“The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs1:7
Making Appointments to See Mrs. Kindbom
Feel free to email me at any time of the day or night. I always have my computer on while I am here, and the first thing I do each morning is check my email and voice mail!
Hours at WCA
I am here every weekday from 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. If your schedule cannot accommodate my office hours, I will attempt to schedule something at another time that is mutually agreeable for all parties involved.
Student Appointments
Students can drop in to see me anytime during the school day. If he or she is coming to see me during a class, I will expect to see a pass from that teacher. My busiest times of the day are between class periods or during lunch, and I encourage students to visit me then. If a student has a lot of questions or a lot to talk about, I would appreciate scheduling the appointment in advance with me, so that we can find a mutually agreeable time.
Parent Brag Sheet Online
On the Westminster website (“Upper School”; “College and Career Counseling”; “HELP Newsletters”) you will find a document that needs to be completed and returned to me in a timely fashion. The PARENTS’ BRAG SHEET is to be completed by all parents and is your opportunity to let me know everything that is unique and special about your senior. Your senior has completed the ACTIVITIES RESUME during their junior English class, and it is the other important piece that I will utilize throughout the year. Please have your student give me updates on his or her activities as they occur through the year!
Complete this document as accurately and completely as possible, and return it to Mrs. Aaberg or me by September 1st. Try to have this completed and bring it with you to the Senior Parents’ Information Night to be held at WCA on Tuesday, September 1stfrom 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the WCA Theatre! If your student needs a copy of his or her Activities Resume, pleasehave him or her see Mrs. Kindbom. It may be helpful to you in completing college applications efficiently.
Once this document is completed and returned, I will use it, with the Activities Resume, to writing references and recommendations for your senior. I will also use them to become better acquainted with the 185 seniors we have this year. The information I glean will be invaluable in suggesting college choices. I will also use this information throughout the year as scholarship opportunities present themselves to me.
Throughout the year, I will place scholarship information in your senior’s locker if I determine that he or she may be eligible according to the criteria provided.
Tip: To help you complete college applications efficiently, photocopy completed Activity Resumes and Brag Sheets and organize them for easy reference. A copy of your senior’s sixth semester transcript will also be helpful in order to list completed class requirements on some applications.
College Placement Tests: ACT and SAT
Take the SAT and/or ACT as early as possible this semester so that your student can retest if needed. Many seniors will not have to take both the ACT and the SAT; I can help you determine this. Here are the dates for the ACT and SAT for the 2015-16 school year:
ACT
September 12, 2015 – Register by 8/7/15
October 24, 2015 – Register by 9/18/15
December 12, 2015– Register by 11/6/15
February 6, 2016 – Register by 1/8/16
April 9, 2016 – Register by 3/4/16
June 11, 2016 – Register by 5/6/16
Late registration is available for all these test dates for an additional late fee in addition to the registration fee.
SAT
October 3, 2015 – Register by 9/3/15
November 7, 2015 – Register by 10/9/15
December 5, 2015 - Register by 11/5/15
January 23, 2016 – Register by 12/28/15
March 5, 2016 – Register by 2/5/16
May 7, 2016 – Register by 4/8/16
June 4, 2016 – Register by 5/5/16
It is easy to register online at for the ACT test and for the SAT test. There are links to both of these sites on Westminster’s College and Career Counseling web page.
These sites will give you dates, times, testing locations and other pertinent details.
Test registration takes time to read and complete. Do an accurate job when completing it because this information is sent to prospective colleges. An invaluable career assessment must also be completed in order to obtain needed career awareness.
Some very competitive colleges may require SAT Subject Tests for admission. Review the information in your college literature and on the SAT registration site and plan accordingly.
How many times should you take these tests? This is best answered on an individual basis. My best general answer would be to check the ACT or SAT averages of the colleges in which you are interested, and if you are well within the range for admission, then you will be fine with the score you have. However, if you are interested in obtaining academic scholarships, check the score requirements for those scholarships and retake until the scholarship deadline. Of course, grade point averages are considered for scholarships in combination with test scores, so be sure you meet both criteria before applying for these scholarships. In general, our students’ scores typically increase each time they take the ACT or SAT. Familiarity with the format of the test helps greatly, and being able to pace yourself is also important. When in doubt about retaking the ACT or SAT, please see Mrs. Kindbom for more personalized advice.
The Bright Flight Scholarship is a scholarship offered to students who achieve a score of 31 or higher on the ACT test. This scholarship can be used at any Missouri college or university, and is valued at up to $2,500 per year, renewable for up to 5 years. Please see Mrs. Kindbom now if you have already received a 31 or higher on your ACT test. You may retest through June of your senior year to obtain the score of 31, so if you are close, retaking is highly recommended!
