Senior MeetingSeptember 08, 2014

Jr./Sr. Parent Invite Night

• Tuesday, Sept. 09, 2014, 6:00 p.m., Cafeteria• Powerpoint on college and career information,

financial aid, scholarships• Several local college representatives will be

here to discuss their programs.• NACEE representative will be here to discuss

FAFSA and financial aid.

Senior Newsletters

Our primary way of communicating information about scholarships, visitation days at colleges, College and Career Fairs, special programs, visits from college and military representatives, senior news

Available in hard copy and on the school websiteAre usually published about once a monthUsually given out in homeroom or during lunch

Newsletter

Sr. Remind 101

• Open up a new text• To: 256-400-1506• Msg: @dbddf• For news from the Guidance Department,

including scholarship information that comes in between newsletters

Information for Guidance

Check the hallway outside the lunchroom on the northeast side. We will post information on upcoming college visitors, visitation days, special programs, etc. there.

College and Career Fair

When: September 12, 2014Where: Athens State UniversityOur Time: 8:30-9:15Use Your Time Wisely – This is your

opportunity to receive information from a variety of colleges.

Ask Pertinent Questions – Major? Location? Admission Requirements? Scholarships?

Permission SlipYou must have this signed by a parent in order to board the bus. Turn it in

as you exit the building on Friday.

College and Career Guide

Important reference for you – keep and refer to it throughout the year for test dates, forms and general information.

People Who Are Available To Help You Page 3

Mrs. Wales – College Information, Military Help, Letters of Recommendation, Scholarship Applications

Mr. Smith – NCAA EligibilityMs. Malone – Transcripts, Senior SponsorMrs. Austin – Scholarship ApplicationsTeachers – Letters of Recommendation

College Admissions CalendarPages 4-5

Fall of Senior Year

Research SchoolsPlan College Visits“Fine Tune” Your Résumé Read Senior NewsletterFill Out College Applications – Make sure you fill

out all parts, Sometimes scholarship applications are separate

Fill Out Transcript Form for Ms. Malone to send your transcripts

DEADLINES!!!

You must meet deadlines! Apply early.If a scholarship application has a December 1

deadline, you must have all your materials processed by that date. For example: Remember that Alabama receives 11,000 applications each fall. It takes time to process all of them.

ACT DEADLINES!!!

October is the last ACT Test Date accepted for most Dec. 1 scholarship deadlines. Make sure you have your scores sent directly to the appropriate school.

Sometimes, 1 or 2 points makes the difference in the level of scholarship money. Study before you take the test! For example, at AU, 28 ACT + 3.5 GPA = $3,000 yr. but 30 ACT + 3.5 GPA = Full Tuition.

MORE ON ACT

• MOST OF YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN THE ACT - PLEASE COME BY AND SEE ME IF YOU PLAN TO TAKE IT AGAIN. WE HAVE ACT PREP MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT.

• ACT ADDED PHOTO ID TO BE UPLOADED. T-4 CAN HELP. APPLY ONLINE.

ACT WorkKeys TEST

• All seniors will take the ACT WorkKeys Test this year – a job skills assessment.

• Tests: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, Reading for Information

• Very important to do your best – may be used by your future employer

• Sample questions – www.actstudent.org

Early College Opportunities

• Accelerated High School Student Program – through Calhoun – these do not show on your high school transcript, only count as college credit

• Dual Enrollment – through Calhoun – these count as both high school and college credit

• University of AL Early College Program – online classes

Winter of Senior Year

You will need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Form if you plan to apply for college scholarships, grants or loans.

You will do this in January after your parents receive their W-2 forms and complete their tax information.

It is best to fill this form out online. The website is www.fafsa.ed.gov.

More FAFSA Information

Free help is available to help you fill out your FAFSA.

North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence is located at 110 Thomas Street in the Quad Plex (one block west of the Athens Police Station on Hobbs St.).

Phone number is 256-233-1220.

Spring of Senior Year

Apply for local scholarships Feb. 1st – Mar. 1st is the deadline for most local community

colleges for scholarships May 1st is the deadline for notifying colleges of

acceptance/decline of scholarships and if you plan to attend school there

Turn in copies of scholarship letters to Mrs. Wales Turn in Final Transcript Request form to Ms. Malone by

graduation You must have AP Scores sent by College Board to the college you

plan to attend.

Senior Survival TipsPages 6, 7

Smile!Plan Ahead!Have a Good Attitude!Write Things Down!Simplify!Adjust Your Attitude!Take Care of Yourself!

