Information for
Seniors
Welcome Back Class of 2015!
WHS Counselors
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Students A through E
Mrs. Bishop
Students F through K
Mrs. Fassbender
Students L through Q
Mr. Landis
Students R through Z
Mrs. Kuntz and Mrs. Glynn
Senior Associate Principal – Mr.
Grabarski
First Things First!
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Attention all male students –
when you turn 18-years of age,
you are required to register for
the Selective Service!
Register online at:
http://www.sss.gov/FSregist.htm
You may also register at any US
Post Office
Military Recruitment
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Any student interested in pursing a
career in the military, there is
information in the Counseling Office.
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There will be visits from various
military branches once per semester
during school lunch hours. Individual
appointments may be made by you
with recruiters.
Note: If you do not want to be
contacted by the any of the Military
branches, please notify the Main
Office.
THE ACT vs. the SAT
By now, most of you planning to attend college have taken the ACT or SAT
test. For those of you who have not yet taken the test, here is important
information:
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The ACT is an academic achievement test which predicts your success in
college. The SAT is an aptitude test, and it is structured to measure how
well you can apply the material you have learned in HS.
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If you plan to attend a 4-year school, you must take either the ACT or SAT.
For schools in WI and in the Midwest, the ACT is generally preferred, but
you should check with any out-of-state school choices you have to see
which exam they prefer.
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ACT and SAT requires online registration.
ACT Fees for 2014-15:
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$38.00 for the basic test
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$54.50 for ACT + Writing. If you are planning to apply to UW-Madison,
Marquette University, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities or UMDuluth, you MUST take the writing portion of the ACT or the SAT.
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LATE FEES ARE AN ADDITIONAL $24.00 for ACT!
THE ACT vs. the SAT
(continued)
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SAT Fees for 2014-15 are: $52.50/test (SAT 1);
$26.00 for one subject test; $16.00 for additional
subject tests (SAT II); $26.00 for language with
listening tests.
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Late fees are AN ADDITIONAL $28.00.
Upcoming Test Dates:
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ACT: October 25, 2014 – reg. September 19, 2014
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SAT: October 11, 2014 – reg. September 12, 2014;
Subject Tests also offered this date
How to Prepare
for the ACT or SAT
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There are ACT and SAT practice tests and
preparation strategies @
www.testprepwi.org or
www.studystack.com. These are free sites.
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There are also a limited number of ACT
booklets available in the Counseling Office.
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ACT prep classes are here with Mrs.
Cramer (dates to be announced) and at
McFarland HS. Please stop in the
Counseling Office for details.
Directions for the 4-year
College Application Process
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All of the 2- and 4-year UW Systems Schools prefer
that you apply online at: http://apply.wisconsin.edu
beginning September 1st.
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Fees are $44.00 per application for UW System
schools. You may pay online with a credit card.
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The Counseling Office does not hold letters of
recommendation and other application
information until your online application is
complete. Please bring these items to the
Counseling Office for mailing with your
transcript AFTER your online application is
complete.
Directions for the 4-year
College Application Process
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You may work on and save your electronic applications copy until
you are finished. This gives you the opportunity to check for
errors before submitting a completed application. The WI Private
Colleges will either have a campus-specific application or they
may use the Common Application. More on the Common
Application later.
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You will be required to supply written answers to some questions
and submit a Personal Statement. Personal Statements may be
submitted as part of the electronic application or as an
attachment. If you choose to submit this electronically, we
strongly suggest that you create your statement in Microsoft
Word first, then copy/paste it into the application. This will help
you avoid grammatical and electronic errors.
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Not all colleges expect or require letters of recommendation. We
suggest that you should submit at least 1 letter of
recommendation with your application(s). Letters should be from
a teacher first, then principals, counselors, ministers, or
employers.
Per School Board Policy, class rank WILL NOT be included on
your transcripts or given to any schools. If you have
questions about this policy, please speak with your counselor.
Getting Letters of Recommendation
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If your application requests letters of recommendation,
give teachers, coaches, employers, etc. extra time to
write these.
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There are “brag” sheets available in the Counseling Office
for you to fill out. This is helpful for your letter writers.
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You may submit letters of recommendation even if they
are not required – again, this is important for the UWMadison application.
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Make sure to give your writers enough time to compose
your letter!
The Personal Statement
Writing Clinic
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Mrs. Doucette and Mrs. Fassbender will host a
writing clinic to help you prepare your personal
statements for your college applications and
scholarship opportunities.
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These clinics are designed to give you specifics
about writing statement expectations, good writing
style, and tips for a concise and well-written
personal statement. We will be happy to review any
rough drafts you have been working on during these
times.
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The clinic times will be held on Wednesday
evenings from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Here are the dates:
9/10/2014
9/24/2014 10/08/2014
The Personal Statement
Writing Clinic
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Please be sure to give your
proofreaders plenty of time to
review your statements. This will
give them time for a critical
review and constructive
feedback.
Never leave your personal
statement for review with a
reader WITHOUT talking with
them first!
The Common Application
Important Things to Know
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Colleges will not be able to download electronic
teacher recommendations unless the student
submits their Common Application Online to that
college. You then will give the email address of the
teacher and the teacher will be prompted
electronically to write the recommendation through
the Common Application.
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Counselors cannot submit the required counselor’s
Page/School Report online. You will note your
counselor’s email address when you apply via the
Common Application, and your counselor will be
notified by the Common Application that you’ve
applied. The counselor will then opt out of the online
process.
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This is a lengthy application process and includes
the School Report, Midyear and Final Reports. The
personal information on these reports must be filled
out and printed off by you. Please bring these
completed forms to the Counseling Office.
The Common Application
Early Decision vs. Early Action
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Early Decision
Early Decision plans are BINDING. By selecting
Early Decision, you agree to attend the college if
you are accepted and if the college offers an
adequate financial aid package. You can apply to
only ONE college for Early Decision, but you may
also apply to other colleges through the regular
admission process.
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Early Action
Early action is similar to Early Decision but it IS
NOT binding. If accepted, you can choose to
commit to the college immediately, or wait until the
Spring. Under Early Action, you may apply to
another college action to another college.
Service Academy
Applications
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Students wishing to attend the Air Force Academy,
Naval Academy, Military Academy at West Point or
the Merchant Marine Academy must FIRST receive
a nomination from a member of Congress in order
to be evaluated by the academy for admission.
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Completed application packets (with all materials,
including letters of recommendation, test scores and
transcripts) are due to Congressman Mark Pocan
no later than 5:00 PM MONDAY, OCTOBER 27,
2014.
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The 2014 Wisconsin Academy Information Day is
on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at EAA in
Oshkosh, WI
Ordering Your Transcripts
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There is a fee for transcripts. Each official transcript
is $3.00. Transcript requests must be made in writing
and submitted with the required fee to the
Counseling Office. These request forms are
available in the Counseling Office or on the high
school Student Services website.
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When initially ordering your transcripts, you will also
be charged for your final transcript. This is to avoid
the chaos of ordering your final transcript at the end
of the school year.
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We are unable to send ANY transcripts
electronically. All transcripts must be ordered by
you, in person, and be paid for at the time you order
them.
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Unofficial transcripts may be printed by you via the
Infinite Campus portal.
Unsure as to Where to Apply?
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There are booklets available in the
Counseling Office. These are sent to us
from the UW Systems Schools, WI Private
Colleges and WI Technical Colleges
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The booklets list majors and career track
offerings
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They also list vital campus statistics
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All of this information is online, too!
Other Sites to Help With Your
College Searches
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WISCareers.wisc.edu is a valuable tool to
search for majors, school information, and
career planning. If you have forgotten your
login ID and password, please see your
counselor.
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UW System Schools offers
majormania.uwex.edu to help you search
careers and campuses.
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Wisconsin Private Colleges uses:
wisconsinsprivatecolleges.org as their
major/career search engine.
The NCAA
Facts, Forms, and Requirements
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If you are being recruited to play a sport at a Division I, II, or III
college/university, you should register with the NCAA
Clearinghouse. This will ensure that you have taken the required
NCAA accepted courses and meet their credit requirements.
Please see Mr. Smith in the Athletic Office for more information.
On-line registration and information is available at:
http://www.NCAAClearinghouse.org.
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The fee for registration is $65.00 and may be paid online with a
credit card. You will be required to submit an official ACT or SAT
score report directly to the NCAA if you haven’t done so already.
You will be charged an additional $11.00 for ACT score reports.
Order these from: www.actstudent.org; SAT score reports are
available at www.collegeboard.org and cost $11.25 per report.
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You are responsible for ordering your transcripts and ACT/SAT
score reports to be sent directly to NCAA. There is no charge to
send your transcripts to the NCAA.
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For any additional questions, please see Mr. Smith.
The Wisconsin Technical Colleges
Madison College and Beyond!
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The WI Technical College booklet gives you general
information and also contains an application. Madison
College (formerly MATC) has a terrific website and an online application -- take a virtual tour at
http://www.matcmadison.edu. The application fee is
$30.00; online processing is an additional $5.00. If you
apply by paper, you will incur additional costs. Paper copies
are downloaded from the Madison College website.
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Applications for fall semester 2015 will be accepted
starting September 1, 2014. Many high-demand
programs close the third Monday of October. Be sure to
check their website for high-demand programs and
predicted length of waiting lists.
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If you have not taken the ACT yet and you are certain you
want to attend technical college, check the particular
technical school’s website to see if the program you want to
pursue requires the ACT. Each particular major will have
information regarding any ACT score requirements for
admissions
The Wisconsin Technical Colleges
Madison College and Beyond!
Note: The Guaranteed Transfer Program does NOT
require the ACT or SAT.
You will be required to take either the COMPASS or
ASSET entrance exams.
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Applications will be considered complete when the
required placement tests have been taken and all
required application materials have been received.
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For high-demand programs, there may be an
advance reservation fee. This fee will apply towards
tuition at the time of enrollment.
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Madison College and WI Technical Colleges specific
websites will let you know if certain programs are
full and expect waiting lists. Such programs are:
Nursing, Radiology, Graphic Design, Firefighting,
etc.
Wisconsin Private Colleges
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There are booklets in the Counseling Office of all of
the private colleges/universities in Wisconsin. Each
college has their own application and admissions
criteria. You should be aware that some of these
schools have sports programs and are Division I, II,
and III schools. Remember the NCAA rules/release
where applicable.
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Private colleges are more expensive up front, but
they also offer generous financial aid and
scholarship opportunities
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Private colleges tend to have smaller class sizes,
and easier access to professors.
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Application fees range from $0 – beyond. There are
often fee waivers available either online or in the
Counseling Office.
College and University Applications
for Out-of-State Schools
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Websites are your best source
of current information for each
specific school as well as
application information and
directions.
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There are computer terminals in
the Counseling Office to help
your with your searches and the
application process.
Housing and Dorms!
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Housing can be a problem at some schools. Some
schools will allow you to register for housing before
you’re accepted. You will need to be aware of each
school’s housing policies.
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Housing deposits are required; refunds are granted
if the schools are notified by certain dates (generally
May 1). BE CAREFUL because out-of-state schools
may not offer refunds – check with your schools.
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Be aware of housing requirements for your schools
– some schools require two (2) years in a dorm –
become familiar with the housing regulations for
each school you apply to.
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Most schools will send out housing packets after
you’re accepted.
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MAKE SURE TO INDICATE ON YOUR
APPLICATION THAT YOU WANT HOUSING!
Financial Aid
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If you are applying for financial aid you will be completing
a federal FAFSA (Free Application for Financial Aid) form.
These forms will NOT be available until January 1st .
There are no fees to apply for financial aid.
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Our financial aid night is Wednesday, DECEMBER 10,
2014 at 6:30 p.m. You and your parents should plan to
attend to get information on the financial aid process.
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You can be looking for scholarships. You will find collegesponsored scholarships by searching school-specific
websites. Mrs. Fassbender also prepares a bi-monthly
listing known as the Scholarship Bulletin. Bulletins are in
a spreadsheet format and list all active scholarships by
name, due date, and specific requirements. These are
available by paper or online at the Counseling website.
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There is also a bulletin board outside of the Counseling
Office that has all current bulletin listings by categories.
The secretaries will give you any applications and/or
directions.
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APPLY, APPLY, APPLY – you cannot receive money if you
don’t apply.
The Annual Scholarship Fund Drive
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Mr. Landis will come into your Law classes in March
with information for the Drive scheduled for a date
to be announced in APRIL, 2015. Student teams
go door-to-door collecting scholarship donations.
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Students MUST fill out the REQUIRED application
materials. Monies collected at the end of the drive
are divided between all the students who participate
and who have turned in their completed application.
In general, the more effort you put into this, the
more money you are awarded.
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ONCE YOU LEARN THE DATE OF THE
SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE, MARK IT ON YOUR
CALENDARS AND REQUEST THAT DAY OFF OF
WORK, IF NEEDED!
“Buyer Beware”
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You may be contacted by private
companies via the mail or telephone
offering to find scholarships for you
for a fee ($35-1,300+).
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Do NOT pay anyone money for this
service as they CANNOT guarantee
you scholarship dollars. This is a
database search only, and it has no
guarantees.
College Representative Visits
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Representatives call us and
schedule dates to come in and meet
with interested students. If you are
interested in meeting with a
representative, you need to come to
the Counseling Office to get a pass.
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Announcements will be made as to
the upcoming visits, and we will post
visits outside of the Counseling
Office.
Some Final Reminders….
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Enjoy your senior year – the time goes by very quickly.
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Once you are accepted to a school, this does not mean
party time… Schools can and do rescind their admission
offers, especially if classes are dropped or your grades
drop significantly. Schools expect you to maintain your
standing!
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OUR RECOMMENDATION: Plan to have your application
(s) submitted before the end of October or early
November. That way, you should know your standing when
you return from Christmas break.
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If you drop a class after you have been
accepted to a school, you will need to
contact the school directly to inform them of
this change. You may come to the
Counseling Office to make these calls.
Some schools reserve the right to rescind
your acceptance if you drop classes.
Wisconsin Education Fairs
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The Wisconsin Education Fairs are your
opportunity to talk to colleges, technical
colleges, vocational and trade schools, and
the military about your future.
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IT IS FREE!
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Sun Prairie HS hosts two visit days:
10/07/2014 – 9:00-11:00 am
10/07/2014 – 6:30-8:30 pm
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There are other sites throughout the State
of Wisconsin
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This is a great opportunity to meet a
number of colleges, scan your name into
their database systems, and gather great
information!
Thank you for your
Attention!
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Please see your counselor with any
questions.
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Brag sheets are in the Counseling
Office.
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A summary of this presentation will
be available on our website for your
information!
We are happy to help you!
GOOD LUCK!