Goal: For every Senior to have
the opportunity to graduate
from high school and go on to
the post high school option of
their choice.
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Thinking about next steps! 4 year college or university,
GAP Year, Community College, Technical School, Military
SAT’s or ACT’s
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Studies show that after 4 attempts, scores drop
Reliable Test
Some schools want to see all the test scores
Fairtest.org
Community colleges can now look at SAT scores instead of
Compass or Acuplacer
Visit Schools
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Visit when school is in session
Sign up for a tour
Visit local private or public schools to get a sense of what kind of
school you would like to attend.
Fall Preview events happening now – Never know unless you try it
on!
College visits at BHS – EHHS students welcome.
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Meet College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADR’s)
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Take/retake SAT or ACT college entrance exams
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Complete and send the college admission application on time
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Request letters of recommendation early
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Biggest issue is missing a step
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Think about your email address (tequilamama@msn.com)
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Average applications 6- 8. Consider Safety Schools and Reach
Schools and school close to home.
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Complete FAFSA in January
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Have a strong senior year: start to finish!
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NCAA? http://web1.ncaa.org
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Most important criteria for a college/university is fit.
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Students need to list their interests, dreams,
hobbies, abilities, how they spend their time,
grades, strengths and weaknesses and then
search for colleges that match.
The right fit means students will feel comfortable
at a school both academically (major and area of
study) and socially (class size, amount of
personal attention from the teachers, activities
that fit their interests and find an environment
where they feel like they can be themselves).
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1. Grades in college prep courses
2. Strength in curriculum
3. Standardized admission test scores
4. Grades in all courses
5. Essay or writing sample
6. Class Rank (does not apply to EHHS or BHS)
7. Counselor’s Recommendation
8. Student’s Demonstrated Interest
9. Teacher Recommendation
10. Interview
11. Extracurricular activities
(The College Finder, Wintergreen Orchard House)
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For Students:
What would you change about the college?
How has your experience here affected you?
If you email a professor, how long does it
take her/him to reply?
Where do you go for help?
Who gives you advice about your future?
When was the last time a professor
mentioned an internship, research
opportunity, study abroad program or other
special opportunity to you?
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For Professors:
Why did you choose this college, and why
have you stayed?
How would you describe your students here?
What’s distinctive about the college and your
department?
Why do you think I should enroll here?
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Great Student – Parent Resource:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
Common Data Set - The Common Data Set (CDS) is a
detailed report covering University-wide information. Data
are presented in the same "common" format used by most
institutions of Higher Education to facilitate comparisons
among institutions.
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www.learnerator.com (free resource): -Master College Admissions(www.learnator.com/guidance2014)
Financial Aid Made Simple(www.learnerator.com/financialaid)
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Less expensive than private schools (though
sometimes private schools end up being less
expensive due to grants and scholarships)
University of Washington (Urban)
Western, Eastern, Central and Washington
State (Rural)
Evergreen
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Common Application: CommApp.org, 400
Schools, One Application
Early Action: apply in fall, Compared to
smaller group of students.
Early Decision: apply in the fall, bound to
school. If you get in, withdraw all other
applications.
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College Application Process, College Tracking Form, Parent
Brag Sheet, Senior Quick Reference Guide, Student Data Sheet
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Public Schools:
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Private Schools:
◦ Fill out College Tracking Form
◦ Send EHHS Transcript (transcript release form, addressed
stamped envelope)
◦ Test Scores
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Fill out College Tracking Form
Sign transcript release form so Becky can upload
transcript for on-line submission or snail mail.
Student Data Sheet/Parent Brag Sheet
Students meet in person to request a recommendation
Common Application or Individual on-line application
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4 Years of English
3 Years of Math
◦ Algebra 1
◦ Geometry
◦ Algebra 2
3 Years of Science
3 Years of Social
Science
2 Years of World
Language
◦ must be the same
language
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1 Year of Arts (U of
CA)
A senior year mathbased quantitative
course
◦ can be a math or
algebra-based science
course
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A 2.00 minimum
Grade Point Average
(GPA)
Source: WA Student Achievement
Council
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Small Class size and relationship with professors
can be key to success!
Visit the Department of Disabilities Resource
Center (goes by different name at different
schools). Talk to other students who use this
service.
Find out what resources are available to you and
if the college or university has the type of
accommodations that your student needs.
Find out what documentation you need to qualify
for accommodations and contact them soon after
you have sent in your enrollment check.
