Planning for College In this session we will look at Goals of the Senior Success Initiative Staying on track with FOCUS Florida SHINES Earning College Credit SAT & ACT Scholarships Community Service
NDHS Senior Success Initiative Course ensures that: 100% of seniors graduate 100% of seniors take the SAT and/or ACT 100% of seniors apply to a minimum number of colleges of their choice 100% of seniors apply for a minimum number of scholarships (does not include Bright Futures)
NDHS Senior Success Initiative cont d 100% of students complete the FAFSA application for scholarship purposes 100% of seniors will write an autobiographical essay Utilize weekly lab time to apply to colleges and complete applications Use planner to track scholarship and college admissions deadlines
FOCUS & Florida Shines Parents can help students stay on track through the use of: FOCUS Florida Shines Please see the handout for sign-on instruction for FOCUS. **We will hold a workshop on December 13, 2016 from 4:30-6:00pm in media center.
FOCUS
Accessing FOCUS Parent Portal You will need: 1. Child s Social Security Number 2. Child s Student ID Number 3. Have a valid email address Log on to: https://osceola.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/auth/ Click on first link to set up your account (please see handout)
Florida SHINES www.floridashines.org
Florida Shines To access Florida SHINES at: https://www.floridashines.org Username/password: Student ID # preceded by 490 Example: 4900123456 OR Social Security number + X 123001234X
Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements
Bright Futures Scholarships
Bright Futures Scholarships
Bright Futures Scholarships GPA ACT / SAT Specific Course Requirements Free and Reduced Lunch Application FFAA Now Open for the 2017-2018 School Year http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org FAFSA (2016 Income Tax Information) Now Open Volunteer Hours by May 1, 2017 (Go to NDHS website >HOME>community service >voluntary community service hours form or ask front office staff)
Bright Futures Scholarships Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/ua/sa wstua_uaform.asp Academic Scholarship SAT -1290 / ACT 29 100 Community Service Hrs. Gold Seal Scholarship SAT R-440/M-440 ACT E-17/R-19/M-19 PERT R-106/W-103/M-114 30 Community Service Hrs. Merit Scholarship SAT -1170 / ACT 26 75 Community Service Hrs.
Harvest Basket Raffle Get your winning ticket out at this time... Drum Roll Please!!!
Earning College Credit Students earn college credit prior to attending college by: Taking & passing National test for AP Courses Doing Dual Enrollment at NDHS Biological Sciences (34 Students) Freshman Comp 1 Doing Dual Enrollment at Valencia (40 students) Courses (See hand out for AA degree) AS degree: http://catalog.valenciacollege.edu/degr ees/associateinscience/
AP Courses This semester we offer: AP Literature AP Spanish Language AP European History AP English Composition AP Environmental Science Students must achieve a 3+ on the National Exam to receive college credit.
Dual Enrollment Dual Enrollment courses at NDHS: DE Freshman Comp DE Biological Sciences Dual Enrollment courses at Valencia College: See AA Degree Handout for list See AS Degree requirements: http://catalog.valenciacollege.edu/degrees/associate inscience/
Dual Enrollment All students MUST: 1. Complete DE Application 2. Take and pass the PERT tests 3. Create Account with VC 4. Meet with Dr. Grimm to help choose courses 5. Get approval for VC courses 6. Meet with Mrs. Sosa for DE contract and books
The Tests SAT: The Scholastic Assessment Test Test of verbal and mathematical ability. Two testing vouchers are available at no cost to Juniors and Seniors who receive free or reduced lunch. ACT: American College Testing Assess abilities in areas like math and reading comprehension. Two testing vouchers are available at no cost to Juniors and Seniors who receive free or reduced lunch. Other tests PERT: Postsecondary Education Readiness Test. Taken by students who want to do Dual Enrollment with Valencia College. Can also be used as a Gold Seal test qualifier. ASVAB: Armed Service Vocational Battery. Used by recruiters to asses your qualifications and job aptitude.
