Helpful Tips about the Application Process

College and Financial Aid Season is Upon Us! Here are some helpful tips: 

Applications:

Deadlines: Try to have all of your college applications finished by the end of October. This way you’ll be able to meet all the deadlines for scholarships within those universities. You technically still have time after that, but this is a good deadline to try to meet.

To apply: Create an application on ApplyTexas (Texas schools) https://www.applytexas.org/  or Common App (out-of-state schools) https://www.commonapp.org/  . Be sure to include all extracurricular activities and volunteer work since 9^th grade. Remember the first application takes the longest. Once you finish one application, you can copy it to other applications. Have an adult you trust look over your application before you submit it to check for mistakes. Some good adult choices are Mrs. Stanley, Ms. W, office staff, teachers, parents, or older siblings who’ve gone to college. If there’s an essay, always take it seriously and do your best. This can determine admission or scholarships. Mrs. Stanley or one of your teachers can help you with essays if you are having trouble. Not all schools require them, but most of the fancy ones do. After you submit your application, you will probably receive an email from the university with further instructions. ALWAYS READ THESE EMAILS. Check your emails regularly during this time.

After you submit your application, you need to send three things TO EACH SCHOOL in order to complete your application:

-SAT scores- This is done completely by you. Log in to the College Board website. Click on My Sat and view scores. Then, click on send scores to colleges. If you have a fee waiver in the system, sending your scores is free. If not, you have to pay $12 per send. Be sure to read carefully and choose the correct schools.

-application fee or fee waiver (depending on how much money your parents make, you may qualify for a fee waiver) Mrs. Stanley has this information, if you don’t already know. If you don’t qualify for a fee waiver, you will have to pay the fee for each school. Many of you have four free fee waivers from College Board. After you send your SAT scores, you will see a button that says, “View and Print your application fee waivers." Print those out, fill them out, and mail or upload to the universities you applied to. Almost every university accepts this type of fee waiver. Check each college’s website to see the way they want to receive fee waivers and what forms are required. If you have used all your College Board fee waivers and need one from Mrs. Stanley, check the type the school wants and print out a copy for Mrs. Stanley to sign. Come by her office. She does not have time to look up each individual school’s waiver type, so please come to her prepared.

-official transcript- This is done by Dr. Beronque only. To request a transcript, go to the Eastwood website and look towards the bottom right. Click on “Request transcript.” Be sure to include what school you need it for. Many schools can receive the transcripts electronically, which saves time.

Financial Aid:

FAFSA application opens October 1^st. This is the application you will fill out to receive financial aid if you are a U.S. citizen. All students should apply for financial aid even if you don’t think you will get anything. This is a requirement for most scholarships, even academic ones that aren’t based on income.

We will be having a financial aid workshop on October 8^th. Your parents are welcome to attend. You will be called out of the same class you were for the application workshop and can come during other classes (if teacher allows) or during off-campus.

If you are a citizen, you need to create an FSA ID https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm This is designed as a way to prove you are who you say you are so that you can sign your FAFSA electronically. You will need to know your social security number. If your parents are citizens, one of them must also create an FSA ID. Be sure to create these before October 8^th, if possible. It usually takes a few days for the FSA ID to be activated. If your parent is not a citizen, they won’t be able to create a FSA ID. You will have to print a signature page for them to sign and then mail that in to the FAFSA office.

In order to complete the FAFSA, you will need information from your parents. Try to get a copy of their 1090 form and ask them about any savings or retirement money. You need to be as honest as possible when completing the FAFSA so that you aren’t disqualified. You need to complete the FAFSA as things are today, not necessarily what they were like when you completed your taxes. Example: You have to include all who live with you. If your parent recently married and you have a step-father, you must include him on FAFSA.

Do not submit the FAFSA without talking with your parents and making sure everything is correct. Mrs. Stanley and Ms. W can help you make sure you filled it out correctly. When the FAFSA is completed properly, both you and one parent will sign the FAFSA with your FSA ID (electronic signature) or a paper signature page. A good deadline for FAFSA would be by the end of November.

Some of the fancy schools require a CSS profile. If you google it, you will find a lot of information on how to complete this. Mrs. Stanley is here to help. 

If you are not a citizen, you will complete a paper application called the TASFA. http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/9963.PDF You will send copies of this to all universities you apply to. You will need the same information as needed for the FAFSA above, with the exception of social security number. There will be help for TASFA students at the workshop, as well.

Hope this helps. Feel free to email Mrs. Stanley or come by her office as needed.

Important things to know about the college application process:

1. DO NOT SUBMIT your application until you have Ms. Stanley, Ms. Casio (One Goal0, or Ms. W (our college advisor) go over the application with you. It is very difficult to correct mistakes once you submit and it is very easy to save your application as you go.

2. Most of you will apply through ApplyTexas (Texas schools only) or the Common App (schools across the country). Once you apply to one school through these applications, there is a button to cut and paste your information to a new application. Sometimes universities will ask a few different questions, but most of the applications are the same.

