College Application Priorities During COVID
Explore the key priorities for high school seniors during the college application process amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics covered include GPA, standardized tests, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, financial aid, FAFSA, college essays, and more. Get essential tips and guidelines to navigate this crucial stage effectively.
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NOVEMBER SATURDAY NOVEMBER SATURDAY PROGRAM PROGRAM CANDACE JONES, M.A.
INTRODUCTIONS! INTRODUCTIONS! Your name Your students name
OVERVIEW OVERVIEW College Application Priorities During COVID Senior Year Checklist Financial Aid Terminology FAFSA Run Through Appeals Process Lab Time!
COLLEGE APPLICATION PRIORITIES DURING COVID COLLEGE APPLICATION PRIORITIES DURING COVID High school GPA Standardized Tests Extracurricular Activities Honors and Awards
COLLEGE APPLICATION PRIORITIES DURING COVID COLLEGE APPLICATION PRIORITIES DURING COVID College Essays College Interviews Recommendation Letters Demonstrated Interest
FALL CHECKLIST FALL CHECKLIST Create a master calendar of deadlines. Include college applications, test registrations and test dates, scholarship applications, housing, and financial aid deadlines. Last chance to take the SAT or ACT. Register and be sure to request the scores be sent to your colleges. Finalize your college list and download the admission applications. Start working on these applications ASAP!
FALL CHECKLIST FALL CHECKLIST Ask for letters of recommendation from teachers, employers, counselors, and coaches if your applications require them. Discuss your college plans and financial aid preparations with your counselors (ME!), and other Elon Academy staff. Make sure your high school transcripts and records are correct and up-to-date
FALL CHECKLIST FALL CHECKLIST Attend college fairs and financial aid workshops COME SEE ME!! Start working on your FAFSA and CSS profiles immediately! These applications are the main determinant of how much you re expected to pay and how much financial assistance you will get! Apply Early Action (NOT Early Decision!), and be sure to confirm the college s deadline
FALL CHECKLIST FALL CHECKLIST Complete your applications, proofread and send! The sooner the better for schools with rolling admission Deadline admissions: Applications are sent in by a deadline and only then does the school begin it s admission process. Rolling admissions: Applications are accepted or rejected as they arrive. Most large state schools use this process. The schools get choosier as they get closer to the deadline date Special filing dates: Out-of-state students may have different deadlines than in-state students.
FALL CHECKLIST FALL CHECKLIST Make sure your high school has sent your transcript, recommendations and test scores. Many colleges provide you with a code or ID to access your application status. Use this code or ID to make sure all the necessary documents have been received. CHECK IN WITH ADMISSIONS!
WINTER CHECKLIST WINTER CHECKLIST Schedule visits to colleges on your final list. Continue to research and apply for scholarships, particularly at the schools you ve applied to. Ask your counselor to send your mid-year grades to your colleges. Follow up to make sure that they did
SPRING CHECKLIST SPRING CHECKLIST Compare financial aid packages you ve been offered. Contact the schools financial aid offices for any questions. Prepare for the AP tests if you re taking them. A good score will earn you college credit. Decide on a college and notify other colleges who have accepted you that you will not be attending. Send in your enrollment and housing deposits by the deadline. Some colleges have a shortage of on campus housing and it s first come, first serve.
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid Cost of Attendance: A figure, estimated by the school, that includes the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, books, and supplies as well as allowance for transportation and potential expenses CSS Profile: College Scholarship Service Profile, a non-government FAFSA. Not all colleges require this form. Check with schools you want to apply to for proper deadlines for submission. NC Schools: Davidson; Duke; Elon; UNC-Chapel Hill; & Wake Forest
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY EFC: Expected Family Contribution. The amount your family is expected to pay based on their specific circumstances and finances. SAR: Student Aid Report. You will be sent this form after completing the FAFSA. Colleges use this form to determine your aid package. Need-based: College grants and scholarships that are issued based on your financial need. Merit-based: College grants and scholarships that are issued based on your academic, athletics, or artist talent. Ethnicity is also sometimes considered.
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY Grants: Money from the government or college that does not have to be repaid. Loan: Money from the government or private lender that does have to be repaid. Scholarships: Do not have to be repaid. Can be institutional (from the college) or private (outside source).
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY Work study: Need-based program of subsidized jobs through the college. Students usually work up to 20 hours per week. Research shows that students working more than 20 hours per week are less likely to persist to graduation! Working 12-20 hours and especially on campus have been shown to positively influence persistence to graduation
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY Subsidized: Interest on the loan does not accrue interest while the student is in school. Un-subsidized: Interest on the loan does accrue while student is in school. PELL-Grant: Federal money for low-income students that does not have to be repaid.
