Junior Senior Newsletter Fall 2013

Transcription

1 Junior Senior Newsletter Fall 2013 SENIOR NOTES: Be careful if you revised your schedule for either first or second semester please remember that: 1. Core 40 Diploma is the default diploma All students must have 8 credits English, 6 credits Math(through Algebra II), 6 credits Science, 6 credits Social Studies, 2 credits PE, 1 credit Health, elective credits (with recommendation of 2 years foreign language.) 2. Indiana Academic Honors Diploma requirements: overall GPA of 8.0 and no grade less than a C-, same requirements as Core 40 plus minimum 3 years of one language or two years of two different languages, 2 credits fine arts, elective credits. In addition NEW REQUIREMENT: One of the following 2 A.P. courses with corresponding exams or 2 dual credit courses (ACP or Manchester University) or one APclass(with corresponding exam) and one dual credit or score 1200 or higher on SAT critical reading and math / 26 on ACT composite. 3. College admissions and individual programs requirements (i.e. two years of the same language) vary school to school. 4. NCAA Division 1 & 2 school have requirements also.. ALTHOUGH MANCHESTER JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL WILL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE YOU IN EVERY WAY WE CANNOT TAKE ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITY TO INSURE YOU GRADUATE OR BE ADMITTED TO THE COLLEGE OF YOUR CHOICE...THAT RESPONSIBILITY IS ULTIMATELY YOURS. All deficiencies being made up by a correspondence or online courses MUST have the final grade to the School Office no later than 4:00pm May 1, The College Admission Application Congrats to those of you who have already started this process. If you have not started don t despair! Early priority date for most colleges is Nov. 1st. so the next couple of months will be critical if you want to get those applications in to meet this deadline. Applications are either paper or electronic forms although many colleges now prefer the on-line application (and some even waive the application fee if done on-line). Each school has its own particular application. There is no one form (Exception: the Common Application which pertains to mostly private colleges/universities). Application procedures are available both in print and on the web. We also have several resources in the Guidance Office - these include the College Handbook, Book of

2 Majors and Minors, Getting Financial Aid (published by College Board). Information on requirements for Indiana Colleges can also be found at: Typical elements on the application include: basic identifying information, SAT-I/ACT testing results, senior course load, a transcript with counselor verification, and application deadline. In addition, some schools require a description of extra-curriculars, an essay, recommendations and sometimes even an interview (although usually this is for a direct admit into a competitive program.) Not adhering to a particular school s application procedures WILL exclude you from consideration. READ ALL DIRECTIONS! Most importantly always remember to complete the application in PEN. Question: How does one obtain an application? Answer: (1) Apply online. In most cases it is www. (Name of school).edu - you can also go to the guidance homepage under Indiana College Information or go to (2) See a college representative. There are lots of representatives scheduled to be here Sept/Oct/Nov during lunch. Question: How many colleges should I apply to? Answer: The rule of thumb is 3 5 colleges; One or two safety or fall back schools Two to four schools you have a good chance of getting into. And if affordable...one or two dream or reach school. Question: How will I know if I have been accepted? Answer: (1) A formal letter will be mailed directly from undergraduate admissions indicating acceptance or denial PLEASE BRING A COPY TO THE GUDIANCE OFFICE WE WILL LIST YOUR NAME AND COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE HERE (2) Some schools may notify you by phone or but usually if something is missing or an interview is necessary. (3) Some schools will provide a web site for you to check the status of your application. Defining the terms: Early decision: Students apply to their first choice for college, usually in the fall of their senior year. If admitted, they MUST commit to enrolling. The student may have only one early decision application pending at one time. If offered admission, the student must withdraw applications to all other institutions. Early action: Students apply and receive an admission decision earlier than normal but are NOT required to commit until the regular deadline of May 1. Institutions using an early action plan may not place restrictions on the number or type of other applications filed by the student. Regular decision: Students submit an application by a specific date and receive a decision by no later than April 15. The student may apply to other colleges without restriction and reply to admissions offers by May 1. Rolling admission: Students may apply at any time. The institution reviews applications as they are received and renders a decision in a timely manner. The student may apply to other colleges without restriction.

3 Wait list: An admission tool designed to protect an institution against shortfalls in enrollment. By placing a student on the wait list, an institution does not initially offer or deny admissions. It extends to a candidate the possibility of admission in the future. THE ONLINE APPLICATION: Most schools now have made their applications available online. Some schools prefer you apply online (e.g. IU, Purdue). Still others do not even print paper applications. Some schools will not charge an application fee if you apply online while others will not charge if you apply before a certain date (e.g. Butler free-online; However, most schools do charge anywhere from $30 to $100. Some allow for payment by check but most require credit card payment at the time of an online submittal.. Some schools will allow you to fill out their application on site and then submit it. Some schools will allow you to complete the application over a variety of sessions while with others its all one shot. Some schools will provide a variety of options: online submittal; download a PDF file; a fill-in PDF file that is downloadable. Applying online is quick and simple - however caution needs to be exercised: 1. READ all instructions PRIOR to starting to fill out an application. 2. Download all supplemental forms (e.g. the counselor s recommendation or secondary school report are a MUST). APPLICATION POINTERS: If completing the application by hand PRINT NEATLY or TYPE your application. NEVER submit an application in pencil! SUBMIT recommendation requests to teachers with stamped, pre-addressed envelopes. If you apply on-line, remember to submit a written request to me for a transcript to the applied school. Most schools will have you download a form (Counselor Recommendation Form, Counselor Statement page, Secondary Report) Consider preparing a RESUME of your activities during high school. Include schoolrelated extracurricular activities, nonschool related activities, list of academic honors, civic awards received, etc this can be used for MOST of your applications. A WORD OF ADVICE from an experienced admission officer Filling out any college application can require a good deal of work. Take your time and allow enough time to complete it neatly. For the essay, students should select the topic they like best and remember to observe the word limitation. A one-sentence description of a student s essay topic should be clear and easy for others to understand. Never submit a college essay without first having it read by an adult and possibly by an English teacher.

