|
 Guidance News & Information |
How Do I Know if I'm College-Bound?
As a school counselor for many years, I have had countless conversations with students and their parents about this very question. The time to start asking it is, in fact, in 7 th or 8 th grade or before. Commitment to education, proper study skills, and self-discipline are all qualities that must be firmly entrenched in junior high school in order to have the habits and educational foundation necessary to manage a college-prep curriculum in high school.
The first question to ask yourself is, what kind of student are you? The next is what kind of career do you see yourself in as an adult? Now, most people are not able to say at 14 exactly what job they will want as an adult, but it is possible to narrow the field down and determine whether one is destined for a career requiring a college education. The truth is, the academic route is simply not right for everyone, and some folks will never be at their best or truly satisfied in an academic setting or a job that requires that kind of preparation. Those kinds of questions can and should be answered fairly early on. If you are not academically oriented, start searching for career ideas that will suit your personality and abilities and focus on preparing for them.
The bottom line is that EVERYONE needs a solid, well-rounded, high school education and ALMOST EVERYONE needs at least some additional education or training after high school to secure a job that provides an adequate salary and reasonable job security. Those who wish to be qualified for higher paying, more selective positions in the workforce will usually be required to have a college degree.
So which type of person are you? If you don't know for sure, do some research. Attend job fairs and talk to as many people in different careers as you can. Go on-line and find one of the many sites that are designed to assist in career exploration (the WAJ website has links to some of those sites). Be honest with yourself about your interests as well as about your strengths and weaknesses in school. Set goals that will challenge you to reach your peak potential, but be realistic.
Next, find out what kind of education is required for the kind of careers that most interest you. There are resources in the Guidance Office and on-line that can assist you. There are also resources that can show you exactly which schools offer the program or degree you will need to reach your goal. Those resources will also tell you what the criteria for acceptance is, so you know what the expectation for your high school achievements will be.
Then you are ready to start checking out colleges, universities, technical schools, or training programs to find the perfect fit for you!
But I'm Only A Sophomore!
Don't make the mistake of thinking that 10 th grade is too early to be looking into all of this. As you are probably noticing, there is a lot to this, and if you are going to do it right, the process can take quite awhile.
During your sophomore year you should be honing in on the kind of careers you are interested in pursuing, doing the research to find out what is required and where you can get the education and training you need. You should take the PSAT if you are recommended to do so by your counselor. Go to college fairs, career fairs, and visit BOCES when you have the chance to do so.
Absorbing as much information as you can will make your task as a junior and senior that much more manageable. When you do your course selections with your counselor, be sure you are signing up to take the most challenging curriculum you can handle and one that will pave the way to acceptance into the kind of post-secondary school setting you are interested in attending.
The Junior Year
This is when it all starts to come together. You need to take the PSAT in the fall and then take the SAT for the first time in the spring. If you can, take an SAT prep course to help you get the best possible score.
The courses you take and the grades you receive during your junior year are a critical part of what colleges will be looking at when you send out your applications in the fall of your senior year, as they will be the most recent indicator of how you are doing as a student.
The spring and summer of the junior year is when you should be visiting all the colleges on your list of prospective destinations. Make an appointment and get an "official" tour and a time to talk with admissions and financial aid representatives while you are there. Take notes about the differences between the schools you visit and the things they tell you about their particular requirements and procedures. Narrow down your list and begin to pull together the information you will need in order to do your applications: update your resume of activities, decide which teachers you will ask to do recommendations for you, write drafts of personal statement essays, if they will be required by any of the schools you are considering.
The College Application
College application information and materials will begin arriving in the Guidance Office in September. Many institutions prefer an on-line application, and some are even requiring it now. Paper applications are not provided to the Guidance Office by most colleges anymore, so if you prefer that method you can obtain one from the school, or in some cases you can download an application from the college's website. In any event, the actual application is only one part of what you will need to provide for the admissions office in order to be considered. Common Applications are available for the SUNY system and serving a number of private institutions, to make it easier to apply to more than one place at a time.
