Preparing for College

Seniors

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Visit college campuses Maintain good standing in school—GPA

counts! Volunteer Acquire Leadership Skills Complete scholarship applications—apply! Join Clubs Prepare portfolio—list accomplishments, cop-

ies of certificates earned, service hours, awards earned, activities of involvement, etc.

Retake ACT/SAT (October last best time)

Fill out FAFSA (October 1st) Apply for colleges Compare financial aid awards and decide on

college—meet with college advisor (academic and financial aid)

Choose housing Send final transcript Get a job (opt.) Send Thank You letters to scholarship

providers Make final college choice

Index Score

Your GPA and ACT score matter. Great scholarships

are earned by having a high Index Score—review what

is needed at your intended college and maintain your good

standing throughout high school.

EXPLORE YOUR COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES!

Visit college campuses, talk to friends and family, visit college websites.

Begin early to have a solid plan for your future.

Beware of Scams!

No scholarship or

search should cost you

money.

Do not provide credit

card information.

If you’re suspicious of

an offer, it’s usually with

good reason.

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH

Most scholarships are for seniors, so there is something out there for

you! Start applying and exploring options. Notify the Scholarship

Desk of offers received. Scholarships mainly consist of the following

elements:

Essays

Letters of Recommendation

GPA & ACT/SAT Scores

Financial Need

Community Involvement

Leadership Experience

Grades

Matter!

SENIOR TIMELINE: WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING THIS YEAR?

Text @chhs20grzl

To 81010

For Alerts

Contact your college’s academic advisor

Class Rank

Oftentimes applications will ask for your class

rank. This number tells them—based on how

many students are in your graduating class—

where you fit in according to your overall

GPA.

Other information scholarship committees

will require is a list of all the AP and Honors

classes our school offers and the highest lev-

el of AP and Honors classes you have taken.

Knowing these things about you and how

successful you are academically continues to

help them paint the picture of the applicant.

When you need this information, the Coun-

seling Center can assist you.

Each Admissions Department has many people willing to take the time to give

you one-on-one service in helping you understand what is available at your school. They will walk you

through the application and registration processes saving you unnecessary stress. Academic Advisors are vi-

tal in helping you register for the correct classes as well. Make sure you are on the right track and will gradu-

ate on time.

Deferring College Enrollment

high school you are eligible for many

more scholarship opportunities that,

when awarded, may be held for you

until you return.

This will save time, money and the

stress of last minute registration

when you choose to enroll later.

Students who do not first apply and

then defer will be ineligible to for

many entering freshmen scholar-

ships, and admission application

fees may increase in the meantime.

Save time and money by deferring

your college acceptance and schol-

arships.

To ‘defer’ means you would like

postpone attending college to

enroll in the military or serve a

religious mission for a specific

period of time.

Every student is strongly encour-

aged to plan for college as if they

will attend Fall semester upon

graduation.

Scholarship applications and col-

lege admissions should not wait

for the return of a student after

any time away.

When you apply as a senior in

UCAW October 7-11, 2019

Prepare to apply for College, AFSA, & Scholarships!

Counselors will bring prep worksheet to your English Class on October 7 & 8

Seniors will apply during regular English class on October 9 & 10

Doughnuts at lunch for all seniors on Friday October 11th—

Stop by the Commons during your lunch!

Why should you apply for college early?

To qualify for academic, diversity, and financial aid scholarships— students must have all application and transcripts submit-

ted by priority deadlines. Entering freshmen scholarships are only available to students applying directly out of high school. A

short break from high school disqualifies you from eligibility.

To be eligible for college specific scholarships—once a student is accepted into a college/university, they are eligible to apply

for scholarships at the particular school. Find those scholarships on the college’s website. Check to see if you can stack multi-

ple scholarships from the same school.

1. Choose a recommender who knows you fairly well.

2. Do not use anyone to whom you are related.

3. Ask two to three people to write your letters.

4. Provide at least a week for them to get the letter to

you.

5. Give your recommender additional information about

yourself; this helps them write a well-rounded assess-

ment of you.

6. Include information as to how you would like them to

deliver the letter and include stamped & addressed

envelopes if you would like them mailed.

7. Make copies of the letters you receive, to use for future

applications.

8. Here is a list of things you will want to include when

providing background information to your recom-

mender:

Date you will need the letter.

To whom the letter will be sent (consider personal-

ized or generic, “To Whom it May Concern”).

Your college/career goals.

List of ALL activities, clubs, sports, awards, stu-

dent government, etc. Be specific, detailing any

involvement 9-12 grades).

Volunteer/service hours performed at school,

church, and community. Detail service—one time

volunteer session is not as impactful as once a

month for three years. You may want to include

how the service has impacted you.

Scholastic/academic accomplishments, such as

awards, GPA, AP or Honors or Concurrent Enroll-

ment courses you have taken.

Work Experience: include recognitions (i.e. Em-

ployee of the Month), awards, etc.

Write a paragraph about yourself to provide addi-

tional insight. You may want to include what mo-

tivates you, anything special or unique about you,

particular skills you have and interests outside of

school. Remember that most mentors know only

one side of who you are; you want them to write a

recommendation about the whole you, so the more

your tell them, the more they can ‘brag’ about you.

Be honest, but don’t hold back any achievements

or accomplishments.

Recommendation letters are extremely valuable! This may

be the only thing that helps a committee know you deserve

the offer more than the next name on the stack of papers.

Choose your recommender wisely.

A form is available online at Counsel-

ing.CopperHillsHigh.org, if you would like additional help.

Letters of Recommendation

FAFSA

(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Need help financing college expenses? Apply at

www.FAFSA.gov.

Application opens on October 1st to all college students.

Grants—free money!

Loans—Pay it back with benefits

Work-study—get a job on campus (open to those who qualify)

Contact your school’s financial aid office after completing your FAFSA for updates and info.

FAFSA Open House for all students and parents Thursday, October 17th @ 5-8 PM

CHHS Media Center Bring your 1040 Tax Forms and W-2’s to start and finish application or to get help with a particular issue.