North Buncombe High School

Senior

Planning Guide

Class of 2016

Contact Information

Many college applications will ask you to list the name of your high school principal or counselor, their email addresses, your high school’s address, phone number, and fax number. Below is information that you may want to refer to when completing your college and scholarship applications.

North Buncombe High School

890 Clarks Chapel Rd.

Weaverville, NC 28787

Principal Mr. Jack Evans

Phone number: (828) 645-4221

Counseling Secretary Sandy Sykes

Career Development

Coordinator Kathy Reese

Counselors

Jessica Graham Last name A-F

Betsy Boggs Last name G-O

Jennie Davis Last Name P-Z

*List as contact information for all Scholarship Applications

Guidance Office Phone Number (828) 645-4332

NBHS Fax Number (828) 645-4367

2015-2016 Senior Dates to Remember

à September –October- Counselors will meet with students to review their senior contract.

à September 17th 6:00-9:00pm – The Western NC CACRAO College Fair will be held at the Kimmel Arena, which is the new gym at UNCA. This event was formerly held at the Asheville Mall every year. Be sure to not miss this event! You will have a chance to speak with admission counselors from over a hundred different colleges from across the United States. It’s a great opportunity to ask any questions that you may have about the admission process, financial aid, and fall open houses.

à November 2-6 College Application Week- NBHS will host one day during this week where seniors can come to the computer lab and apply to various colleges for free. You can also apply for home to these colleges for free. See www.cfnc.org for a list of participating colleges.

à January 2016 –Be sure to fill out the FAFSA in January. You can go online at www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply for this free application for federal aid. A financial aid night will be held at NBHS in January to help you understand more about this process. Seniors and their parents are strongly encouraged to attend this night! Parents should also be trying to complete their income taxes as soon as possible so that they can use this information on their FAFSA and submit it after January 1, 2016.

à FAFSA Day is coming to a campus or community near you! Get Free help completing and submitting your federal aid forms for college. FAFSA Day is Saturday, Feb. 20th from 9:00-12:00 at some local colleges. Please visit www.cfnc.org/fafsaday after Oct 15th for details. UNCA is planning to hold this event. Check on the CFNC website for details or with UNCA

à Graduation Practice- will be held on Friday, June 10th at 11:00 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Graduation- on Sunday June 12th at 2:00 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

COLLEGE PLANNING CALENDAR FOR SENIORS

September

ÿ Narrow you list of colleges to 5 to 10. Meet with a counselor about them and if you’ve not yet done so, write or e-mail each school, asking for an application and financial aid information. Plan to visit as many of these colleges as possible.

ÿ Create a master list or calendar that includes:

ü Tests you’ll take and their fees, dates and registration deadlines

College application due dates

ü Financial aid application forms required and their deadlines (note: Aid applications may be due before college applications.)

ü Other materials you’ll need (recommendations, transcript, etc.)

ü Your high school’s own application processing deadlines.

ÿ If you can’t afford to pay for college application fees or test fees, a counselor can help you find out if you are eligible for a fee waiver.

October

ÿ Try to finalize your college choices.

ÿ Prepare Early Decision, Early Action, or rolling admissions applications as soon as possible.

ÿ Ask for counselor or teacher recommendations if you need them. Give each teacher or counselor an outline of your academic record and your extracurricular activities

ÿ If you’re submitting essays, write first drafts and ask teachers and others to read them. If you’re applying for Early Decision, finish the essays for that application now.

November

ÿ November 1-15: for Early Decision admission, colleges may require test scores and applications between these dates.

ÿ Complete at least one college application by Thanksgiving.

ÿ Counselors send transcripts to colleges. Give counselors the proper forms at least two weeks before colleges require them.

December

ÿ As you finish and send your applications and essays, be sure to keep copies,

ÿ If your college wants to see seventh-semester grades, be sure you give the form to your counselor.

College Counseling Sourcebook 2004.

January

ÿ If you apply to colleges online, be sure to have your high school send a transcript – it goes to colleges separately, and by mail.

February

ÿ Be sure to keep studying and keep your grades high! Accepting colleges do look at second semester senior grades.

March

ÿ Keep active in school. If you are wait-listed, the college will want to know what you have accomplished between the time you applied and learned of its decision.

April

ÿ You should receive acceptance letters and financial aid offers by mid-April. If you’ve not done so yet, visit your final college before accepting. As soon as you decide, notify your counselor of your choice.

ÿ If you have questions about housing offers, talk to you counselor or call the college.

May

ÿ Send your deposit to one college only.

ÿ Wait-listed by a college? If you will enroll if accepted, tell the admissions director your intent and ask how to strengthen your application. Need financial aid? Ask whether funds will be available if you’re accepted.

ÿ Work with your counselor to resolve any admissions or financial aid problems.

June

ÿ Ask your high school to send a final transcript to your college.

WHO AM I AND WHAT DO I WANT?

Each of you has abilities and interests which need to be analyzed during the college planning time. Answers to the questions listed below can be helpful in deciding the type of school and major academic area that best suits personal needs.

Career Options

¨ What skills do I have and enjoy using?

¨ Of the courses I have taken in high school, which have I enjoyed?

¨ What courses have given me difficulty?

¨ What type of career appears interesting and challenging to me?

¨ Do I like to work with people, data, or ideas?

School Alternatives

¨ Do I want to stay close to home or go far away?

¨ Do I prefer a small (100-2000), medium (2100-7000), or large (7100-and above) school?

¨ Do I want a small town or large city environment?

¨ Do I want to attend a coeducational or single sex institution?

¨ Do I want to live on campus?

¨ Do I want to play intercollegiate sports?

¨ Will I be eligible for an academic scholarship?

¨ How important is cost?

¨ Am I interested in developing technical skills?

¨ Will I be able to exempt credit by taking Advanced Placement Examinations?

¨ Do I want to alternate work with classes?

One of the main goals of this booklet is to offer helpful information on the college admissions process and to take the prospective college student through the process. The following questions will be covered:

1. What should you look for in the process of selecting a college?

2. What criteria are used by colleges in selecting their applicants?

3. What are the various college tests - SAT 1, SAT 2, ACT?

4. How much do various colleges cost? How much will your family be expected

to contribute? How do you obtain financial aid?

An additional factor to be considered as you and your parents read this guide is that college serves different purposes for each student. The sooner you can decide upon your goals, the more effectively you will be able to complete the college selection process. For some of you, college is viewed as the final educational experience; both you and your parents anticipate a meaningful and productive career immediately following graduation. For some of you who plan on continuing to graduate school for a medical, dental, law, or engineering degree, the undergraduate school is merely the first step in a long line of post high school learning experiences.

Results show that the more time and energy you have put into the process of selecting a college, the more satisfied you will be with the choice and the more meaningful the experience will be. Furthermore, with such thought and deliberation come a greater probability that the choice will adequately meet your goals and needs.

Major Steps for Applying for College and Financial Aid

1. Apply- through college website, CFNC (if NC school), Common Application

2. Fee- pay application fee with credit card online as a part of your application

3. Transcript- Sign up with Mrs. Sykes in Guidance ($3.00 fee)

4. Test Scores- call Collegeboard to send SAT Scores and call ACT to send ACT Scores.

5. FAFSA- After January 1st go online to www.fafsa.ed.gov and complete application for financial aid

6. Do Scholarship Applications!!

Hard Copy Applications

Step 1: Carefully complete the entire application. Remember that the college will be making important decisions about you with the information provided on the application. It is important to complete the application neatly in black ink, and if possible, a typed application is preferable. Remember you are selling yourself, so you want to include information that will help you in the admission process including club participation, volunteer work, etc. when requested. Also be sure that Mrs. Sandy Sykes in guidance has a copy of your resume on file, because this will be sent with your application and transcript. If an essay is required, you may want to have your English teacher proofread the rough draft. It is also important to be honest and complete each part of the application. Be sure that the application is signed.

Step 2: Most if not all colleges and universities require application fees. Be sure to attach a check or money order for the specified amount made payable to the college.

Step 3: Turn in the completed application and check/money for the college application fee to Mrs. Sandy Sykes in the counseling office. At NBHS we charge $3.00 for your transcript, so be sure to bring that with you when you sign up for your transcript to be sent. BE SURE TO ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME FOR DEADLINES TO BE MET! Allow approximately two weeks for processing, mailing, etc. If letters of recommendation are needed, be sure to ask teachers, counselors, and/or principal at least TWO WEEKS in advance. It is to your advantage to give sufficient time for an outstanding recommendation letter to be written about you. It is also a nice practice to send a thank you card to the person who wrote your letter of recommendation.

Step 4: The counselor will complete the school part of the application, and Mrs. Sykes will attach a copy of your transcript to be sent to the college.

On-line Applications

Step 1: Complete all information on-line. Remember www.cfnc.org is the best place to go to complete online applications for North Carolina colleges.

Step 2: Download and print counselor’s recommendation, if applicable.

Step 3: Submit application fee online either by credit card, check, money order, or other approved college methods.

Step 4: Submit counselor’s recommendation form to Mrs. Sandy Sykes in guidance, and request transcript to be sent by signing the clipboard in the guidance office. Please be sure to bring your $3.00 transcript fee with you when you request it to be sent.

You should start a COLLEGE FILE. In this file you should keep all information relating to colleges, applications, scholarships, financial aid, etc. If you have sent any forms already, place a copy of them in your file. Also, be sure to include:

1 a copy of the STUDENT INFORMATION FORM

1 a copy of every college application you submit

1 a copy of the COLLEGE FLOWCHART

1 copies of each essay you have written for an application

1 copies of any financial aid information you submitted

ADMISSIONS POLICIES/OPTIONS

Colleges have various admissions options or policies. It is your responsibility to study these practices and determine which policy utilized by a particular school is the best option for you. You will find this information in publications from the college. Most colleges fall into one of the following categories.

R Early Admission refers to the admission of a student prior to graduation from high school (usually after the junior year).

R Early Decision is the term used to describe the application process in which a commitment is made by the student to the institution that if admitted, the student will enroll. This decision is binding!

R Early Action is the term used to describe the process which permits a student to make application to an institution of preference and receive a decision during the senior year, well in advance of the normal response dates in the spring. Many Ivy League schools use this policy.

R Regular Decision describes the process in which an institution reviews most of its applications prior to notifying the majority of its candidates.

R Rolling Admission is the process in which an institution reviews applications as they are received and offers decisions to students as applications are reviewed. Most of the colleges in South Carolina use this admissions policy.

R Wait List is the policy in which the college does not initially offer or deny admission, but extends to an applicant the possibility of admission in the future.

R Deferred Admission is the practice used by colleges that guarantees admission a year after graduation - usually the student will take courses at a two year college and then transfer to the college.

R Open Admissions permit all applicants to enroll in the institution.