J u n e 2 0 1 7

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

Dear Seniors,The most important year of your educational career is finally here! You have worked hard to prepare for the opportunities of college and beyond. We are honored to assist with your transition to the world of higher learning. Providence School is proud to have been a part of your educational triumphs and we expect no less than the best from you this year.

Please thoroughly read the senior packet available online at www.prov.org/guidance/seniors. It has been put together with much consideration of what you need to survive your senior year. A graduation checklist is included in this packet for your review. Please check your schedule and transcript CAREFULLY and let us know of any problems immediately.

To ensure that we are able to quickly respond to your transcript and recommendation letter requests, we need your assistance in your timely completion of the authorization to release records document in this senior college counseling packet. This is the same form distributed by Ms. Hughes at the recent senior parent meeting. Please return the signed form to Mrs. Wilkes no later than August 1st. If you do not return this form, we will not be able to send transcripts OR write recommendation letters.

The counseling team will communicate your requests for transcripts and other pertinent information through the Naviance platform located on the Providence website under college counseling. Your Naviance password is set as your Netclassroom password unless you have reset it. Additionally, some helpful websites for the college search are: www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator, www.cappex.com, and www.princetonreview.com. These websites will allow you to do customized college searching according to your personal preferences. Furthermore, remember to explore scholarship websites such as www.collegeboard.org and www.fastweb.com. Additional scholarship links can also be found on the Providence website and in Naviance.

We look forward to partnering with you in the coming year. We will meet with you and your peers as a class often, as well as in individual meetings throughout the year to work together on your college applications. We pray that our time together will be both helpful and productive!

Sincerely,

The College Counseling Team (904) 223-5270

Mrs. Gettemy (A-J) ngettemy@prov.org and Mrs. Munago (K-Z) emunago@prov.org

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” --Jeremiah 29:11

P r o v i d e n c eSENIORS

J u n e 2 0 1 7

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

SENIOR INFORMATION

Documents included in the Senior Packet:

Authorization to Release Educational Records: This gives us permission to release your school records to others. You may sign for yourself if you are 18. Please complete the Authorization to Release Records immediately to Mrs. Wilkes in the counseling department.

Senior Year College Application Tips

Social Networking Profile Tips

Writing an Effective College Application Essay

Ask Yourself These Questions About Your College Choice

Graduation Requirements Checklist: Check this against the graduation requirements to make sure that you are not missing anything! You should also check your graduation requirements with your schedule to make sure there are no problems. CONTACT THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK THERE MIGHT BE A PROBLEM.

Transcript Procedures

College Admissions Resume

* The college counseling surveys will be completed in collaboration with the English Department during the first few weeks of school. These no longer need to be completed from the school website.

Please contact Mrs. Wilkes at 223-5270 x2116, or lwilkes@prov.org, if you have any trouble accessing the online information. Submit the Authorization to Release Educational Records form to Mrs. Wilkes ASAP but no later than August 1st.

Date Student’s Name (Please print)

Date Student’s Signature

Date Parent’s Signature (if student is under 18)

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE EDUCATIONAL RECORDS

In order to process any college or prep school applications as well as the Bright Futures Scholarship application, the following statement must be signed and on file in the School Counseling office. PLEASE RETURN THE SIGNED FORM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

TRANSCRIPT AND STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES RELEASE

As part of any college or scholarship application process, as well as the Bright Futures Scholarship process, I authorize the release of a copy of my official transcript containing a list of courses, grades earned, and a record of standardized testing as well as any other educational records to the extent required or requested by the educational institutions to which I apply. I also authorize the release of records to college coaches as well as to other opportunities when appropriate.

CLASS OF 2018

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

Be sure you have taken the ACT and/or SAT

You can pick up study guides in the school counseling office or register online at actstudent.org or collegeboard.com, respectively. You need to read the study guides, take the practice tests, and then go over what you missed on the practice tests.

