ACT/SAT Tests

Class of 2015 Post-Secondary Planning-Answering Your Questions about Life After RBHS

Hello Class of 2015! Greetings from Guidance. This is the time of year that most of you are beginning to plan for life after graduation and many of you have already come by with questions about what you should be doing now. This presentation will provide you with lots of information about the Post-Secondary Planning process and afterwards, counselors will be available for Q&A so be sure to be thinking of and jot down any questions that you may have as you view the information provided.1The When and Where.WHEN? You should start applying to schools now. Several schools have priority scholarship deadlines in November or December and you need to apply for admission before you can apply for scholarships. MUs priority scholarship deadline is December 15th, but you must apply for admission by December 1st in order to apply for scholarships.Even if a schools admission deadline is later, you have to apply by the priority scholarship deadline if you want to be ensured scholarship $$. On the flip side, even if you dont meet the scholarship deadline, you can still apply to the school by the application deadline. WHERE? If you need help researching schools/post-secondary options, see our Guidance website for information and helpful resources or schedule a time to meet with your counselor. We typically recommend students apply to no more than 5-7 schools and their list includes a reach school(a school that might be a little more difficult to get into based on a students grades/test scores), and a safe school (a school to which a student is sure to be accepted).

If youre wondering when you need to start the process of applying to colleges, the answer is NOW. Several schools have priority scholarship deadlines in November or December and you need to apply for admission before you can apply for scholarships. You should be getting online, looking at the applications for schools or programs of interest and determining what you need as part of the application materials- for example some schools may require letters of recommendation or an essay in which case, you will want to start writing your essay and requesting letters from recommenders now.

Several of you are planning to apply to MU. Its important to know that their priority scholarship process has changed. The deadline has moved from December 1st to December 15thl however you must apply for admission first and then they will send you the scholarship application a few days after receiving your admission application. So, if you want to get your scholarship application submitted by December 15th, you will need to apply for admissions by the 1st. Its important to note that even if a schools admission deadline is later, you have to apply by the priority scholarship deadline if you want to be ensured scholarship $$. On the flip side, even if you dont meet the scholarship deadline, you can still apply to the school by the admission deadline.

WHERE should you apply? 2How do I start applying?Most schools applications are available on their website.Common Application https://www.commonapp.org Each school will have different application requirements. Application fee (varies by school)Letters of Recommendation* Ask at least TWO weeks before due Complete recommendation info formAvailable on Guidance Forms webpageSend THANK YOU notes to your recommendersEssay*Transcript see Mrs. Davis in Guidance to get a transcript release formYou need this even if you submit your application through CommonApp, SendEdu, or other similar sites.Need a parent signature if youre under 18 years oldTranscripts cost $2 each Allow 2 weeks for processing

*Not all schools require letters of rec or an essay. Check out the schools website to determine what you need

There are also several colleges and universities that use the Common Application which is nice because it allows you to complete one application and send it to multiple schools. You can find out if the schools you want to apply to use the Common App by going to the Common Apps website or by visiting the schools admissions website.

Each school will have different application requirements so youll need to pay attention to what is required for each school you would like apply to.

Most schools have an application fee and fees vary by school. Some schools will require letters of recommendation and/or an essay, but not all schools will have that requirement (MU, for example, does not require letters of rec or an essay for admission). Even for schools that do require rec letters or essays, the requirements may vary- some schools might require 2 essays, others might only require one; some schools might require a counselor letter and a teacher letter of rec while others might not specify who writes your letter. This is why it is important for you to pay attention to the requirements for each school you apply to. If you need letters of recommendation for your application, be sure to ask your recommenders at least TWO WEEKS prior to the deadline and be sure to send them a Thank YOU note afterwards.

Most schools will require that you submit your high school transcript with your application. You will see MRS DAVIS IN GUIDANCE (not your counselor) to request your transcript. Mrs. Davis is our registrar and her office is the 2nd door on your right if youre facing the guidance receptionists desk.

You will need to complete a transcript release form that must be signed by a parent if youre under 18 years old. Transcripts cost $2 each and you need to allow at least 2 weeks for processing- which is another good reason that you should be starting the application process now. You will need to complete a transcript release form with Mrs. Davis even if you are applying through Common App, SendEdu or similar sites.

3ACT Test DatesRegister online at www.actstudent.orgACT Prep Info available in Guidance or on Guidances ACT/SAT/ PSAT Info Website: Super SaturdaysOctober 11, 2014April 11, 2015Before/After School Test Prep before December and February TestsCareer Center Test Prep

*Students who receive Free/Reduced lunch or who have significant financial hardship should see their counselor re. ACT fee waivers.

