1.Learn the Central Dauphin High School Code Number: 391645

TIPS FOR APPLYING

1.Learn the Central Dauphin High School Code Number: 391645

2. Keep this page with you as you apply so that you can copy:

School address: 437 Piketown Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17112
Counselor’s Name:

Ms. Kristi Niebel ()

Mrs. Jennifer Stoe ()

High School Phone Number: (717) 703-5361
High School Fax Number: (717) 703-5731
Guidance Secretaries: Mrs. Sonnie Smith () and TBD

3. Be aware of deadlines for:

SAT and/or ACT Registration
College applications (unless college is on rolling admissions)
Financial Aid (FAFSA and if applicable CSS Profile)

4. Be CONSIDERATE and RESPECTFUL when requesting a letter of

recommendation! Provide 10 days advance notice!

5. ALWAYS turn in a College Application Checklist AFTER you have applied to a college online. A college will not process an application without the transcript. (Additional details about requesting transcripts through Naviance will be provided in the fall.)

6. Have fun with your college planning and keep smiling!!

MAPPING YOUR FUTURESenior Year College Planning Calendar

During your senior year, you will finalize your college choice. This year is filled with admission applications, scholarship essays, and financial aid information. Throughout your junior and senior year, continue to build your resume by achieving academic success, as well as participating in extra curricular activities. Colleges are very interested in well-rounded students.

The college preparation that takes place during your senior year is filled with a lot of details and paperwork. It is very important that you involve your parents with this process.

Calendar

August

Review your career plans and decide which type of postsecondary school ( is best for you.
List your top college choices.
Request admissions information and school catalogs.
Obtain registration materials and test dates for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) ( and/or ACT assessment (
Compare costs of each school that interests you by contacting the colleges by phone, mail, or via their web sites.
Contact the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency financial aid agency ( for information about paying for college.

September

Mark your calendar with registration, admissions, and financial aid deadlines and fees.
Determine if the schools that interest you have online admission applications. If not, request them by mail now.
Meet with school representatives who visit your high school.
If you haven't already taken the SAT ( and/or ACT ( register for the test(s).
Attend college planning and/or financial aid information nights and college fairs.
Ask employers, teachers, and guidance counselors for letters of recommendation to accompany your admissions applications.

October

Take the SAT ( and/or ACT(
Work on your admissions essays.
If you haven't already done so, attend college planning and/or financial aid information nights and college fairs.
Visit your top school choices. If possible, make appointments with faculty, staff, and students.
Complete applications for every scholarship for which you may be eligible.
Contact the schools' financial aid offices to determine which forms they require. Some schools may require special forms.
Finalize portfolios, audition tapes, writing samples, or other evidence of talent if required for admission.

November

Complete admissions applications by their deadlines.
If you haven't already done so, attend college planning and/or financial aid information nights and college fairs.
If necessary, register to retake the SAT ( and/or ACT(
Request financial aid forms and applications. Double check the deadlines for submission.
Follow up to ensure your employers, teachers, and guidance counselors send letters of recommendation.

December

Sign up for a PIN ( your key to a fast, online financial aid application.
Finalize admission applications.
Urge your parents to file their taxes as soon as possible after January 1. This will ease the financial aid process.
Research and apply for other financial aid ( including grants and scholarships.

January

As soon as possible after January 1 and when tax forms are complete (they don't have to be filed until April 15; you can use estimates), complete your FAFSA online ( (or get a paper form from your counselor).
Contact the U.S. Department of Education at 800-4-FEDAID for assistance completing the FAFSA.

February

Research Advanced Placement (AP) or College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams.
Watch for the e-mail notice indicating your Student Aid Report (SAR) ( is ready.
Review your SAR for errors and make any corrections as indicated.
Rank your top school choices.

March

Check with the financial aid offices to ensure your paperwork is complete. Submit tax forms if they request them.
Narrow your school choices and make campus visits.

April

Compare financial aid award letters.
Make your final school decision and mail deposits, as required.
Check with the school you've chosen about returning financial aid award letters.
Notify the schools you have chosen NOT to attend.
Plan for registration, orientation, and housing.

May

Be aware of any summer orientation sessions that you must attend at the school in which you will enroll, and make plans accordingly.
Finalize your summer job plans, and make a plan for saving a portion of your summer earnings.
Prepare a realistic student budget (

June

Plan for college transportation.
Follow up with the financial aid office to ensure all paperwork is complete.

July

Congratulations! It's time to get ready to start college.

Advice for Parents

Yes, there are things you can do to help your senior prepare for continuing their education after high school.

