The College Application Process at BVT

Transcription

1 The College Application Process at BVT

2 Introduction Every high school s college application process is unique to that school. At BVT, there are expectations of who will complete each part of the college application process. That is, there are some items that students are responsible to do and there are some items that their school counselors are responsible to do. This presentation will go through those items. At the end of the presentation there will be time for questions so please hold all questions until the end.

3 When and Where to Begin? In order to be less stressed during their senior year, it is highly recommended that students start taking their college application process seriously during their junior year, or even earlier if possible. Students are exposed to future planning curriculum throughout all four years of school at BVT in their Career Enrichment classes. Additionally, students are able to access their counselors for individual appointments any time. It is best to make an appointment with counselors via the Remind system. Students can see their counselors or the BVT website for information about how to do this.

4 The College Process Timeline

5 Junior Year Student s Responsibilities o Begin exploring college options and update your Colleges I am Thinking About list in Naviance o Start college visits (April break is a great time to see colleges in action!) o Take the SAT s/act s by late spring. You might take them again at a later time to improve your score, but it is good to start early o Decide if you plan to apply early action or regular decision and pay attention to deadlines for planning purposes o Start thinking about who you would like to write your letters of recommendation School Counselor s Responsibilities o Introduce the college application process to juniors o Meet individually with juniors who request an appointment to discuss college options o Answer questions along the way

6 Summer is a great time to be productive! Visit colleges and really narrow down your list. Consider various majors, locations, and any other qualities you are looking for in a college. Gain meaningful experience at a job or an internship. Start brainstorming your college essay. Most colleges will either use the Common Application or essay prompts similar to those listed on the Common Application so pick a couple and start thinking about the essay you want to share with admission offices. Determine when you are going to take the SAT s or the ACT s in the fall. Even if you took an exam junior year, it is a good idea to take both exams and determine which one you score better on, and then take that exam more than once. Colleges will only consider your highest scores.

7 Senior Year Student s Responsibilities Finalize your list of colleges (2 safety, 2-3 fit, 1-2 reach schools is suggested) and add your final list to Colleges I am Applying To in Naviance Note that your list should vary by selectivity and cost of attendance Retake the SAT s/act s to try to improve your score Ask teachers, coaches, school counselors, work supervisors, etc. to write you letters of recommendation (Approx. 2). Check each school you re applying to in order to know requirements for letters of recommendation. Once they say yes, request whoever is writing you a letter of recommendation through Naviance. Send your applications to your colleges School Counselor s Responsibilities Review the college application process with all seniors planning to attend college Meet individually with seniors who request an appointment to discuss college applications Write student letters of recommendation for students who ask their counselor to write one Send all letters of recommendation that students request in Naviance to the schools they are applying to Send the student s transcripts to the schools they are applying to Answer questions along the way Request transcripts to be sent to individual schools through Naviance Send your SAT/ACT scores through collegeboard.org and act.org Note that BVT cannot send official test scores! Look at Naviance often for scholarship opportunities After October 1 st, apply for financial aid through FAFSA Once accepted to college, tell your counselor and update your Naviance account

8 How to Sign up for the SAT s/act s and send scores Get a letter of recommendation Complete applications Send transcripts Get financial aid

9 How do I sign up for the SAT s/act s and send my scores? SAT s Check to see if the schools you are applying to require the SAT s or ACT s Create an account on collegeboard.org to see test dates and to register Registration happens at least 1 month before the test date If you have free/reduced lunch, see your counselor for a fee waiver If you receive test accommodations, see your counselor to make sure you are approved Students are responsible to send official score reports to individual colleges During registration, be sure to take advantage of your 4 free score reports Additional score reports cost a sending fee Once you know when you will be taking the exam, start studying! (SAT prep courses, study group) ACT s Check to see if the schools you are applying to require the SAT s or ACT s Create an account on actstudent.org to see test dates and to register Registration happens at least 1 month before the test date If you have free/reduced lunch, see your counselor for a waiver If you receive test accommodations, see your counselor to make sure you are approved Students are responsible to send official score reports to individual colleges During registration, be sure to take advantage of your 4 free score reports at the time that you register Additional score reports cost a sending fee Once you know when you will be taking the exam, start studying! (ACT prep courses, study group)