If you have not yet taken your ACT or if you would like to re-take the ACT to get a higher score for admissions or scholarship consideration, you can register online at www.actstudent.org.

ACT Prep Info is available in Guidance or on the Guidance ACT, SAT, PSAT Info webpage. We offer 4 different opportunities for ACT prep during the school year; two each semester. There are two Super Saturday sessions, in the fall on October 11th and in the spring, on April 11th. We also offer before and after school test prep sessions each semester, before the December test and also before the February test.

The Career Center also offers ACT Prep sessions and information about their ACT Prep can be found on the Guidance website.

Students who receive Free/Reduced lunch or who have significant financial hardship should see their counselor re. ACT fee waivers.

4Campus VisitsVisit the schools you are applying to- experience it for yourself, dont just assume youll love it based on the experiences of others or the pictures you see online. Meet with the admissions counselorSee the campus- take a tour, attend a class, talk with students and professors, eat in the dining hall, stay in a dorm if you can, and check out all the amenities like the rec center or library!Meet with a financial aid officer- you wont get your financial aid package until after you have applied and have been accepted (typically in April) but the financial aid officer can give you a good estimate of how much aid you might receive and what you can expect to pay at that school. Visit with college reps who come to Rock Bridge!Its a great way to get your foot in the door and make an impression on the admissions rep who will be reviewing your application file. Sometimes having a face to put with a name on a file can make the difference in acceptance vs. denial. Find out whos coming on the Guidance website, by following the Guidance Twitter account, or in the Info Bruin.

We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to do campus visits to your top schools of interest. Visiting schools allows you to experience the campus and the school culture for yourself- dont just assume youll love it based on the experiences of others or the pictures you see online.

While youre on campus meet with an admissions counselor to get information about majors of interest and plans of study to get an idea of the classes that you will have to take to graduate with a specific major. See the campus- be sure to take a tour of campus that allows you to attend a class and talk with students and professors. Eat in the dining hall and stay overnight in a dorm if you can. And be sure to check out all of the campus amenities such as the rec center, the Student Success Center or Tutoring center, and the library. You should also make time to meet with a financial aid officer while youre on campus. You wont get your financial aid package until after you have applied and have been accepted (those typically come out in April) but the financial aid officer can give you a good estimate of how much aid you might receive and what you can expect to pay at that school.

If you cant get to all of the schools on your list, at least make an effort to contact their admissions rep. Several colleges have reps who come to Rock Bridge- come to Guidance and visit with those reps, its a great way to get your foot in the door and make an impression on the admissions rep who will be reviewing your application file. Sometimes having a face to put with a name on a file can make the difference in acceptance vs. denial.

There is a College Visit Calendar on the Guidance homepage so you can see which schools will have reps coming to Rock Bridge. You can also find out who will be in here in the InfoBruin or by following the Guidance twitter.5The financial aid equation:Cost of Attendance- Estimated Family Contribution (determined by FAFSA) = Financial Need (Aid)There are different types of aid. Some you do not have to pay back (grants, scholarships, work-study), some you do have to pay back (loans).FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (available January 1,2015) Think of it as the gateway to almost all of the $ for college (including some scholarships). The FAFSA is used to determine the amount of money a family is expected to pay for attending a post-secondary institution. The results of the FAFSA are used to award grants, work-study, loans, and sometimes scholarships. To get an estimate of your EFC, you can complete the FAFSA4caster https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e2s1 **Be sure to have your most recent tax info available You can also complete the Net Price Calculator available on most schools Financial Aid website to get a more accurate estimate of the cost.We recommend ALL students fill out the FAFSA as soon as it becomes available on January 1st. Many types of institutional aid are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis so its better to fill out the FAFSA early even if you use estimates and have to make corrections later. Many schools require the FAFSA to be completed before a student can receive any type of financial aid including scholarships and loans. If youre in the A+ Program, you will have to fill out the FAFSA to receive the A+ Scholarship.

Paying for College.Financial Aid

One of the biggest topics that we get questions on is Financial Aid. Most of you will be applying for some type of financial aid so its important that you know the different types of aid, and what you need to do to get it.Lets first start by looking at the Financial Aid Equation which is the Cost of Attendance minus your Estimated Family Contribution (as determined by the FAFSA) equals your Financial Need (or what the institution will try and meet in your financial aid package).

Schools may offer different types of aid in order to meet your financial need. Some you do not have to pay back including grants, scholarships, work-study, some you do have to pay back like loans.