It is important to attend financial aid presentations and career day functions WITH your student. Many of these events will be held in the evenings and on weekends. If you don't know when they're scheduled, contact your son or daughter's high school counselor. (Attend these events even if you did so last year or with a different student- there is new information all the time!)
Ask them monthly, "Have you been to your Naviance web site? What are your working on and what scholarships have you applied for?"
Sit down with your student and prepare a list of what he/she is looking for in a college and then help him/her sort through the information they receive from the different institutions to decide which ones offer what's on the list.
Complete applications with the student.
In November,register for a PIN ( so you can assist your student with financial aid forms.
In March, the award notices will start coming in. Look at the financing carefully and contact the schoolswith any questions. Make comparisons!
Go on trips with your student to as many ofhis or hertop choices as possible. A visit to the campus is invaluable to making a decision.
Hug them, send them on their way, BUT don't change the locks- they'll be back!

COLLEGE/CAREER/SCHOLARSHIP/FINANCIAL AID

Warning: Some scholarship databases include awards that charge application fees. Do not apply to any scholarship that charges an application fee.

SAT Registration

- SAT Registration AND Prep

ACT Registration

- ACT testing information, registration, schedule and testing sites.

NCAA Clearinghouse

Common Application

- The Common Application is a not-for-profit membership organization that, serve students, member institutions, and secondary schools by providing applications - online and in print - that students and school officials may submit to any of our more than 450 members.

College and Career Searches

Scholarship Searches

Financial Aid Information

Military Information

Career Exploration

Naviance - Family Connection

We are pleased to introduce Family Connection – a comprehensive website that your student can use to make plans about colleges and careers as well as coordinate the college application process. Family Connection is linked with Naviance, a service that we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information that’s specific to our school.

Family Connection allows your student to:

Get involved in the planning and advising process – Build a resume, complete online surveys, and manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers
Research colleges – Compare GPA, standardized test scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from our school for students who have applied and been admitted in the past
Research careers – Research hundreds of careers and career clusters, and take career assessments
Create plans for the future – Create goals and to-dos, and complete tasks assigned by the school to better prepare your student for future college and career goals.
Request transcripts – Starting Fall 2015!
Request letters of recommendation – Starting Fall 2015!

Family Connection also lets us share information with you and your student about upcoming meetings and events, local scholarship opportunities, and other resources for college and career information.

To visit our school’s Family Connection site, use an Internet browser to connect to: http://connection.naviance.com/centraldshs

Username: Central Dauphin Student Email address
Password: Central Dauphin Student ID number

We hope that you will find this resource helpful. If you have questions about Family Connection, please contact the guidance department.

College/Scholarship Application Process

Step 1: Complete a Transcript Release Form

If you have not done so, you must complete a transcript release form. This form allows the guidance department to send any documents needed to Colleges, Universities, Scholarships, or any other institution you request. You can pick up a Transcript Release Formin the guidance office or print off online. Complete the form and return to the guidance office. If you are under the age of 18 you must have a parent or legal guardian signature. This only has to be completed once.

Step 2: Recommendations

Recommendations are important for both collegeand scholarship applications. These recommendations should be completed before you submit your applications. You should request at leasttwo teachers and your counselorto complete a recommendation for you. To request a recommendation, pick up a Recommendation Request Formin the guidance office or print off online. Once you complete theform, politely ask your desired teacher to complete a recommendation, handing them the completed form or activities resume. Please allow the teacher at least 10 school days to complete their recommendation. Recommendations should be turned into the guidance office. All recommendations will be placed into your cumulative file so copies can be made as needed.

Step 3: Apply

Whether you are applying to college or for a scholarship, the steps are the same. You can apply for college by going onto the College/University website. Some websites will have a link saying "Apply here" right on the home page. If you do not see a link like that then you must find the Admissions link. After you click on the Admissions link you will look for Undergraduate/Freshman/Prospective students’ application. Most websites give you an option of printing out a paper application or applying online. It is generally easier and more efficient to apply online. You can do the application all at once or you can save the application throughout.

Once you complete the application online, and proof-read the contents, you then must submit the application. Payment will be required in order to successfully complete the application, so please have a credit card on hand.

If you decide to do a paper application, make sure that you either type the application, or complete the application with a black or dark blue pen. If you write the application make sure that everything is legible.

PLEASE NOTE: Make sure that you check each school’s admissions page for all application requirements. Some schools will require you to send your SAT/ACT scores directly from the Testing Company. GenerallyUniversity admissions siteshave an application checklist to follow. It would be beneficial to print these checklists out and keep a folder for each College/University you plan on applying to. By doing so, you will be able to make sure that all requirements are covered.

Step 4: Transcripts

Now that you have applied and have your recommendations on file you now need to send your transcript and any other required paperwork to the College/University. To send this information you need a College Application Checklistwhich you can pick up in the guidance office or print off online. Once you get a Checklist, fill out all the data required. Make sure you include your full legal name, School ID number, College/s to which you applied, your counselor’s name, then check all the appropriate boxes. Once you complete the Checklist, bring the completed form, along with any documents that need to be completed by the counselor or sent to the school, into the guidance office and hand to Mrs. Smith. Please make sure you give the guidance department at least 10 school days to process your request and bring in at least four stamps per mailing so that we can send your transcripts without a delay.