Accommodations aren’t retroactive
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Students: Be able to explain how you learn
best and know what you need from your
professors
Students: If you take medication and don’t
know much about it, now’s the time to learn.
Read the labels. Understand the dosages and
side effects. Ask your doctor to explain what
each drug does. Practice managing your
meds now before you leave the home
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Apply starting in January
Take placement test (COMPASS or
Accuplacer). Some schools now use SAT
tests for placement
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Meet with college advisor
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Complete FAFSA.
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1) Professional/Technical: Skills to prepare to
work. Often 2 year programs
2) College/University Transfer – often same or
higher GPA of 4 year college students upon
graduation from transfer college
3) University Partnerships: Community College
partners with a 4 year school to offer a bachelor
degree in a selected area
4) Applied Baccalaureates – 31 options at 14
different colleges. Receive Bachelor degree at
community college, i.e. BA in Interior Design
from Bellevue College, Cybersecurity and
Forensics from Highline College
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Builds on education and training from a two-year
technical associate degree
With the baccalaureate option, students are able to
move from short–term certificates and related
degrees to further foundational and specialized
coursework, creating access to higher paying jobs
Yearly cost of community college: $11,250 or
$17,800 (living independently)
Yearly cost of University of Washington: $24,433
(includes room and board)
Want more information about Community College
Baccalaureate options in Washington State? Go to:
checkoutacollege.com
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Learning process continues, but in a different format
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A Gap Year gives them the opportunity to become more independent and make decisions on there own.
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High School students are over-pressured, overscheduled, and often feel uninspired by traditional
academics. A Gap Year gives them an opportunity to take a break from traditional academics and
pursue an interest that may lead to a career path.
Boys have fallen behind girls in college and graduate school attendance. Many boys mature later don’t
find a purpose of enthusiasm for academics until their late teens. The simple gift of extra time can
make all the difference for a boy’s future.
Many students who begin college never finish. The freshman year is the most common dropout point.
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Gap Year Facts: Number of accepted students you defer admission to pursue a Gap Year. Harvard – 50
– 70%, Cornell – 50 – 60%, Georgetown – 15 – 25%, MIT – 12 – 15%
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“Students who take a Gap Year tend to be some of the strongest performers in the classroom”, Jean D.
Jordan, Dean of Admissions, Emory University
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It is recommended for students who know that they want to pursue a four year school to get accepted
to college or university and then defer enrollment to allow for participation in a Gap Year.
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A book that is available at the Kitsap Regional Library if you would like to learn more is The Complete
Guide to the Gap Year, by Kristin M. White.
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Americorps
Amigos de las Americas
City Year
Dynamy
International Studies Abroad
The Leap
Leap Now
Masa Israel
National Outdoor Leadership School
Outward Bound
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Habitat for Humanity
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – WWOOF
AFRC – Armed Forces Recreational Center
American Field Service
AustriaLearn
Carpe Diem International
Center for Interim Programs
Council on International Educational Exchange
English-Speaking Union
Experiment in International Living Cultural and Educational Travel
Rotary International
Secondary School Exchange
Taking Off
Time Out Associates
Where There Be Dragons
Youth International
Youth With A Mission
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Apprenticeships
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Certification Programs
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Military
◦ Electricians, Plumbing, Carpentry,
Automotive
◦ Nursing Assistant, Cosmetology
◦ ROTC
◦ Multiple career training opportunities
(determined by ASVAB score) – given in
late November
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FAFSA (Information
sessions in Nov/Dec. at
BHS)
 http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
 APPLY STARTING JAN 1, 2014
(APPLY EARLY. As they receive
applications they start dividing
up money. Especially applies too
state scholarship money.)
◦ Grants
◦ Student Loans
◦ Work Study
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SCHOLARSHIPS
COLLEGE PROGRAMS
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Need Based Scholarships: predicated on income
(FAFSA). Federal Pell Grants and Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.
Merit Based Scholarships: based on student’s
academic and sometimes extracurricular
achievements (FAFSA). Can come from
University, Departments, state scholarship
programs, special donors
Association Based Scholarships: dependent on as
many different associations that you can imagine
(home country, identification with certain group,
fraternal and religious organizations, company
for which a parent might work)
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Student nominations must be submitted and received
by Wednesday, October 29, 2014.
After being nominated, students must complete the following: 1)
WSU Admission application, 2) WSU General Scholarship
application, 3) submit their SAT/ACT scores, and 4) forward their
official high school transcript to WSU’s Office of Admissions. All
four application materials must be received by the final
submission deadline of Friday, December 5, 2014.
