The College Application Process at Athena

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The College Application Process at Athena

• Presented By
• Milli Lake and Teresa Wynn
• September 26, 2007

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WELCOME PARENTS!

• The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
  The secret of getting started is breaking your
  complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable
  tasks, and then starting on the first one.
• Mark Twain

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Getting Ready for College and Beyond

• What Colleges Consider When Evaluating an
  Applicant
  
• What to Consider when Evaluating a College
• Campus Visits
• Types of Admissions
• Application Process
• Financial Aid

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What Colleges Consider When Evaluating an
Applicant

• High School Coursework
• Standardized Test Scores (SAT and ACT)
• Extracurricular Activities, Community Service,
  Work
  
• Special Talents
• Letters of Recommendation
• Essay

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What to Consider when Evaluating a College

• Majors and Academic Programs
• Size
• Location
• Public or Private
• 4 year, 2 year, 22 program, technical or trade
  school
  
• Competitiveness
• Cost
• Housing
• Campus Facilities

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More Things to Consider!

• Extracurricular Activities
• Athletic Programs
• Financial Aid
• Student Services
• Religious Colleges
• Faculty (student/teacher ratio, reputation, and
  degrees held)
  
• REMEMBERTarget, Safety, Reach

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Weighing the factors

• What are your three most important factors when
  evaluating colleges for your son or daughter?
  
• What factors are most important to your son or
  daughter?
  
• Are they the same?
• If not, now is a great time to discuss the
  differences.

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ROAD TRIP! Campus Visits

• Contact Admissions
• Request an Interviewprepare questions and review
  the college catalog. Bring a resume and your
  transcript.
  
• Stay the Night
• Tour the Whole Campusdorms, library, classrooms,
  Student Union
  
• Attend a Class
• Eat the Food
• Talk to Students

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Types of Admissions

• Regular Deadline Non-Binding
• .
• Rolling Non-Binding Qualified students are
  accepted until programs are full
  
• Early Decision Binding Commitment to enroll if
  accepted
  
• Early Action Early deadline, early notification
  no commitment to enroll

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The Application Process

• Get Applications (Paper or On-line)
• Read Directions Thoroughly!
• Fill out COMPLETELY!
• ? Be aware of Part II or supplemental forms
• ? Should test scores be sent by the testing
  center?
  
• ? Are there special forms for letters of
  recommendation?
  
• ? Personal Essay
• Ask for Letters of Recommendation

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The Application Process

• Students go to the Career Center to give
  COMPLETED applications to Mrs. Cappella
  
• Mrs. Cappella reviews a checklist with student,
  and then creates a packet that goes to counselor
  
• Counselor completes counselor sections and
  returns to Mrs. Cappella
  
• Application is mailed with attachments and school
  profile
  
• Mrs. Cappella keeps a log of when applications
  are mailed
  

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Be Aware of Deadlines!

• Submit applications AT LEAST 10 SCHOOL DAYS
  before the application deadline
  
• Inform Mrs. Cappella of deadlines
• Applications due in early January MUST be given
  to Mrs. Cappella by November 20th
  

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Paper Applications

• When submitting a paper application to Mrs.
  Cappella, student needs
  
• Transcript Release Form
• Application signed
• 1 fee for postage
• Application fee (check)
• Activity Sheet or Resume and/or Brag Sheet to
  assist counselor in writing the recommendation)
  
• Essay or Personal Statement if required

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On-line Applications

• Students must provide Mrs. Cappella with
• 1 fee for postage
• Transcript Release Form
• Athenas On-line Form (and On-line Transmittal
  Form for SUNY)
  
• Activity Sheet or Resume and/or Brag Sheet to
  assist counselor in writing the recommendation)

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Keep Copies

• Students should make copies of completed
  applications for their records
  
• Athena will keep copies of letters of
  recommendation, activity sheets, and brag sheets
  on file

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The Common Applicationwww.commonapp.org

• Over 300 selective colleges and universities
• Time saver
• School report, mid-year report, and teacher
  evaluation reports
  
• Supplemental forms

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State University of New York-SUNY www.suny.edu

• SUNY encourages on-line applications
• 40 application fee per campus
• Can apply up to 6 campuses on one SUNY
  application
  
• Some campuses have supplemental forms
• (often called Part 2)
• Some SUNY campuses use their own applications,
  e.g., Monroe Community College
  

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Financial Aid

• Financial aid office /admissions office
• Types of Financial Aid
• How and when to apply
• Pay close attention to separate mailings from
  college financial aid offices

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Financial Aid

• FAFSA www.fafsa.ed.gov
• CSS Profile www.collegeboard.com
• TAP NY colleges www.hesc.com
• NCAA www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
• College Generated Financial Forms

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Save the Dates

• Planning for the Future-choice of workshops about
  career and college planning including financial
  aid information-Thursday, November 8, 2007 at
  Olympia High School, 630-845 p.m.
• Financial Aid Night-Monday, December 10, 2007 at
  Athena High School, 700 p.m.

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Helpful Online Resources

• College information, testing, financial aid,
  scholarships, student-athletes at the Athena
  Counseling website
  
• http//www.greece.k12.ny.us/ath/Counseling1/
  
  
• New address for Athena List Serve
• Athena.Parents_at_greece.k12.ny.us

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Important Details

• CEEB code 334801
• Thank individuals who write letters of
  recommendation
  
• Quarter 1 and/or semester one grades may be
  requested by the college
  
• Admission is based upon successful completion of
  senior year!

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Have a successful school year!

• Contact us with your questions.
• Please fill out the feedback form before you
  leave.
  
• Thank you for coming tonight.