Enhancements to ACT Registration
Electronic registration -
Convenient REregistration - reregister by telephone, or on the ACT’s website ( (800-525-6926 - $10 fee for phone registration).
Expanded telephone service - revise registration information prior to reporting scores (319-337-1313).
Standby testing - Students may stand by for testing at test centers if they do not meet the late registration deadline. These students will pay a higher fee and will be admitted only if seats and material are available.
Extended-time testing - Students with documented disabilities who need additional time for testing will have the option of registering to test on national test dates (five hours will be given to complete all four tests). If there is any possibility that your senior should take an untimed or extended time ACT, see Mrs. Erdman or Mrs. Powell soon.
Enhancements to SAT Registration
Electronic registration -
Customer Service - 609-771-7600 or email the College Board at
Waitlist status – There is no standby testing for the SAT test. Waitlist status may be available from the last registration deadline up until five days before test day.
Extended-time testing – Accommodated testing is available to students with documented disabilities who have applied far in advance for accommodations.
College Application Procedures
Applications
WCA procedure for sending in college applications is electronic for the 2015-16school year! We will be sending official transcripts electronically to all colleges and universities that will accept them that way, which is the vast majority. We are doing this through the Naviance college counseling program that your student utilized for the college research paper. When your student applies to a college, he or she needs to let me know, either in person or via email, and I will send the electronic transcript within three business days of their request, often sooner.
WCA will not be sending ACT or SAT scores to the colleges or universities, so it is your responsibility to send scores through the testing agency directly. Most colleges and universities are requesting that official scores come from the testing agency now, so this is why we have revised our policy.
If your student will be using the Common Application to apply to colleges, he or she will need to sign the FERPA agreement on the Common Application website and enter his or her Common Application email in Naviance in order for me to complete the application electronically. Your student will receive an email from me explaining this as well.
Call the admissions office at each college to which your student applies in order to assure that the application is complete and being considered. By submitting your applications in a timely manner and following up with a phone call to the respective admission offices, you will be assured that your applications have been received and are complete for consideration.
Watch your admissions deadlines very closely. You and your senior may want to sit down with a small pocket calendar, used solely for college and scholarship deadlines, and write down each deadline. Make sure both of you are always looking at least two weeks ahead of time, so that you are aware of what deadlines are coming up next.
If you are considering Early Decision or Early Action application, please see me as soon as possible.
Apply early. You and your seniors are doing a great job in this area. Fifteen seniors have already applied to college by this writing in lateJuly.Auburn University recommends that you apply for admission before the end of September to get your preference for their limited available housing, as does University of Missouri - Columbia. Truman State University applications should be in by October to meet scholarship deadlines and to assure admittance. The University of Missouri – Columbia has been starting waiting lists in January for the past ten years due to the number of applications received! They also have a December 1 deadline for scholarship priority. Many large universities base their consideration for scholarships and even housing preference on the date the application is received. Some colleges even waive the application fee if application is received early (usually by November). All these examples are reasons to apply as early as possible to colleges.
Look over completed applications. Help your senior recognize that applications can be a reflection of character and personality. One parent should check over the spelling and grammar of the applications while also noting the above-mentioned deadlines. It should not be a negative experience for a parent to review his or her student’s completed application forms before clicking “submit”!
Transcripts
Transcripts must be sent to colleges directly from our office. They will not be considered official unless this happens. If your student has already sent college applications on his or her own, please let us know to which colleges he or she has made application, so that we may send them the transcript. His or her application will remain incomplete at the Admissions Office of the college until you do so. If your student has applied to a college online, he or she must let Mrs. Kindbom know so that a transcript can follow the application quickly.
Essays
Many colleges require essays, personal statements or autobiographies. They do take time to create. Check with an English teacher or Mrs. Kindbom or Ms. Guerra for any extra assistance. In junior English, a college essay was assigned as part of the requirements in order to guide and encourage students in this process. In my twelve years of college admission experience, I have read thousands of essays; so do not hesitate to ask me to review your senior’s essay if you feel that he or she needs guidance in this area.
Letters of Recommendation
Faculty references and letters of recommendation are often required in the college admission process. These references should be sought ahead of time and in person. Please know that faculty will be writing many of these letters, particularly in the fall, so be prudent by asking teachers who you feel know your senior well far in advance of when the letter isdue. This will allow themadequate time to complete therecommendation accurately.
