September 16, 2014

Senior Parent Information Session

Through group advisement, we have given each senior a folder with information about the college application process and a notebook to help keep them organized–if you haven’t seen it yet, please look at it! Especially the FAQ pages!They also gave us an email address that we will

use at least once a month with important information.

Through individual advisement, we have started seeing students via senior conferences, to discuss their after high school plans

So far this year:

What does your child need to know to apply to colleges?What college is right?Applications TranscriptsLetters of recommendationEssaysSAT/ACT ScoresSenior Athletes

What do you need to know about paying for college?Financial aid Scholarships

Agenda

Hopefully, they have visited some college campusesDo they want close to home or far away?Do they want small town or big city?Do they want public or private?Do they know what major they are planning on?

Have they considered going in as “undecided”? Have they talked to the college about what this means?

Hopefully, they have researched the GPA and SAT/ACT requirementsThe “best fit” is a realistic one We always encourage a “safety school” and a “reach

school” www.cfnc.org has a “matching assistant”

What college is right for your child?

Community college is a great option for students who want a 2-year degree or want to save money by going there for 1-2 years (complete their basic courses) and then transferring to a 4-year university

Requirement: High School Diploma

$69-72 per credit hour

If they are interested in transferring to a four year University, be sure to talk to the community college about the “transfer program”

RCCC, CPCC, Stanly CC- Medical Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Culinary, Automotive, Heating and Refrigeration, Welding, etc.

Community College

The minimum GPA required for a public NC college/university is a 2.5

After researching and visiting colleges, your child hopefully has an idea of what colleges are realistic for them

What college is right for your child?

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill16 of our seniors went to Carolina last year

Clemson UniversityStuden

tGPA Class

RankSAT Scores

(r/m)1 4.63 7 of 287 650/6502 4.32 33 of 287 660/7103 4.35 43 of 334 640/600

Students can get scholarships ranging from $500 to in-state tuition rates at Clemson, University of South Carolina and various other out of state schools. Usually, recipients of academic recruiting scholarships have an SAT score of at least 1370 in R/M (ACT 31) and rank in the top 10 percent of their senior class.

Student

GPA Class Rank

ACT Score

1 4.82 7th of 332 28

2 4.43 35th of 332 25

Student

GPA Class Rank

SAT Scores (r/m)

1 5.0432

1 of 227 740/780

Student

GPA Class Rank

SAT Scores (r/m)

1 4.7164

5 of 283 730/730

2 4.84 2 of 287 630/720

Davidson College

Duke University

Student

GPA Class Rank SAT Scores (r/m)

1 3.8348 71 of 338 520/5902 4.1684 38 of 338 550/6803 4.2531 29 of 338 570/5504 4.5714 7 of 338 590/5705 4.15 71 of 287 670/680

North Carolina State University

Student

GPA Class Rank

ACT Score

1 3.15 195th of 332 26

2 3.41 168th of 332 22

3 3.53 148th of 332 18

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Colleges in North Carolina accept both SAT

or ACT scores.

We recommend applying to 3-5 colleges, if the student can afford the college application feesIf your child is on free/reduced lunch and got a

fee waiver for the SAT, they can have up to 4 college application fee waivers

This year, collegeboard will send college application fee waivers to those students who had an SAT fee waiver last year.

If your child does not receive them through collegeboard, just ask your counselor for those.

How many college applications?

Must fill out the Transcript Request Form (online, in their folder, or in the guidance office)One filled out per collegeIf student is under 18, you have to sign; if they are

18 or over, they need to sign the request formGive Ms. Galloway 48 hours to processStudent will receive a note that says “Your

transcripts are ready to be picked up” – you put postage on the envelope and mail it

County Policy: First 3 are FREE and after that $5 each

Paper Transcripts

Students can send transcripts electronically if they prefer through www.cfnc.org for FREE

Be sure your child checks their “transcript manager” on CFNC to see if the transcript has been received

Common App and SendEdu are also ways some colleges may ask for transcripts to be sent electronically (they count as one of the 3 for free) The student has to put their counselor’s email

address in and it notifies us they need a transcript.

