A Night to
Explore the
Possibilities
Empowerment
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Students must become responsible for their
own success, their own grades, rigorous class
schedule, and progress with the support of
parents and teachers.
Organization-Try different organizational
tools, expect to try and discard multiple personal
organization devices.
Students must become involved.
Empowerment-Preparation
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Take the Most Rigorous courses available in
your school and through your school.
AP Courses
Advanced Courses
Dual Credit Courses
Empowerment-Preparation
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Create a Resume, update it 2 times a year.
Consider the resume audience to be any
individual writing a letter of recommendation.
Include volunteer and extracurricular activities.
Include any leadership roles.
Empowerment-Preparation
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Mock Interviews.
Practice selling yourself.
Work with a guidance counselor, teacher, youth
group leader.
Research college interview questions.
Research colleges. College Board has a terrific
College Search
Utilize the ILP.
Involvement-Extracurricular
Become involved in a sport, drama, a club, a musical
instrument, and/or a community of faith based organization.
Involvement-Community Service
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Volunteer-Develop a sustained relationship with
some non-profit organization based upon the
students interest.
Non-Profit participation allows you to practice
leadership skills.
You have the opportunity to give back to your
community. Colleges expect this.
Involvement-Internships
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Look for internships or opportunities to develop
a mentor-mentee relationship with professionals
in your field(s) of interest.
Business and Technical professionals are
interested in working with Gifted Students.
Most are complimented by becoming mentors.
Many colleges encourage professors to mentor
potential students.
Many colleges actively recruit students to join
research teams.
Involvement-Summer
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Be active.
Participant in summer community programs.
Learning a new sport (golf, tennis), learning a
new skill (photography, etc.), writing workshops.
Participate in WKU Gifted Studies programs,
NKU gifted summer programs, UK engineering
summer programs.
Summer camps, CIT programs.
Reading Clubs.
Involvement-Summer
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Sophomores-Juniors can apply to the Kentucky
Governor’s School for the Arts.
Juniors can apply for the Governors Scholars
Program.
9th, 10th, 11th can apply for Governor’s School
for Entrepreneurs.
Juniors can apply for the Murray University
Commonwealth Honors Academy a 3 week
residential program.
Work. Volunteer.
GSP, GSA, GSE
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GSP-Juniors, Application available now, Need
test score, PSAT, ACT (Oct.), SAT (Oct. or
Nov.) 5 weeks, Bellarmine, Murrary, Morehead
GSA-Sophomores or Juniors. Apps go live early
Oct. Due 13/31, 3 weeks, Centre
GSE-freshmen, sophomores, juniors. Apps
available Dec., make own video, app,
recommendations. 3 weeks.
Involvement-Be Original
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Be creative, develop solutions to community
problems. Become involved in community
organizations, city-county government.
National school based organizations FFA
and/or FBLA offer great scholarship
possibilities.
Kids Guide to Service Projects by Barbara Lewis
Original research, original major projects make a
major difference in acceptance into the most
selective schools.
Curriculum-Scheduling
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Work with your school counselor taking the
most challenging, rigorous curriculum that your
school offers.
Carefully craft a four year high school course
schedule.
Encourage AP courses.
Dual Credit-Be careful
College Courses
Boyle County High School
AP- How many is considered to be
rigorous?
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18 AP Courses available
Dual Credit courses offered from 5 different
colleges and universities
Testing-Freshmen
Freshman should take the Preliminary Scholastic
Attitude Test in October. The PSAT is shorter
and cheaper than other college type tests. When
taken as a freshmen it is practice. When taken
as a junior it is the qualifying exam for the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation
Scholarships.
 Wait to take ACT and SAT tests, unless you
PSAT/NMSQT
missed taking the PSAT.
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®
Testing-Sophomores
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Kentucky sophomores take the PLAN test in
September, accurate predictor of ACT scores.
Take the PSAT in October as practice.
If you cannot wait, consider taking the ACT
and/or SAT in May or June, do not send scores
to schools, colleges do not consider these scores
for admission.
www.number2.com free test prep site.
Testing Juniors
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Prepare for and take the PSAT test in October.
Prepare for and take the ACT in March,
required of all KY juniors.
Take the ACT and/or SAT in April or June.
Avoid May-concentrate on AP tests in May.
Take 2-3 SAT Subject tests in June, based upon
which AP tests student is prepared for in May.
The most selective colleges require 2-3 SAT
Subject Tests.
A 30 ACT opens most doors, a 32 opens major
scholarships.
Testing-Seniors
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Review ACT and/or SAT with a school counselor.
Design a plan to prepare to retake ACT and/or SAT.
All colleges accept either the ACT or SAT.
Most selective and highly selective schools require a
score from either the ACT or SAT essay.
Three times is the max anyone should take a test.
Take any needed SAT Subject tests.
Colleges require scores to be sent from the testing
agency.