If you use a paper application be sure it is printed in black ink, with no scribbles or white-outs. Do not crumple it or spill things on it. This is the first impression the admissions office is going to have of you, so make it a good one.
Be sure to put WAJ's school code (335-995)on your SAT applications so that your scores will come to the Guidance Office and can be included on your transcript (that code will be necessary to put on your college applications as well). You should also provide the colleges codes for those to which you are applying, so your SAT scores will be automatically transmitted by the College Board to the colleges (those codes are provided in the SAT Registration booklet).
If any of the colleges to which you are applying require SAT II Subject Tests, you will need to arrange to take them as well. Look over the admissions requirements for each of your prospective colleges carefully. They are not all the same!
Put together a resume of all your extracurricular, community and employment involvements since beginning 9 th grade. Include that document with your application form and provide it to the Guidance Office so much of it may be included on your transcript.
Select 2 or 3 teachers and at least one community member to ask about doing a letter of recommendation for you.
Most important, you must request that an official transcript be sent to each college to which you are applying. This is done by filling out a request form in the Guidance Office. Whether you apply on paper or on-line, your application will not be processed unless they have an official transcript from WAJ. Request an unofficial copy for yourself and look it over to be sure you understand and agree with the information contained on your transcript before it is sent to the colleges.
Most applications have a section that must be completed by your counselor. Bring that part to the Guidance Office at the same time you request your transcript . The information needed to complete it is on your transcript and if it is a separate form, it will be sealed along with your transcript.
Be sure to include the application fee payment when you submit your application materials. Your application will not be considered without payment, and it is not refundable.
The Student Athlete
If you have any intentions of going out for athletics in college (Division I, II or III), you must be registered and cleared for eligibility through the NCAA Clearinghouse. This process commences at the beginning of your senior year, and involves an application and an official transcript being submitted from the Guidance Office. You will have to meet certain eligibility requirements concerning the courses you take, your GPA and your SAT/ACT scores, so it is best to check this information out early in your high school career. Clearinghouse information is available in the Guidance Office.
Letters of Recommendation
Most colleges will require at least one letter of recommendation be included with your application. If they do not require one, it is still a good idea to include one, but only one . If they ask for one or more, give them exactly that many. Do not think that sending along a half dozen letters of recommendation is going to help make your case for admission. The admissions office is a very busy place, and they will not be impressed by additional paper.
The purpose of the recommendation is to give the admissions people unique and impressive information about you that they would not be able to discern from your other application materials. The goal is to have you stand out from the rest of the crowd by means of this unique assessment of your attributes. Therefore, the writer of your recommendation should be someone who knows you well, and likes you immensely. This person should not simply regurgitate your resume, or tell the reader things that are already apparent from other parts of your application (GPA, SAT, rank, etc.). The contents of the letter need to be personal, anecdotal, and specific if it is to have the desired effect.
So, choose your writer wisely. Explain to that person what kinds of things make a helpful letter of recommendation (share the previous paragraph if necessary). Be sure to explain the purpose of the recommendation - admissions, or scholarship application - and if there are any particular attributes that are necessary to highlight for this purpose. If you wish for this person to continue to think highly of you, give him plenty of time (at least a week) to complete the letter and provide clear instructions as to what he is to do with the finished product (will you pick the sealed envelope up yourself or should it be dropped by the Guidance Office or in the mail?).
A well-written letter of recommendation that distinguishes the candidate as a uniquely admirable individual has at times turned the tide in favor of that candidate in a close-call situation in the admissions office, so do not underestimate its importance.
Documenting Extracurricular Activities
You should begin keeping track of your involvements right from the beginning of 9 th grade. Use whatever format you prefer, but be sure it is clear, easy to follow and concise.