How Can You Prepare? Practice, practice, practice! http://www.floridastudents.org/ http://www.test-guide.com/act-test https://www.khanacademy.org/sat Work on your vocabulary Establish a regular study period after school Get lots of rest and eat a good meal before taking any test Remember, you can take a test as many times as you have to -- if you don't do well the first time, take it again (Most colleges will accept highest scores Super Scoring) Most important -- believe in yourself!
Planning and Organization Entrance requirements differ for every college Pay close attention to the application forms to make sure you provide everything they need Jot down each college s admission deadlines on a calendar or in a date book -- and consult it often
State University System Standard Admission Requirements** Coursework 4 English 4 Math (Algebra 1 or higher) 3 Social Science 3 Natural Science (2 with lab experience) 2 same World Language 2 Electives Test Minimums Critical Reading SAT 460 or ACT 19 Mathematics ACT 19 or SAT 460 English with Writing Combined ACT Plus Writing 18 or SAT 440 Minimum HS GPA 2.5 **Universities may establish higher admission standards than those listed above.
College Opportunities The Florida College System has an open-door admissions policy Standard high school diploma or GED No minimum grade point averages No college placement test scores required for admission. Florida s 28 colleges Open to everyone Offer associate and bachelor s degree programs Guarantees transfer to one of Florida s 12 state universities or a Florida college offering fouryear programs. www.floridacollegesystem.com
The Pieces of an Application The Application Form Transcripts
The Pieces of an Application SAT/ACT Test Scores Recommendations
The Pieces of an Application The Essay The Interview
Submitting and Getting a Reply Print and keep a copy of all applications While you wait, keep working hard at school Keep the college updated on any new events If you are accepted by your first-choice school GREAT! If you get accepted to more than one college be sure to follow up with the ones you aren t attending If you aren t accepted by any, find out why and fix it! Common Application - https://appsupport.commonapp.org
Deadlines College Application Deadline (Recommended) November 30, 2016 Bright Futures Application (FFAA) Now Open August 31, 2017 Financial Aid Application Opens (FAFSA) October 1, 2016 Graduation Thursday, May 25, 2017
Scholarships
Scholarships
Five Types of Scholarships Need-based Scholarships: Based on the financial need of the student s family. Require applicants fill out a FAFSA to qualify May include expected family contribution and cost of attendance in their calculation of total need. Merit-based Scholarships Based on demonstration of academic, artistic, or other ability and may include community service involvement and other extracurricular activities. Most commonly give these types of awards for exceptional standardized test scores and academic achievement.
Types of Scholarships Student-specific Scholarships: Must initially qualify based on gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or endless other potential factors. Check out the Unusual Suspects section of ScholarUp at http://www.scholarup.net, for some wild examples of these types of programs. Career-specific Scholarships: Awards given to students pursuing a specific field of study. Nursing students are in high demand, and many schools will give future nurses full scholarships to enter the field, especially if the student intends to work in a high-need community.
Types of Scholarships Local scholarships: Typically available in every community. Check the NDHS Scholarship web page Conduct online research for local organizations and clubs. Generally, local awards are less competitive since only applicants that live in the community are eligible.
Doing Community Service Community service is technically not a requirement for acceptance into college. But, most colleges agree on the importance of volunteering and community service. Do community service in areas of interest!
Community Service The majority of scholarships require some type of community service activities Bright Futures requires 100 hours of community service for the Academic Scholars Award. The amount of community service hours that is considered by most colleges to be average is 300 hours.
Community Service: 9 BEST Places! Hospitals Schools Animal Shelters Nursing Homes Food Banks Places of Worship Libraries Museums Parks or Natural Areas
Questions? Start your college search process up close and personal. Visit with representatives from colleges and universities located across the country. Gather local and federal information regarding grants & scholarships.
Next Parent Night... DECEMBER 13, 2016 5:30 6:00 pm Winter Concert 6:00-7:30PM PARENT NIGHT Financial Aid Gerri McCormick January 10, 2017 6:00 7:30 pm **Ask about our Mentoring Program!