3. Take some time to write down all the summer programs, clubs, extracurricular, after-school activities, volunteer work, jobs, and sports you've been a part of from 9th grade until now. Keep a Word document with all this information. You will need it for college applications and scholarship applications. Sometimes it can be hard to remember it all when you are filling out your application.

4. If the application asks about your graduation plan, you are all graduating under the Distinguished Level of Acheivement. This is the highest high school graduation level in Texas. Be sure to select this option.

5. Always pick your first choice major. Most schools will attempt to put in you in that major first and then accept you under your second or third choice if you don't meet their requirements for your first major. Some majors are difficult to transfer into when you've already started school.

6. Always answer all of the questions and do all of the essays on your application even if you qualify for automatic admission. Many schools use these same applications to determine who gets scholarships and they will want to know more information about you. Spend time writing and rewriting your essays and short answer questions. Keep them in a Word document on your computer so you can edit them easily and use them for scholarship applications.

7. Once you submit your application, you still have to do a few things:

• Pay fee or send fee waiver. (Each school has their own way of doing this. Check their website to see what they require and then go to Ms. Stanley, if necessary.)
• Send your SAT scores. Most schools require you to send your SAT scores through the College Board website. You will need to log in and send the scores to all the schools where you are applying. Talk to Mrs. Stanley if you need help. 
• Send your transcript. Dr. Beronque is in charge of official transcripts. Use the school website to order a transcript and specify which university it needs to go to. Most are sent electronically, which is the fastest way. 
• Apply for financial aid. You will do this through the FAFSA website if you are a U.S. citizen. You will need your parents' tax information, so you want to ask them about it now. The FAFSA application opens up at the beginning of October. Try to have yours finished by the end of October. Be sure to indicate all the schools where you are submitting an application. If you are not a citizen, see Mrs. Stanley to talk about TASFA. 

What should you be doing right now? Important college deadlines and timelines

Many of you feel like you are behind on the college process. This is not true. The goal of this post is to give you a sense of what you should be working on throughout your senior year. Mrs. Stanley will be around to help you every step of the way.

September

• Apply to fly-in programs (These are free programs where top schools pay for you to come visit. The applications are long, but the free trip is worth it!) Clink on link for programs: http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/2018-fly-in-programs/
• Determine which schools you want to apply to (use the internet to research if they offer your major, what the entrance requirements are and the cost) Naviance has some good tools.
• Begin the application process (Most Texas schools use ApplyTexas application and many other schools use the CommonApp. Once you finish one application, you can copy most of the information to another application.)
• Work on essays for admissions and scholarships
• Sign-up for SAT retake, if necessary
• Work on scholarship applications

October

• FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) opens 
• Work on your financial aid application (Aim to complete by the end of the month)
• Last chance for SAT
• Work on scholarship applications

November

• Deadlines for many prestigious schools are during this month (Check their websites)
• Finish college admission applications
• Work on scholarship applications

December

• You should have submitted all applications for college admissions and financial aid by the end of this month
• Work on scholarship applications

January/February

• Work on scholarship applications

March/April

• Receive acceptance letters
• Decide which school is best for you and make a commitment
• Accept financial aid for the college you will attend
• Take TSI test, if needed 

May

• Commit to your college
• Accept financial aid for the college you will attend
• Accept loans only if needed

June

• Send final transcript
• Sign up for orientation
• Get a meningitis shot

A lot of this information is presented in a prettier way at the link below:

http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/student/college-application-timeline.pdf

Should You Retake the SAT?

You may be wondering if you should retake the SAT. Here are some things to know:

For most schools, your SAT score is an important part of their admissions consideration. It is a standardized way to compare you to students at other high schools. A 4.0 GPA at an easy high school looks the same as a 4.0 at a very challenging high school. Class rank works the same way, where the top 10% at a small elite high school is much harder to attain than the top 10% at a large comprehensive high school. Because of these differences, the SAT is used as a way to more fairly compare two students from different schools.

If you have a low GPA and/or class rank, a great SAT score (1200 or above) can secure your admission to a school that may be just out of reach for someone with your grades and class rank. The higher your GPA and class rank, the less important your SAT score is, unless you are applying to a very elite school. If you have a really low SAT score, but a good class rank, you can look at test optional schools. You may have to write an additional essay or send in your AP test scores instead. Here's a link to a list of test optional schools: https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-complete-guide-to-sat-optional-colleges

Check the GPA/class rank and SAT requirements for the schools you want to attend. If your scores are at or above the average for that school, you have a great chance of being accepted and you probably don't need to retake the SAT. If you do not fit their average student profile, you will want to retake the SAT to give yourself a chance of getting into that school.

Some scholarships place a high emphasis on the SAT. I had one student who was planning to attend the University of St. Thomas. He was accepted based on his GPA and SAT score, but was told he could qualify for $8000 a year more in scholarships if he retook the SAT and improved his score by 50 points. Needless to say, he retook the SAT. Many other scholarships include SAT score as a criteria for their decisions.

What day should you retake the SAT?

August 25: This is the ideal time for most students to retake the SAT. School has not started yet, so there's not much to distract you from preparing for the exam. You will also get your scores back in time to meet the November 1st application deadline for the more elite schools.