Most of your have heard of the FAFSA, but not everyone knows exactly what the FAFSA is. The FAFSA is the Free APPLICATION for Federal Student Aid. (bullets)

The FAFSA wont be available until January 1, 2015, but you can use the FAFSA4Caster NOW to get an estimate of your Estimated Family Contribution to help give you a better idea of how much youll have to pay for college. 6Paying for CollegeScholarshipsScholarship info is on the Guidance website http://www.cpsk12.org/domain/5783 University/College scholarships- usually on the colleges financial aid/scholarship websiteMerit scholarships (ex. If you have a 27+ on the ACT & are in the top 50% of your class, you automatically get MUs Excellence Award of $1,000 ($2,000 if youre in the top 25% of your class) Since RB is a non-ranking school, MU will use a weighted core GPA for scholarship considerationCompetitive/Departmental Scholarships (require an application)Community Scholarships- info coming in February! A+ Scholarship- pays for 2 years of tuition at a community college or tech school in Missouri (pending availability of state funding). 4 year schools may offer A+ incentive scholarships also! Ex: Columbia College offers $2,500/year; MO Valley offers tuition!Nov. 1st is the deadline for seniors to enroll in A+ Program!

Many of you have already asked about scholarships and the best resource we have is the Scholarship page that you can access from the drop down menu under the Guidance heading on the Rock Bridge website.

We post scholarship information as we receive it and the scholarships are listed by the date they are due. We also have a scholarship calendar that allows you to see all of the scholarships due for a certain month- from the calendar you can click on the scholarship name to get more information about that scholarship.

Since we are continually updating the scholarship page, you should check it regularly to get the most up to date info. You can also get scholarship information by following Guidance on Twitter.

Colleges/universities also offer their own scholarships and you can usually find that information on their financial aid or scholarship website. Many schools offer automatic, merit based scholarships; for example if you have a 27+ on the ACT and are in the top 50% of your class, you automatically get MUs Excellence Award of $1,000 ($2,000 if youre in the top 25% of your class). Since RB is a non-ranking school, MU will use a weighted core GPA that they calculate for scholarship consideration. Often times, colleges & universities also offer competitive scholarships, such as departmental awards, that you can also apply for.

Although we get some regional & local scholarships, many of the scholarships that we post on the Guidance website are national scholarships which means a larger applicant pool and smaller odds of winning; however, we do receive community scholarships that are open to just students in the Columbia area and sometimes just to Rock Bridge seniors. This means a much smaller applicant pool and better odds of being awarded scholarship$$! More information will be coming about these community scholarships in February.

And last, but not least, the A+ Scholarship is one of the best scholarships available to our students. A+ pays for 2 years of school at a community college or teach school in Missouri; however, there are several 4 year schools that offer A+ Incentive scholarships as well. For example, Columbia College offers a $2,500/year renewable scholarship for A+ certified students and Missouri Valley offers off tuition for students who complete the A+ Program! If youre not enrolled in the A+ program already, you should definitely do so. The deadline for seniors is November 1st!

7Check out the Guidance Website! Answers to a lot of your questions can be found here!TONS OF INFO on:Academic Support/TutoringA+ ProgramACT/SAT/PSATCOMPASS/ASVAB/CLEP Exams

College Visits Important Guidance FormsJob OpportunitiesPost-Secondary Planning & FAFSAScholarships

One of the best resources that you have available to you is the Guidance Website. Answers to a lot of your questions can probably be found here including information about Academic Support and tutoring, the A+ Program including a link to the A+ application, ACT/SAT/and PSAT info including test prep information, info on the COMPASS, ASVAB and CLEP Exams, a calendar of college reps who will be at Rock Bridge, Important Guidance Forms, Job Opportunities, Post-Secondary Planning information and Information about the FAFSA and Scholarships.

8Guidance is now on Twitter!!FOLLOW US @RBHSGuidance for lots of fabulous information! Scholarship info and deadlinesCollege visitsACT/SAT remindersFree giveaways (like free Andys!)And more!

If you dont already, you should definitely follow Guidance on Twitter at RBHSGuidance for lots of great Guidance info including info on scholarships and testing, college visits and academic enrichment opportunities as well as free giveaways like Free Andys concretes!9To ReviewStart applying NOW- pay attention to admissions AND scholarship deadlines.SEE MRS. DAVIS in Guidance to have your transcript sent.Take/re-take the ACT (and/or SAT) if neededComplete the FAFSA4caster or Net Price Calculator to get a better estimate of how much colleges of interest will cost youSign up for A+ by November 1, 2014 Fill out the FAFSA ASAP after January 1, 2015QUESTIONS??? : )

10