests • Check individual school to see if any are required for admission About College Admission Tests

5. Part 1 – Demographic Information • Part 2 – Academics, Activities, Major, Employment, Resume • Part 3 – Essays • Part 4 – Recommendations/Evaluations • Part 5 – Payment/Fees • Other – Portfolio’s, CD’s, Financial Forms, Audition information, Graded Papers, Supplemental Forms ****Be Aware of Deadlines, Admission Type (Regular, Rolling, EA, ED 1, ED 2, Open), Tests Required, Interviews, etc… College Application Parts & Policies

6. What forms do I need to be aware of? • Purple Signature Acknowledgement Form • Teacher/Guidance Counselor Recommendations • Transcript Request Form • College Application Components & Policies • Financial Aid Forms • Rejection, Wait-List and Acceptance Letters • Other Paperwork and Process

7. This form outlines the timeline and process the Guidance Office will follow in regards to sending out high school transcripts and supporting documentation. • This form, when completed, allows students to submit request individual transcripts without authorization by their parents. Signature Acknowledgement Form(Purple Form)

8. Students must complete the Request for Teacher/Counselor Recommendation Form and submit the original to Mr. Enters. • Students must personally ask the teacher they would like to receive a letter from and provide them with the necessary forms or links to complete. • Students must give the teacher ample time to complete the evaluation. • Teachers will submit the completed evaluation to Mr. Enters for inclusion in their transcript package. • Evaluations are confidential! Teacher’s may choose to share their letters with students on their own but student’s cannot see the letters once they are submitted to the Guidance Office. • Limit the number of letters requested to no more than 4. Recommendation Letters

9. The transcript request form is required to be submitted for every college that a student applies to. • More details are preferred. Be accurate when requesting what needs to be sent. (letters, forms, resume’s, portfolios, articles, headshots, etc…) • Forms should be submitted to Mr. Enters or Mrs. Berman in the HUB in a timely fashion and include any supplemental forms or information that the student wants sent to each school. • Students must allow for a 15 working- day period. Be aware of application deadlines and plan accordingly. • Transcript Request Forms are available in the HUB and online at the Guidance Website. Transcript Request Form

11. Institutional Forms • CSS/Financial Aid Profile • FAFSA - http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ • Financial Aid Package • Scholarship Offers • Athletic Scholarships/Letter of Intent • Scholarship Applications – School based and external Financial Aid Forms

12. The Thin Envelope – Letter Size • The Bit Thicker Envelope – Letter Size • The Thick Envelope – 8 ½ by 11 size • The Notification by Email – your child is crying or smiling bigger than you’ve ever seen when you get home experience • The Wrong Letter • “Let Me See It In Writing!!” Acceptance, Wait-List, & Rejection Letters

13. 1st Quarter/Mid-Year/3rd MP Grade requests • Departmental Acceptances • Apply to Program/Specific Colleges of the University • Auditions/Portfolio Review, Writing Samples • Interviews • NCAA Clearinghouse – Division 1 and 2 • Conditional Acceptances – Special Programs, Summer/Spring Offers, etc… • The Un-Expected!! Other

14. In School • Stay focused on academics • Meet with your school counselor • Stay involved in school activities • Do not lighten your academic load for senior year Standardized Testing • Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests (minimum two times this year) • Register for AP tests as appropriate College Process • Explore colleges on the Web • Visit colleges if you can • Meet with college admissions representatives that visit Upper Merion • Attend college fairs • Draw up your list of potential colleges to which you will apply • Complete Applications – Meet Deadlines, Apply Early Next Steps for Juniors

15. collegeboard.com– SAT information and college search program • Educationplanner.org – College search program powered by College Board • Cappex.com- College search made simple. Your first stop to kick-start your college and scholarship search • actstudent.org- Information about the ACT test • nacacnet.org- National Association for College Admission Counseling. Offers national college fair information and articles about the college process Accessing College Information

16. Fastweb.com - Private scholarships • fafsa.ed.gov- Free Application for Federal Student Aid • Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s website about paying for college • MeritAid.com- $11 billion in merit scholarships • Cappex.com- Scholarship matching • finaid.org- Free student resource for learning about all types of financial aid Scholarship Resources

17. Upper Merion Area High School Counseling Department Patricia Brower (A-D)pbrower@umasd.org 610-205-3840 Kim Jackson (E-K) kjackson@umasd.org 610-205-3841 Lauryn Roth (L-Ra) lroth@umasd.org 610-205-3870 Deborah Greenstein (Re-Z) dgreenstein@umasd.org 610-205-3873 Erik Enters (College) eenters@umasd.org 610-205-3839 Elaine Berman (Guidance Technician) 610-205-3821 Diane Coxe (Guidance Clerk/HUB) 610-205-3899 When you have questions along the way