The College Application Process

1. The College Application Process BHS Counseling Office Presentation 2013-2014

2. Counseling Office Staff • Rhonda Renn- Registrar • Jill Wilton-Secretary/Transcript Requests/AP Exams • Terri Tuckey- Counselor A-K • Rhonda Starmer Counselor L-Z • Bob Beavan Mentor/SSL/Work Study/Senior Interview

3. Agenda • Review College Selection Resources • Review Points to Consider in the College Selection Process • Orientation to BHS Transcript Request Procedure • Highlight Senior Year College Preparation Calendar • Q & A

4. College Selection Resources • On-Line Services • College Representatives • College Fairs • Visitations and Interviews

5. Points to Consider: • Quality of schedule • Grade point average • SAT I/ ACT scores (where accepted) • SAT II’s (when appropriate)

6. Points to Consider: • Student Credentials • Teacher Recommendations • Counselor Recommendation • Essay (s)

7. How Many Applications Are Enough? • Apply to 1-2 dream schools • Apply to 3-4 “realistic” schools which will likely accept you and which you would be happy to attend. • Apply to at least one “safety” school which you know will accept you, which you will be happy to attend and which has an early notification date

8. College Application Terms • Early Decision -- An option that allows you to apply early (usually in November) to your clear, first-choice college. You pledge to attend if accepted. If you're a competitive candidate, you stand a statistically better chance to be admitted under Early Decision. • Early Action -- Similar to Early Decision in timing (November due date for applications) but nonbinding. If accepted, you do not have to enroll and you may take until May 1 to decide. Early Action is fading in its popularity due to the move by colleges to seek an enrollment commitment from their applicants. Acceptance percentage is higher than that of regular-decision pool. • Rolling Admissions: Students’ applications are considered when all required credentials have been submitted. There is either no deadline or a very late deadline; qualified students are accepted until classes are filled. Applicants are notified of admission continuously throughout the enrollment period.

9. The Transcript Process & Procedures Colleges and universities strongly encourage students to apply online via Commonapp.org , Send.edu or the online application process dictated by the specific college/university

10. Online Transcript Requests: • Check Commonapp.org FIRST to see if your college (s) are listed. • Complete the application 1 TIME for all of your colleges • If your college (s) are not listed on the Commonapp.org website; check with Send.edu and apply online

11. Online Transcripts • Some colleges (ie. University of Maryland, Frostburg State University, The Naval Academy, Virginia Tech and others) may request that you use their online application and go through their transcript process.

12. Transcript Request Process • Transcript requests must be made THREE WEEKS in advance • There is a $2.00 fee for each paper transcript • There is no fee for online transcripts

13. Requesting a Paper Transcript • Complete a Transcript Request form: Indicate beside each college/university how you applied (online or paper app) • Pay $2.00 for each transcript • Provide a secondary school report for each school that has one • You will be notified when your transcript is ready to be picked up

14. Online or paper transcripts will include: • Copy of the student’s academic record from grades 9-11 and their senior schedule • Weighted and un-weighted grade point average and class rank • School Counselor Letter of Recommendation

15. Before requesting a transcript the following forms should be on file in the Counseling Office: GREEN FOLDER • Release of Information form (blue) • Student Credentials form/Resume • Autobiographical Sketch(for teacher/counselor use only) • Signed Waiver Form: If paper transcript/letter of recommendation is requested

16. Student Credentials form • Student Credentials form: school and community activities, employment information, honors and awards, leadership roles, hobbies/interest and future plans. • This information will be requested by colleges via their application. • The student is responsible for updating their credentials form when appropriate • Save this information for your SENIOR INTERVIEW (graduation requirement)

17. Teacher Recommendation Process • 1. Request 1-2 teachers who know you well, to write you a recommendation • 2. Provide each teacher with a RED FOLDER: • Recommendation form • Student credentials form • Signed Waiver form • 3. Teachers can complete their letters of recommendation online or write a letter, seal it and give it to the student to mail.

18. Online or Paper Transcript Packet Includes: • Brunswick High School Profile: Average SAT/ACT scores, list of AP courses, % of students attend 2 and 4-year colleges, attendance rates, grading scale and school/class size • Secondary School Report: courses taken, difficulty level of course load, GPA, class ranking, test scores (if requested).

19. Picking up your paper transcripts: • Mrs. Wilton will seal the paper transcript • The student is responsible for mailing the paper transcript and application

20. Mid-Year & End of the Year Reports: • When using Commonapp.org, we can process your mid-year and end of the year reports online • If your college/university requires BHS to complete a form or send them a copy of your mid-year transcript, see Mrs. Wilton in the Counseling Office

21. College Admissions: Key Terms • Admit: Congratulations, you're in! You've been offered admission to the college you selected. • Deny: This unfortunately means you weren't accepted. • Waitlist: You're not in yet, but you've been placed on a waitlist in case an opening becomes available. Waitlists are ranked by priority and there are some years when more competitive schools never draw from theirs. • Deferred Admission:A student’s option to defer an offer of admission for up to two years. • Deferred: Most likely, if you've been deferred your credentials are in the ballpark for getting accepted. If they weren't, you'd be rejected. However, your application wasn't so far above average that the college wanted to give up a spot in the entering class until they could compare you to the full applicant pool. The percentages vary from college to college.

22. Points to Consider: Common Market: in-state tuition for out-of-state schools • www.mhec.state.md.us

23. Financial Aid • FAFSA is completed online : You may not start this process until after January 1st. (Based on estimated income tax)Our Preferred Deadline: February 15th • Financial Aid Seminar: November 13th at Brunswick at 7:00 pm in the Media Center • CSS/School Profile: (usually private colleges)

24. Scholarships: Advertised Via • PA Announcements • Check scholarship file cabinet in the Counseling Office Career Center • www.fastweb.com • Community Foundation Scholarships available online in January 15 (due in February 15th ). One application for 200 scholarships! One letter of recommendation printed out or emailed to you directly. • College Career Bulletin available at BHS.edu or can be printed upon request (see Mrs. Wilton)

25. NCAA Eligibility Center • Official transcripts will be sent during the school year upon request by student. Final transcript will be sent at the end of the year upon request by NCAA.

26. Factors to Consider • Size and qualifications of the applicant pool • Seeking to admit students with a variety of backgrounds • Look for special skills/talent

27. College Fairs • October 3, 2013 Frederick Community College from 6:30pm -8:30pm held at the Field House • Frederick High School College Fair: September 24th from 5pm-7pm. • Baltimore National College Fair: held at the Baltimore Convention Center • Date: October 29th: Time: 10 am-1pm and 5pm-8pm • October 30th Time: 10 am- 1pm • Washington D.C. National College Fair: held at the Washington Convention Center Date: November 7th • Time: 9:00 AM

28. Brunswick HS Information • www.BHS.edu • CEEB School Code: 210305 • 101 Cummings Drive Brunswick, MD 21716 • Rhonda.Starmer@fcps.org • Terri.Tuckey@fcps.org • BHS Counseling Office # (240) 236-8550 • Fax # (240) 236-8602

29. Be In Touch With Your Counselor • Counseling Office hours: 7:15-2:30 • Sign up on counselor’s schedule. Request a pass from the registrar/secretary

30. On the lighter side: • Dear Dad, • School I$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. • With all my $tuff, I $imply can’t think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you. • Love your $0n

31. Dear Son, • I know that astrNOmy, ecoNomics, and oceaNography are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do Not forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a Noble task, and you can never study eNOugh. • Love Dad