1. Check Your Email and Mail Regularly

2017

Postsecondary Planning Handbook

General Tips for Your Senior Year

1. Check Your Email and Mail Regularly.

Your counselor, college admissions officers, and scholarship representatives send important information or

requests to you via email and mail. Be sure that you’ve provided an email address that is correctly spelled and professional. Then, check your email accounts regularly.

2. Deadlines Matter.

Pay close attention to deadlines for college admissions, scholarship applications, and the financial aid application. Colleges have firm deadlines, and they generally do not accept late applications.

3. Senior Year Coursework Counts.

Your senior year grades matter! Even after you have submitted your college applications and been accepted,

colleges reserve the right to rescind your offer of admission due to “senioritis” symptoms – poor grades or violating your high school policy. Stay on top of your classes, and be sure to inform your college(s) of any changes you make to your senior year course schedule after submitting your admission application(s).

FAIR Counseling Deadlines for College

Application Requests

In order to process the pieces of your application that come from FAIR (transcripts, letters of recommenda- tions, etc.), you need to submit your requests to the counseling office at least 3 weeks in advance of your college deadline. Deadlines around Thanksgiving and winter breaks require more time.

NEED TO KNOW INFO…

FAIR CEEB: 241-624

1

Critical Dates

October – College Knowledge and Application Month (MN Department of Education)

1FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) goes live for 2017-18

4-5NACAC National College Fair at Minneapolis Convention Center

6LD/ADHD College and Postsecondary Fair at Groves Academy

8NACAC Performing and Visual Arts College Fair at Concordia University

18Parent/Teacher Conferences (FAFSA help session)

20-21 No School – Great time to visit campuses and work on applications

22ACT Test Date (Register by September 16, late by September 30)

November

1-15Early Admissions deadlines for many schools

3-4No School – End of Quarter

5SAT Test Date (Register by October 7, late by October 27)

23-25 Thanksgiving Break- visit campuses and/or work on applications!

December

3SAT Test Date (Register by November 3, late by November 22)

10ACT Test Date (Register by November 4, late by November 18)

19-30 Winter Break

January

12-15 College Application Check

21SAT Test Date (Register by December 21, late by January 10)

23-24No School – End of Quarter

February

11ACT Test Date (Register by January 13, late by January 20)

March

1FAFSA/Financial Aid Priority Deadline for many schools

11SAT Test Date (Register February 10, late by February 28)

31No School – End of Quarter

Sept-Dec:

College application and essay

Jan-Mar:

Financial aid, FAFSA

& scholarships

Apr-May:

College decision and postsecondary

planning

April – Most colleges reply to students who have submitted complete applications

1-9Spring Break

8ACT Test Date (Register by March 3, late by March 17)

May

1National Candidate’s Reply Date (students let colleges know if attending or not)

21Senior Exit Survey Completion

June

12The FAIR School Commencement/Graduation (Location TBD)

Completing Your College Applications at

The FAIR School

Step 1: Determine which colleges you are applying to.

Can’t decide? Your counselor can meet with you individually. Remember that college research for a good “fit” for you starts with you – your academic interests, learning style, living/location preferences, etc. (See page 5 for help with fit)

Safety/Target/Reach Schools:

• Use Naviance Scatter Grams to help you determine safety, target, and reach schools. (See page 5 for more information)

• Select at least 2 safety schools (where your GPA/test scores are higher than the average admitted stu-

dent to that school)

• Find at least 1 “financial safety” college that you will be able to afford. See your counselor or visit web-

sites such as finaid.org or fafsa.ed.gov to get an estimated of cost of attendance to schools.

Step 2: Update information in your Naviance account.

• Update the list of colleges you plan to apply to (in Colleges, Colleges I’m Thinking About)

• Update your email address to an email that you check regularly (in About Me, Profile, select the pencil)

Step 3: Complete applications and gather additional application pieces (things to do on your own).

• Determine the application type for each college you plan to apply to.

