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Helpful Hints for a Successful Senior Year
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Graduation Requirements
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26 credits for Recommended or Distinguished
4 years of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies
1 year of PE and a Fine Art
1 semester of Communication Applications
2 years of the same foreign language (3 yrs for distinguished)
5.5 credits of electives (4.5 for distinguished)
Distinguished ~ 4 advanced measures
Reminders
o Deadline for 2nd semester schedule changes is December 12, 2014
o Complete student info sheet, attach resume and potential college essay, and return to your house
counselor.-See also Student Info Recommendation Form on the KF Counseling Office website
o Check Blackboard every day to stay updated with scholarship information, deadlines, and college
related materials.
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Attend College Night
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Thursday, October 9, 2014 / 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Champions Forest Baptist Church
Preprint address labels with your Name, address, phone #, email, school name, and classification
Use preprinted labels to save time…you won’t have to fill out information at every booth, just stick
and go.
College Visit Days
o Each student is allowed to take two (2) college days during their senior year.
o Prior to a college visit, students must complete a form in the attendance office (your responsibility to
obtain) or online at KFHS main page: Quicklinks: College/University Visit Form
o Counselor signature is required as well
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SAT/ACT
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Be sure to take the SAT or ACT this Fall if you have not done so or if you are trying to improve your score
Register for the ACT/SAT ~ on line
Our school code is 443394
www.collegboard.com or www.actstudent.org
Texas Public Colleges Requirements
o State of Texas Uniform Admissions Policy
 Texas law requires college applicants to four-year public universities to meet college
readiness standards through:
 Completion of recommended or advanced high school program or equivalent, or
 Demonstration through SAT or ACT test scores benchmarks
o SAT ~ 1500 out of 2400
o ACT ~ 18 English, 21 Reading, 22 Math, 24 Science
o Seniors who will attend a public institution of higher learning in Texas are required to demonstrate
mastery of basic skills before entering by taking the Texas Success Initiatve Assessment (TSIA)
test or qualifying for an exemption from it.
o Exemptions are granted on the basis of SAT or ACT scores. On the SAT, the student must achieve a
total of 1070 with a minimum of 500 Math and 500 Verbal. On the ACT, the composite score must
be a 23 with minimums of 19 in both English and Math. The college or university must have a
record of the scores for a student to register without having taken the TSI. This includes the
community colleges.
o If TSIA is necessary because you are not exempt and will attend summer school at a college or
university, you must take the TSI before the end of April. Students who will enter college in the fall
can test up until the end of July. TSIA must be completed to attend freshman orientation.
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Registration materials are available in the College Center. More information about the TSI along
with a full-length practice test can be accessed at
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/accuplacer/accuplacer-texas-successinitiative-assessment-student-brochure.pdf
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 AP TESTS
o Colleges and universities throughout the world offer credit and/or placement for qualifying
Advanced Placement® exam scores. Information about AP credit and placement policies at many
colleges and universities is available on the College Board's web site.
o Go to www.collegeboard.com/ap/creditpolicy/
o Type in the name of the college or university whose AP policy you want to view (or browse by letter
of the alphabet).
o You will see a link to the college's web page that details its AP credit/placement policies and a
statement by the college or university about their AP policy.
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Applying to Colleges
o Use the common application for applying to Texas public universities: www.applytexas.org
 Begin applying for colleges August 1, 2014
 If you are applying to any schools using the common application, you need to check to see if
the school supplements the common application with a request for additional information.
Part of the application (on-line version) has pages devoted to College Deadlines, Fees and
Requirements
o Plan visits to colleges and set up interviews (if necessary)
o Check on application, housing, and financial aid deadlines for the schools to which you plan to
apply. Dates may vary and it is essential to meet all deadlines!!
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Scholarships
o Check Blackboard or KFHS College and Career website: Scholarships for scholarships sent to
campus
o On your own to find….use the internet…should not pay anyone to look for you
o DEADLINES, DEADLINES, DEADLINES ~ be aware of the deadline and obtain needed material
(i.e.~ letters of recommendation, transcripts)
o Once you receive a scholarship, whether you plan to accept it or not, bring a copy of the award letter
to house counselor. You will need to fill out a scholarship award letter for documentation purposes.
o Be aware of scams that require payment, credit card numbers or bank account info….you should
NEVER need to supply this information
o www.collegeguidanceconsultants.com
 User name: klein(lowercase)
 Password: klein(lowercase)
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Letters of Recommendation
o Ask for a letter of recommendation at least 2 weeks before the due date. Turn in the Student
Info Sheet
 Found on the KF Counseling Office website
o Ask a senior or junior year teacher who knows you well to write a recommendation
o Others to ask ~ counselor, teachers, employers, or coaches
o Provide recommendation forms, any special instructions and a stamped, addressed business
envelope to the people writing your recommendations.
o Be thoughtful! Write thank you notes to those who write recommendations and keep them
informed of your decisions.
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Transcripts
o Transcripts $2 ~ must be paid for at time of request
o Complete green form in registrar’s and staple money to form or online KFHS Web: Transcript
Request
o Give green form to Ms. Rodriguez with the money attached.
o Allow 7 – 10 days for processing
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Financial Aid
o Although you cannot file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) until after January
1st, you can obtain your personal identification number (PIN) now. The PIN is used as an
electronic signature on the online FAFSA, and your family will need TWO ~ one for you and one
for your parent(s). Go to: www.fafsa.gov to obtain PIN and save time later.
o Some colleges require the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. A list of these colleges is online at
https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp. Fill out the PROFILE only if your targeted
colleges require it; unlike the FAFSA, there is a fee.
