Westborough High School Class of 2014

1. Westborough High SchoolClass of 2014 Presented by the School Counseling Department

2. Objectives • Review statistics for the class of 2013 • Review college application basics • Outline the WHS college application procedures • Things to know about the electronic submission process • Distribute and review pertinent college information CN

3. Success of 2013 WHS Students • 95.7% Enrolled in Colleges • Average applications per student: 6.2 CN

4. Success of 2013 WHS Students (Received Special Education Services) • 81% Enrolled in College CN

5. Top Colleges Enrolled By Class of 2013- Private CN Northeastern University Bryant Clark Elon University Emerson Boston University Boston College Johnson & Wales Merrimack College Syracuse University Wentworth Institute of technology

6. Top Colleges Enrolled by Class of 2013 -Public 1. University of Massachusetts, Amherst 2. Quinsigamond Community College 3. Worcester State University 4. University of New Hampshire 5. Pennsylvania State University 6. University of Connecticut 7. University of Rhode Island 8. University of Massachusetts, Lowell 9. University of Tampa CN

7. Trends in College Admissions • The Big Picture: “Holistic” Admissions • Admitted, But Not For the Fall • The Economy • Social Media DG

8. College Application Basics • WHS Transcript – academic profile • SAT/ACT • Application Deadlines – Early Action, Early Decision, Regular, Rolling & Restrictive Early Action DG

9. College Application Basics (cntd.) • Recommendations • Financial Aid & Scholarships DG

10. WHS College Application Procedures • Know your deadlines and begin the process of submitting materials 4 weeks ahead of college deadlines to teachers and School Counselors Know your School Counseling Secretary… Mrs. Kenefick Ms. Jasmin, Mrs. Neithercut, Mrs. Goodliffe Mrs. Morse Ms. Vavruska Mrs. Caira, Mrs. Hildreth DG

11. Naviancewww.connection.naviance.com/westborough • Web-based resource for career & college planning • Organizational & communication tool for counselors and students • Resource to compare scores & GPA by colleges • Career and personality assessments • Scholarship information • College Representative list and sign-up KC

12. Things to know about Electronic Submission • Types of application (Common Application, online college applications, paper) • Non-Standard applications ( VIP, Priority, Candidate’s Choice) • The School Counseling Office sends: transcript, school profile, counselor recommendation, secondary school report, mid year and final grades and all uploaded teacher recommendations • Lag time! Electronic submission does not mean that your file is automatically uploaded or matched KC

13. FERPA • Complete the FERPA waiver on CA & Naviance • FERPA: • The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was enacted by Congress in order to protect the privacy of students and their parents. FERPA is designed to ensure that students and parents of students may obtain access to the students educational records and challenge the content or release of such records to third parties • Please refer to the Green handout for important steps in waiving your rights to read recommendation letters • Students MUST complete Steps 1 & 2! • Please note that if you DO NOT waive your rights, the school cannot send your transcripts! KC

14. Requesting Counselor Recommendations • Students must submit their request for a counselor recommendation 4 weeks prior to their first college deadline • Step 1: Complete the Counselor Recommendation Request Form in Document Library on Naviance and print out • Step 2: Submit to your School Counseling Secretary the following documents: 1)Completed Counselor Recommendation Request Form, 2) Draft of your college essay, 3) Final copy of your activity resume, 4) $5transcript processing fee • Counselor recommendations will be written only upon receipt of these required documents/fees KC

15. Counselor Recommendation Request Timeline Application Due Date Submit Required Materials to School Counseling Office October 15 or earlier September 23 November 1 October 1 November 15 October 15 December 1 November 1 December 15 November 15 January 1 December 2 January 15 December 16 February 1 January 3 February 15 January 15 KC

16. Teacher Recommendations • Students should ask 2 teachers to write a recommendation • Ask teachers if they will submit their recommendation through Naviance or via mail • Provide teachers with the documents that they require to complete recommendation • i.e.: copy of activity resume, unofficial transcript, “Teacher Recommendation” form in Senior Documents in Naviance • Log into Naviance and follow instructions on Orange handout (see senior folder) which will allow you to make an official request for teacher recommendations NH

17. Teacher Recommendations(cntd.) • Provide stamped envelopes addressed to college(s) for teachers not sending through Naviance OR • If a STAMP icon appears on your Naviance list of college applications NH

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19. Transcript Requests • Refer to the Purple handout in your folder for step-by-step instructions for requesting transcripts • All transcripts will be sent electronically to colleges that have the capability to receive electronic documents • All transcript requests must be made through your Naviance account only after you have submitted your application to colleges AJ

20. Application Tracking Students must record all application activity through Naviance • Colleges applying to • Application Type (RD, ED, EA, Rolling) • Rolling Admissions • Be sure to inform your counselor of the deadline you have set for yourself • Application decisions AJ

21. School Counseling Resources • Senior Folder (you received this tonight) • Naviance • Common Application • SAT/ACT/TOEFL registration booklets • Class of 2013 Acceptances • WHS School Profile • After school college application support on designated Wednesdays’ in the Ranger College & Career Center • Will begin on Wednesday, September 25th from 2:00-2:45 • Naviance email to follow with additional dates AJ

22. Financial Aid Resources • www.mefa.org • www.fafsa.ed.gov • FAFSA4Caster • www.collegeboard.org • CSS Profile • College Board Calculators • Expected Family Contribution • Net Price • Compare Aid • www.collegevalue.info • Planning tool in regards to comparing colleges TV

23. Scholarship Resources • Local, state, and national scholarships are updated daily in Naviance • Under Colleges Tab~ScholarshipList • WHS scholarships • Application available April 1st (one application completed & students are considered for all scholarships) • Scholarships distributed during graduation • Websites include: • www.fastweb.com • www.princetonreview.com • www.collegeboard.org TV

24. What’s Next? Senior Conference Appointment Will begin September 23, 2013 *Please know that each students individualized Senior Conference Appointment Form will be uploaded to the ‘Journal’ section under ‘About Me’ in Naviance TV

25. Save the Date! Financing Your College Education A presentation by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority Tuesday, October 29, 2013 7pm WHS Auditorium TV