Senior Update

Class of 2016, many of you will be getting your decisions in the upcoming weeks if you haven’t already. Congratulations on acceptances thus far! Please continue to keep your counselor updated.

DO NOW: Call, email or check your application status online of all the schools to which you are applying. Please let your counselor know if there are pieces missing. 1st quarter grades or 1st semester grades: Please see your counselor.

- Remember that if you receive a deferral, your midyear grades will be sent to the college that has offered the deferral option. It's a great opportunity to remind them why you'd be a great candidate.

- If you were denied admission, remember you can always consider reapplying after spending a year at another institution.

- Update Naviance status of applications.

A reminder about your competition:

- Personal statements make a difference. As we have said, this is your chance to let your characeter come to the forefront. This is the time to communicate your personality and special characteristics that makes you uniquely you. Many of you were able to do a great job at this; others decided that it was not important. It matters, so be authentic! Average statistics can come alive with a well written personal statement.

- For the most part, admission committees feel just as overwhelmed as you. They have the pressure of sometimes denying students they LOVE, who they think will be great students.

The moral of the story… 

Maintain your focus! You only have a few weeks left of classes before the end of the first semester.

Maintain perspective. If you were not admitted to a school of your choice, remember you have other options that you love.

What's next?

FAFSA: request your FAFSA ID immediately at fafsa.ed.gov. Always complete even it you believe your family does not qualify.

Scholarship monies are going unclaimed. Check the Scholarship page in Naviance as it is maintained and updated regularly. If you have questions, please see your counselor or Ms. Morissette who monitors the scholarships sent to us. For those of you applying for regular decision deadlines, most colleges will notify you in April.

Schools who review applications on a ROLLING basis tend to notify 2-8 weeks after your application is completed.

Regardless of when you receive a decision from the college, you do NOT have to make a final decision until MAY 1, 2016.

Your College Counseling Team

Happy New Year from the Guidance and College Counseling Team!

From Your Guidance and College Counseling Team

2016 W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute at Princeton University. June 25 - July 20th, 2016. Four to Five weeks of rigorous instruction in university-level courses taught by university professors. Students entering 9th, 10th and 11th grades are welcome to apply. Applications are due Friday, February 19, 2016.

More information? Visit www.duboisscholars.org

The Elizabeth Ann Seton Center for Women's Studies at Seton Hall University is sponsoring its 20th annual high school essay contest. Open to all high school students. Applications details can be found with Mrs. Morissette. The deadline is January 18, 2016.

Topic: Write about a female role model, someone who has inspired and influences them. 500 - 750 words.

Class of 2016, Happy (almost) New Year = Time for FAFSA!

The holidays are here! The first of the month is approaching which can mean a few things, a new year to celebrate, making (and breaking) those New Year’s Resolutions, and FAFSA time!

The 2015-2016 FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, becomes available on January 1^st, 2016. All seniors should be in the process of exploring, reviewing and completing his FAFSA. In order to begin your application in the New Year you must have a FSA ID - which you must apply for. You can apply today for this ID(which we recommend as it can take up to 2 week to receive your ID).

Each student and his parent need a ID. Apply for an ID at https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm. Deadlines to complete the FAFAS vary by state, for New Jersey the deadline is June. However the sooner you complete the FAFSA, the sooner you can receive your maximum financial aid package from each college you have been accepted to.  

There are many helpful resources to support the student and his family through this process – two of my favorites being http://studentaid.ed.gov/ and http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm. Be sure when filing your FAFSA to use the .gov website and not an imposture!

Happy Holidays and Happy Filings!

Mrs. Sarah Morissette, M. Ed.

Junior Spotlight

Juniors, Your time is coming up as well - so let's take the spotlight off of the seniors for a moment and checkout the to-do list below. Are you on track?

December College Checklist for the class of 2017

By JEFFREY NEILL

With Thanksgiving behind us and our next vacation just weeks away, it is easy to let the college process slip our minds temporarily. However, there is plenty that can be done now, particularly planning. Taking advantage of these winter months can make an enormous difference come summer and next fall.

Be Committed to the Process

The college application process, from research through to submission, takes about 40 hours of work by the student. You do not need to wait until the summer or the fall of your senior year to do much of this work. Just 15 minutes per day — a study break, really — will have you through 40 hours by the middle of August, happy and satisfied with the knowledge that you are well-situated for the senior fall. Be diligent and committed, and the process will take care of itself.

Communicate With Your Parents

This is your process, but you should make sure that your parents are informed and contributing to your college search. Take time to talk with your parents about the ways in which you want to involve them. Have this conversation early and often, even weekly.

Set up a schedule for visits, even though you may not yet have a list. Follow up with your parents after meetings with your college or guidance counselor. Work to understand your family’s financial situation. Explore costs as well as financial aid and loans. These all are essential conversations; now is the time to set up a plan for how you will communicate.

Plan Your Summer Now

December is the ideal time to make plans for the summer so that you don’t scramble at the last minute to pull something together. Have you considered an academic program to pursue advanced work in a field of interest, to bolster or supplement shaky areas of your transcript, or to explore new disciplines not available during the regular academic year?

What about a job? Can you make and save money for college? Have you considered an internship? Community service or volunteer work? Travel? Are there sports or arts camps that would assist in your plans? Discuss with your parents and college or guidance counselor a plan for the summer. Be deliberate and intentional in your planning, and reserve some down time, too.

Research, Research, Research

Begin to construct that college list. There is no substitute for visiting a college for a tour and interview or information session, but there is much to be said about getting online and exploring. Individual college Web sites can be enormously helpful in providing a sense of what your experience could be. What courses could you take? What courses must you take? How difficult is it to double-major or to switch majors? If you are undecided on a major, how might the college’s curriculum assist you in selecting one? What drives social life? How many students live on campus? What are the application requirements? Are SAT Subject Tests required? Keep note of these items that you deem to be important. The more of this information you can obtain and process, the more informed your search will be. 

Make a Standardized Testing and Test Prep Plan

Many juniors will receive PSAT results shortly. Take time to review them (and/or any other results that you have, including actual SAT and ACT results or any state exams) and put together a plan for future tests.

You should also carefully consider if and how you will go about preparing for those tests. Results from previous tests should figure prominently into any plan. To prepare, some students will opt to take courses or to work with tutors. You may also self-study by using free resources from the College Board or ACT Web sites. Regardless, now is the time to plan.

Be Genuine and Explore

This time of year, you will hear much about “what colleges want to see.” Of course, the danger here is in pursuing any end exclusively because colleges want to see it.

Be genuine. If you are going to commit your time to anything, be sure that you are doing so because it is of significance to you. Ultimately, this is what colleges want to see, and they are exceptionally talented at sniffing out students who do things exclusively because they are trying to impress.

Keep in mind that we are all lumps of clay, still being formed. Remain committed to those things that are important to you, exploring positions and experiences of leadership, but do not close the door on new opportunities that might help you learn more about that unknowable enigma: you.