SENIOR PARENT INFORMATION
POWERPOINT
SO FAR THIS YEAR:
 Most students hoping to graduate in June or August 2014, have discussed
their remaining credits with Ms. Brooks
 By October 10th, seniors will have completed a post-secondary planning
survey.
 Senior conferences begin October 7th.
WHAT COLLEGE IS RIGHT FOR YOUR
CHILD?
 Hopefully, they have visited some college campuses
 Do they want close to home or far away?
 Do they want small town or big city?
 Do they want public or private?
 Do they know what major they are planning on?
 Have they considered going in as “undecided”? Have they talked to the college about what
this means?
 Hopefully, they have researched the GPA and SAT/ACT requirements
 The “best fit” is a realistic one
 We always encourage a “safety school”
 www.cfnc.org has a “matching assistant” (right click to open links)
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
 Community college is a great option for students who want a 2-year degree or want
to save money by going there for 1-2 years (complete their basic courses) and then
transferring to a 4-year university
 Requirement: High School Diploma
 $69-72 per credit hour
 If they are interested in transferring to a four year University, be sure to talk to the
community college about the “transfer program”
 RCCC, CPCC, Stanly CC- Medical Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Culinary, Automotive,
Heating and Refrigeration, Welding, etc.
WHAT COLLEGE IS RIGHT FOR YOUR
CHILD?
 The minimum GPA required for a public NC college/university is a 2.5
 After researching and visiting colleges, your child hopefully has an idea
of what colleges are realistic for them
 Appalachian State University
Student
GPA
1
2
3
4
5
3.4166
3.6311
4.1172
4.5185
4.00
Class
Rank
121 of 338
98 of 338
42 of 338
11 of 338
82 of 335
No. of AP
Classes
2
0
4
2
4
Class
Rank
7 of 287
33 of 287
No. of AP
Classes
4
3
 Clemson University
Student
GPA
1
2
4.63
4.32
SAT Scores
(r/m)
580/600
640/570
600/650
690/620
600/630
SAT Scores
(r/m)
650/650
660/710
Students can get scholarships ranging from $500 to in-state tuition
rates at Clemson. Usually, recipients of academic recruiting
scholarships have an SAT score of at least 1370 in R/M (ACT 31)
and rank in the top 10 percent of their senior class.
Davidson College
Student GPA
1
2
4.7164
4.84
Class Rank
5 of 283
2 of 287
No. of AP
Classes
5
6
SAT Scores (r/m)
730/730
630/720
Duke University
Student
GPA
Class Rank
1
5.0432
1 of 227
No. of AP
Classes
8
SAT Scores (r/m)
No. of AP
Classes
2
1
0
1
1
SAT Scores (r/m)
740/780
East Carolina University
Student
GPA
Class Rank
1
2
3
4
5
4.35
3.0304
3.7469
4.0031
3.16
41 of 335
190 of 338
82 of 338
56 of 338
160 of 287
540/580
480/570
390/510
450/610
460/520
North Carolina State University
Student
1
2
3
4
5
GPA
3.8348
4.1684
4.2531
4.5714
4.15
Class Rank
71 of 338
38 of 338
29 of 338
7 of 338
71 of 287
No. of AP Classes
1
8
0
2
4
SAT Scores (r/m)
520/590
550/680
570/550
590/570
670/680
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Student
1
2
3
4
5
GPA
4.2436
4.2917
4.5046
4.8300
4.34
Class Rank
31 of 338
25 of 338
12 of 338
1 of 338
30 of 287
No. of AP Classes
3
2
5
7
3
SAT Scores (r/m)
590/630
510/570
600/660
580/770
570/610
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Student
1
2
3
4
5
GPA
2.8378
3.1296
3.7515
4.2345
3.03
Class Rank
212 of 338
168 of 338
81 of 338
32 of 338
175 of 287
No. of AP Classes
1
2
4
3
0
SAT Scores (r/m)
580/610
450/500
600/650
570/510
450/550
HOW MANY COLLEGE APPLICATIONS?
 We recommend applying to 3 colleges, if the student can afford the
college application fees
 If your child is on free/reduced lunch and got a fee waiver for the SAT, they can have
2 college application fee waivers
 Just ask your counselor for those
TRANSCRIPTS
 With the conversion to Power School that the state of North Carolina
has gone through this year, transcripts are not yet finalized. If you need
a transcript right now, you will receive a NCWise transcript that will
not reflect everything:
 We have not yet re-ranked (so rank could change)
 Classes taken over the summer will not show up
 Schedule changes made over the summer will not show up
We will announce when Power School transcripts are ready
TRANSCRIPTS
 Transcript Request
 Send Ms. Brooks an email that includes the name of the college and the address of
the admissions office.
 County Policy: First 3 are FREE and after that $5 each.
ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPTS
 Students can send transcripts electronically if they prefer through
www.cfnc.org for FREE
 If asking for one right now, you will get a NCWise transcript and an updated
schedule
 Be sure your child checks their “transcript manager” on CFNC to see if
the transcript has been received
 Common App and SendEdu are also ways some colleges may ask for
transcripts to be sent electronically (they count as one of the 3 for free)
 We are not able to process these just yet (should be able to in a couple of weeks)
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
 Students can apply to colleges online through a variety of ways:
 Preferred method by some colleges: the college’s own website (wolfpaw for NCSU,
etc.)
 www.cfnc.org for any and all colleges in North Carolina – fill out application once
and then it self populates for additional colleges
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
 Some colleges require them, some are optional and some do not look




at them
Give the teacher or counselor 2 weeks to write a good letter
Send an email to your teacher, counselor, or principal requesting a letter
of recommendation, some colleges have certain forms…make sure you
provide those to whomever is writing the letter
If using cfnc.org or common app, be sure to look at “supplemental
forms” for each college
It will be given back in a sealed envelope (student waives their right to
see it)
 You put postage on it and mail it
WRITING A GOOD ESSAY
 Some schools have them and some don’t
 Most importantly, be sure your student gets someone to PROOFREAD
the essays
 Writing a good essay includes:
 Don’t write a “generic” answer – it should reflect the student!
 Tailor the essay to the school’s mission – you need to show that you will fit in at that
college
 Spell correctly! Don’t count on spell check alone
SAT/ACT SCORES
 All juniors took the ACT last year at least once
 Hopefully, students also took the SAT—they would have signed up
through www.collegeboard.org
 Our transcripts do not have ACT/SAT scores listed
 Students must go to collegeboard.org and/or actstudent.org and tell
them what colleges should receive scores -- when registering for the
test (4 free – after the test, a fee of approximately $11 per college)
 Colleges look at the best score in each category (even if students took
it multiple times)
SAT VS. ACT (WHICH ONE TO USE?)
ACT Composite Score
36
35
34
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
SAT CR+M (Single Score)
1600
1560
1510
1460
1420
1380
1340
1300
1260
1220
1190
1150
1110
1070
1030
990
950
910
870
830
790
SENIOR ATHLETES
 If your senior wants to play a sport at college, they need to be
registered with the NCAA clearinghouse
 There are GPA and SAT/ACT requirements for Division I and II schools
– know your requirements
 NCAA looks at only “core classes” including English, Math, Science,
Social Studies and World Languages
 This website also contains an informational video about the
requirements for Division I and II schools
SUMMARY OF “TO DO LIST” FOR SENIORS
 Complete online college applications
 Including writing/proofreading essays (if applicable)
 Ask teachers/counselor for letters of recommendation
 Sometimes schools/scholarships will want a “community recommender” – consider
the student’s boss, church youth group leader, etc.
 Send ACT or SAT scores to all colleges that you are applying to
 Send in transcripts either now or when PowerSchool transcripts are
ready
 Be registered with NCAA (if trying to play a sport in college)
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR
COLLEGE?
FINANCIAL AID
 Financial Aid comes from the Federal Government in the following forms:
 Grants: Funds that usually do not have to be repaid. An example would be the Pell Grant
 Student Loans: Funds that do have to be repaid. Some of these are subsidized by the
Government (they pay the interest while the student is in college)
 Work Study: these are government
funded jobs on college campus
FINANCIAL AID
 Direct Costs:
 Tuition
 Books
 Room/Board
 Meals
 Required Fees
 Indirect Costs:
 Transportation to and from home
 Personal Computer
 Loan Fees
FAFSA
 FAFSA –Free Application for Federal Student Aid –www.fafsa.ed.gov
 (notice it is not FAFSA.com!)
 You can’t fill out the FAFSA until January of your senior year, but you can begin
researching the process
 www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov – predicts what funds you could be eligible for based on last
year’s income
 Go ahead and get a PIN number

Issued to an individual and is a “signature” for Federal Student Aid purposes

Faster than using paper signature

PIN is valid for years

Parent’s PIN may be used for multiple children

Each student must have own PIN

Obtain PIN from www.pin.ed.gov
Results available online in 48 hours and to the institutions you list on the FAFSA
WHAT IS AN EFC?
 EFC---Expected Family Contribution
 EFC is the end result after submitting a FAFSA
 It is the determination of the amount per year a student’s family can pay
toward their child’s college education
 The higher the EFC, the lower the chance a student will have to receive
“free” money from the government
 Calculating Your Financial Need
Cost of Attendance (COA)
– Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
= Financial Need
DEPENDENCY
 Students are independent if:
 24 years old or older
 Orphan, foster child/ward of the State
 Have children for whom they provide more than 50% support
 Have a legal guardian
 Married
 Veteran or on active duty
 Graduate students
 Legally emancipated
 Homeless or at risk of homelessness
Students not meeting one of the above must include parental information for full aid consideration.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
 Significant change in your family…
 Unemployment of a parent

Death in the family

Change in parents’ marital status

Medical expenses not covered by insurance

Student cannot obtain parent information
Notify the financial aid office at your college of any
special circumstances. Be prepared to provide
documentation of any change, including the financial
impact of the change.
SUBSIDIZED OR UNSUBSIDIZED LOANS
 Subsidized Loans are available to undergraduate students with financial
need and they do not accrue interest while the student is in school.
 Unsubsidized Loans are available, even without a financial need, and they
DO accrue interest while the student is in school.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR NEED
BASED FINANCIAL AID
 College Foundation of North Carolina

www.cfnc.org
 Federal Department of Education

http://studentaid.gov/
 Student Financial Aid for North Carolinians

www.cfnc.org/fabook
 The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid

www.finaid.org
SCHOLARSHIPS
Merit Based: given primarily based on grades, SAT scores, rank, GPA, etc.
 Need Based: scholarships that consider a family’s financial need for
money to pay for college
 Criteria Based: given based on criteria such as a desire to study Nursing
or Accounting (a specific major). They usually have a merit component
SCHOLARSHIP SCAMS
•
“The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”
No one can guarantee your scholarship before it is awarded.
•
•
•
•
“Come to our free seminar and we’ll show you how to get more financial aid.”
This is a sales pitch. Don’t pay for information that you can get elsewhere for free.
“The scholarship requires a small fee.” Never pay a fee to get a
scholarship.
“You are a finalist” for an award you never applied for.
If you did not apply, it is not a legitimate offer.
“You can’t get this information anywhere else.”
Everyone has access to the same information.
UPCOMING EVENTS
 September 24, 2013 6 to 8 pm
 Cabarrus County Schools is hosting an annual College Fair at the Boys and Girls Club in
Concord
 November 6th at Winkler Middle School (time TBD)

Cabarrus County is hosting a Financial Aid workshop with a speaker from CFNC
 November 18-22, 2013

College Application Week – certain colleges will waive their application fee if you apply during this week
FAFSA DAY: February 22, 2014