COLLEGE NIGHT 2014

1. COLLEGE NIGHT 2014 Natalie Putney Jodi Brodbeck-Fletcher Jeanne Sarff

2. College Application Process • Most colleges have an online application. • Make sure to have appropriate info when sitting down to complete the application. (i.e. GPA, class rank, ACT scores) • Be prepared to do an essay or two. (DO NOT LET THIS PART SCARE YOU!) • May need letters of recommendation. (DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE TO ASK FOR THEM) • Let Ms. Putney know when the application is completed so she can send your transcript (and possibly secondary school report, depending on the school). (see school report handout)

3. College Timeline(see senior year timeline handout) • Most college application deadlines are between January 1st and February 1st . • Some colleges have rolling admissions which means they will accept applications until May 1st. • Apply early, especially if going into the health care field or another popular career field.

4. College Timeline Cont. • Complete your FAFSA as close to January 1st as possible – means possibility of more money. • February – March: Acceptance letters and financial award letters start to arrive. • By April: Make sure tuition deposit is in and complete any other paperwork the college has requested. • May: Let Ms. Putney know where you are attending so she can send final transcript.

5. Early Decision • Usually a deadline between Nov. 1st and Nov. 15th . • Make sure to read the rules for that college of what early decision means for them. • At most schools, early decision means that you are agreeing to apply nowhere else and that you will go there if they accept you. • You are allowed to apply elsewhere if you do not get accepted, but not until they have sent you a letter stating that you are not accepted.

6. College Decision Process • Choosing a college is difficult. See the following two attachments for help: • College Counseling Resume • College Comparison Worksheet • How Much Will College Cost?

7. Procedure for Taking a College Day • Seniors receive 2 college days. • Make sure to use them wisely (one to visit, one for meeting with advisor and registering for classes). • Need to see Ms. Putney a week in advance of taking the college visit so she can give you a form to fill out that needs to be returned to the office.

8. Placement Testing • Colleges require a placement test to place a student in the appropriate math and English classes. • MCHS offers the ICC placement test. • Students should take the fall one so that if they need to retake it, they have time • Students must sign up ahead of time. • If a student is attending ICC, they need to sign up here for the placement test. You are not granted a college day to take the ICC placement test at ICC. It will count as a day towards taking finals. • Need to bring Social Security number.

9. Scholarships • Every year, multiple scholarships go unclaimed because students do not want to write an essay. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN! • Free money, take advantage of it. • Most scholarships are available after Christmas, but there are a few available before. • Check the website often to see what scholarships are available. • Scholarship Page

10. Re-taking the ACT • Depending upon the school you want to go to, your ACT score can help you get huge scholarships, or it could prevent you from getting in at all. • If you would like to retake the ACT to see if you can improve your score, visit www.actstudent.org.

11. Practicing for the ACT • Most of your teachers recommend using actstudent.org to help you prepare for the ACT. It has loads of practice tests. • Your teachers also have practice booklets that you can check out.

12. Practicing for the ACT • SparkNotes is extremely detailed when it comes to going step-by-step through sample questions, eliminating choices, and explaining why the "best" choice is, indeed, the best choice.  • http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/act/

13. Practicing for the ACT • Kaplan is a well-known test-prep and tutoring company.  Their website has a practice test, timed, that then gives you your results and explanations for the correct answers.  • http://www.kaptest.com/College/ACT/About-the-ACT/act-at-a-glance.html

14. Practicing for the ACT • McGraw-Hill is both a textbook publisher and a test producer.  Their site has practice tests as well as videos of actual ACT prep instructors.  • http://www.mhpracticeplus.com/act.php

15. Getting Started on your student’s FAFSA • When you sit down to fill out the FAFSA you will need the following items: • Social Security numbers (parents & student) • W-2’s for 2014 • Tax returns from last year • Current bank statements • Email addresses

16. Why is the FAFSA so important? • Depending on your income, your student may qualify for grants from the state and the federal government that do not have to be repaid. • Also, the types of loans that you and your student are eligible for are determined by your FAFSA. • You must complete the FAFSA even if you don’t think your student will qualify for aid.

17. Next Steps: • Go to www.pin.gov and register for PIN numbers for both the student and the parent completing the application. • Keep the PIN numbers in a safe place; you will use the same PIN number each year that you complete a FAFSA. • Now you are ready to start the actual application!

18. Filling out the FAFSA • Navigate to www.fafsa.ed.gov and start a new application for the 2015-2016 school year. • Fill out all of the background information. You can complete everything but the financial information before you get your W-2’s. After you have those, you can fill in the information and complete the application.

19. Other tips: • The sooner you complete the FAFSA, the better! The MAP grants from the State of Illinois are awarded on a first come, first served basis and they cut off completely after March 1st. • You will receive a Student Aid Report by email that explains what aid that your student might be eligible for and what your expected family contribution would be.

20. Finally: • Watch for letters or information from your College or University regarding financial aid. • If you have questions, you can contact the college financial aid office directly for help.

21. Student Loan Types (see handout Types of Financial Aid) Pell Grant – federally funded and never has to be repaid *Based on financial need. *Fill out FAFSA early while more money is available.

22. Student Loan Types Stafford Loans – based on student dependency on parents and his/her year in school *Subsidized – Government pays interest while student is still in school. *Unsubsidized – Interest is accrued while the student is in school. *Guaranteed one low interest rate over the life of the loan. *Allowed to defer until 6 months after graduation.

23. Student Loan Types Perkins Loan – help students with extreme financial need *Interest is paid by the government until student graduates. *Payments are deferred until 9 months after graduation. *Maximum 10 year repayment plan with payments of at least $40 a month. *After 10 years can be eligible for “forgiveness” if working a certain type of job.

24. Student Loan Types PLUS Loan – allows a student to finish covering out-of-pocket costs that financial aid did not cover *No borrowing limit. *Usually have higher interest rates. *Repayment begins while student is still in school. *Interest rate can fluctuate throughout the life of the loan.

25. Student Loan Types • Most are based on FAFSA information. • Make sure to check the specific loan to know the repayment options and interest rates. • Try to get as many scholarships and grants as possible that you do not have to repay.

26. Questions?