Senior Parent Night

The Road To College

HHS Guidance CounselorsMrs. Tracy Encarnacao, District Director of Guidance• Mr. Bruce Powers

A - Castillo

• Ms. Stacey O’BrienCastro – Des & Early College

Seniors

• Mrs. Susan BeaudoinDev – Her

• Ms. Samantha MassahosHey – McC

• Mrs. Jami DionMcG – Pare

• Mrs. Mindy CrippsPark - Rom

• Mr. Andy AlsupRos – Z

Agenda•Graduation Requirements• Timelines •Deadlines• The College Search Process•Applying• Standardized Testing•Naviance

HHS Graduation RequirementsArea Credit

English 4.0

Social Studies (including US History)

3.0

Math 3.0

Science 3.0

Computer Lit 0.5

School To Career 1.0

Fine Arts/Foreign Language 1.0

Wellness 1.0

Electives 3.5

TOTAL CREDITS 20.0

Roadmap to College• Be proactive!•Do a little each day• Communicate early and often with your counselor and your teachers• Read the directions• Ask for help when needed

September• Gather letters of recommendation• Finalize college selections and know the

deadlines!• Meet with guidance counselor• Plan college visits• Make appointments with college representatives

who are visiting HHS this fall. The list is available in

Naviance.• Create Commonapp Account for appropriate

schools• Complete FERPA form on Naviance• Check online for college applications

October-November• Decide which schools you will apply to, and make a list

of each college’s deadlines.

• Take the SAT (October/November) or the ACT (October)

• If applying for Early Action, finish taking standardized tests.

• Ask teachers to complete the evaluation forms and school report forms

• Brainstorm for and write your essay. Make sure to edit your essay

• Arrange and attend college interviews and practice for them

• Submit your transcript request to guidance 2 weeks in advance

• If applying for Early Action, submit your application

December-February• Send regular decision applications. Deadlines are

around Jan 1• Complete FAFSA form (after Jan. 1)• Apply to outside scholarships• Ask counselor to complete mid-year reports,

typically due in Feb.• Keep those grades up!

Spring Timeline

• Receive notification letters• Discuss financial aid offers and contact

schools if they are seriously insufficient• Notify schools of your admission decision

and send in your deposit to your chosen college (May 1st)• Take part in college orientation and pre-

freshman year activities

Types of Deadlines• Early Action (Non-Binding)

Typically Oct 15, Nov 1, Nov 15

• Early Decision (Binding)• Typically Oct 15, Nov 1, Nov 15

• Regular Decision• Varies….as early as Dec 1 and as late as April 1

• Rolling Admissions• Applications processed upon arrival. • Decisions received in 6-8 weeks

• Open Enrollment• Admittance dependent on graduation from HHS

What are the options

for college?

What are the options for college?

How much training & education am I willing to get to achieve my career & life goals?

• 2-year Technical School or Community College

• 4-year University or College

2-Year Technical & Community Colleges• Affordable ($5,000-$6,000 per year)• Transfer Options/ MA Transfer Program

1 or 2 years at a community college can help you get into your dream school, while

developing characteristics (such as independence, ambition, and maturity) necessary to become a successful college student.

• Licensure/Certification• These schools offer hundreds of Associate

Degree and Certificate Programs that lead to licensure in the career field of your choice

2-Year Admissions Requirements High School DiplomaCompletion of the Accu-placer exam

• Exam administered by the college to evaluate Math and English proficiency

• Scores determine class placement for the first semester of college.

Community Colleges of MA

• Provide well-rounded college experience

• Campuses offer many of the same clubs and activities as 4-yr colleges

•Many colleges have intercollegiate or club athletic teams

• Smaller class sizes

•MA Transfer

4-Year Colleges and Universities

• There are over 2,000 4-year colleges and universities in the country. • Decide the factors that are important to you to help narrow down a list of schools that are a good match.

Selectivity/Admission Requirements• Be realistic• Where do you stack up in comparison to

admission requirements at a particular school?• What factors are important for admission?• What percentage of students are accepted

each year?• Make sure your schools fall into one of three

categories:• Reach• 50/50• Probable

Programs of Study•Not all schools have every academic major •Undecided? Be sure to look at schools that have all of your potential areas of interest!

Location, Location, Location!• Far away or close to home?•Urban vs. suburban vs. rural •Be sure to factor in the cost of travel if you plan to go far away

Size/Enrollment•Weigh the pros & cons of a small school vs. large university• Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond?• Do you want to blend in with the crowd in a lecture hall of 250+ students?

Cost • The investment of a college education is

expensive. • Be sure to include colleges that are “financially

safe”, such as state schools or community college.

What’s In an Application?

Parts of the Application•Application•Essay• SAT/ACT scores•High school transcript• Letters of recommendation• Interview (depends on the school)•Application fee

What are Colleges Looking For?•Classes taken & quality of courses•GPA• Involvement • Standardized test scores•Essay/Letters of recommendation

College Applications•2 main types of applications•Common Application•College-specific Application

Common Application• www.commonapp.org• Accepted by over 500 colleges and

universities• One general application & essay• Helps student organize all aspects of

their applications• Many schools require a supplemental

piece- know what your school’s requirements are!• Letters of recommendation and

transcripts are sent by Guidance Counselors through Naviance

College-Specific Applications•Can apply online or via paper application•Most colleges have copies of application available on their website

Standardized Testing

Standardized Tests

•SAT Reasoning Test

•SAT Subject Tests

•ACT

Upcoming SAT Dates

Test Date Registration Deadline

October 11th September 30th

November 8th October 9th

• SAT is offered at Haverhill• Cost:

$52.50- SAT Reasoning$26.00 + $16 for each test- SAT

Subject Tests

• Visit www.collegeboard.org for updated information!

Upcoming ACT Dates

Test Date Registration Deadline

October 25th Oct 3rd

December 13th November 7th

• $54.50 with writing section

• Visit www.actstudent.org for updated information!

•What is Naviance and how can it help

me?

Naviance

• Manage and track all aspects of the admissions process.• Delivers all of the supporting documents for college

applications• Provides valuable insight into the college admissions

process with college search, scatter grams, scholarship information and college application statistics

Take A Career Interest Survey

Research Career Options

Perform a College SearchChoose the criteria you are looking for in your ideal college

Research Schools

How do you Stack Up?

Keep Track of Schools You Are Considering

Track Submitted Applications

Questions?