College and Career Planning Series:

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Four-Year College Planning

for the Class of 2016

Presented by: The Tantasqua Guidance Department

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The Guidance Department Staff

•

Mrs. Cantrell – Guidance Director

• Caseload – Last Names A-B, K, N

•

Mrs. Coonan – Academic Guidance Counselor

• Caseload – Last Names C-J

•

Mrs. Hollingworth – Academic Guidance Counselor

• Caseload – Last Names L,M

•

Mr. Hinckley – Academic Guidance Counselor

• Caseload – Last Names O-Z

•

Mrs. O’Neil – Technical Guidance Counselor

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Senior Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate from Tantasqua Regional High

School in June 2016, you must:

•

Earn a total of at least

140 credits

•

Meet all of the distribution requirements:

 4 English courses, 3 math courses, 3 lab science courses, 3 history

courses, 7.5 credits PE, 2.5 credits Health, and 5 credits Art

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This Could Be You!

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Post Secondary Options

–

What Comes Next?

Typically, 8 out of 10 Tantasqua High School seniors attend

some type of post-secondary education, such as:

• Technical School or Certificate Program

• Two Year Associates Degree

• Four Year Bachelors Degree

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THE COLLEGE

APPLICATION PROCESS

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The College Process: An Overview

A typical college application includes:

• College Admissions Testing Scores– SAT, SAT Subject, ACT • Specific College Application or Common Application

• Essay(s) and possibly Supplements

• Letters of Recommendation – Guidance Counselor and Teacher

• High School Transcript and Schedule of Courses Senior Year

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College Admissions - Testing

All students who wish to attend a four-year college should have

already taken or be registered for college admissions tests:



SAT Reasoning

• Critical Reading, Math and Writing

• Recommendation: Take the SAT Reasoning Test two to three times.



SAT Subject

• 1 Hour exams in one subject

• Recommendation: Take SAT Subject Tests if you are applying to most selective schools.



ACT

• English, Math, Reading, Writing, and Science Reasoning

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College Admissions - Testing

Upcoming Test Dates:

• SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests:

• October 3rd (at TRHS) – _{September 3}rd_{Registration Deadline}

• November 7th (at TRHS) – _{October 9}th_{Registration Deadline}

• December 5th (at TRHS) – _{November 5}th_{Registration Deadline}

• Visit www.collegeboard.org to register

• ACT

• October 24th (not at TRHS) – _{September 18}th_{Registration Deadline}

• December 12th (not at TRHS) – _{November 6}th_{Registration Deadline}

• Visit www.actstudent.org to register

Once you have created your final list of colleges, you will

need to send your SAT/ACT scores (for a fee) to each

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In the meantime…Utilize Naviance!

There are several tasks students need to complete:

• Research Colleges and Create a Final List

• SuperMatch in Naviance

• College Representative Visits to TRHS Scheduled in Naviance • Complete Surveys for Teacher Letters of Recommendation

• Request a Recommendation via Naviance

• Complete Teacher Recommendation Surveys (one per teacher)

• Complete Surveys for Guidance Counselor Letter of Recommendation

• Autobiography Survey

• Activity Resume

• Parent/Guardian Survey (to be completed by parent/guardian)

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Naviance SuperMatch

SuperMatch is a visually-based search tool that will help you find colleges that fit criteria that is important to you, such as location, size, etc.

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College Research & Planning

Additional College Search Resources

• Guidance Counselor

• College View books in Guidance Office

• College Board Handbooks in Guidance Office & online

• School and Local Libraries

• College/University Websites

• Local College Fairs

• Visits with College Admissions Representatives at TRHS

• Online Search engines

 www.connection.naviance.com/tantasqua

 www.masscis.intocareers.org

 www.collegeboard.org

College Visits – Interviews

• It is critical to visit the colleges that you are applying to and:

 Go on a campus tour

 Attend an information session

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If you are using the Common Application for any college, you will need to:

1. Complete the FERPA waiver agreement on the Common Application.

2. Match your Naviance Family Connection account with your Common Application

account.

To complete these tasks, you must:

1. Register on www.commonapp.org

2. Indicate yes or no on the FERPA agreement (under the school information portion of the Common Application).

3. Complete the Common Application waiver on Naviance Family Connection, using the

Common Application login information (username and date of birth)

If you do not complete the FERPA waiver agreement on the Common

Application, neither your counselor or teachers will be able to submit

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The College List!

Once you have researched and “pinned” schools in Naviance, you

will be able to add a college to your

Colleges I’m Thinking About

list (click Add under the college name).

After you have finished your college research, it’s time to create the

final list of schools to which you will apply.

The schools listed under

Colleges I’m Applying To in Naviance

will be the final list of colleges you are applying to. This list will be

used by teachers and counselors to submit your information.

College Research in Naviance, etc.

Colleges I Am Thinking

About – In Naviance

Colleges I’m Applying To –

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The College List!

Your college list should have:

• Approximately 8 – 10 schools • Some Reach Schools

• Some Possible/Target Schools

• Some Safety Schools

• Some Private and Public Options

Your counselor can help you to determine what category a specific

school falls into for you, based on your GPA/Rank, Transcript Rigor,

SAT/ACT Scores, and Extra-Curricular Activities.

Remember! You must keep your final list of colleges accurate

in Naviance, as this is the only way your teachers and

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Public vs. Private Schools

Public universities are partially supported by state tax dollars and are generally less expensive to attend.

• University of Massachusetts

• Amherst, Dartmouth, Boston, Lowell

• State Universities

• Fitchburg, Westfield, Bridgewater, Framingham, etc.

• Community Colleges

• Quinsigamond, Springfield Tech, Holyoke, etc.

Private universities receive no tax monies, are supported by tuition dollars and are generally more expensive to attend.

• Examples include: Holy Cross, Assumption, Western New England University,

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

Now that you have created your final college list

and added those schools to Naviance, be sure

you know the following details for each school:

•

Common Application or non-Common Application?

•

Application Deadline?

•

Subject tests needed?

•

Essay? Prompt?

•

Recommendation letters? How many?

•

School Forms?

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Once you have all of the details of your applications organized, it’s time to work on your college applications:

 Write essay(s) and (if necessary) supplements

 Complete Applications (Common and College Specific Applications)  Submit Applications via Mail or Electronically

 Send SAT and/or ACT Scores

• SAT Score Choice (Choose by Testing Date)

• www.collegeboard.org

• www.actstudent.org

Your counselor will help you with the entire application process, however most of the responsibility is with you:

• Researching/Visiting Schools

• Finalizing Your List of Schools

• Coordinating Teacher Recommendations

• Completing and Submitting Applications

• Sending SAT/ACT Scores

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The financial aid and scholarship work begins in the

new year:



FAFSA

• Complete once for all colleges

• Start after January 1, 2016

• Apply for PINs now



College Specific Financial Aid Forms



National and Regional Scholarships

• Filing cabinet in the Guidance Office

• Naviance



Local Scholarships

• Applications will be available in Naviance and in the Guidance – February, 2016