JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT

Athens High School

Tonight is About the Future…

Many things to consider - ACT / SAT

Test Preparation

College Applications

Is college the best path – if so, 2 year or 4 year?

What about a gap year, the military

What do I need to do?

How am I going to pay for this??

Military Service

1. Officer Training • Coast Guard Academy

• U.S. Military Academy – West Point

• U.S. Navel Academy

2. Enlist • U.S. Air Force

• U.S. Coast Guard

• U.S. Marine Corp

• U.S. Navy

3. Questions???

Some Students Take a “Gap Year”

• Why?? Lacking motivation, need inspiration, need a break, etc.

• What is a Gap Year?

• What do students do??

- Mission work

- Adventure trip

- Employment

• Can I still go to college?

What if I don’t know what I want to

do in life?

• Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/ooh/ooh-site-map.htm

Careers

Pay

Outlook

Education necessary

Most Athens Students Plan to go

to College

Vocational

Engine repair

X-ray tech

Computer networking

Liberal Arts

History

Engineering

Medical

Teaching

2 Year vs. 4 Year

vs.

Do You Plan on Going to College?

Visit Colleges

• Make an appointment for a tour

• Walk around on your own

• Visit on a weekday

On your campus visits….Comparison Shop

Location

Environment

Admission

Academics

Expenses

Financial Aid

Facilities

Housing

Activities

• Select 3-5 schools to apply to:

- At least one local school

- At least one “safe” school

TESTING - M-Step (April at Athens)

- New SAT

- M-Step includes complete SAT test (SAT score can be used for

college applications)

• Additional SATs to improve test scores

• Consider taking:

ACT plus writing one or more times

SAT subject tests

• Must send SAT and/or ACT scores directly to schools

• SAT and possibly SAT Subject Specific Tests if required by the institution

• ACT/SAT prep materials and workshops are available for students. They can be

found online, in libraries, and in bookstores. Check the AHS newsletter and Website

for additional information.

• Prep information can be found at:

- www.actstudent.org

- https://sat.collegeboard.org/practice

- https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

College: Athletics & Academics During Junior Year

Junior year is the most important academic year for college

admissions. Please emphasize this with your child and suggest our

after-school tutoring if needed.

Any student who might participate in a varsity sport in college needs to

register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. All of the information is

available at the website below. The website includes directions to review

NCAA requirements, register with the NCAA, and to check the list of

approved classes at Athens.

ncaaeligibilitycenter.org

Juniors and Seniors will be required by NCAA to submit a transcript at

the end of each year. You can request your transcript be sent to the

NCAA through Parchment, www.parchment.com

ATTENTION STUDENT ATHLETES:

Senior Year • Complete 4-year college applications EARLY (Sept.-Oct.)

Apply online

Arrange for transcripts to be sent through Parchment

Arrange for ACT/SAT scores to be sent directly

If an ESSAY is required: proofread carefully

IF a TEACHER RECOMMENDATION is required:

- Submit request to teacher for recommendation in

May/early June of Junior year

- A completed Senior Questionnaire can assist letter writer

- Senior Questionnaire forms are available in counseling office

Consider On-Site Admissions

Senior Parent Night is held in October

On-Site College Admissions

at Athens

Each year Athens invites colleges to participate in offering our students a day for on-site

admissions. A representative for the college will be at Athens and meet with students

individually to go over their application and to complete a brief interview. At the end of this

meeting the student will be told whether they have been accepted, denied or deferred.

If a particular school is your first choice, this is a great opportunity to “sell yourself” and

explain why you want to attend their school. This is also a great opportunity to discuss

specific circumstances if you are concerned about your credentials.

The following colleges have participated at Athens this school year:

Central Michigan University

Grand Valley State University

Oakland University

Western Michigan University

If one of these schools is your first choice for college, you should complete your application

and make an appointment for on-site admissions.

Financial Aid 1. Financial Planning Night – Juniors & Seniors

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

2. AHS Financial Aid Workshop – Seniors

January 11, 2016 – Athens Auditorium

FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) October Senior Year

On-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov (remember PIN)

Submit to every school in which your child has been accepted

School will send a financial aid statement detailing cost of college

Scholarships

Academic Scholarships from colleges

Academic Scholarships from private sources

Academic Scholarships from Troy groups

Academic Scholarships from AHS groups

Non-academic Scholarships

• Our on-line scholarship list is available on the Athens website

www.athens.troy.k12.mi.us – Academics Counseling

Scholarships and Financial Aid Information

• Follow Athens Counseling on Twitter! t@AHSCounseling and look for

the latest scholarships

• “Scan 4 Scholarships”

Athens Counselors A-E Mr. Bill Adams badams@troy.k12.mi.us

F-K Mr. Dave McMillan dmcmillan@troy.k12.mi.us

L-R Ms. Jackie Goeddeke jgoeddeke@troy.k12.mi.us

S-Z Mr. Rick Rinnan rrinnan@troy.k12.mi.us

Meetings in spring for juniors

Individual meetings in September for seniors

Application help

Letters of recommendation

Scholarships on-line, tTwitter and daily announcements

QUESTIONS?