4 THE TESTS SAT / ACT TESTS Haven t taken yet? Register NOW. For SAT go to: and for ACT go to Consider retesting if your score is under 500 (each area) for SAT or under 21 for ACT. TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE SAT Oct 5 Sept 6 ACT Oct 26 Sept 27 SAT Nov 2 Oct 3 SAT Dec 7 Nov 8 ACT Dec14 Nov 8 SAT Jan 25 Dec 27 ACT Feb 8 Jan. 10 SAT Mar 8 Feb 7 ACT April 12 Mar 7 SAT May 3 Apr 4 SAT June 7 May 9 Manchester s School Code for both SAT & ACT is EXTREME CAUTION: SAT pointer: When registering online (which is recommended) and you arrive at the point of your current high school, be sure to include MJSHS as your school. The SAT site automatically sets your high school as the public school of your mailing address. Click on the link Can t find your school? then place for the code. ACT pointer: When registering you have the option to take or not to take the ACT with the Writing Test. I will recommend that you DO TAKE the Writing test. This is required by all schools in the State of Indiana. If you apply to a school that requires the test and you did not take this optional test they will not accept the results. To register online you will need a credit card: SAT- www. Collegeboard.com / ACT- (Registration online is strongly encouraged). EXTENDED TIME SAT/ACT TESTING: Both the SAT and the ACT are available with accommodations for students who have special needs. See Mrs. Denney for making these arrangements. SAT/ACT FEE WAIVERS: If financial situations at home warrant financial assistance you may qualify for fee waivers for these tests. See Mrs. Denney for further details. SAT/ACT PREP AIDES: FREE Preparation Booklets are now available in the Guidance Office for both the SAT and ACT. I also have several items that will be help in preparing for the SAT's, e.g. books & computer programs. You can also go online to practice sample problems. For SAT: For ACT: WEB SITES FOR COLLEGE SEARCHES: - Indiana s FREE college and career connection. Great map of Indiana colleges. college searches (including profile and ad mission requirements)

5 - a very excellent site for college and financial aids searches. You can also apply on-line to a host of colleges through this site. - Ever wanted to go to a college homepage and not know how? Here is a site through the University of Texas, which links you to any college, & university in the USA. - a FREE college and financial aid site. - This is a very good college & financial aid search engine from Petersons Guide. - An interesting site for college searches but also for college info-the do s and the don ts. Check out the articles regarding college visits. - This is a very helpful and fun site for the college search process. It can provide links to colleges providing virtual campus tours, video streams, webcam shots as well as interactive maps. COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES visiting Manchester: Grace College: September 19 at lunch IPFW. Indiana Tech, IVY Tech, University of St. Francis, September 23 at lunch COLLEGE INFORMATION PROGRAMS Make sure to check out specific schools (and specifically Departments) for their special open houses. Most of these programs are in the evening hours or on weekends Ready to send transcripts FAST and FREE to colleges Nationwide? Manchester Junior Senior High school seniors applying to colleges are now able(and STRONGLY ENCOURAGED) to use Indiana e-transcript to send their transcripts. Indiana e-transcript is a FREE service to Indiana students (sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education) for electronic ordering and delivery of Indiana high school transcripts to the state s colleges and universities and is now expanding to colleges nationwide. This delivery makes the sending and receiving of transcripts FAST and easy. See the student link on our homepage for information ATHLETES: NCAA, Division 1 & 2 programs require the submission of an application to the NCAA Clearinghouse for review PRIOR to you being recruited or even offered an official visit. Go online to be informed of the regulations. DRAFT REGISTRATION is required of all males upon reaching their 18th birth date. Any male upon reaching their 17th birthday plus three months can pre-register. Financial aid from colleges is tied directly with compliance to this federal law. Registration can be done on-line ( SEPTEMBER FREE applications to many Indiana Colleges/Universities Listen to announcements for more info. I will also provide you with a list of participating schools once this becomes available!

6 COLLEGE VISITATION DAYS Every college would like to have potential students visit their campus. It allows the college to "place" you on the scene. During the fall, most colleges have daylong programs arranged to attract high school seniors as they make their way through the admissions process. You will find these programs on the weekends so that visitors will not be disrupting the college's classes or their own high school education. CHECK THE COLLEGE BULLETIN BOARD FOR POSTERS ANNOUNCING COLLEGE PREVIEW DAYS. PROCEDURE FOR DURING THE SCHOOL WEEK: Obtain a College Visit Form from Mrs. Denney for signatures of a parent and by you. Bring the signed form to Mrs. Denney at least ONE SCHOOL DAY prior to the visit. Bring proof of the visit to Mrs. Denney upon the day of your return to MJSHS (signed by an admissions representative). A maximum of two (2) visit days are permitted for the entire school year. Use them wisely! TAKE NOTE: Visiting college campuses WILL count against the total number of days a student can be absent from school unless WRITTEN verification from the college is given to Mrs. Sorg following the visit.