What should I do next?

1. What should I do next? A guide to bridging the gap between junior and senior year.

2. Before the end of your junior year, you should do the following…. Meet with your school counselor for your junior conference. Identify at least five to eight colleges that you are interested in attending and make arrangements to visit those colleges throughout the summer as well as the fall. Once you have identified the colleges you are interested in attending, make sure your schedule matches the requirements of your choices. Write a resume. Figure out possible majors to study in college. If you are considering playing a sport in college, visit the NCAA Clearinghouse page. You can contact a college coach, but be aware that most college coaches cannot contact players to make offers or even respond until July. Football is the exception.

3. What if I don’t know where I want to attend college

4. Finding your “right fit” for college • Size • Majors/programs offered • Life • Housing • Financial aid • Location • Student body • Distance from home • Extra curricular activities

5. Consider what is right for you! • Avoid trying to attend a college because a friend went or even a relative. Make sure this is a place you would want to spend four to five years attending! • According to College Board, you should never rule out a college because of the price. Many colleges offer a variety of financial aid packages. Even though private colleges are more expensive to attend, they usually offer more money in financial aid. If you go to the college website, you will see the “net cost”, which is the full amount needed to attend. However, that may not be your “sticker price” which is the cost you actually pay after scholarships and grants are applied!

6. What are colleges looking for in their applicants? • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/character-counts-what-are-colleges-looking-for

7. Be aggressive • College planning is not something you can do last minute. You need to have a plan in place to help you accomplish your goals. Start looking at possible scholarship opportunities this summer. (Links to follow later) • You can look at past essays on the common application or the essays on the college’s website. Start to draft sample essays early! Be aware that colleges could change the essays at any given time between now and September 2014! • You are allowed to contact the financial aid officers at the college or university of your choice. If you are looking for financial opportunities to pay for college, they are the people who are the “experts” of financial aid packages at the school! • Do not miss deadlines! There are no excuses for this!

8. Deadlines to remember • September-October-Senior conferences at CRHS. This would be a great opportunity to have questions prepared for your counselor about any concerns you have about the colleges you have chosen! • 10 business days are needed for transcripts to be sent from CRHS. If the Common Application is due January 15 and you start it January 10, you are probably not going to get everything done in time which could cause the college to deny your application, even if you meet their standards. • For most of you, the last time you could take the SAT or the ACT would be November(SAT)/December 2014(ACT). If you are thinking about taking them again, make a note of those dates!

9. Financial Aid • January 1st is the day when the new FAFSA is ready for you to fill out and complete. This is a long process so do not wait until the last minute. There are many workshops and seminars given to help parents and students complete this document. Save any information you have from those meetings because you must fill out a FAFSA form each year if you receive financial aid! • Also, this is a form that requires tax information from your parent or guardian.

10. Resume writing and the college essay • When you are preparing to write a resume and your college essay, you should also be prepared to revise and edit your essay/resume as needed. You want your resume to represent your uniqueness and your skills. You do not lie on a resume or use “creative” word choice. If you describe yourself as a leader, your activities should support that. Your guidance counselor will give you a sample resume during your junior conference, but I will have one available at the end of the presentation. • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays/8-tips-for-crafting-your-best-college-essay

11. Letters of recommendation • Usually, you will need three letters: one from a counselor and the other two are usually from teachers. Choose teachers who know you really well and you feel would write an excellent essay for you. Give at least two weeks for a teacher to be able to write the letter and send it. Most colleges will have you waive your right to see what the recommender has written so choose wisely! • You should also follow up with the recommenders by sending a thank you note. A good letter takes time and effort and you should acknowledge that with a quick note.

12. Social Media • http://video.foxnews.com/v/2915706147001/social-media-behavior-impacts-college-application/#sp=show-clips • http://www.channelone.com/social-media-college-admissions/ • Easy guideline: If the words, pictures, or posts would be something very difficult to explain or justify to a college admissions team, then get rid of it! Use your summer wisely.

13. No one has all the answers • No one has all the answers to all of the questions you have regarding the college application process; however, you have teachers, counselors, coaches, and college personnel who are all available to answer your questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. • 1.7 million students failed to complete the FAFSA application last year and 850,000 of these students were mostly likely to receive the Pell Grant, money that you do not have to pay back!