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY Perkins Loan: A federally-backed need-based loan direct from a participating college. Interest does not accrue while student is in school. Stafford loan: Government sponsored loans to students. Subsidized Stafford Loans are need-based; non-subsidized are not. Either can be obtained from banks, savings and loans, or other lenders.
FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY FINANCIAL AID TERMINOLOGY PLUS Loans: Government sponsored loans to parents come at a higher interest rate than Stafford loans. State grants: Money from a state that is given resident students who are attending in-states schools. Programs differ from state-to-state.
FINANCIAL AID TIPS FINANCIAL AID TIPS
FINANCIAL AID TIPS FINANCIAL AID TIPS Don t wait to get an acceptance letter to apply for aid. By that time, most of the aid will be gone! College financial aid deadlines are different and usually earlier than federal and state deadlines. Miss a college deadline and you may only qualify for loans.
FINANCIAL AID TIPS FINANCIAL AID TIPS Early Action means an earlier deadline. Check in with me or the schools financial aid website for clarification on deadlines. Watch those scholarship deadlines and requirements. Missing one or having an incomplete application will jeopardize your eligibility even if it s not your fault! Empty spaces on your financial aid forms will count as errors and cause delays. Enter 0 in lines that don t apply
FINANCIAL AID TIPS FINANCIAL AID TIPS Call the financial aid offices to confirm your application has been received and is complete. If something is missing, get it to them quickly. Correct errors immediately. Errors slow down the process which can ultimately limit your aid. Keep copies of everything! You ll need them if your forms get lost or to correct errors.
FAFSA FAFSA Used to get all sources of federal financial aid Must be completed every year Information is used by universities to create a financial aid award www.fafsa.gov or mystudentaid app on Google Play/App store
WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR FAFSA? WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR FAFSA? Social Security Number (parents and student) Driver s License (parents and student) 2020 W-2 Forms (parents and student) 2020 Federal Income Tax Returns (parents and students) 2020 Untaxed Income Records (veterans noneducation benefit records, child support, worker s compensation) Current Bank Statements (parents and student) Any business and personal investments
WHAT INFORMATION GOES ON FAFSA? WHAT INFORMATION GOES ON FAFSA? If your parents (biological or adoptive) are married, then you report both of their incomes If your parents are unmarried and live together, then you report both of their incomes If your parents are unmarried and don t live together (whether never married or divorced), you report the income and information of the parent who will provide more than 50% of your financial support If both parents contribute equally, pick one If remarried, include stepparents
LETS DO A WALK THROUGH! LET S DO A WALK THROUGH!
FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS Start looking as soon as you can Match yourself to eligibility requirements Think locally Look at your state
FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS Don t cast too wide a net: How many applicants are there each year? Is this really for me? Can I live with the strings attached?
HOW TO SPOT A SCHOLARSHIP SCAM The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back You can t get this information anywhere else I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship We ll do all the work The scholarship will cost money You ve been selected by a national foundation
SCHOLARSHIPS SCHOLARSHIPS College Board Scholarship Search: www.collegeboard.org Fastweb s free scholarship search: www.fastweb.com FinAid: The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid: www.finaid.org Scholarships.come free scholarship search: www.scholarships.com CFNC: https://www.cfnc.org/pay-for-college/scholarship-search/ Elon Academy website: https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/access-and-success/elon-academy/resource- library/paying-for-college/
HOW CAN PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE COLLEGE HOW CAN PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS? APPLICATION PROCESS? PUT YOUR KID IN THE DRIVERS SEAT! Set some ground rules: Keep your own college worries in check Start early: Don t wait until the last minute Help students find balance: Don t tie everything students do to college
HOW CAN PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE COLLEGE HOW CAN PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS? APPLICATION PROCESS? Create a rock-solid support system: Use your resources! (ME!) Help your child figure out the kind of college atmosphere in which they ll thrive: focus on holistic fit Ask your student: What s the best way for me to help you?
WHAT WHAT TO DO IF YOU RE WAIT TO DO IF YOU RE WAIT- -LISTED LISTED Get a better sense of your chances of admission Write a letter to the admission office Request another (or first) interview Finish high school strong Stay involved
WHAT WHAT TO DO IF YOU RE WAIT TO DO IF YOU RE WAIT- -LISTED LISTED In the meantime protect yourself by: Reconsider the colleges that have accepted you If you get in, make sure it s still a good deal Realize that you ve already achieved something
CAN I APPEAL A DENIAL? CAN I APPEAL A DENIAL? Most private colleges and universities do not reconsider their admission decisions. A number of public universities do have an appeals process. Check the college s website to see if they have an appeals process
QUESTIONS?? QUESTIONS??
FEEDBACK! FEEDBACK!
LAB TIME! LAB TIME!