Choices: Life After High SchoolPages 8-11

Post-Secondary Education (4-year College, 2-year College, Technical or Professional School)

Military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard)

WorkforceApprenticeshipSelf Employment

Self-Assessment/Career ResearchPage 10

• If you need help with Self-Assessment, there are inventories available through Kuder Navigator: Career Search with Person Match, Skills Assessment and Super’s Work Values Inventory. New Batch Code is N3843772GZQ.

• Websites with great information on careers are also listed.

• Also try, www.alstudentaid.com.• www.mynextmove.org

Choosing a CollegePages 12-17

Academics – Major you are interested in? Do you meet their admissions criteria?

Size – Large or small?Atmosphere – Big city? Small town?Cost – Community? Out-of-state?Location – Close to home? Far away?

College Application Process

Most of the time, you will apply online. Make sure you fill out all forms. Sometimes, scholarship applications and

activities forms are separate. Always fill out scholarship applications! If you are interested in departmental scholarships, make sure you declare a

major. Have ACT or SAT scores sent. Have transcript sent. Ask for Letters of Recommendation (if needed). AL and AU now require ACT scores sent directly from ACT. They will not

accept them on a high school transcript. They also require the Writing portion. AL will accept the December ACT test results for scholarship purposes this year.

NCAA RequirementsPage 20

See Mr. Smith for questions about NCAA.Make sure you keep your password for the

website. You will need it for future use.2.3 GPA in 16 core academic courses and the

required ACT scores

ACT/SAT Testing DatesPage 23

Red sheet in your College and Career Guide School Code is 010175 ACT is offered at Athens High School. Test Dates for ACT: September, October, December, February,

April and June. If you are going to Calhoun, you may take a free placement

test (COMPASS) at Calhoun instead of ACT. Cost of ACT: $38.00 (no writing), $54.50(with writing) Auburn and Alabama now require the writing portion. They also

require the test score sent directly by ACT.

College Admission TermsPages 25-26

Candidate Reply Date – You must let colleges know by May 1 if you are planning to accept scholarships and attend college there. You may let them know earlier. Sometimes, you must let them know earlier in order to guarantee housing.

Wait List – Sometimes students are placed on a “wait list.” They are neither accepted or denied when they first apply. They must wait while the college receives acceptance/denial notices from other students.

The College Visit/EnrollingPages 27-33

Suggestions for VisitsQuestions to AskTips on EnrollingHow Colleges Look at YouTranscriptsSchool RecommendationInterview (may be used for specific programs)

Teacher/Counselor Letters of Recommendation – Pages 34, 35

Give at least 2 weeks’ noticeGive a copy of your resumeAsk if they mind if you make duplicates of the

letter for local scholarshipsTake a few minutes to let them know about

your future plans – career goalsSmile, say “thank you”

Financial AidPages 36-38

Scholarships – Academic, Athletic, Leadership, Specialty (Band, Theatre)

Grants – Money based on need which does not have to be repaid

Loans – Money which must be repaidWork Study – Students work on the college

campus and are paidGreat website: http://studentaid.ed.gov

Military Financial Aid for College

• If you are interested in learning about financial aid available for college through the military – such as National Guard Tuition Assistance, Montgomery G.I. Bill, etc. – please see Mrs. Wales to give you contact information for our local recruiters.

• National Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines

ReferencesPages 39-42

Websites to check outCheck out individual college websites. Do the

research on the schools you are interested in attending – admission criteria, scholarship information, majors offered.

www.bls.gov – Occupational Outlook Handbook for career information

www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov

Rights and ResponsibilitiesPages 43-44

Research colleges you are interested in attending

Meet deadlinesFill out necessary paperworkArrange for college visitsNotify colleges of acceptance/decline of

scholarships and admission on or before May 1st

Resume/Essay TipsPages 45-52

Help with Letters of RecommendationHelp with ScholarshipsHelp with Job SearchesHelp with College Admission

FormsPages 53-59

Consent for Release of Student Records – fill out for transcript to be sent.

College Comparison Worksheet College Day Form – at least 5 days in advance, need all

signatures, bring back verification. You have 2 college days which may be taken. Need to take at least 1 first semester. E-Learning Form – available in Attendance Office.

Final Transcript Form – fill out at the end of the year. Scholarships offers are conditional on all grades!

Final Notes

Scholarships will not come looking for you. You must seek them out. You must fill out the necessary paperwork and sell yourself!

I will be glad to help you in any way I can. All scholarship information we receive will be listed in the newsletters. Come by the guidance office and pick up applications in the College and Career Room. Mrs. Wales