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PATHWAYS TO THE BACCALAUREATE
• A special program at NVCC designed for
students who:
– Are interested in obtaining a bachelor’s (4
year/college) degree
– May need assistance with the college
process
– Interested in transferring to a 4 year
college/university
– Has a strong desire for academic success
• No minimum GPA is required to apply
• Applying for and participating in the
Pathway program does not bind your
student to attend NVCC
• Pathway students can transfer to any 4
year school
• NVCC application and Pathway
application are different
* Applications will open in late October
PATHWAYS TO THE BACCALAUREATE
BENEFITS IN HIGH SCHOOL
• Individual meetings with Pathways
counselor in high school
• Workshops on the NVCC application
process
• Preparation for placement tests &
placement testing at the high school
• Assistance with financial planning
• Priority course registration
BENEFITS AT NVCC
• Works with the same counselor from high
school into NVCC (academic, career,
transfer, and financial aid counseling)
• All NVCC students can take advantage of
the GAA (Guaranteed Admission
Agreement) with various
universities/colleges, however Pathway
students can start the process early
ENTRANCE EXAMS • Check the colleges website to see if they
require a college entrance exam (SAT or
ACT) and/or a SAT Subject Test
• Generally colleges/universities would like
all application materials, including the
ACT/SAT by the deadline
• RRHS does not send scores to colleges.
Seniors will need to request these scores
to be sent via:
– ACT.org
– Collegeboard.org (SAT/AP)
Is my score good?
• This depends on:
• Your student’s GPA
• Your student’s Transcript
• The university they’d like to attend
• Do they super score?
• Alongside with other variables
COALITION OR COMMON APPLICATION
WHICH DO WE CHOOSE?
• Common Application and Coalition are
applications that colleges use to streamline
the college application process
• Look at the college websites to see which
application they use, if they select to use one
• Once your Senior has researched all their
colleges, created a list, look to see which
application applies to most
• Some colleges may even use both
applications
Remember your Senior completes the application
Direct to
Institution
NAVIANCE
RRHS Phoenix
NAVIANCE
Match your CommonApp to your Naviance account.
Your email address needs to be the same for both
NAVIANCE: LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Under the Colleges tab, Apply to Colleges is the link to request a Letter of Recommendation from
teachers
Ask Early! Some teachers have a limit of how many letters they will write per school year.
Generally give your recommender 3 weeks notice before the college deadline.
NAVIANCE: LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Steps to request a letter:
1. Ask in person first!
2. Once that recommender agrees, log into your Naviance account
3. Select the teacher you would like to write this recommendation
4. Select “All current and future colleges I add to my Colleges I’m Applying To list
5. Include a personal note
6. Submit request
EMAILS
• Seniors should create an appropriate e-
mail address for college applications, if
they have not done so already
• You should have access to your students
college application e-mail
• Colleges will communicate to your
student through this e-mail
College Admissions Officers Are Checking
Social Media
Fully 40 percent of admissions
officers say they visit applicants’
social media pages to learn about
them, four times the percentage that
did so in 2008, according to a just-
released survey ( Money Magazine Jan 2016)
What students should do to highlight
strengths through social media …
1. Create a positive presence using
a professional network i.e.
2. A Digital Portfolio
• (ex: Zeebee)
3. An about Me page
Your student should
want to attend every
college/university
they apply to
CHOOSING THE RIGHT COLLEGE: SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
• Program of Study
• School Size
• Class Size
• Support Programs
• City & Neighborhood
• Campus Culture
• Extracurricular Activities
• Distance from home
• Religious affiliation
• Net price
• Financial Aid Options
• Outside Learning Options
• Housing Options near Campus
Use a helpful tool such as this one to stay organized
ADVISEMENT APPOINTMENT
• Beginning September 4th Seniors will have
the opportunity to schedule a Senior
Advisement appointment with their
School Counselor
• School Counselors will meet with Seniors
beginning the following week
• Seniors can schedule an appointment by
visiting the RRHS School Counseling Page
and selecting “Senior Advisement
Appointment”
• They should follow all the directions on
that web page
TRANSCRIPT REQUEST
• The transcript request form allows for
School Counselors to send:
– School profile
– Initial transcript
– Counselor recommendation (if requested)
– Teacher recommendation (if requested)
– Secondary School Report (if applicable)
– Mid-year transcript (February)
– Final transcript (June)
College Application Deadline *Materials due to Counselor
October 15 September 24
November 1 October 11
November 15 October 25
December 1 November 9
December 15 November 16
January 1 December 3
January 15 December 14
February 1 January 11
February 15 January 25
March 1 and beyond February 14
*Transcript Request sheet & Student Insight sheet
Know your Colleges/Universities Deadlines!!
Student applies online
Student updates list of colleges in Naviance
Student brings yellow transcript request to the Counseling Office
Counselor sends information to college through Naviance
1
2
3
ESSAYS DONE FOR ME?!
• More and more colleges are catching
students using services such as these
• This is one sure way not to get in
• Your student needs to write their own
essay and complete the application
themselves
• If your student needs assistance they may
ask a teacher for advise, help on essays,
grammar, and/or topics
APPLICATION FOR FAFSA OPENS: OCTOBER 1st
FINANCIAL AID:
• FAFSA4CASTER is a free financial aid calculator that gives you an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid. This information can help families plan ahead for college.
• Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for aid!
• The FSA ID, consists of a user-created username and password. This can be setup before the October 1st date.
• It allows users to electronically access personal information on Federal Student Aid Web sites as well as electronically sign a FAFSA.
*Complete this before mid November as colleges start to look at Merit Scholarships
SCHOLARSHIPS
• The RRHS College & Career Center page
is a great resource for Scholarship sites
• Some of the most common are:
– Collegeboard.org
– Fastweb.com
– Scholarships.com
• LCPS has a Scholarship webpage that is
only for Loudoun county students
QUESTIONS
• Have questions?
– Reach out to your Seniors School Counselor
or send them with a list of questions to their
Senior Meeting
• List of 12th grade School Counselors
– Mrs. Jennifer Domingues (Last names A-Cr)
– Ms. Amrita Sethi (Last names Cu-Jan)
– Mrs. Kelley Familant (Last names Jar-Moll)
– Mrs. Cynthia Connell (Last names Mon-Saw)
– Ms. Nicole Bryan (Last names Sc-Z)