List all sports, clubs, service organizations, volunteer and paid employment both in and out of school. Indicate when and for how long you did that activity. Be sure to include any leadership roles, such as elected office or supervisory responsibilities at work. Also include any awards or honors you have received along the way.
Some of these items may be included on your transcript, but if you have a large number of involvements it is probably not going to be possible to fit all of them on that document. Also, only school-based activities can be listed on your transcript, as it is a school document.
Include your resume with each of your applications, whether they ask for it or not. If the application includes a section to fill in those activities and you can fit everything in, that is fine, but if it will not fit neatly and comfortably, be sure to just enclose your resume.
Colleges want to enroll students who are well-rounded individuals that will be an active and positive addition to the campus community, so letting them know about all the things you do outside of class is important. It also lets them know that you can manage your time and multi-task. Someone who has terrific grades but does little else other than study is not nearly as impressive as someone who has a busy extracurricular life and still manages to get good grades in difficult classes.
Financial Aid
One of the biggest concerns parents have about college is how to pay for it. Financial Aid experts say that students should not avoid applying to a college they really would like to attend because of the price tag. There are many ways to manage the expenses of college, as long as students and parents understand that it may require the student to work while they attend school and that most will have loans to pay back after graduation. Parents also must understand that it is expected that the family will contribute what is determined by standard calculations to be a reasonable share of the student's college expenses. Students will not be considered emancipated and made eligible for additional financial aid simply because their parents refuse to complete a FAFSA form and participate in the financial responsibility.
Two things are very important for parents and students to be very clear about:
You must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon after January 1 st of the senior year as possible, even if you are quite certain you will not qualify for any Federal assistance. The FAFSA form is the primary document used by Financial Aid offices to determine what types of loans or work-study programs one qualifies for, as well as any assistance the institution itself has available. It also is the way in which you receive the form to apply for the NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).
The Financial Aid Office at the colleges to which you have applied is your best, most accurate resource for assistance. Make an appointment to meet with someone from that office when you visit the campus, and find out everything you can about how to maximize you assistance possibilities. Lots of people may have advice for you, and the school counselor can explain some of the procedures, but this is an area where it is best to get your information from the experts.
Students who do not qualify for need-based aid may still be able to get tuition assistance in the form of merit-based scholarships either through the college or through scholarship programs sponsored by many companies and groups. Private colleges, while more expensive on paper, have much more scholarship money to give than their public counterparts, due to endowment programs. Some students find that they can attend a private school for less than a public school, with the help of those scholarship dollars. This is why is important not to let the price tag stop you from applying to the schools in which you are most interested!
Some colleges also require a CSS/Profile report in addition to the FAFSA in order to determine financial aid status. Check the requirements on your colleges of interest. The Guidance Office has those forms as well as FAFSA, or they may be done on-line.
Scholarship money is available through many other sources, if the student is willing to take the time and make the effort to seek them out and do the applications. The Guidance Office has publications that will guide you through looking for scholarships on-line, and others that provide listings of various opportunities. In addition, Mrs. LeRoy publishes a listing of scholarships for which the applications information has been sent to the Guidance Office. Pay attention to deadlines, follow instructions carefully, and there might be a significant amount of help to be found!
Making a Final Decision
Once you have received your acceptance letters and found out exactly what your financial aid picture will be from each of these institutions, it is time to make a final decision and pay the deposit to hold your place in the next freshman class! This is the time when all the pros and cons, all the mitigating factors, are identified and out in the open - and it is often the time when parents and students find themselves at a crossroads. A few things to keep in mind:
A final visit may be in order. Looking at things as an accepted student puts a different perspective on it.
Nothing is forever. If your choice turns out to be disappointing, know that successful students can transfer with little problem.
Trust your instincts. If you have spent time at each campus, you probably have a gut feeling about which place is right for you.
Remember, this should ultimately be the student's choice. Everyone has offered their advice by now, and parents may have their own wishes about this choice, but it is the student who must live it. So, student, make your choice. Then make the most of it!