PLEASE NOTE: Beginning Fall 2015, CDHS will be using Naviance to send transcripts and letters of recommendation. Detailed information on this will be provided to seniors in the fall.

CENTRAL DAUPHIN HIGH SCHOOL – CEEB #391645

COLLEGE APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Class of 2016

STUDENT NAME: ______COUNSELOR: ______

STUDENT ID NUMBER ______DATE: ______

This form must be submitted after you have applied to a college and entered the information in Naviance

Check the appropriate boxes, proved the requested information, sign and date this form. This form may be used for up to 5 (five) colleges. Please use additional forms as necessary. If this symbol is next to your college on Naviance, then you must provide a 9”x12” envelope addressed to the institution without a return address, and 4 stamps for your application. Common Application Schools and electronic submission schools do not require envelopes and postage.

***PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 10 SCHOOL DAYS FOR PROCESSING***

Send to:
Name of College/University / Naviance Transcript Requested Y or N / ED, EA, RD, or Rolling / College Deadline / Common App
Y or N / E or M / Letters of Rec. (List teacher(s) and/or counselor names / Sent SAT/ACT directly / Is there a counselor form needed?
1
2
3
4
5

I understand that it is my responsibility, as the student, to complete the supplemental materials included with my application (essays, resumes, application fees, SAT/ACT scores). I must have all current college application information updated on my Naviance account before my transcript can be processed.

Student Signature: ______Date: ______

Office Use Only

Date Received ______Date Processed ______

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION REQUEST

Faculty Member
Student

Purpose:College AdmissionsScholarshipOther

Letter of Recommendation is requested for the following institution/organization(s):

Name
Address
Deadline
Name
Address
Deadline
Name
Address
Deadline
Date Submitted:
G.P.A. / Class Rank _____of_____ Intended / Major:

ACTIVITIES/YEARS/LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

AthleticsOthers

______

Academic HonorsCommunity Service & Organizations

______

SAMPLE

Name: John Doe / School: Central Dauphin High School
Street Address:
City/State: / GPA:
Telephone Number: / Class Rank:
E-Mail Address: / Intended Major:

School/Extracurricular Activities

Athletics:

Freshman Basketball - 9th Grade
JV Basketball – 10th/11th Grades
Varsity Basketball – 11th/12th Grades
Albright University Team Basketball Camp – 10th/11th Grades
Advanced Training Basketball Instruction – 9th/10th/11th/12th Grades
Extreme Sports Performance member (weight training) – 10th/11th/12th Grades

Academics:

Latin Festival (selected students) – 9th/10th/11th Grades
Physics Day – 11th Grade

Music:

Concert Orchestra (violin) – 9th Grade
Symphonic Orchestra (selected students) – 10th Grade
Honors Orchestra (selected students) – 9th/10th Grades

Organizations/Events:

Four Diamonds Cancer Fund* Volunteer – 11th/12th Grades
Four Diamonds Video Committee – 12th Grade
Four Diamonds Mini-Thon Volunteer – 11th/12th Grades

Academic Honors/Awards

Patriot-News Scholastic Gold-Key Winner – 10th Grade
National Honor Society – 9th/10th/11th/12th Grades
Distinguished Honors – All Quarters
Physics Spaghetti Bridge Competition – School 2nd Place – 11th Grade
JV Basketball Team Captain – 11th Grade
Hershey Park Games Employee of the Month – July 2014

SAMPLE (Continued)

Community Service/Leadership

Habitat for Humanity Volunteer – 12th Grade

Central Dauphin High School Basketball Camp Counselor – 11th/12 Grades
Friendship Community Center Basketball Camp Counselor – 11th/12th Grades
Advanced Basketball Training Basketball Camp Instructor – 11th/12th Grades
Four Diamonds Cancer Fund Car Wash Volunteer – 12th Grade
Central Dauphin Basketball Boosters Volunteer – 9th/10th/11th/12th Grades
Central Dauphin Basketball Volunteer – Videotape Varsity Games – 10th Grade
Central Dauphin Basketball Stat Keeper – Varsity Basketball – 10th/11th Grades

Work Experience/Other

Hershey Park Games Employee – 2012-2015

*Four Diamonds Fund works to raise money to assist children treated at Penn State Children’s Hospital and their families.

ACT vs SAT: Key Differences between the ACT and SAT
from

When your students are weighing their options, they should keep in mind that there are differences in test structure and the type of content assessed. Use the chart below to see which test makes the most of students’ strengths to help determine which test might be best for them.

Note: The current SAT will be offered through January 2016; the redesigned SAT will first be offered in March 2016. Visit for more information. The current and redesigned versions of the test will not be offered concurrently.