Naviance Website
Last year, your student utilized the Naviance college counseling website. This website allows me to interface with your student in the college counseling process, so they can check on when transcripts were sent online. Naviance also has a college search program, for those of you still searching for good matches, and interfaces directly with the Common Application as well. The URL for WCA’s Naviance Family Connection is:
Students may also get there by going to WCA’s website, “Upper School”; “College and Career Counseling”; “Resources”. The link to Naviance is there. It might be smart to bookmark that page!
The Common Application is a special form released by the College Board that allows students to apply to over 500 competitive colleges using the same application form. The form is available online at the following address: . Students can create an account here beginning on August 1.
College Planning Activities and Resources
College Fairs
There are several excellent fairs to be held this fall. I urge you to attend any of these listed fairs in which you may be interested with your senior student:
Sunday, September 13, 2015
The West County Private Schools College Fair will be held at CBC High School from 1:15-4:00 p.m. Over 200 colleges will be in attendance, and WCA is a newly-participating school in this well-established and well-attended fair. Please make plans to attend!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
The National Association of College Admission Counselors will hold a national college fair on the campus of Saint Louis University from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Over 200 colleges from all over the U.S. will be in attendance. This will be the largest college fair in St. Louis this fall.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Christian High in O’Fallon, MO will be hosting the 30th Annual Greater St. Louis Christian College Fair from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.!This is one of the largest Christian college fairs in the country, so bring all your friends. You will not want to miss it!This Fair will be at Christian High in O’Fallon for the foreseeable future.
WCA Visits by College Representatives
Visits to WCA by college representatives will be publicized through the morning announcements, on the Naviance website, on the WCA website on the Calendars page and by posters on the bulletin board outside the Academic Hub. Seniors must obtain a pass from Mrs. Aaberg before the visit in order to attend the scheduled meeting. Parents are more than welcome to attend college rep visits as well. Please call me or Ms. Guerra to find out if a college in which your son or daughter is interested will be sending a representative to visit WCA during the school day sometime this fall.
Visiting College Campuses
College visits can be confusing to schedule. Please let me know if you need help. Schedule the visit at least a week in advance. For more personal contact with the colleges, call me for the name of the admissions counselor at that college who works with students from the St. Louis area.
Seniors are allowed two college visit days for attendance purposes. Utilize these visit days wisely. I have a one-page sheet of great questions to ask during a visit to a college campus. Please call me if you would like me to send you a copy of that sheet.
Preliminary Financial Aid and Scholarship Information
PLEASE do not allow costs to be the starting point for choosing or eliminating colleges. Private schools obtain and award financial aid differently than public colleges and universities do. It is possible to obtain aid sufficient to equalize the cost between public and private institutions. I usually encourage students to apply to a combination of both for "safety" reasons.
Be a wise consumer by applying to schools that you can certainly afford in case aid is not sufficient or in case special circumstances arise. Trust the Lord to show you His will in the area of finances.
“Scholarship Scams”
Students and parents are often in desperate need of financial help to pay for college, making them likely targets for fraud. "Every year thousands of families fall prey to fraudulent scholarship and loan opportunities," says Mark Kantrowitz, maintainer of the financial aid page on the World Wide Web. "If you are required to pay money to get money, the chances are good that it's a scam."
Scholarship sponsors do not hand out awards simply for breathing; there is usually a catch. "Very few students receive money as a result of using a scholarship search service," notes Kantrowitz. "Less than one percent of the financial aid awarded each year comes from the privatesector." He adds: "Don't believe claims that $6.6 billion in student aid goes unclaimed every year. Such figures are based on an estimate of untapped employee tuition benefits that was published in a study over ten years ago. These funds went unclaimed because they couldn't be used."
Resources
The Financial Aid Information Page of the World Wide Web allows students to search several scholarship databases ( is the web site address for this page). Another excellent web site for financial aid is Both of these web sites will help to familiarize you with the financial aid process on your own time.
The fastweb.com web site offers the Financial Aid Estimator form. This form can also be obtained from most college financial aid websites. The results of this form tell you approximately how much you can expect the federal government (via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA) to declare as your family contribution.
Saint Louis University offers excellent Financial Aid Workshops beginning in early January. See me or call the Saint Louis University information hotline at 977-2350 for more information.
With regard to scholarships, there are many sources available. Start with the colleges in which you are interested. They will have scholarship literature available to send you. In most cases, you will have to file the FAFSA in order to determine financial aid and scholarship eligibility. The college may also have their own financial aid form or scholarship application that you must complete. A checklist of possible scholarships includes: