Brookwood High School
Counseling Department
Junior Parent Night
Class of 2016
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Meet your counselors
Packet overview
Junior and Senior timelines
Graduation requirements
GPA
College Admissions
SAT/ACT
H.O.P.E.
NCAA
College application process
Brag forms/Letters of recommendation
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Ms. Stephanie Medlin*
Dr. Boone Benton
Dr. Varieta Benjamin
Dr. Stacy Dehnke*
Mrs. Kelly Byrd
A-Dh
Di-I
J-M
N-S
T-Z
Dr. Joyce Ricks
Ms. Cary Kennedy
9th grade, A-L
9th grade, M-Z
*Department Chairs
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Students will complete a Junior Review with a counselor
during Guided Study to review course history and
graduation requirements
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Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment with
their counselor if they have any questions or concerns
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Attend Junior Parent Meeting on Thursday, March 5th 
Students will complete a Junior Review with a counselor
during guided study to review course history and
graduation requirements
Register to take the SAT/ACT
Read the Junior Bulletin regularly
Talk with college reps who visit BHS and begin visiting
colleges
Utilize the College and Career Room and meet Mrs. Varzaly
Begin working on your Brag Sheet (for a Letter of Rec.)
Became familiar with www.GaCollege411.org.
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Complete Senior Application for Graduation in the fall
Register to take (or re-take) the SAT/ACT
Obtain college applications from the college website or the
GaCollege411 website
Bring your Brag Sheet to Mrs. Varzaly (if Letter of Rec. is
required for admission)
Submit applications by individual college deadline
Request transcripts from BHS ($5 each) or send an electronic
transcript via GaCollege411 (Georgia colleges only)
Send SAT/ACT scores to colleges
Continue to work diligently in current classes
Attend the Financial Aid Meeting on September 17th at BHS
Check the Senior Bulletin for scholarship information
Visit colleges and talk with your family about finances
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Pass GCPS Gateway Writing Assessment (administered in 10th grade)
Pass the GHSGT Writing Test (administered in 11 grade)
EOC(T)/Georgia Milestones:
MATH
Algebra I
Geometry
th
SOC STUD
US History
Economics
ENG/LANG ARTS
9th Lit/Comp
11th Am Lit/Comp
SCIENCE
Biology
• Contact each college/university to determine how GPA is calculated.
• Most colleges only consider academic courses
(Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language)
The preliminary HOPE Scholarship calculations are available through
Georgia College 411 (www.gacollege411.org)
How is a student evaluated?
 GPA
 Course Selection (rigor; difficulty level) – Selective colleges are looking
at the strength or rigor of courses throughout high school, including
senior year.
 Test Scores (SAT, ACT, COMPASS)
 Extracurricular Activities – Leadership and participation in clubs,
service, and sports can be particularly important to competitive colleges
 Essays – Required essays on the college application are important
because they demonstrate writing ability and give the college more
information. Please seek advice when writing an essay and make sure to
proofread for errors.
 Letters of Recommendation
 Resume – Contains academic information, honors and awards,
extracurricular activities, work/volunteer experience, etc.
 Interviews
Type of Test
SAT
(www.collegeboard.org)
ACT
(www.actstudent.org)
Test of critical thinking
and problem solving
Content-based test
Test Dates
March 14
May 2
June 6
Score
600 to 2400
1 to 36
Penalty for wrong
answers
Yes
No
Structure
Critical Reading
Math (through Algebra 2)
Writing
April 18
June 13
English
Math (through Trigonometry)
Reading
Science Reasoning
Writing (optional)
Some colleges may require a student to take the essay portion
of the ACT or a SAT II subject test. Check to find out!
Free practice tests for the ACT and SAT can be found at:
 www.gocollege.com
 www.testprep.com
 www.March2success.com
Fee waivers are available to economically disadvantaged high school juniors or seniors.
Fee waivers cover the basic registration fee.
SAT FEE WAIVERS
 May use up to 4 fee waivers during junior and senior years.
 Does not apply to late registrations.
 May sign up for 3 subject tests during one registration.
 Can take up to 6 subject tests.
 May use up to 4 college application fee waivers if student used SAT fee waivers AND approved
by college admissions officer.
For more information about SAT fee waivers, visit
www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees/feewaivers
ACT FEE WAIVERS
 Up to 2 fee waivers may be used during junior and senior years.