Boyle County High School
Helpful Links
 ACT Student Site
College Board
KHEAA
Fast Web
GoHigher Kentucky
Selective Service System
FAFSA
Kentucky Department of Education
Occupational Outlook Handbook
 Contact Us
 Amy. Rhinehart@boyle.kyschools.us
Dana.Stigall@boyle.kyschools.us
College Visits-Freshmen and
Sophomores
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College Drive Bys
Drive by campus
Walk into the Student Center
Eat at a restaurant near campus
Take few pictures as a memory jogger
Formal visits to with the Admissions Office is
not necessary
College Visits-Juniors
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Make appointment with Admissions Staff-meet the
individual responsible for your geographical area.
Research College. Come prepared with questions, if
considering a specific major asked about the course of
study.
Avoid organized tour days.
Sit in on a class.
Take a copy of your resume and/or transcript.
Try to visit during the school term.
Follow up visit with a thank you note to admissions.
College Visits-Seniors
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Make an appointment with the Admissions
Office
Consider an overnight stay to 2-3 college.
Trim the college application list to 6-8 schools.
Try to visit the 6-8 schools on the list.
College Fairs
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Attend. Regional College Fairs are held in
Louisville, Lexington, Cincinnati, and Nashville
during October.
Go Prepared.
Attend during the freshman, sophomore and
junior years.
Applying for College
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Most colleges accept the Common Application.
It is available on-line August 1. Some school
supplements will go on-line at a later date.
Begin working on the Common Application as
soon as it is available, August 1.
Between the Common App essays and the
supplement essays, seniors will write more
essays during their senior year than they will
write in any HS class.
Applying for College
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UL, Western, Murray, Eastern, Northern
Kentucky are not part of the Common
Application.
Each public university and community colleges
in Kentucky have their own application.
UK, Centre and Transylvania are the only KY
Common Application members.
Campbellsville, KY Wesleyan, Brescia,
Williamsburg, Berea, Asbury, Bellarmine, Union,
Lindsey Wilson, Pikeville, Georgetown and
more have their own applications
State University ACT
Requirements
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University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
Murray State University
Morehead State University
Northern KY University
Eastern State University
Western State University
50% between
23-28
22-28
21-25
19-25
19-25
19-24
18-25
Kentucky Private College and
University ACT Requirements
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Centre College
Transylvania University
26-30
24-30
Selective College and Universities
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Harvard
32-35
Yale
32-35
Princeton
31-35
Stanford
31-34
Vanderbilt
31-34
Duke
30-34
University of Pennsylvania 30-34
Minimum ACT-Compass Scores
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If your ACT scores are below 19 in Math,
18 in English, or
below 20 in Reading,
you’ll need to take the COMPASS test.
Compass test is part of ACT Family of tests-Go
to www.act.org/compass for test practice
KY seniors without a qualifying ACT will
have the opportunity to take the COMPASS
Application Requirements
Example:
Brown University- Providence , Rhode Island
11/01-Early Decision Date
01/01-Regular Decision Date
$75 –Application Fee
Supplement-Additional information and essay
SAT w/Writing and 2 SAT Subject Tests or ACT w/Writingtests
Teacher recommendations-Two teacher recs
School report-Counselor completes, rec, transcript
Applying for College
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Apply to 6-8 colleges, more than that, students
are delaying decisions.
2 reach schools, 2 realistic, 2 safety
Make every application count.
The Perfect School does not exist.
Applying for CollegeRecommendations
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The Common Application requires one school
counselor recommendation and two teacher
recommendations.
Ask recommenders early. Give a minimum of
two weeks.
Provide recommenders a resume.
Remind recommender of due dates.
For non-Common Application schools,
recommenders will need addressed, stamped
envelopes if application is a hard copy.
Applying for College-Due Dates
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Due Dates-Watch Due Dates, design a format
to organize required paperwork and due dates.
Most colleges-January 1
Early Action-Early Decision-November 1
Research and know the difference
Most schools notify students of acceptance on
April 1, April Fool’s Day!
Rolling admission-Notified usually within 2
weeks of application
Must accept by May 1.
Scholarships
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Most scholarships are awarded by the colleges,
>10% come from private sources.
Register with fastweb.com This is free!
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarshipsearch This is free!
Make a game out of scholarship applications,
but be organized, diligent, and intentional.
Kentucky and county Farm Bureaus and Rural
Area Electric Cooperatives offer scholarships.
Financial Aid Packages
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Parents are welcome to ask the College’s
Financial Office to reevaluate their student’s
financial aid package. No money is ever
removed from the package, most time the
school adds $500-1500 a year to the package.
Parents should always let the Financial Aid
Office know if there are extenuating situations
within the family that warrants substantial
additional financial aid.
Parents need to complete the FAFSA beginning
1\1.
Beyond High School
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Honors Programs
External Scholarships-Gates, Fulbright,
Rhodes,Truman, Roosevelt, etc.
Semesters Abroad
Internships
Explore all options
Student Support
October 2 3:30-4:30 PM
GSP parent-student information session
 October 15 All day support for Juniors
 October 28-29 All day support for Senior
College Applications
 November 5 Visit Junior classes
 March 25 12:00-5:00 PM Support for Juniors
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Contact Information
Peggy Workman
321 Lakeshore Drive
Lexington, KY 40502
859-269-2443
Pegrw@aol.com