INTRODUCTIONSINTRODUCTIONSMHS COUNSELORS

Brenda Lee (A-D)Tish Bates & Ann Nault (E-La)

Kirstin Doughty (Le–P)Daniel Naegeli (Q– Z)Jamie Spiro, Intern

SENIOR CONFERENCESSENIOR CONFERENCES

• Individual meetings with counselor

• Review credits and graduation requirements

• Talk about goals and college choices

• Review timelines

THE INTERSECTION OF HEART THE INTERSECTION OF HEART AND ABILITYAND ABILITY

• Work• Military• Technical

College• Community

College• College or

University

DIRECT TRANSFER DIRECT TRANSFER AGREEMENTAGREEMENT

• Students who complete the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) or Associate in Science Transfer (AS-T) will generally have junior standing at the four-year institution and maximize the number of credits that will transfer.

• Students with fewer than 40 transferable credit will be required to submit ACT and SAT scores and the high school transcript will play an important role in the admission process.

• Minimum GPA required to transfer with the DTA or AS-T varies by institution.

WESTERN UNDERGRADUATE WESTERN UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGEEXCHANGE

• 15 Member States• Student pays 150%

of receiving institution’s tuition

• 145 participating institutions

• Eligibility determined by individual institutions

• Check the website:www.wiche.edu/sep/wue

FINANCIAL AIDFINANCIAL AID

• PHILOSOPHY: A supplement to the family’s contribution

• GOAL: The formula applied will maintain consistency and equity for all students.

• TYPES: Scholarships, Grants, Loans, Tax Credits, Work Study

FINANCIAL AID FORMSFINANCIAL AID FORMSFAFSA

Free Application for Federal Student AidRequired to be considered for any type of

federal and state aidRecommended that you complete the FAFSA

even if you do not think you will qualify for assistance

Important to apply as soon as possible after January 1, 2012

May be completed online www.fafsa.ed.govApply for your PIN now!

2011 – 2012 PIN WEBSITE2011 – 2012 PIN WEBSITE

FAFSA4caster and NET FAFSA4caster and NET PRICE CALCULATORSPRICE CALCULATORS

Net Price Calculator will:

• Required on all college/university websites by the end of October 2011.

• Provides an early approximation of what a freshman could expect to pay.

• Based upon the basic formula of price of attendance minus grant aid.

• It is not an official application for financial aid or a final or binding determination of the institution’s cost.

FAFSA4caster will:

• Help you understand your options for paying for college.

• Estimate eligibility for federal student aid.

CSS PROFILECSS PROFILE

• Required by some colleges, universities (usually independent) and scholarship organizations as a supplement to the FAFSA.

• The only schools in Washington State requiring the PROFILE are Whitman College for all applicants and the University of Puget Sound for Early Decision applicants.

• Registration is $25.00 and $16.00 for each college or program

• The PROFILE may be submitted NOW and must be done online https://profileonline.collegeboard.com

FINANCIAL AIDFINANCIAL AID• Colleges and universities believe that

money should never come between a qualified student and his/her education.

• Carefully compare offers realizing that each school cannot provide the same offer.

• Do not try to negotiate between two offers – contact each school separately if there is additional information you feel is important to add to your application.

FINANCIAL AID: FINANCIAL AID: Where to go for Where to go for

HelpHelp

• Surf the web for information:• www.fafsa.ed.gov• http://www.finaid.org• https://studentloans.gov

• Contact a Financial Aid Officer at any local College/University or Community College

• Call 1.800.4.FED.AID (1.800.433.3243)• Attend Financial Aid Night on

November 29th @ 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theater

SCHOLARSHIPSSCHOLARSHIPSHow to search for scholarships

• Check with the admissions and financial aid offices at the colleges/universities the student is applying to as soon as possible

• Scholarships received by MHS are available in the Counseling Center as well as listed online on the MHS website under the Counseling Tabhttp://www.edmonds.wednet.edu/mdhs/site/default.asp

• Click on Counseling• Click on College

• Click on Scholarships 2011 – 2012• Beware of scams – please call us if you are unsure!• Other internet resources:

www.thewashboard.orgwww.finaid.org/scholarships

COLLEGE VISITSCOLLEGE VISITS

• Meet with college representatives in the Counseling Center. These representatives are usually the first persons to read MHS students’ applications

This is a great opportunity to ask questions specific

to the school!

THE APPLICATIONTHE APPLICATION• Apply online from the

institution’s website – please see us if access is an issue

• The Common Application – accepted by 456 institutions across the country (both private and public)

• Meet all deadlines!• Know the admission

options.• Counselors can assist with

any questions

TRANSCRIPTSTRANSCRIPTS• Transcripts are sent at the

time of application (either an official copy or reported on the application (UW and UC systems)

• Mid-year reports required by some colleges

• Transcript will be uploaded to the Common Application by counselor

• Transcript Request form required (with parent signature if under 18)

TESTINGTESTING

ACT• English, Reading,

Math and Science• Optional essay• Next test:

December 10• Registration by

11.4www.actstudent.org

SAT• Critical Reading,

Math, Writing• Next test:

December 3• Registration by

11.8

sat.collegeboard.org/register

PERSONAL STATEMENTS PERSONAL STATEMENTS AND ESSAYSAND ESSAYS

• Do proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you

• Don’t make careless mistakes• Do be able to say, “this

sounds like me!”• Write about what you know• Be authentic (use personality)

– show that you bring lively & exciting flavor to the classroom

• Keep the topic small so you can effectively deal with the material

• Write in the first person

• Do answer the question and demonstrate how well you think as well as how well you write

• Don’t be cynical, trite, pretentious 

• Do be concise, specific, personal and honest

• Don’t repeat what is included in other parts of the application by making the essay a second resume

• Don’t try to be funny if that’s not your personality

COLLEGECOLLEGE RESPONSESRESPONSES• Colleges may notify you immediately if you

qualify for admission or as late as the week of April 1, 2012.

• All state of Washington public universities (with the exception of the University of Washington - Seattle) will begin notifying admitted students after December 1.

• The UW – Seattle will send admission decisions March 15 – 31, 2012.

• If you hear that your application is not complete – don’t panic! Come see your counselor with the correspondence you receive and we will help to fix.

MHS WEBSITEMHS WEBSITE

YOUR DECISIONYOUR DECISION

• The national reply date to notify that you intend to enroll is May 1, 2012 (postmark).

• You may deposit only at one college.• Notify the chosen school that you are

accepting the offer of financial aid.• Mail the housing forms as soon as possible.• Notify any schools which have offered

admission that you have decided not to attend.• Remember that all offers of admission are

CONDITIONAL – stay focused second semester!

HELPFUL WEBSITESHELPFUL WEBSITESFINANCIAL AID

www.fafsa.ed.govwww.finaid.org

SCHOLARSHIPSwww.edmonds.wednet.edu/mdhs/site/

default.aspwww.thewashboard.org

www.finaid.org/scholarshipsscholarships.salliemae.com

ATHLETICSwww.ncaaclearinghouse.net

HELPFUL WEBSITESHELPFUL WEBSITES

WESTERN UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGEwww.wiche.edu/sep/wue

DIRECT TRANSFER AGREEMENT (WASHINGTON)

http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/transfer/default.asp