All eligible nominees (2 per school) will receive a Regents
Scholars award, which provides $4,000 per academic year for
four years. Those students will then compete for the
Distinguished Regents Scholar award, which covers full tuition
and fees for four years.
Use theEligibility Calculator to see if you are eligible for the
Regents Scholars Program. (academic achievement plus cocurricular involvement)
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The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE (often written as CSS PROFILE), short for
the College Scholarship Service Profile, is an application distributed by
the College Board in the United States allowing college students to apply
for financial aid. It is primarily designed to give private member
institutions of the College Board a closer look into the finances of a
student and family. It is much more detailed than the FAFSA.
The CSS Profile asks questions about the financial status of the student
and the student's parents. The information the student gives in the CSS
Profile is then sent to colleges or universities that the student specifies.
Along with the FAFSA, the CSS Profile is the most common financial aid
application that students in the United States fill out.
Each CSS Profile costs a fee, varying from year to year.
Generally, colleges with early acceptance programs (student receives
admission decision before the new year) use the CSS PROFILE to make
preliminary financial aid decisions because the FAFSA is not available
until after January 1. Then after student completes the FAFSA (the official
financial aid application) colleges may then make adjustments to their
financial aid awards if necessary.
Find out if schools you are applying to want a CSS Profile. Almost 400
colleges and scholarship programs require the PROFILE.
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WUE “woo-wee”
For students planning on attending college West of the Mississippi, you
may want to check out “Woo-Wee”. WUE (pronounced “woo-wee”) is the
Western Undergraduate Exchange, a program of the Western Interstate
Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Through WUE, students in
western states may enroll in 150 two-year and four-year college
institutions at a reduced tuition level: 150 percent of the institution's
regular resident tuition. WICHE member states: Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Entrance
requirements for WUE applicants are set by each participating institution.
Requirements typically include minimum GPA and/or ACT/SAT score
requirements; some institutions require higher GPAs and test scores for
WUE students. Many institutions limit the number of new WUE awards
each academic year, so apply early! Most WUE institutions do not
require applicants to demonstrate financial need to receive the
discounted rate. For more information and to search for a school that
might work for your student, go to: http://www.wiche.edu/wue
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FREE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES
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COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID WEBSITES
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COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PAGE
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 www.fastweb.com
 http://www.thewashboard.org/ - matches
profile with scholarships
meritaid.com - A comprehensive directory of merit
scholarships and academic scholarships from colleges across
the country
payscale.com – rates colleges on return on investment
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Sign up at BHS for college representative visits.
Attend the national college fair in November.
Consider the reasons that you want to go to
college. Find out what different colleges require.
Work on college applications (Be aware of
deadlines and procedures).
Notify staff for letters of recommendation (4
weeks minimum)
Turn in your college tracking form.
Order your Jostens Cap/Gown for June.
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Finish college applications.
Request transcript release for Common
Application online or sending transcripts
through snail mail.
Notify staff for letters of recommendation
(provide your brag sheets, resumes, selfaddressed/stamped envelopes for transcripts
with deadlines attached. Make it easy for your
supporters)
Apply for financial aid (FAFSA)
Search and apply for scholarships.
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Apply for local scholarships through BHS.
Make sure that we have your name correct for
graduation and you have paid your fines and
turned in a final transcript release form.
Finish well…mid-year and final transcripts
are sent to colleges. (Colleges are watching).
Take AP exams in May…
Participate in all graduation celebrations and
activities at both BHS AND EHHS.
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Reccommended Books:
◦ The Complete Guide to the Gap Year, by Kristin M. White (KRL Library)
◦ The Hidden Ivys ~ has a good intro with description of why choose
Liberal Arts
◦ Admission Matters ~ pretty straight-forward sections on each step of
the process
◦ Insider's Guide to the Colleges was the "hipper" student written Fiske
or Princeton Review guide.
◦ Fiske Guide
◦ Princeton Review
◦ Scholarships, Grants, Prizes 2014, Petersons Publishing (KRL Library)
◦ The College Finder (Wintergreen Orchard House)
◦ The College Sourcebook for Students with Learning and
Developmental Differences (Wintergreen Orchard House)
◦ Read the newsletter for additional opportunities
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Making contact with schools
Don’t have your parents call for you
Interviews
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Questions?
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