SAT II or SAT Subject Area Tests

SAT II’s or Subject Tests are one hour tests which measure a student’s knowledge of specific subjects (e.g. Biology, World History, French, etc.) Some of the more selective colleges require or recommend that applicants take one or more of these tests for admission and/or placement. You should carefully check your prospective college websites to see if the SAT II is a requirement for admission. You can sign up for these tests at www.collegeboard.com.

COLLEGE APPLICATION TIPS

Letters of RecommendationYou may need to ask one or two teachers for letters of recommendation; check the fine print on your applications. Do NOT request that teachers write a letter unless it is required by the college. Most letters of recommendation must be requested through Naviance. You must inform teachers about your deadline requirements and follow up to see that the letters/forms are uploaded to Naviance or mailed by your postmark or receipt-at-school deadline. At the end of the process, it would be thoughtful to write a thank-you note to the teachers who wrote recommendations for you, both to thank and to let them know of your plans. Providence requires a two-week turnaround time for recommendation requests.

Personal Statement

Along with an interview and essay, this statement affords you an opportunity to add your own personal touch to the "nuts and bolts" of the application. This statement can be optional, but it is an opportunity to add another dimension to your application. For example, your statement could explain why you might have chosen a particular career or who in your life has influenced you. It can also fill in some information on academic slippage due to extenuating circumstances or just plain "growing up." Please note that this type of statement can also enhance scholarship applications later on. Remember to put your name and social security number on the top and try to keep the essay to one page.

Personal Data Sheet or ResuméThe personal data sheet provides a brief overview of your life both in and out of high school but does not usually include academic information since that is available on your transcript. A resumé includes academic, employment, and personal information. Either can be a good addition to scholarship applications. You may be required to provide copies for applications and scholarships. Many colleges ask for a summary along these lines.

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

College Applications & Financial Aid - GET ORGANIZED!

It can be just as important to know your financial aid deadlines as your college application deadlines. Keep a planner with pertinent contacts, passwords, deadlines, and requirements for the admissions department and financial aid offices of each college you are interested in.

COLLEGE APPLICATION TIPS

Securing ApplicationsMost schools ask for you to complete an online college application. Some suggestions to help in the process are as follows:

• Work on the essay portion of the application first so that you have time to let your English teacher and College Counselor review it before you submit your application.

• The school counseling office requires a ONE WEEK turnaround time for your official transcript/counselor letter and form to be created and completed- that is, your request is due to us TWO WEEKS BEFORE the materials are due at the college. Transcripts requested through Naviance are processed the soonest and can be tracked. EARLIER IS BETTER whenever possible!

• If you are applying to multiple out of state institutions, you may want to use the Common Application (www.commonapp.org). This will allow you to fill out one application and send it to multiple colleges. Check their website to see if your colleges participate. The Common App is linked to your Naviance account for electronic transmission, accuracy, and efficiency.

• Not all colleges accept transcripts electronically. The counseling department requires a TWO WEEK turnaround time for the materials to be mailed to specific colleges by conventional US mail by the due date.

• You must send SAT and ACT scores directly from the College Board and ACT websites. Providence has no official capacity in transmitting scores to colleges, however, we must receive your testing scores for documentation and potential scholarship purposes.

Class Rank - Important Update

Providence ranks students by quartiles. The majority of high schools have opted to no longer rank students by number as this identifier is usually not indicative of a student’s college readiness. College Board shares that class rank was once a major component in admissions decisions but according to a recent NACAC report, more than half of high schools no longer report rankings.

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

COLLEGE APPLICATION TIPS

Top Nine Reasons Students Don’t Get Accepted to College:

1. Application was submitted late, that is, after the college’s first deadline.

(Tip: Know all college deadlines and submit your application and other admissions requirements well in advance of any deadlines. The best time to submit college applications is between September 15th and November 1st.)

2. Application was incomplete or prepared sloppily. (Tip: Print a copy of the application before filling it out and use the copy as a worksheet. Then transfer all information accurately to the online college application.)

3. Did not follow up on application to see that all information, application fee, transcripts, SAT. scores, etc. were submitted properly and received by college. (Tip: Several weeks after submitting an application follow up with a phone call or email to the college admissions office to ensure all materials have been received.)