 Does not cover late or standby registration fees.
 If a student uses the waiver to register and does not test, he/she loses this waiver.
 Can use one fee waiver for a college application.
For more information about ACT fee waivers, visit www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/feewaiver
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Free personalized feedback, practice, and college planning
based on your PSAT/NMSQT results,
www.quickstart.collegeboard.org
See your scores and your projected SAT score
Review questions you got wrong and why
Practice for the SAT with hundreds of practice questions
Save your college searches
Take a personality test to find majors and careers fit for you
Get feedback on your readiness for AP courses
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Preliminary HOPE Scholarship averages are available on
Georgia College 411 (www.gacollege411.org)
Log on to www.gacollege411.org
Sign into your account
Click on the “Financial Aid” tab at the top of the page
Under Quicklinks, select “Your HOPE GPA”
Enter Name, Date of Birth, and Social Security number
Select “Brookwood High School”
The final screen displays your HOPE GPA
Select “View Your Detailed GPA Report”
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Partial tuition covered – varies by year
 Payment amount for private & public colleges and universities can
be located on www.GAcollege411.org.
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Requirements:
 Graduate from an eligible high school
 GPA of at least a 3.0 (calculated by GSFC)
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Academic Rigor: 3
classes that are academically rigorous.
http://www.gsfc.org/main/publishing/pdf/2012/Rigor_Explanation.pdf
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In college, must maintain 3.0 GPA.
If a student falls below a 3.0 GPA in college, they may only
regain the HOPE Scholarship one time.
A student that does not graduate from high school as a
HOPE Scholar, can earn a 3.0 GPA in college.
 100% of tuition covered
 Must meet all the requirements to be eligible for the HOPE
Scholarship, plus:
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Graduate from an eligible high school
GPA of at least a 3.7 (calculated by GSFC) or Valedictorian or
Salutatorian
SAT: min. 1200 combined critical reading score and math score (single
administration)
ACT: min. composite score of 26
SAT/ACT scores MUST be submitted to GSFC to be considered
 In college must maintain 3.3 GPA
The H.O.P.E. Grant is available to students who plan to
attend a technical college to earn a certificate or diploma.
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A student must be enrolled in a certificate or diploma
program at a University System of Georgia (USG) or
Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) school.
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There is no high school GPA requirement.
 Apply for the HOPE
 Complete FAFSA starting January 2016 senior year
 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) www.fafsa.ed.gov
 Georgia Student Financial Aid Application System (GSFAPPS) www.GAcollege411.org
 View your HOPE average
 Go to www.gacollege411.org and login to your account.
 For Additional Information on HOPE
 Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC), www.gsfc.org
 Contact Hal Wilkinson, GSFC Representative at
HALW@GSFC.org
 If you are planning on participating in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA
Division I or II institution you must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility
Clearinghouse
 Access the registration materials by visiting the NCAA website
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
 When taking the SAT/ACT, enter 9999 for scores to be sent to NCAA
Students and parents are responsible for determining
NCAA eligibility to Division I and Division II schools
Counselors are neither responsible nor allowed
to determine eligibility
 Visit with College Representatives at
Brookwood High School
 College Campus Tours
 Did you know….You get five pre-approved
absences for college visits!?
 Please visit attendance office
 Meet with representatives from admissions,
financial aid, and from your area of interest.
 Utilize the College and Career Room to research
colleges and scholarships
 Attend College Fairs
 Atlanta National College Fair
Georgia International Convention Center
Sunday, March 22: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Dream/Reach School
Target/Good Fit School
 Less than 30% chance of
admission
 30%-60% chance of
admission
 Your academic record and
test scores are at or above
average
 Your academic
record/test scores are
in line with average
Safety School
 Greater than 60% chance
of admission
 Your academic record/test
scores are above average
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You need at least one
safety school
A highly selective school should
not be considered a safety school
For highly selective schools, your
scores should meet or be above
average
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Counselors will complete a letter of recommendation when
a student submits a Student and a Parent Brag Sheet and
provides at least three weeks notice before the application
deadline.
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Brag Sheets can be found on our website,
www.brookwoodcounseling.com
*Some colleges require a letter of recommendation, others do not. Please double check application
requirements for each school.
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Remind 101 (Class of 2016)
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www.brookwoodcounseling.com
 Check the counseling website frequently for scholarship
opportunities
This entire presentation will be added to the counseling website to review as needed!