Electronic Transcripts

Students can apply to colleges online through a variety of ways:Preferred method by some colleges: the

college’s own website (wolfpaw for NCSU, Future 49er for UNCC, etc.)

www.cfnc.org for any and all colleges in North Carolina – fill out application once and then it self populates for additional collegesBe sure to complete any supplemental forms for

each collegeThe Common Application-Chapel Hill, UNC

Wilmington, etc. (www.commonapp.org)

College Applications

Login Screen

http://www.commonapp.org

Some colleges require them, some are optional and some do not look at them

Give the teacher or counselor 2 weeks to write a good letter

Fill out the letter of recommendation request form and make copies of it (PDF on student services website or in their folder)

If using cfnc.org or common app, be sure to look at “supplemental forms” for each college

It will be given back in a sealed envelope (student waives their right to see it) You put postage on it and mail it

Letters of recommendation

Some schools have them and some don’t Most importantly, be sure your student gets

someone to PROOFREAD the essaysWriting a good essay includes:

Don’t write a “generic” answer – it should reflect the student!

Tailor the essay to the school’s mission – you need to show that you will fit in at that college

Spell correctly! Don’t count on spell check alone

Writing a good essay

All juniors took the ACT last year at least onceHopefully, students also took the SAT—they would

have signed up through www.collegeboard.org Our transcripts do not have ACT/SAT scores listed Students must go to www.collegeboard.org and/or

www.actstudent.org and tell them what colleges should receive scores -- when registering for the test you get 4 free – after the test, it costs a fee of approximately $11 per college

Most colleges look at the best score in each category for the SAT (even if students took it multiple times)

SAT/ACT Scores

ACT Composite ScoreSAT CR+M (Single

Score)

36 1600

35 1560

34 1510

33 1460

32 1420

31 1380

30 1340

29 1300

28 1260

27 1220

26 1190

25 1150

24 1110

23 1070

22 1030

21 990

20 950

19 910

18 870

17 830

16 790

SAT vs. ACT (which one to use?)

If your senior wants to play a sport at college, they need to be registered with the NCAA clearinghouse

There are GPA and SAT/ACT requirements for Division I and II schools – know your requirements

NCAA looks at only “core classes” including English, Math, Science, Social Studies and World Languages

This website also contains an informational video about the requirements for Division I and II schools

Senior Athletes

Complete online college applicationsIncluding writing/proofreading essays (if applicable)

Ask teachers/counselor for letters of recommendationSometimes schools/scholarships will want a

“community recommender” – consider the student’s boss, church youth group leader, etc.

Send ACT or SAT scores to all colleges that you are applying to

Send in transcripts either by paper or electronically Be registered with NCAA (if trying to play a sport in

college)

Summary of “to do list” for seniors

Got questions about the college admissions process?  Get the answers to your questions during a special webinar event designed with students, parents, and educators in mind.  Guest presenters will be:East Carolina University's Dave Meredith, Director of

Admissions Jaqui Duca, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate

AdmissionsDawn Calhoun, Associate Dean at Wake Forest

University; Jean Groome, Director of Admissions at Forsyth Tech

Community College.

Sign up on www.cfnc.org under “events”

CFNC Webinar: “Inside Look at the College Admissions Process” on October 15th from 6 pm to 7 pm

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process may seem daunting to students and parents.  This webinar will include an overview of the FAFSA process including how to request a PIN, how to determine a student's dependency status, and more.  Send in your questions prior to the webinar and then join Deborah Tollefson, Director of Financial Aid at UNC-Greensboro, as she provides simple, step-by-step instructions for completing and submitting the FAFSA.

Sign up on www.cfnc.org under “events”

CFNC Webinar: “Step-by-Step Guide to Completing the FAFSA” on December 9th 6 pm to 7 pm

How are you going to pay for college?