Examples: College’s online application (on college website), Common Application (CA, app.org), or paper application. (See page 6 for help determining type)

• Complete your application(s), including any short answer questions, supplements, essays, etc. that are required for the colleges you are applying to. (See CA specific help on page 10)

• Send your ACT, SAT, and/or SAT II test scores to your colleges (actstudent.org or collegeboard.com).

Step 4: Gather and complete additional application pieces at FAIR.

• Determine if any of your colleges require letters of recommendation.

If you need a letter of recommendation from a counselor, you’ll need to:

1. Complete Senior Counselor Questionnaire (Naviance, About Me, surveys)

2. Schedule a 15 minute Counselor Interview with your Counselor AT LEAST 3 WEEKS before your first college application deadline.

If you need a letter of recommendation from a teacher, you’ll need to:

1. Ask your teacher(s) if they would be able to write a letter for you and indicate what college it is for.

2. Once you’ve asked your teachers in person AND have requested transcripts so that colleges appear in your “Colleges I’m Applying To” list on Naviance, submit your teacher requests in Naviance (Colleges, Colleges I’m Applying to, Teacher Recommendations, Add/Cancel Re- quests). Do this AT LEAST 3 WEEKS before your first college application deadline.

• Request to have your FAIR transcript sent to the college(s) you are applying to.

• If you’re not applying to any Common Application schools, ignore the blue box in Naviance that asks you to Match your Common Application account to Naviance.

College Admissions Process

There are a number of different types of admissions processes to be aware of when identifying your applica- tion deadlines. Generally, early admissions processes (EA, ED, or REA described below), may be advisable to students with a clear top-choice college. Admittance rates during early admissions cycles vary by college, so be sure to speak with your counselor early in your senior year if you are considering an early admissions deadline.

Adapted from NACAC’s Definitions of Admissions Options.

Two Things to Note:

1. If a deadline is listed as “priority”, we strongly recommend that you submit your application on or

before the priority date.

2. Binding commitments in ED acceptances require additional paperwork and signatures to ensure

students and parents understand and agree to the specifications of the application.

Determining “Fit” For Your College Choices

“Fit” refers to how well a specific school matches your interests, abilities, preferences, personality, financial need, future plans, etc. While there are many types of fit, we’ll offer some categories to get you started. To start exploring fit, you need to begin by looking at yourself and progress to looking at colleges.

Academic Fit What kind of learning environment? Collaborative or competitive?

What did you enjoy about your favorite teachers in high school?

What kind of class were you most successful in?

Did you enjoy class discussions or taking notes in a lecture?

Do the colleges you are looking at offer majors and programs that fit your career choice?

Search for colleges with class-size, instruction-type, professor involvement in undergraduate courses,

etc. Look at course structure and school calendar, too.

Personal/ Social Fit

Is a tie to a certain

religion important?

Want to be involved in

Greek life?

Are there clubs that

interest you? Traditions?

Are sports teams important? Are there good teams to watch?

Are students involved in the arts? Is there a local community for the arts?

What’s happening in the city off campus?

While there are often many different ways to be involved on every campus, it’s good to know if and how much you want to be involved.

And Finally…

Location Fit

Do you enjoy the urban feel of a campus?

Do you enjoy nature? Want to be at a school with lots of outdoor possibilities?

Do you want to be near family? Move out of state or stay closer to home?

What parts of the country interest you? Other countries?

Are there businesses or industries in the area that interest you?

Search for colleges in a location that suits your interests, situation, or dreams. Colleges are everywhere.

Financial Fit What is the cost of attendance?

Where will you be likely to receive financial aid?

Is living at home and option? Could you work part-time?

What could be your “financial safety” school?

Have you talked to the school admissions or financial aid office of the college?

Have you checked out resources online to estimate financial aid?

Colleges range in cost and abilities to meet students’ needs. Your counselor can help you to determine the

cost of attendance and can help you compare financial aid packages.

