You made it to the final year… so what next?

Where are you?
Where do your parents see you?
www.testprepgurus.com

 Step one: BREATHE…
 Plan ahead and relax!
 Is acceptance to a selective college the key to success in life?
Is enduring any amount of stress worth the reward?
 Average admit rate for Ivy schools in 2014: 10% .
Does that mean the other 90 percent are failures? (many with perfect SAT scores and/or valedictorians) NO!

 Senior Blitz: 15 minute individual meetings with your counselor (next 2 weeks) to discuss grad requirements, college admission strategies, and college lists
 A note will come to class in advance of your appointment with the specific meeting time.
 If your child has a conflict, we will be sure to re-schedule

Trained volunteers who will review your child’s college search, application and essay with you in the career center. It doesn’t matter where you are in the process and it is FREE!
Monday and Tuesday 3:05-4:05 and by appointment. Email collegecorps@bsd405.org or Mrs. Scott at scottar@bsd405.org for more information.

 Factors to consider
 When you’re on campus, it feels good. 
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Admission requirements
Programs/degrees offered
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Public vs. Private
Cost
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Size
Location
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How many schools will you apply to?
Don’t make it a contest!!
 One REACH School–
“I hope to get in”
 Three HOPEFULS—
“I should/hope to get in”
 One SAFETY—
“I will very likely get in here”

 Early Decision  Early Action
 Apply to one school.
 If accepted, you must enroll.
 Financial aid packages and scholarships may not be as lucrative since you cannot compare one schools package to another.
 You can apply to more than one school.
 Acceptance is nonbinding.
 You have more opportunity to compare different financial aid and scholarship packages.
 Some schools offer a nonbinding Early Action

www.testprepgurus.com

VS.
Earnings Difference Between the Schools?
+15%
Earnings Difference Between Students
Accepted to Both Schools?
0%
*Source: Study by Stacy Dale and Alan Krueger

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At least 15 school days (3 work weeks) before the university’s deadline please do the following:
Counselor Letter (1):
Log in to your Naviance account and download/print the Letter of
Recommendation Packet (Document Library link)
E-mail the required information to your counselor
Ask three teachers to complete the teacher feedback forms (different from teachers who will write your letters of rec)
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Teacher Letter (2):
Talk to your teacher in person to ask if they will be willing to write a strong letter on your behalf.
Invite the teacher in Naviance to write the letter of rec

 Complete the online application and meet deadlines!
 SAT/ACT: You must request official scores be sent to the college or university.
 Request official transcripts through your Naviance account at least five (5) days before your application is due. Pay the $10
Senior Fee to the Accountant (unless on Free/Reduced lunch).
 Request financial aid information from your college or university.
**Remember: If you used a fee waiver for the SAT, see your counselor for a college application fee waiver.

 Request a transcript from Ms. Bickerstaff by filling out a blue (transcript request) form.
 All seniors who request a transcript for college applications will pay a flat $10 fee to the accountant.
Please review your transcript carefully.
* If you see an error see your counselor ASAP! (write the errors you see on your transcript and we’ll look into the problem)

 ACT - $56.50
($39.50 without writing)
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English
Math
Reading
Science Reasoning
Writing Section www.actstudent.org
 SAT Reasoning - $54.50
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Critical Reading
Mathematics
Writing www.collegeboard.org
 SAT Subject Tests – $43
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The SAT subject tests are 50-minutes long. For example, writing, math and biology.
Some colleges require these tests in addition to the SAT Reasoning.
You must take the SAT reasoning and subject on different test dates.

Community and Technical Colleges
One system. 34 colleges. Unlimited possibilities .
29 community colleges 5 technical colleges
March 15 th Universal Deadline for Financial Aid

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September/October
Link Common App and Naviance accounts (Directions in Naviance
Document Library)
 October 14 th
– Super Wednesday –
Take final SAT/ACT exams and send scores to colleges to which you are applying.
get College Essay Writing Help and/or College Application Help in the Library. English Teachers and
College Corps will be there to help.
Request letters of recommendation.
 Research scholarships, financial aid, and college costs.
 Maintain and improve academic grades, stay involved in extracurricular activities.
 Attend NACAC/Seattle National
College Fair –
Friday, October 16 th (9-12 pm ) or Saturday, October 17 th (12-4 pm )
Washington State Convention Center
(Seattle)

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September/October cont.
 Meet with college representatives that visit IHS! (Mrs. Ball)
 Almost 100 schools scheduled so far
 125+ visited IHS last year
 Schedule is on Career Center website, Naviance, and posted in the Career Center https://www.bsd405.org/interlake/counseling/career-center/

 November/December
 March/April
 Begin comparing admission
 Submit college applications and financial aid packages from schools.
 Request FAFSA pin number pin.ed.gov
 Apply for scholarships.
 Start gathering financial information to complete FAFSA
 Select and inform college that you will be attending by May 1 st  Net price calculators are available on most college admissions websites
 Continue to meet college reps
 May
 Take applicable IB/AP Tests
 Meet with College Corps
 January/February
 Submit FAFSA (January 1 st )
 Let your counselor know your post high schools plans and where to send your final transcript in Naviance
 Complete any applications still due.
 June
 Senior Awards & Graduation

 FAFSA
– Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or WASFA—
Washington Application for State Financial Aid) must be filed to be eligible for any federal student financial aid and many school loans.
$ Go online and request a PIN now
$ You CANNOT file a FAFSA application before January 1 st , but close to it is recommended. It is helpful to have accurate information, but you may estimate.
$ Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov (NOT fafsa.com—scam)
$ Submit a FAFSA form even if you think you may not qualify. Some scholarships require that you don’t qualify for federal aid.
**Mrs. Scott will meet with students to review your FAFSA line by line

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
 Students may enroll in many public two-year and fouryear college programs at a reduced tuition level: 150% of the institution’s regular resident tuition.
 To be eligible for WUE, students must indicate when they turn in their application they are interested in the
Western Undergraduate Exchange.
 These tuition breaks are program-specific (not all majors are available at the WUE rate) http://wue.wiche.edu/

Ms. Bickerstaff will add local scholarship info on the
IHS Counseling website under “college planning”.
Check the scholarship list in Naviance under the
Colleges tab and check it often for updates
Use Internet search engines such as: thewashboard.org, meritmoney.com, finaid.org, gocollege.com, collegeanswer.com, or collegeboard.com/student/pay
**Remember, you never have to pay for scholarship info.
Beware of scams!!

 If you are a student athlete you must file with the
NCAA (Division I and II) and/or NAIA Eligibility
Center in order to be eligible for interscholastic competition.
 Don’t be benched! Even if you are recruited, you must meet minimum eligibility requirements. See Ms. Roloff or Mr.
Marcum if you have any questions.

 Has your child created a “college” e-mail account?
 Ex: firstnamelastnamecollege@gmail.com
 Be aware of things they are presenting in social media
(Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc!)
 Could you be connected to admissions reps through other friends/family

 All college admission applications MUST go through
Naviance – Start to finish!
 Search for Scholarships and access their applications
 The more information you add, the more the program will help you find the “best fit”
 Log in Now: www.connection.naviance.com/interlakehs

Alicia Williams A - C williamsa@bsd405.org
Carri McDermott D - J mcdermottc@bsd405.org
Maya Vergien K - M vergienm@bsd405.org
Chelsea Kearns kearnsc@bsd405.org
N - Sn
Scott Marcum So - Z marcums@bsd405.org
(425) 456-7231