MEET THE COUNSELORS
Jakkia Hollingsworth, Dean of College Prep
jhollingsworth@uplifteducation.org
Scott Ivy, Academic Counselor A-L
sivy@uplifteducation.org
Langston Ross, Road to College Counselor
lross@uplifteducation.org
Sonya Barron, Inspire Counselor
sbarron@upliftEducation.org
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Math – 4 Credits
English – 4 Credits
Social Studies – 4 Credits
Gov’t/Econ – 1 Credit
Science – 4 Credits
Foreign Language – 3 Credits
Fine Arts – 2 Credits
PE – 1.5 Credits
Communications Applications/Health – 1 Credit
Technology – 1 Credit
TOK or Humanities – 1 Credit
Other Electives – 2.5 Credits
TOTAL # of Credits = 29
+ successful completion of the TAKS tests + 100 hours of community service
** IB Diploma Candidates will have additional requirements based on the program**
GPA Policy:
 Grading System is as follows:
 Calculation of weighted GPA:
 To weight the GPA, the semester grade in each
course is added to the course weight.
 All weighted courses are totaled and divided
by the total number of courses to get the
weighted GPA.
 Weightings are based on the following scale:
 Advanced Placement/IB: 1.0
 Honors: 0.5
 All other courses: 0.0
 Calculation of unweighted GPA:
 Unweighted GPA is the sum of the unweighted
grade points on a 4.0 scale divided by the total
number of semester courses.
 Communication on transcript:
 The student’s transcript will show both
 Weighted GPA on a 5.0 scale
 Unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale
GPA
On 100 Scale
On 4.0 Scale
A+
100-97
4.0
A
96-93
4.0
A-
92-90
3.7
B+
89-87
3.3
B
86-83
3.0
B-
82-80
2.7
C+
79-77
2.3
C
76-73
2.0
C-
72-70
1.7
69 and below
0.0
F
RANKING
Rank will be calculated using all semester grades and will be based on
weighted GPA
Rank is calculated at the end of the first semester of 9th grade.
 The system will automatically begin to rank students as soon as they have
acquired credit in the 9th grade, and at the end of each semester.
Graduating seniors with the highest and second highest cumulative
weighted GPA as determined at the end of the 8th semester grading
period and carried out 3 decimal places will be eligible to serve as
Valedictorian & Salutatorian
COMMUNICATING RANK
Internal Communication of Rank
 Rank will be communicated to students and their families who are in the top
25% at the end of sophomore year, end of junior year, and at the end of
every semester senior year.
 For those below 25%, students and their families will be told what quartile they
are in during the times listed above.
External Communication of Rank
 We will eliminate the rank field on the transcript
 Communication of ranks will only be shown on counselor reports in the form
of a standardized letter/report, secondary school report, mid-year report, or
final year report
 For students in the top 25%, counselors will note student as Valedictorian,
Salutatorian, ‘Top 10%’ or ‘Top 25%’
 For students not in the top 25%, counselors will note ‘not ranked by Uplift’ if
asked to provide rank
 Take Entrance Exams
 Gather Information
 Narrow Your Choices
 Get your application
materials in order
 APPLY FOR ADMISSION
 Apply for Money
 Accept Offer of Admission

TAKE ENTRANCE EXAMS
Fall 2013 Testing Dates
 ACT: 9/21, 10/26, 12/14
 SAT: 10/5, 11/2, 12/7
Know what tests your schools require – Are SAT subject tests (or SAT II’s)
needed?
Pay attention to school and scholarship deadlines
Some schools, even after being accepted, will allow a better test score for
scholarship purposes – research your schools!!
COLLEGE CHARACTERISTICS TO CONSIDER
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School Size
Type of School
Urban, Suburban, Small
Town, Rural
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Distance from home
Cost / Scholarships/
Financial Aid
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Student Population
Ethnic Diversity
Religious Affiliation
Campus Atmosphere
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Majors and Requirements
Faculty
Academic Rigor
Study Abroad and/or
Other Special Programs
Housing
Athletics
Social Activities
Organizations
YOUR GUT FEELING!
ADDITIONAL COLLEGE SEARCH RESOURCES
www.collegeboard.com
www.collegeprowler.com
www.cappex.com
www.youniversitytv.com
www.number2.com
www.unigo.com
www.mybigfuture.com
Naviance Family Connection: http://connection.naviance.com/tnhs
NARROW YOUR CHOICES
Reach (2)- Your 1st choice school!!! This is where you
really want to be accepted and will likely attend if
you are admitted, but selectivity could limit this
possibility.
Target, 50/50 (4)- School you should get into and will
be a nice 2nd option for you.
Likely (2)- School with which you are sure you will be
admitted. If all else fails, this is where you will
attend.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & ESSAYS
Essays are important!
 Be Authentic!
 Answer the question / Write to the topic
 Decide what is essential for the college to know about
you and write about it.
 This is your opportunity to explain.
 If a school requests an essay, it is important.
 What might the essay reveal about you?
