Junior College Unit
Class of 2016 - Part 2
Patty Devecka
Suzanne Lyke
A -K
L-Z
Topics for today…
 Review of the Junior College Unit - Part One.
 Where you should be in the college planning
process as of now
 What you can do between now and the Fall of
your senior year
 What you must wait to do until school starts in
the Fall
 Distribution of College Planning Guide
Review of Junior College Unit – Part 1
Topics Covered:
 Types of colleges
• College visits
 How colleges evaluate
• Choosing a major
you
 Testing
 College searches
• Self-Assessment and
Interest Inventories
• Scholarships and Student
Aid
Review your handouts from the Fall. That presentation is
also available on the High School webpage. Go to
“Counseling,” then “College Planning.”
Where should you be now?
 SAT/ACT completed or registered for the June test
 College search almost completed – have a list of
schools of interest
 Interest inventory completed
 College visits…..hopefully started – continue this
summer
 Scheduled meaningful courses for next year….ones
that will help you explore and gain information about
your interests, and meet college admission
requirements
 Meet with your counselor 
SAT/ACT completed or scheduled
 Some schools advise you to take both tests.
 The only SAT date left this year without late registration
is June 6th. The registration deadline is May 8th!
 The only date left without late registration for the ACT is
June 13th. The registration deadline is May 8th! This is
given in Altoona.
 You can also take them in October of your senior year.
 SAT registration at collegeboard.org
 ACT registration at actstudent.org
Other Tests
 SAT subject tests….check to see if the schools
you are applying to want these.
 AP Exams…..happening over the next two
weeks.
 ASVAB….check with your military recruiter
 Make sure you have your SAT and/or ACT
scores sent directly by the testing service
to the colleges and programs you’re
interested in.
College Search Well Under Way
 Choosing a college is a big decision. Remember, there
is more than 1 “perfect” school out there.
 It’s what you make of it.
 Have you done a college search? You should have a
list of schools of interest at this point.
 Explore college websites and attend college visits in
the Counseling Center
 collegeboard.org- Big Future
 educationplanner.org
 passhe.edu- Pa. State System of Higher Education
(Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, IUP, etc.)
Matching Admissions
Standards to Your Profile
As part of the college search, you should
compare your academic and personal
qualifications to those of students
typically admitted to schools where you
want to apply.
Check out sites like collegeboard.org and
cappex.com
Selecting an Institution Is it a good match for you?
 Size
 Cost
 Location
 Academics
 Environment
 Class Size
 Facilities
 Activities
 Admission Requirements  Sports
 Availability of major
Majors
 If you know what you want to study, research
reputations of academic departments by talking to
people in the field that interests you, reading journals
related to the field and using resources in the
Counseling Center.
 If you’re undecided, relax and pick an academically
balanced institution that offers a range of majors and
programs.
 Students are typically not required to select a major
until the spring semester of their 2nd year, except in
some direct enrollment majors.
Majors – cont’d
 Many colleges have divisions for the “undecided”
student – such as the Division of Undergraduate
Studies (DUS) at Penn State.
 Explore majors at
http://dus.psu.edu/students/majorquest/. This is from
Penn State’s DUS, but can be helpful for any school.
 Go to https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/collegesearch?navid=gh-cs to explore colleges and majors.
 Take a look at collegemajors101.com
Interest Inventories
Not sure what you want to study in college?
Why do you want to go to college?
Have you completed an interest inventory
and seen your counselor?
educationplanner.org
careercruising.com
Username: scahs Password: lions
College Visits and Interviews
(Pages 21-23)
 A visit gives you the chance to talk with students,
faculty, financial aid and admissions officers.
 You will be spending 2 - 4 years of your life and
$50,000-200,000 on your college education - you
must visit before deciding to make the investment.
 Start with college websites and virtual tours campustours.com is a good site.
 THEN – YOU MUST GO THERE!
Penn State
“Spend a Summer Day”
Dates are not yet set for this summer–
they will be in late July and early
August
Check PSU.EDU in late May or early
June and search for “Spend a Summer
Day”
What To Do Now?
 Go through your College Planning Booklet cover to
cover.
 Sign up for the SAT, ACT and subject tests if
applicable.
 Continue to look at colleges and do more college
visits. Narrow your choices down.
 Research scholarships and learn about the financial
aid process. Get an estimate of your eligibility for
financial aid at
https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=
e1s1
NCAA Eligibility Center Registration
 During May of junior year, register at:
www.eligibilitycenter.org and complete the NCAA
Amateurism Questionnaire (remember your login
information). Look under “Resources.”