10 How do I get a letter of recommendation? 1. Determine how many letters of recommendation the colleges you are applying to require and who you will ask to write your letters. o DO NOT ask for more letters of recommendation than required by the colleges you are applying to. o Ask for your letters as early as possible- preferably no later than 4 weeks before the deadline. 2. Complete the Letter of Recommendation Form located in the College folder of the Naviance Document Library. Provide it, along with a copy of your resume, to the teachers and/or counselor who you are asking to write a letter of recommendation. 3. If your teacher/counselor agrees to write a recommendation for you, you must officially request the letter in Naviance. Go to the Colleges tab and select Colleges I m Applying To. You will be able to add requests for letters of recommendation at the bottom of the screen. 4. Make sure that all of the colleges you are applying to are also listed on Naviance under Colleges I m Applying To. o If you are applying to Common App schools, you will also need to match your Naviance and Common App accounts. If you need help doing this, there is a link for a tutorial video on the left side of the Naviance homepage. 5. If you add additional schools to your list after your counselor/teacher has already sent letters for you, make sure that you ask them to send his/her letter to these additional schools.

11 Completing Applications 1. To begin your applications, determine if the school requires the Common Application or an application through their individual website. 1. Create an account at if the schools you are applying to are Common Application members. 2. Create an account on the website of the college you are applying to if they have their own application. 2. Complete the Application Info. 1. There is a College Application Cheat Sheet in the Naviance Document Library that may help you to answer some of the questions. 3. If required, write your essay. 1. Have your English teacher or at least one other person review and edit your essay. 2. Attach your essay to your application. 4. Submit your completed application, essay, and fee to your college online. If your application must be mailed, bring it to your School Counselor well in advance of the due date.

12 Sending Transcripts 1. Log in to Naviance through the BVT Website. To get to the link, go to Student Links & Resources under the Parents & Students tab. 2. Go to Colleges I m Applying To under the Colleges tab and add your schools. 3. Add the colleges you are applying to your list in this section. You can check that you would like to request your transcript as you are doing this. o When a school is in your list, you can check whether your transcript is not requested, requested, or sent. o If you are applying to Common App schools, you will also need to match your Naviance and Common App accounts. If you need help doing this, there is a link for tutorial video on the left side Naviance homepage. o It is the student s responsibility to check Naviance to make sure that his/her transcripts are sent on time. 4. If a college is already in your list, but you have not requested your transcripts yet, use the request transcripts link located above your list of schools in Naviance. *Note: Term 1 grades will not be out if you apply early action, so we will send your junior year grades. Ask your counselor to re-send your transcript once term 1 grades have been posted (early November)

13 $ Financial Aid $ Scholarships: Throughout their senior year, students should be checking the Scholarship List in Naviance Go on your town s high school website to see if there are town-specific scholarships available for you to apply to Check with you and your family s employers to see if they offer scholarships FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) October 1 st the FAFSA is available to fill out online at fafsa.gov In the beginning of the year, BVT will host a financial aid planning night for students and parents and the counselors will be providing more detailed information to students in their career enrichment classes

14 Important Notes The counselors have already started college application process conversations with their junior shops in the fall, and are available to review any time a student would like to make an appointment. In the very beginning of senior year, the school counselors will be going into senior shops and discussing in depth what BVT s college application process timeline includes. The counselors will also be reviewing in depth how to do each specific part of the application. There is a lot of information about college applications, financial aid, etc. on both the BVT website and Naviance. Have your child show you their Naviance account so you can get familiar with it now! Always double check with your counselor that materials have been sent. Always double check with the colleges that you ve applied to that they received all materials. Please feel free to reach out to your student s counselor with questions anytime.

15 Thank you!