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STEP 1: Take the SAT/ACT/THEA and have results sent to the colleges you are considering attending.
This can be done for FREE when you register for ACT/SAT or you can order them for a FEE
at a later date by going online or mailing in a paper form with payment.
SAT/AP/TSIA: www.collegeboard.com
ACT: www.actstudent.org
STEP 2: Complete your college applications – if the application is available online, colleges prefer
that you submit electronically.
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Apply Texas Application: www.applytexas.org for public universities in Texas.
Private School Common Application: http://app.commonapp.org/ for many of the private schools
nationwide.
Most colleges have applications on their website if they are not included on either of the two
common applications.
Pay the application fee to each college for which you are applying.
o Fee waivers are available if you received a fee waiver for the SAT/ACT. Fee Waivers are
emailed to the address on your collegeboard.org account
o Once completed, mail them directly to the office of admissions
o They must have counselor contact info on them!!!
Write and submit essay/s for each college that requires them.
Be aware that on-campus housing (dorms) may have a separate fee, application, and deadline.
Scholarships may have earlier deadlines. Check with each college to which you apply.
WATCH OUT FOR APPLICATION DEADLINES AND ALLOW TIME TO GET ALL
REQUIRED ITEMS IN BY THE DUE DATE…THE APPLICATION IS ONLY ONE PART OF
THE COMPLETED FILE!
STEP 3: Order a transcript from Ms. Rodriguez in the registrar’s office for each college to which you
have applied. Transcripts costs $2.00 and take about 7-10 days to process. The Registrar’s office
mails your official transcript so there is no need for a stamped envelope.
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If your college has a form required to be completed by the counselor or a letter of
recommendation is required, give those to Ms. Rodriguez when you order the transcript. Be
sure that your information is complete as we do not give these back to you when we
finish…they are mailed with the transcript.
NOTE: SAT/ACT/TSIA/AP scores are NOT on your high school transcript. If a
college informs you that they need your official scores, see Step 1 above.
STEP 4: If you need letters of recommendation from teachers, arrange that directly with them.
Give them stamped envelopes addressed to each college that you want them to send your
recommendation to as well as a Senior Information Sheet /senior resume..
STEP 5: Stay on top of things! Check your admissions file status online or call an admissions
counselor to verify that your file is complete. If something is missing, and adequate time has
passed for it to arrive, you may need to re-submit it. If you wait until the last minute and find
out something is missing, there won’t be time for the college to process the new information!
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Klein ISD Junior/Senior Handbook
o http://www.kleinisd.net/default.aspx?name=iss.sss.guide.home
o Contains information regarding important dates, senior planning calendar, college/university
addresses, cost of college, how to plan for college, etc…
 Planning for College-See the KFHS College and Career Website
o College Board ~ http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/
o Peterson’s College Admission Calendar ~ www.petersons.com
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Texas Association for College Admission Counseling ~ http://www.asktacac.com/index.html
College for Texans ~ http://www.collegefortexans.com/
Education Planner ~ http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/default.asp?sponsor=2859
Student Guide ~ http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/StudentGuide.pdf
Student Guide (Spanish) ~
http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/spanish/StudentGuideSp.pdf
o Sallie Mae ~ http://www.salliemae.com/
o Adventures in Education ~ http://www.aie.org/
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College Directories
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Admissions Tests & Reviews
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US Universities, Alphabetically ~ http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/alpha/
US Universities, by State ~ http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/
Distance learning & On-Campus learning ~ http://www.universities.com/
Interactive College Tours ~ http://www.campustours.com/
Community College Web ~ http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/cc/index.html
US News and World Report Rankings: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges
College Board Online (SAT) ~ www.collegeboard.com
Khan Academy: www.khanacademy.org
Kaplan ~ http://www.kaptest.com/
Princeton Review ~ http://www.princetonreview.com/home.asp
ACT Home Page ~ www.act.org
Vocabulary.com ~ www.vocabulary.com
Financial Aid
o FAFSA online ~ www.fafsa.ed.gov (mandatory for all colleges)
o KFHS College and Career: Financial Aid:
http://kleinforest.kleinisd.net/default.aspx?name=collegefinancialaid
o Merit Aide free ebook ~ http://www.meritaid.com/media/20InsiderStrategies.pdf
o Direct Loan Program ~ http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Direct.Loan/index.html
o The Financial Aid Information Page ~ http://www.finaid.org/
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Scholarships and Private Aid
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KFHS College Scholarships: http://kleinforest.kleinisd.net/default.aspx?name=collegescholarships
College Guidance Consultants: http://www.collegeguidanceconsultants.com/
Merit Aid ~ http://www.meritaid.com/
National Community Service Scholarship ~ http://www.learnandserve.gov/home/site_map/index.asp
Sallie Mae ~ http://www.thesalliemaefund.org/smfnew/sections/apply.html
** Neither KISD nor KFHS endorse the above websites. They are just suggestions for your use. **
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