The Guidance Office recently went into senior English classes and discussed the college/career planning process with the students. Starting on September 15th, every senior will be meeting individually with their Guidance Counselor. This 20 minute meeting will give an opportunity to discuss where the student is at in the planning process for military, college applications and/or work opportunities. Below is an information sheet that was discussed with students prior to this meeting. A letter home summarizing the individual meeting with your student will be mailed.
INFORMATION ON
HOW TO APPLY TO COLLEGES
Picking a School
Decide
what you’re looking for in a school. Think about academic programs, size,
location, admission requirements, cost, athletics, activities etc. Consider using www.collegeboard.org or www.princetonreview.com to help find
schools that are a good fit.
Visit
as many schools as possible and meet with school reps that come to FHS. There are dozens of colleges and universities
that visit Fairview. Everyone should meet
with four or five college reps to get an idea of what other schools offer.
Go
to a local college fair. Mercyhurst University (Tues, Sept 16) has over
80 colleges and universities attending, and McDowell and Harbor Creek also have
fairs. Check guidance for those dates.
Applying to a School
Be VERY aware of application deadlines. Create a time-line for all the schools
you’re applying to and check it frequently.
Visiting the schools, being sponsored
by an alumni, or meeting with the college rep at FHS or a college fair may
allow you to get your application fee waived. Come right out and ask if there’s a way to
have your application fee waived. Applying to multiple colleges and universities
can be very expensive, and it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Students who are on free/reduced lunch
may have their SAT/ACT exam and application fees waived. Please see guidance if this applies to
you.
If you take the SAT or ACT after you
send in your applications, make sure you have your scores sent to your schools
of choice directly from the testing agency.
You can send it to four schools for free. Don’t forget to include our school code of
391-365.
Know what type of admission each
school has and plan accordingly:
Regular- apply by a given date (usually early
January): you are notified in the spring. All applications are read at the same
time.
Rolling- apply any time; you are notified in
a few weeks after applying. If
your schools are on rolling admissions, please still apply by Thanksgiving
break.
Early
action- apply
to the school in early fall; you are notified early (usually before Christmas)
and then given the opportunity to decide.
This is non-binding.
Early
decision- apply
early: you are notified early. This is
binding and you MUST accept the offer. Only those students who are positive they want to attend a specific
school should apply early decision. Guidance rarely recommends this choice.
Open- all applicants who have a high
school diploma or GED will be accepted.
The Procedure
Create a resume of activities. Make it
as detailed as possible so your teachers/counselor know more about the
activities you list. “Attended PFEW” tells
the people writing the recommendation very little. Be as specific about your activities as
possible. If you know what you want to major in, try and design a resume to
showcase your experiences and classes in that area.
Use the provided Letter of Recommendation Form to give to your teachers. Make sure they know whether the letter will
be given to you, uploaded electronically via Common Application/Send EDU or
sent to guidance. Teachers need at least
two weeks to complete their letters.
If you apply online there should be a
page to print and give to guidance so your transcripts can be sent to the
school to which you are applying. If there
is no form, complete the half page green sheet that is available in guidance so
we know where to send your transcripts.
If you apply using The Common Application
or Send EDU you do not have to request transcripts. You will have to “invite” your teachers and
counselor to write a letter and complete a reference form. Teacher/counselor email address are first
initial, last name @fairview.iu5.org
EX: ecrawford@fairview.iu5.org and lgeorge@fairview.iu5.org.
If letters of recommendation are given
to you directly, make sure guidance gets a copy. We will keep it in your file for future use. Since guidance is usually required to write a
letter of recommendation make sure we get your resume and Letter of Recommendation Form.
Paying for School
Check the High School link on the Fairview School District
Your best bets are the local
scholarships on the website. Some scholarships begin accepting applications in
October while others don’t begin accepting applications until March or
April. Look at the website now to get an
idea of what will be available and when the applications are due.
Other Reminders
Double check your Twitter/Facebook. Many
stories are surfacing about students who are denied admission to universities
because of inappropriate pictures or comments on social media.