Admissions Fit: Safe + Match + Reach

One way of estimating admission is to assess your basic profile (GPA and ACT/SAT scores) compared with the average student profile that was accepted to a specific college. Naviance can help you to do this through scatter graphs on each college’s Naviance page. These graphs will plot your basic profile along with the profile of other students from FAIR who have applied to that college in recent years. A Safe School is a school that you’re highly likely to be accepted to (profile is stronger/higher than average student attend- ing that school). A Match is a school where you may be accepted because your profile falls right in the middle of who has been admitted previously (profile is similar to the average). A Reach is a school where you’re not as likely to be accepted to (your profile is weaker/lower than average). Remember: there is more to you than a GPA or test score and colleges know this.

College Application: Locating and Starting

College applications can usually be found on the admissions page of each college website. If the college uses the Common Application (CA), there may be a link to the CA on the college’s admission website. If not, you may find and begin the CA at commonapp.org. See page 7 for more information on the CA. Most colleges

use online applications. A few colleges require or accept paper applications submitted through the mail. You can determine the type of application form for each of your colleges by looking on your Naviance “Colleges I’m Thinking About” list. Types of applications are explained in the table below.

Tips for Success:

1. If you need to set up an application account to apply, use the same username/password for each college

application account you create. (Write these down in a safe place, you may need them to view your admission decision later in the winter/spring!)

2. Slow down…students sometimes rush through online applications and type important things like social security numbers or email addresses incorrectly. Re-read everything or have someone check it over.

3. For every question or blank in the application, use proper grammar and punctuation. Switch out of your texting or social media mode and be professional. Slang, acronyms, and abbreviations don’t belong on your college applications. Instead of “Mpls” use “Minneapolis.” Instead of “&” write out “and.” Capitalize where appropriate (instead of “i” use “I”).

College Application: Navigating the

Common Application (CA)

The CA is a college admission application that is accepted by over 500 colleges and universities. Many will require additional parts that are specific to the school, called supplements, and include things like essays or letters of recommendation. Students may create a CA account at commonapp.org and begin completing the application any time after August 1 of the summer prior to their senior year.

Tips for Success

1. After creating your account, be sure to record your email/password in a safe place.

2. For any questions that involve a short answer or essay answer, compose your answer in a word process- ing program (such as Microsoft Word). After reviewing and editing your answer in the word processing program, copy and paste your final answer into the CA.

3. Before you submit the CA and supplement pieces, you will be able to view your application in PDF form through a print preview screen. If you find something about your application that you want to change after viewing it in PDF form, close the PDF box by clicking on the X and you will be able to back out of the submission process. This is the only time you’ll be able to view your application in PDF form.

4. If you have questions as you complete the application, see the CA help center or helpful tips for each question on the right-hand sidebar of the application website.

Matching Your Common Application Account to your Naviance Account

If you’re using the CA to apply to 1+ school(s), you will need to carefully complete the Common Application Matching in order for FAIR High to send your transcript, letters of recommendation, etc. to your school. You only need to match your accounts 1 time. Please follow these steps in order to ensure you have a successful match.

1. Create your Common Application account. (Remember to record your email and password.)

2. Under the “Common App” tab, complete the questions in Profile (entering your first and last name in the same way it appears in your Naviance account) and the questions in Education (use the General Informa- tion for FAIR on page 3 to answer these questions). Your Profile and Education sections of the CA should both have the green check mark next to their sections on the left-hand side of your screen.

3. Under the “College Search” tab, search for one college you plan to apply to. Select the college’s box from the result list and click “add”. Repeat for other colleges you plan to apply to. (Note: before you match your CA and Naviance accounts, you only need to have 1 college added to your CA account. You may add more later, after you’ve matched accounts.)

4. Under “My Colleges”, select one college from the list at the left-hand side. In this college’s list, select “Assign Recommenders” and select the FERPA link “Release Authorization”. Complete the release (remem- ber we encourage you to say “Yes, I waive my rights”) and sign the release. (Close the box, “Invite Recom- menders,” that appears next.)

5. Log into Naviance. Go to the College tab and Colleges I’m Applying to. In the box provided, carefully en-

ter your CA email address (that you created your account with, your username email) and click “match.”