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August 26, 2010
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT - COLLEGE PLANNING
TIMELINE FOR COLLEGE SELECTION AND APPLICATION
| TIMELINE FOR COLLEGE SELECTION AND APPLICATION |
| Junior Year |
| * Discuss with your parents factors important in college choice |
| * Use these factors to set boundaries for college choices |
| * Use Naviance Connection program at http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton |
| * Do career/college search on Naviance or other programs and narrow schools to 5 or 6 |
| * Consult college visit schedule (reps coming to SFHS) on Naviance Family Connection |
| * Visit with college reps in cafeteria during your lunch period |
| * Register to take ACT/SAT tests at least two times before the end of junior year |
| * Complete some preliminary college visits |
| * Keep up your grades—junior year grades can be a critical factor |
| * Select senior schedule to meet graduation/college requirements |
| Senior Year - September |
| * Use college admission websites to obtain info and applications from colleges |
| * Review senior schedule to make sure it meets graduation/college requirements |
| * Register to re-take ACT/SAT tests if necessary |
| * Register to take SAT II subject tests if your colleges require them |
| * Visit with college reps in cafeteria during lunch periods |
| * Make six or more formal college campus visits |
| * Student athletes complete NCAA Eligibility Center preliminary certification and send transcript and test scores to NCAA Eligibility Center |
| * Parents attend information program on college selection and financial aid |
| * Contact Mrs. Rigney and/or one or two teachers to request letters of recommendation if they are needed. Do not request letters if they are not needed |
| *Begin sending in college applications and supporting documents |
| *Use Naviance to record application list and track sending of documents |
| October |
| * Retake ACT/SAT |
| * Recheck college visit schedule on Naviance and see college reps who visit SFHS |
| * Maintain strong grades for first semester of senior year |
| * Continue campus visits |
| *Attend local college fairs |
| * Send in applications for priority deadlines, early decision, early admission, etc. |
| * Request ACT/SAT to send official test scores to all colleges |
| November |
| * Apply by Nov. 1 for Early Action, Early Notification, or Early Decision |
| *Apply by Nov. 1 to U of I at Champaign, Indiana, & Wisconsin |
| *Apply by Nov. 15 to Purdue, ISU, DePaul, NIU & most nursing/PT programs |
| *Apply by Nov. 30 at the latest to all large public universities |
| * Continue cafeteria visits with reps and campus visits |
| * Begin to research and apply for special scholarships |
| * Continue campus visits as needed |
| December |
| * Apply by Dec. 1 to Marquette, St. Louis, and other similar private colleges |
| * Complete all college applications no later than December 10 |
| * Apply for your FAFSA (free Federal Financial Aid Form) pin number |
| * Send in registration for College Board Profile Financial Aid Form if your college requires it |
| * Prepare well for final exams |
| * Request 7th semester grades be sent to all colleges that require them |
| * Write thank you notes to teachers who wrote letters for you |
| January |
| * Complete FAFSA online by January 15--February 1 |
| * Continue campus visits if necessary |
| February |
| * Return housing contracts, if you have received them |
| * Search scholarships through www.fastweb.com and www.scholarships.com. |
| * Check spring scholarship announcements in weekly Guidance Bulletin |
| * Continue campus visits if necessary |
| March |
| * Discuss final college selection options with parents/counselor |
| * Begin search for summer employment |
| * Register for AP or CLEP tests (college credit by exam) |
| * If applying for financial aid, follow up with the college financial aid office as soon as you receive your SAR (student aid report) |
| April |
| * Finalize enrollment contract/deposit with college you plan to attend no later than May 1 |
| * Notify colleges you are NOT attending of your final choice |
| May |
| * Prepare for final exams |
| * Take AP/CLEP tests |
| * Submit to the Guidance Office a request for final 8th semester transcripts to be sent to the college of your choice and the NCAA Eligibility Center (for student-athletes) |
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COLLEGE SEARCH AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES
COLLEGE SEARCH AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE |
| Begin early. Use the resources available in the school such as: the Guidance page of the St. Francis website, especially the Websites for College Information, Internet college search programs, Naviance Family Connection, & college guide books |
| Create a list of prospective colleges in the “My Colleges” section of the Naviance Family Connection Program. Do a graph or analysis for each school to determine your chances of being accepted to that school. |
| Finalize your application list to 5 to 6 schools. |
| Most students send applications online or download applications from the college website. Some colleges will waive the application fee if you apply online. Many colleges (but not most public universities) accept the Common Application which can be accessed at www.commonapp.org. Obtain address of admission office on college website or through the college profile in the Naviance Family Connection (http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton). You should also contact the college directly to request other necessary information such as view books, financial aid, and scholarship information. |
| If you are using the Common Application, note that this fall we will NOT be utilizing the online submission of recommendations and transcripts. Due to the technology challenges of our transition to STI Information Now for St. Francis grades and transcripts, we will NOT be sending electronic transcripts this year. Students should request teachers and Mrs. Rigney to complete recommendations using the paper format. |
| Complete the application in a timely fashion. Be aware of application deadlines and requirements (i.e. SAT Subject Tests, letters of recommendation, counselor forms, etc). Read every word of the directions before you write anything. |
| Complete the application neatly and correctly . Remember, this application represents you to that college. It is all the college has to evaluate you; make the most of it. Proofread for spelling or typing errors . Make certain you have completed all fields or the online application and/or signed the application in all required places (failure to do so will result in your application being returned to you). |
| If you need to make a personal statement on the application or include an essay, complete a rough draft and have it evaluated by a counselor or English teacher first. Never write a sentence or paragraph directly on the application without first doing a rough draft on scratch paper and carefully proofreading it. Always get feedback from adults on your essay. |
| If you did not automatically send your ACT/SAT test scores to the college when you registered for the test, go online to the website for ACT/College Board, and complete an online request for them to send an official copy of your scores directly to the college. For your convenience, we automatically include a copy of all of your ACT and SAT scores on your transcript. Some colleges will accept this record in lieu of an official report from ACT or SAT. If you do not want your score to be listed on your transcript, contact Mrs. Rigney as soon as you receive your scores and we will not place the score sticker on your transcript. If you decide later to have a score removed from your transcript, you must ask Mrs. Rigney to do this. |
| If you need a teacher recommendation , ask the teacher if he/she is comfortable writing a recommendation for you to a particular college. If the teacher says yes, give the teacher a completed "recommendation request form" which is available on the school website. This will provide the teacher with the information needed to complete your letter of recommendation. Make your request at least 21 school days (three weeks) in advance of when it needs to be mailed. Do not ask more than two faculty members to write letters of recommendation for you unless it is absolutely required by the college . Most colleges do not want to receive more than two letters. Also, if you are applying to several colleges, have one or two teachers complete all of your letters. Do NOT ask three or more teachers to complete multiple letters. |
| If you only need one letter, we strongly recommend that you request a letter from the College Counselor, Mrs. Rigney. Mrs. Rigney will contact the teachers that you believe will speak positively about you. They will provide input for her letter and she will provide a comprehensive letter that discusses your academics, activities, and personal qualities. Make this request to Mrs. Rigney at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance of when it needs to be mailed. |
When applying online (preferred method), remember that sending the application electronically does not complete your application process. You must do the following:
|
| Please process all application and transcript requests through Mrs. Rigney, not the Main Office, so she can record and track your paperwork. |
| Add colleges to which you have applied to your application list on the Naviance Family Connection site. |
| When you are accepted or denied at a college, update the results in Naviance by clicking “edit” under the actions tab in your application list. Then go to “results” and click on accepted, denied, waitlisted, etc. |
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