October 6: This is the last date you can test and still have your scores sent to the elite schools in time for their Early Decision admissions deadline.

November 3: This date will work if you are applying for regular admissions to most universities.

December 1: This is the last day you will want to take the SAT, in order for it to be considered in your admissions decision.

The deadline to register for the SAT is one month before the date of the exam. You can sign up at this link: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register. Our school receives a limited number of fee waivers each year. You may get one if you qualify to receive free/reduced lunch. They are given out on a first come, first served basis. If there are no fee waivers left, you can still register for the SAT, but you will have to pay for it yourself. Ask your parents if they can help.

If you do retake the SAT, you need to prepare for it. If you just show up and take it again, you will likely get the same score or lower. There are many ways to prepare for the SAT. Here are a few:

1. Take a course with a company like Testmasters, Princeton Review, or Kaplan. These courses can cost close to $1000, but generally give students a 100-150 point improvement on their scores.

2. Hire a private tutor. This is cheaper than taking one of the courses above since you pay by the hour, but can give you the boost you need to improve your scores. Be sure to get a tutor who is familiar with the SAT.

3. Use Khan Academy. Khan is a free online resource to prepare for the SAT. It is especially beneficial for the math portion of the exam. There are also practice tests you can take on Khan Academy.

4. Use online practice tests. You can find online practice tests at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests. These tests include answer explanations which are very valuable for understanding why an answer is correct. You can use them to practice the exact timing of the real SAT if you think time management is a problem for you. Use your phone as a timer to practice finishing each section. Remember that you will need to move quickly to finish the exam without having to guess on the last questions. Click on this link for the times for each SAT section: https://www.collegeraptor.com/getting-in/articles/act-sat/your-guide-to-the-new-sat-timing-content-scoring-and-tips/

5. Use a review book. There are many SAT review workbooks on the market. You may even be able to find one at Half Price Books. Just be sure it was published within the last two years.

Not everyone will need to retake the SAT. Use the infomation in this post to determine if that is the right choice for you. Be sure to study and prepare well and you will likely improve your score.

Using Naviance to Prepare for College Part 2

Naviance has many helpful features to help you explore colleges and careers. It's a good idea to learn as much as you can about colleges even before your senior year. To access these tools on Naviance, first log in to your Naviance account. Then, click on "Colleges" and "Search." There are several search tools that allow you to find colleges based on many different factors. Check them all out and see which tools work best for you.

Once you find colleges you are interested in, research and even visit them, if possible. Find out the average class rank, GPA, and SAT scores for that college. This gives you and idea of what to aim for and whether or not this college is a realistic option for you.

Once you've found some interesting colleges, put those colleges on the "Colleges I am Thinking About" list. This is a good way to keep track.

Using Naviance to Prepare for College, Part 1

Naviance can be a very useful tool in preparing for college. Many of you are trying to figure out your future college major and/or career. This decision will strongly influence where you choose to attend school. You will need to make sure that the colleges you apply to offer the major you are interested in pursuing.

Naviance offers several quizzes that allow you to get an idea of careers that might be a good fit for you. They are actually scientific-based quizzes, so the results are reliable. Take a few of these quizzes and see what jobs they suggest for you. Then spend some time researching these jobs to see if they are interesting to you.

Go to www.naviance.com. Click on About Me and then choose one or more of these quizzes: Career Key, Career Interest Inventory, and Career Cluster Finder. Mrs. Stanley can help you interpret your results when you finish.

College Fly-In Programs

In between your junior and senior year, you have the opportunity to apply to college fly-in programs.
What is a college fly-in? These are programs where well-qualified students can visit colleges to find out if they are the right fit. Some programs, including airfare, are free for minority students and/or those who qualify for free/reduced lunch. These trips are a great chance to see if a college is a good fit for you and can give you a slight advantage in getting accepted to that college.

Most of the colleges who offer these programs are small, selective liberal arts colleges in the north or northeast of the United States. Hello snow! Many of these schools are the type that offer full tuition scholarships to well-qualified applicants from low-income backgrounds. Even if you're not sure you want to go to one of these schools, attending a fly-in is a great experience where you can make new friends and get a feel for college life.

Most deadlines for fly-ins are during the summer, but the programs usually run over three-day weekends in the fall. Fortunately you are allowed excused absences for two college visits your senior year. Make sure you talk to the attendance clerk before you go and bring back proof you visited a college.

These applications can be a bit long and are very similar to what you might encounter when you apply to college. Don't let this scare you away! If you have at least a 3.0, check out the links below and see if there are any fly-ins that appeal to you. Go to the schools' websites to learn more about the schools and see if they offer your intended major. Then, take a chance and apply.

If you need a letter of recommendation, email Mrs. Stanley a brag sheet with at least a week's notice and if you need a transcript, contact Dr. Beronque, our registrar. Email Mrs. Stanley if you have questions or need help.

Lists of College Fly-In Programs:

http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/2018-fly-in-programs/
http://getmetocollege.org/what-colleges-look-for/2018-fall-diversity-visit-programs