College/ Scholarship Information 2016-2017 West Forsyth High School 1

College/ Scholarship Information 2016-2017 West Forsyth High School 1

Student Services Mrs. DiCato A-Coj (Mr. Youngman) Mrs. Wyshner Col-Ep Mrs. Downs Es-Ji Ms. Winchester Jo-Mo Mrs. Widle Mu-Sh Mr. Sandag Si-Z 2

Admission Considerations: Transcript Curriculum rigor – QUALITY not QUANTITY Grades Rank GPA Essays Test Scores: SAT/ACT/Subject Tests/Accuplacer Letters of Recommendation from Teachers Letters of Recommendation from Counselors Extracurricular activities Interviews, visits (demonstrated interest)

Extracurricular Activities Develop a list of all activities. Include summer enrichment, awards, recognitions Consider saving your list in CFNC Consider creating a resume Submit list / Resume in applications for college and scholarships Attach to your Counselor/Teacher Recommendation Form Your organization now will save you time later!

Where should I apply? What do you want to study? Make sure college offers your major. A large, medium or small school? What student activities are available? What are your chances of acceptance? Consider the retention rate (how many return after first year) 00400380.jpg

The Key is finding “The Right Fit” Do your research! Visit websites, campus’, speak to college representatives Attend the WSFCS College Fair: Embassy Suites (downtown) Monday, October 3rd from 5-8 p.m. Average number of schools to apply to: 4 or more It is about you and the best fit, not the school itself that will make your college experience great.

Minimum NC Public Admissions Requirements Weighted GPA: 2.5 Minimum SAT 800/880 (old/new critical math and reading combined) Minimum ACT: 17 7

Types of Admission Early Decision Binding contract Expectation to attend without knowledge of financial package and discontinue application process at other schools School counselor will not be able to support application process at other schools once admitted ED (we sign contract too!) Early Action Regular Decision 8

Campus Visits Good questions to ask: What do students like most about the college? Like least? Retention rate for freshmen Graduation rate Most popular major and why? Housing Safety Role of fraternities and sororities on campus Availability of classes Read the student newspaper/visit a class Youvisit.com – Virtual tours

More Competitive College Admissions Why? More students. More applications. Majority of students chasing the minority of schools. UNC- 31,000 applications Avg. GPA 4.59 ACT 28-33 SAT Math 620-720 CR-600-710 10

College Admissions NC State- 21,000 applications Avg. GPA 4.53 ACT 28.9 SAT Math & CR 1261 ECU- 16,800 applications Avg. GPA 3.5 ACT 23-25 SAT Math 500-570 SAT CR 480-560 Excellent resource for admissions criteria for all public colleges: www.collegeportraits.org www.collegeportraits.org/NC Rather than “the one” perfect school, look for several 11

Community College 26% of West’s 2016 graduating class planned to enter a community college Two-Year Transfer Program: Complete the first two years of college and then transfer to a four-year college as a junior saving thousands of dollars Limited enrollment in some areas, such as health careers. Apply early!

How to Find Your Future at Community College Programs from Accounting to Welding Diploma, certificate and associate degree programs Entry-Level Salaries from 18K - 59K See your counselor for more information Visit Forsyth Tech 13

How to Apply Step 1: Visit College Website and go to “apply” or “admissions” Website may redirect you to Common App, CFNC, Send.edu, etc. Step 2: Submit your transcripts. Counselor is notified and uploads electronically (Common App, Send.edu) You can send with CFNC (NC colleges only). 14

How to Apply Step 3: Submit ACT and/or SAT scores A small group of schools are “test optional” Student’s responsibility to send via collegeboard.org (SAT) and/or act.org(ACT) 4 colleges you select can receive scores At time of test registration Free option only available at this time! List West’s high school code: 340777 15

How to Request your Transcript Visit the front desk in Student Services Pull your “green” transcript request form List the colleges / scholarships to which you would like us to mail your transcript Indicate whether or not a counselor form is also requested Indicate the date of your request The first two are FREE, then 2 each (county mandate) 16

How to submit Recommendations It is preferred that recommendations are sent from recommenders directly to admissions We highly encourage that the Teacher/Counselor Recommendation Form has been submitted to Student Services (this is required for counselor recs) Electronically, Common App or other online applications will ask you to provide the name of a teacher and counselor. The recommender will then be invited by email to submit Please provide recommenders with a minimum of 2 weeks. 17

How to submit Test Scores Request score reports from www.collegeboard.org (for SAT, AP Subject test scores) or www.actstudent.org (for ACT scores) Consider all test date score reports for super-scoring Schools that are “test optional” www.fairtest.org Test scores are NOT added to student transcripts 18

Test Optional Schools 2016 Apex School of Theology Durham NC Art Institute of Charlotte Charlotte NC Barber-Scotia1 Concord NC Belmont Abbey College3 Belmont NC Bennett College Greensboro NC Brevard College Brevard NC Carolina Christian College Winston-Salem NC Catawba College Salisbury NC Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary Charlotte NC Guilford College Greensboro NC Laurel University High Point NC Lees-McRae College Banner Elk NC New Life Theological Seminary Charlotte NC Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest NC Wake Forest University Winston-Salem NC Warren Wilson College Asheville NC 19

SAT vs. ACT

SAT vs. ACT

College Application Week West Forsyth, November 17th West counselors/admissions officers will assist participating seniors in applying online to at least one NC college using CFNC Interested seniors need to register in advance in Student Services More details in October

Military Interest ASVAB required Aptitude test . measuring strengths & weaknesses and potential for career success West will offer in the spring Recruitment and enlistment has become a more competitive process in recent years. ASVAB open to ALL students

Career Development Ms. Hale is our Career Development Counselor Job Shadowing Internships Career Interest Inventories Career Fair at West - November 21 st Veterinary medicine, Nursing and Medical, Fine arts, Marketing, Marine Biology, Law, Publishing, Small Business Owners, Dentistry, Finance, Culinary, Cosmetology, Athletic Industry and on and on and on!!! 24

FINANCIAL AID

Financial Need Tuition, Room, Board, Fees, etc. (COA) (-minus) Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Cost of Attendance The total amount it should cost the student to go to school including tuition, room and board, fees, books and supplies, transportation, and personal/miscellaneous expenses. Cost of attendance may vary depending on the student’s program and residential status.

Cost of Attendance NC Public College (Tuition, Room/Board, expenses) Approx. 17,000 year Private NC College (Tuition, Room/Board, expenses) Elon Univ. 44,599 Wake Forest 66,582 Laurel University 26,579 Forsyth Technical Community College 3000 per year (Tuition, Fees) Some schools may also require CSS Profile Try financial aid calculator www.collegeboard.org or www.cfnc.org WSFCS Financial Aid Info Session – Fall (tba)

EFC Expected Family Contribution – the number that is used to determine your eligibility for need-based federal and state financial aid. This number results from the information you provided on your FAFSA application. Your EFC is reported to you on your Student Aid Report (SAR). 29

FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid Every single student should apply Determines federal aid eligibility and EFC Colleges will not offer a financial aid package without receiving your EFC FAFSA application allows you to indicate all school to which your EFC should be reported Can be submitted as early as Oct. 1 (senior yr.) www.fafsa.ed.gov

FAFSA Create a FSA ID Student Parent USE DRT (Data retrieval Tool) Retrieves 2015 Taxes FAFSA Verification Professional Judgment (if 2016 significantly lower income)

CSS Profile Takes a deeper look at assets (how many houses, boat, savings account, etc) Administered by College Board 25 Fee Required only by select colleges Also available in October Requires financial info. from both custodial and non-custodial parent 32

Financial Aid Expected Family Contribution-assumes families will meet contribution through a combination of savings, current income, and loans Financial need can be handled differently at each college There can be limited funds Some colleges meet 100% of Financial need Some meet need through additional loans Help available on FAFSA Day (TBA) Don’t rule out colleges based on sticker price alone EFC remains the same regardless of college; therefore, you may qualify for more aid at a more expensive college

Main Types of Financial Aid Grants (do not re-pay)- usually comes from government or institution. Scholarships (do not re-pay) usually awarded based on merit. Gov’t Loans (must re-pay) Subsidized Unsubsidized Parent Plus Personal / Educational Loans Can lead to higher interest rates Work-Study

Scholarships West Forsyth Class of 2016 awarded approximately 16 million

Scholarships Take a multi-directional and yearlong approach Colleges You Plan to Attend Websites West Forsyth Scholarship Newsletter www.CFNC.org www.fastweb.com Daily Announcements Community/Work

Scholarships Check Daily Announcements EVERY DAY!! Request the West Scholarship Newsletter via email [email protected] Submit a copy of your extracurricular activities and your Counselor / Teacher Recommendation Form to tell us everything that we should know about you! Counselors love to read your essays as a means to learn more about you as well.

Scholarships Mock Interview Committee can help you prepare School-nominated scholarships require an “I want to be considered” form submitted in Student Services Write a thank you note to your interviewer Be your own advocate. “We note when the applicant is not the one calling about his/her application.” Park Scholarship Program

Dates to Remember October 1st - FAFSA can be submitted October 3rd – WSFCS College Fair October 5th - Early Release – (make a college visit?) October 15th – First early application deadline October 20th – WSFCS Financial Aid Evening Event October 29th – FAFSA Day (cfnc.org/FAFSAday to register) November 8th & 11th – No School (make a college visit?) November 17th – West College Application day November 21st West Career Fair 39

Websites www.cfnc.org www.collegeboard.org www.fastweb.com www.studentsreview.com www.nchealthcareers.com www.fafsa.ed.gov www.actstudent.org www.petersons.com www.usnews.com www.wsfoundation.org www.youvisit.com