 In the North Counseling Office, request that your final
junior transcript be sent to the NCAA. (Note: If you
attended more than one high school, send a transcript
from each school attended).
 Every time you register for the SAT or ACT, be sure to
include the NCAA Eligibility Center Code (9999) as a
score recipient.
NCAA Eligibility Requirements
 NCAA recalculates your GPA based on your 16 “Core
Courses” - English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World
Language.
 Only NCAA approved courses count (college prep level).
 List of State High approved courses is on the Eligibility
Center website under “Resources.”
 A sliding scale with core GPA and SAT/ACT scores is
used to calculate initial eligibility.
 Refer to pages 40-43 in College Planning booklet.
Military Academies/ROTC
 Page 39/40 reviews the information for applying to
Military Academies as well as ROTC.
 You need to request a nomination letter from
Congressman Glenn Thompson ASAP. There is a limit
to how many nominations he will make to the Military
Academies. His contact information is on page 39.
 Make note of all deadlines when you begin the
application process.
Common Application
 The “Common App” is a common, standardized
application form used by over 500 public and private
member institutions.
 The application is filled out once online and then
submitted separately to each of the schools you apply
to.
 You can start the process this summer by checking to
see what this year’s essay questions are and begin
working on them – go to
http://blog.commonapp.org/2015/03/31/2015-2016essay-prompts/
 The application process for your graduating class will
open up on August 1, 2015.
Will you need a letter of
recommendation?
 Some colleges/universities, scholarships and military
academies require letters from teachers and/or
counselors.
 You will need 2 teacher recs and a counselor rec if you
use the Common App.
 Check college websites to see if recommendations are
required.
 Teachers will write about you as a student in their class.
 Counselors write a letter about you as a whole person
called a “composite” letter. This summer you can
complete the questions on page 13.
Etiquette for asking for a Letter
of Recommendation
 First, you will ask a teacher if they are willing to write a
letter of recommendation. If you have teachers in
mind, you may want to ask them this year.
 Procedures vary as to how letters of recommendation
are submitted – you will need to let teachers know in
the fall how your letters are to be submitted.
 Always send an email or a hand written note thanking
them for their time. VERY IMPORTANT 
Looking Ahead – Things To Do
In The Fall
 Senior College Unit - We will be meeting with you in
September to give you clear directions about applying
to colleges.
 We will not process any applications or take transcript
requests the first two weeks of school.
 If you would like to access further information prior to
our September presentation please visit the SCAHS
Counseling webpage at
http://www.scasd.org/Page/10047
 Get in the habit of reading your school email!!!
 Pay attention to deadlines!!!!!!
What about Penn State?
Application process opens September 1, 2015
 Starting September 1, 2015, you will be able to work on
your Penn State Application. Be patient – there is no
need to apply earlier. Nov. 30 is the preferred deadline.
 This includes the Schreyer Honors College. You must
fill out the regular PSU application in order to access
the Schreyer Honors application.
 Penn State does NOT require letters of
recommendation, unless you are applying to the
Schreyer Honors College.
 You can attend Spend a Summer Day and visit with the
department you are interested in.
Other Colleges/Universities
 Most other college applications open up sometime in
August. You can look at the college websites to see
what you need for each application.
 Develop some type of organization for each
application. Deadlines are critical! See organizational
handout.
********IMPORTANT*******
We will NOT process any applications, send transcripts or
write letters of recommendations during the summer and
the first two weeks of school for college applications.
Military applications are the only exception.
Types of Admission
 Regular
 Rolling
 Early Decision
 Early Action
 Pages 44-49 of the
College Planning Guide
Counseling Support Staff
Mrs. Wolanski and Mrs. Dodson
Common Questions
 Do I need my class rank for college and athletic
applications? No, you do not want to place your rank
on your application without discussing it with us first. In
most cases your rank will hurt your application. You
WILL need it if you are applying to a Military Academy
or for some scholarships.
 What if I do not get into any of the schools I apply to? It
is important when you apply to schools that you apply
to at least one “safety” school. Even for the top
students, having a Safety School is important. Ivy
League Schools are considered Reach Schools for
everyone….even the brightest!
Continued………………….
 How do I get Financial Aid? It may seem backwards,
but for government financial aid you need to wait until
January 2016 to apply. Some schools will provide
additional financial aid after you are accepted. You can
also apply for private scholarships. Page 24-32
 How do I keep up with the latest information? Follow
along on Twitter - @SCounselorLyke
Any Other Questions?