 Your thought process
 What you’re passionate about
 Your individuality and uniqueness
 Your ability to use language effectively
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Allow a minimum 2 weeks notice
You MUST complete the Student Survey for Recommendation Letters and
turn it in to Mr. Ross. Please also indicate which teacher(s) will be writing
your letters on the top of the form.
Counselor letters of recommendation
 These letters will describe you holistically as a person.
Teacher letters of recommendation:
 These letters will describe you as a learner in the classroom. Highly
selective schools and some scholarships require two teacher
recommendations. Ideally, one should come from a junior or senior core
academic teacher of your choice, a teacher with whom you have
developed rapport.
REQUESTING A TRANSCRIPT
A transcript request form MUST be completed for each transcript
requested and signed by the parent or student (if 18 or older) and
submitted to the Registrar’s Office.
Please allow 5 business days for requests to be processed
Cost: $5 for the first transcript requested, additional transcripts will not
incur a fee.
 If you would like the transcript sent certified mail, there is an additional
$5 per transcript fee.
Non-Binding
 Early Action
 If you apply for Early Action, you are declaring to the university that you have submitted all of your
information and forms by the required ‘early’ deadline and that you are seriously considering
attending the school. You may apply to more than one school through ‘Early Action,’ and the
decision is non-binding.
 Auburn, TCU, SMU, Emory University, Baylor, Drexel, University of Rochester
 Rolling
 Usually from September on, you can submit your application and approximately 3 to 6 weeks later
the school will send you an admission decision letter. This type of school starts out its admission
season with all of this places in the freshman class open. As the schools hands out more and more
acceptances as the year proceeds, fewer places are left available and, at some point, all places
are filled. It is, therefore, recommended to apply to rolling admissions schools EARLY!
 UNT, TWU, Texas Tech, Concordia University, U of Tulsa
 Regular Decision
 Regular Decision can be anywhere from Jan 1 to March 15th. The key is there is a deadline date.
You must have your application postmarked no later than the deadline date. All of you information
including recommendation letters, transcripts, and test scores need to be in the schools’ offices by
the deadline date.
 Texas A&M, UT – Austin, NYU, Columbia University
APPLY FOR ADMISSION
APPLY FOR ADMISSION
Non-Binding cont.:
 Early Action Single Choice
 These programs do not allow candidates to apply to other schools during the
early-action period only. However, once they receive EA (Early Action)
decisions (mid-December), then applicants are free to apply elsewhere, if
they so choose. They are not obligated to accept the admissions offer.
 Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Georgetown, Baylor
Binding:
 Early Decision
 Under Early Decision, students are permitted to apply Early Decision to only
one college or university. If they are accepted, students are legally bound to
attend that school. Typically, Early Decision applications are due November
1.
 Rice University, Duke University, Brown University, Upenn, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute
Common Application
www.commonapp.org
ApplyTexas
www.applytexas.org
School’s Form
400+ Colleges and
Universities across the
United States
30+ Public Texas Schools
Non-Texas Schools
Rice University, Brown
University, Columbia
University, University of
Pennsylvania, NYU, etc.
Austin College, Texas
A&M, Texas State,
University of Texas, Texas
Women’s University, etc.
See school’s website for
directions
Student Sends ACT and/or SAT Scores
(actstudent.org and/or collegeboard.com)
Student Requests Transcript from Registrar’s Office
Counselor sends letter of recommendation, teacher recommendations and teacher
evaluation form, school profile, senior schedule, student transcript, and school report
form based on the specific school’s application requirements
APPLY FOR ADMISSION
APPLY FOR MONEY
Institutional
 These are funds available from the school that you will be attending.
Some will have separate applications for this money.
 CSS Profile- http://css-profile.com
Private
 Many private organizations offer assistance, research this information
online on websites such as www.fastweb.com
State
 http://www.window.state.tx.us/education/
Federal
 www.fafsa.ed.gov
 Fill out the FAFSA on or after January 1st of the student’s senior year for
work study, Pell grants, Stafford loans, etc.
TIPS FOR APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Search for scholarships a couple of hours a week
Apply, apply, apply – The more you apply for the better your chances of
receiving one.
Plan ahead – it takes time to get transcripts and letters of
recommendation.
Be organized – Keep your resume up to date and meet deadlines
Follow directions – Correctly fill out the forms!
Proofread your applications and essays
INSPIRE/HERO PROGRAM
The mission of the HERO program is to partner Uplift Education students
with a HERO mentor who will:
 communicate the benefits of higher education
 provide a support system that assists the student to plan and prepare for
successful entry into the college or university of his/her choice.
Uplift College Fair, Thursday, September 12th
Our College Counselor, Langston Ross, is the North Hills contact for
information about the INSPIRE/HERO program
 lross@uplifteducation.org
INFORMATION FROM THE COUNSELORS
Academic Counseling
 www.northhillsprep.org
Counselors Corner
Student Resources
Time Trade
 Online scheduling for appointments. Click Here