4. Low grades, low test scores, low academic rigor, and little if any involvement in school-related activities. (Tip: Study hard every day, prepare for SAT/ACT’s, and take a serious interest in school clubs, sports, plays, etc.)

5. Did not request an interview (private colleges) or did not go to admissions interview prepared with scholastic records, resume, or pertinent questions to ask. (Tip: Arrange for a tour of the college campus and an admission interview and go to the interview prepared.)

6. Showed little if any interest in school. Applied only because friends were applying.

(Tip: Your friends who are important now may not be as important in a month, a year, or in several years from now. Choose your college based on the best fit for you, not for your friends.)

7. Didn’t take appropriate high school courses in relation to intended college choice.

(Tip: Consult with your school counselor about your course selection in relation to your school interest. Taking the right senior courses can make the difference.)

8. Student had a poor resume or no resume at all. (Tip: English teachers will show you how to write or polish your resume. Be sure to include what you have accomplished and what you are currently doing.)

9. Student was not involved in school or community. (Tip: Get involved in anything that benefits your school or community in some way. Colleges are looking for leadership and participation.)

10. Student did not write an admissions essay when given the option of writing one. (Tip: Write about something you like, like to do, or inspires you and have several people including an English teacher or two read the essay for improvements. Not writing an essay shows a lack of interest, and a poorly written essay shows a lack of concern.)

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

SOCIAL NETWORKING PROFILE TIPS

Facebook: Filter “What’s on Your Mind” 1. Your first step for cleaning up any social media profile should be clicking on the little gear “settings”

button tucked away in the corner of the page. Privacy settings are especially important to pay attention to on Facebook, as there are so many options as to who sees what.

2. Clean up your pictures. It’s time to delete anything embarrassing, irrelevant and especially inappropriate.

3. Look over your likes. Go to your page and check out your likes – you’ll find the weirdest, most unnecessary pages. Take a minute to make sure you’ve only “liked” pages that are recent, relevant and appropriate.

Twitter: Think Before You Tweet 1. Your handle is essentially your name on Twitter. It’s your username, how people contact you and

how users look you up. Therefore, it’s super important to have a clean and professional one. Avoid inappropriate, outdated, or embarrassing names like @kraziprincess494.

2. Be aware of those on your “Following” list. Also, you shouldn’t be retweeting inappropriate content or content from friends with inappropriate names. Instead, consider following users who tweet about things relative to your professional goals – or at least handles that are appropriate.

Instagram: A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words… and Maybe Your Future1. Photos can be a great way to express yourself, but they can be misconstrued if you’re not careful.

Just as you should with any other public photos on social media sites, look over all your Instagram pictures and delete the inappropriate ones.

2. Similarly, as with your Twitter handle, consider changing your Instagram username. It should of course be something appropriate and representative of you. Make sure your user bio is also relevant and professional.

Advice for All Social MediaKeep in mind that there are ways to use social media sites to your advantage! Take advantage of professional networking sites like LinkedIn, where you can share all of your talents and boast your accomplishments. Some applicants even offer to share their social media profiles on their college applications if they know that it will show a good side of them. As long as you keep your profiles clean, professional and updated, they should be set for sharing with the others!Remember to use your common sense and keep in mind that anyone could be viewing your profile, including those who can influence your future. Be safe, and most of all, be smart!Adapted from hercampus.com