Financial Aid comes from the Federal Government in the following forms:Grants: Funds that usually do not have to be

repaid. An example would be the Pell Grant Student Loans: Funds that do have to be

repaid. Some of these are subsidized by the Government (they pay the interest while the student is in college)

Work Study: these are government funded jobs on college campus

Financial Aid

Direct Costs:TuitionBooksRoom/BoardMealsRequired Fees

Indirect Costs: Transportation to and from homePersonal ComputerLoan Fees

Financial Aid

FAFSA –Free Application for Federal Student Aid –www.fafsa.ed.gov (notice it is not FAFSA.com!)

You can’t fill out the FAFSA until January of your senior year, but you can begin researching the process

www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov – predicts what funds you could be eligible for based on last year’s income

Go ahead and get a PIN number Issued to an individual and is a “signature” for Federal Student Aid

purposes Faster than using paper signature PIN is valid for years Parent’s PIN may be used for multiple children Each student must have own PIN Obtain PIN from www.pin.ed.govResults available online in 48 hours and to the institutions you list on the FAFSA

FAFSA

EFC---Expected Family ContributionEFC is the end result after submitting a FAFSA It is the determination of the amount per year a

student’s family can pay toward their child’s college education

The higher the EFC, the lower the chance a student will have to receive “free” money from the government

Calculating Your Financial NeedCost of Attendance (COA)– Expected Family Contribution (EFC)= Financial Need

What is an EFC?

Significant change in your family… Unemployment of a parent

Death in the family

Change in parents’ marital status

Medical expenses not covered by insurance

Student cannot obtain parent informationNotify the financial aid office at your college of any special circumstances. Be prepared to provide documentation of any change, including the financial impact of the change.

Special Circumstances after the FAFSA is filled out

Subsidized Loans are available to undergraduate students with financial need and they do not accrue interest while the student is in school.

Unsubsidized Loans are available, even without a financial need, and they DO accrue interest while the student is in school.

Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans

Check to see if the school you will be attending requires an additional application. Hundreds of schools require students to complete the CSS PROFILE, an online application that is more extensive than the FAFSA. Your school will let you know if the form is required when you apply for aid. Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and Davidson are just

some colleges that require the PROFILE

Financial Aid Video from CFNC

CSS Profile

College Foundation of North Carolina www.cfnc.org

Federal Department of Education http://studentaid.gov/

Student Financial Aid for North Carolinians www.cfnc.org/fabook

The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid www.finaid.org

Additional Information for need based financial aid

Merit Based: given primarily based on grades, SAT scores, rank, GPA, etc.

Need Based: scholarships that consider a family’s financial need for money to pay for college

Criteria Based: given based on criteria such as a desire to study Nursing or Accounting (a specific major). They usually have a merit component

We send to the students, via email, a listing of scholarships for that month and the next at the beginning of each month (Senior Notes)

Scholarships

• “The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”

No one can guarantee your scholarship before it is awarded.

• “Come to our free seminar and we’ll show you how to get more financial aid.” This is a sales pitch. Don’t pay for information that you can get elsewhere for free.

• “The scholarship requires a small fee.” Never pay a fee to get a scholarship.

• “You are a finalist” for an award you never applied for.If you did not apply, it is not a legitimate offer.

• “You can’t get this information anywhere else.”

Everyone has access to the same information.

Scholarship Scams

September 23, 2014 from 6 to 7:30 pm Cabarrus County Schools is hosting an annual College

Fair at the Cabarrus Arena Come prepared to speak to college admissions officers Get on their mailing lists (your address label) Be sure to stop by the HRHS table and sign in

There will be two county wide Financial Aid Nights (more information to follow)

November 10-14, 2014 College Application Week – certain colleges will waive their

application fee if you apply during this week FAFSA DAY: February 28, 2015 9 to 12 noon

Upcoming Events