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

TIPS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE COLLEGE ESSAY

When you apply to college, you’ll need to complete an essay as part of your application. This is your opportunity to show admission officers who you are and to provide information about yourself that didn’t fit in other areas of your application. The essay also reveals what you can do when you have time to think and work on a writing project.The number one piece of advice from admission officers about your essay is “Be yourself.” The number two suggestion is “Start early.” Check out these other tips before you begin.Choose a Topic That Will Highlight YouDon’t focus on the great aspects of a particular college, the amount of dedication it takes to be a doctor or the number of extracurricular activities you took part in during high school.Do share your personal story and thoughts, take a creative approach and highlight areas that aren’t covered in other parts of the application, like your high school records.Keep Your Focus Narrow and PersonalDon’t try to cover too many topics. This will make the essay sound like a résumé that doesn’t provide any details about you.Do focus on one aspect of yourself so the readers can learn more about who you are. Remember that the readers must be able to find your main idea and follow it from beginning to end. Ask a parent or teacher to read just your introduction and tell you what he or she thinks your essay is about.Show, Don’t TellDon’t simply state a fact to get an idea across, such as “I like to surround myself with people with a variety of backgrounds and interests.”Do include specific details, examples, reasons and so on to develop your ideas. For the example above, describe a situation when you were surrounded by various types of people. What were you doing? Whom did you talk with? What did you take away from the experience?Use Your Own VoiceDon’t rely on phrases or ideas that people have used many times before. These could include statements like, “There is so much suffering in the world that I feel I have to help people.” Avoid overly formal or business-like language, and don’t use unnecessary words.Do write in your own voice. For the above example, you could write about a real experience that you had and how it made you feel you had to take action. And note that admission officers will be able to tell if your essay was edited by an adult.Ask a Teacher or Parent to ProofreadDon’t turn your essay in without proofreading it, and don’t rely only on your computer’s spell check to catch mistakes. A spell-check program will miss typos like these:

1. "After I graduate form high school, I plan to get a summer job."2. "From that day on, Daniel was my best fried."

Do ask a teacher or parent to proofread your essay to catch mistakes. You should also ask the person who proofreads your essay if the writing sounds like you.

Adapted from The College Application Essay by Sarah Myers McGinty.

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P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

TRANSCRIPT PROCEDURES

Transcripts

You were mailed a copy of your transcript this summer. It is critically important that you follow these steps:

1. Check your transcript against the Providence graduation requirements (also enclosed) to ensure that you are on track to graduate. If you find a discrepancy, notify your counselor IMMEDIATELY!

2. You will need the GPA information on your transcript when applying to colleges so be sure to keep it handy. Make a goal to come back in August with at least TWO college applications prepared to be completed online. Make sure you ask Mrs. Wilkes to send transcripts to those colleges after you have fully completed and sent the applications, as well as paid the application fees.

Getting Transcripts Sent to Colleges

1. Apply to the school of your choice online, either directly on the college websites or through The Common Application.

2. PAY YOUR APPLICATION FEE. Colleges will not process your application unless you pay your application fee.

3. After you pay your application fee, request a transcript to be sent through Naviance. Email your college counselor to let her know that your application has been submitted.

4. Mrs. Wilkes will send your transcript to your indicated college(s). Transcripts are sent from Providence within two weeks of when they are requested. Please be aware, however, that it will take two or three weeks before the college will show that your transcript has been received as it takes that long for the transcript to be processed through the college system, to the admissions office, and to be marked received in your online portal.

*Important Note: Students must send test scores directly from SAT (www.collegeboard.org) and/or ACT (www.actstudent.org) to the colleges for the institutions to mark this requirement as complete. Test scores on Providence transcripts are considered “unofficial” and will not meet the application requirement.

P r o v i d e n c e S c h o o l C o l l e g e C o u n s e l i n g D e p a r t m e n t

COLLEGE RESUME

The college resumé is concise reflection of your strengths and accomplishments. It's a short 1-2 page summary of your accomplishments, abilities, and interests. It's a quick and easy way for college admissions officers to see what you've done during high school and what you'll add to their college.

Detailed Breakdown of Sections in a College Application Resumé

Heading

• Includes full name, address, city, state, zip code, telephone number, and email address.

Academic Profile

• All high schools you attended

• City and state of each high school - dates you attended

• Class rank by quartile

• SAT / ACT scores

• Honors / AP / IB courses (optional)

Co-Curricular Activities, Extracurricular Activities, and Work / Volunteer Experience

• Each activity, positions held, grades in which you were involved - specific contributions, duties, and recognition in each activity - number of hours involved per week

Summer Programs

• Short description of each - month and year attended

Honors / Awards

• Short description of each - month and year you won it - why you won it

Hobbies / Interests / Travel

• Separate category for each

• Items that are honest AND make you look good