SENIOR MEETING CLASS OF 2021 COUNSELOR ALPHA Counselor

SENIOR MEETING CLASS OF 2021

COUNSELOR ALPHA Counselor Alpha Email Tammy Wickline A – BEL twickl@neisd. net Kelly Quiroz BEM – CU kquiro@neisd. net Jennifer Peel CV – GIG jpeel@neisd. net Matt Eidson GIL – KAI ceidso@neisd. net Jackie Schrecongost KAJ – MEF jschre@neisd. net Michelle Tanner MEG – P mtanne@neisd. net Stacy Blattner Q – SOU sblatt@neisd. net Michelle Wilson SOV – Z mwilso 2@neisd. net Cathy Jones STAN cjones 7@neisd. net

Reagan Counseling Websit e ◦ https: //www. neisd. net/reagan

Sign up for Google Classroom If you haven’t already joined your class Google classroom, email Mrs. Wilson at mwilso 2@neisd. net so I can add you Senior CCMR Google Classroom: vyycnzu

College Career Center ◦ Mrs. Wilks ◦ awilks@neisd. net ◦ Mrs. Vacek ◦ c-vacek@neisd. net

CHOOSING A COLLEGE ➢ Preferred Demographics ➢ Majors Offered ➢ Private versus Public ➢ Size of School ➢ Price ➢ College Visits ➢ College Reps Visit

College Visits ► You are allowed 2 days in the 11 th grade and 2 days in the 12 th grade. ► They do not count against final exemptions. ► Travel time not included. ► Must turn in proof of visitation form from college to attendance office. ► Make an appointment online or call the admissions office for an appointment two weeks beforehand. ► Prepare for your visit. Plan and gather background information. ► Places to visit include: ► Admissions Office ► Financial Aid Office ► Housing ► Programs of Interest

NEISD COLLEGE NIGHT ◦ Students and parents are invited to a Virtual College Night on November 4 ◦ More than 100 colleges/univ ersities will be in attendance to offer college admission information!

How Many Colleges Should I Apply To? ► Ideally, apply to 3 -5 colleges , a full range of schools; all must be acceptable to you as your future home. ► Include 1 -2 “stretch”/“dream” schools, mostly “good matches” in terms of GPA/test scores ► At least 1 “safety”/ “sure shot” school where you absolutely know you will be accepted. ► Don’t waste your time and effort applying to schools you know you won’t attend.

WHERE TO FIND COLLEGE APPLICATIONS ► Apply Texas – Texas public colleges www. applytexas. org ► Common Application – over 400 national universities (mostly private) www. commonapp. org ► Individual College Applications – many institutions have their own unique application available on their website

COMMON APP

WHAT DOES REAGAN SEND TO COLLEGES UPON YOUR REQUEST? TRANSCRIPT, SCHOOL PROFILE, SCHEDULE OF CLASSES, SECONDARY SCHOOL REPORT, MID YEAR REPORT, FINAL TRANSCRIPT

TRANSCRIPT ► Must be ordered through NEISD website ► https: //neisdtx. scriborder. com/ ► Must be sent directly to school ► Official copies cannot be given to student or NCAA recruits

RRHS School Profile This is the school profile that is sent with your senior schedule at the same time as your transcript

SECONDARY SCHOOL REPORT (SSR) ►If you have a paper copy, give that to Mrs. Siso when you order your transcript

MID-YEAR REPORT ◦ Not required by all schools ◦ Most commonly required for schools applied through Common App ◦ Verify with your counselor and Mrs. Siso so we know it needs to be sent

FINAL TRANSCRIPT ► You must send a final transcript to prove you graduated. ► You order it in May, but it is not sent to college until late June. So, don’t schedule orientation in June. Final transcript won’t be there in time!! ► Dual Credit Transcripts- you must send Reagan transcript to SAC, then order SAC transcript through ACES account.

Counselor Letter of Recommendation (Optional) • Not all colleges require them nor want them. • If they ask for two letters, don’t send more. • Counselor letters of recommendation describe the student holistically as a person. Complete the form from the counseling website or get hard copy from office.

Teacher Letter of Recommendation ► Teacher letters of recommendation describe the student as a learner in the classroom. Highly selective schools and some scholarships require two teacher recommendations. ► One should come from a junior or senior core academic teacher, a teacher with whom they have developed rapport. ► The second should come from someone who presents a different dimension (UIL sponsor, sports, band, church, employer, etc. )

Guidelines For Requesting Letters of Recommendation ► You must give the teacher/counselor at least 2 weeks notice! You are not the only student asking for a rec letter. ► Fill out the forms, listing every school where you want your teacher/counselor to send the recommendation and deadline. Giving a resume and questionnaire is also helpful. ► Give the teacher/counselor a neatly addressed and stamped envelope for every college. The teacher will mail the recommendation letter to the college once it is written. ► If online recs, let the teacher know, so they can look for email. ► ► Remember that teachers write these letters to help you. Most letters are written outside of school hours! Be sure to tell them how grateful you are!

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO BE DOING? ? ?

Check Your College Application Portals Step 1 Make sure you are checking your college portal to ensure they have processed your transcripts and supplemental forms. Step 2 Step 3 If you see that they have not received or processed your transcript within 3 weeks of your order, contact the college by email or phone. If necessary, contact Mrs. Siso or your counselor.

UPDATE YOUR RESUME

Send ACT/SAT ► SAT/ACT scores are not on your transcript. ► You must order them from College Board or ACT ► With the exception of the most selective colleges, if a student reaches the college’s expected SAT / ACT range, applicants are not penalized for lower scores on prior test dates. ► ACT and College Board allow applicants to selectively send only their best scores. ► Colleges would still like applicants to send all scores, but this is your family’s decision. ► The counselors suggest YOU SEND ALL SCORES. ► Keep accurate records of when scores were sent to each institution and tracking numbers. You may need to provide this proof if the score gets lost in transit. ► AP scores can be sent AFTER you are accepted to a college or university. They are not needed to be considered for admission.

Sending SAT, ACT, AP scores and Dual Credits Log in to… www. collegeboard. org http: //www. actstudent. org/ https: //apscore. collegeboard. org/s cores https: //aces. alamo. edu/cp/home/ displaylogin

Essays (as needed) ► Be sure your voice comes through clearly but stay on topic! ► Tell a story that reveals something unique about you. ► Do you come across as an interesting person the admissions officer would like to know better?

HOW DO I PAY FOR COLLEGE?

FINANCIAL AID ❖ FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid All students should fill one out, complete EVERY year • Opens Oct. 1 • Cost of Attendance – Estimated Family Contribution • Grants, loans, work study ❖ TASFA - Certain categories of foreign-born and immigrant students in the State of Texas can meet state requirements for residency. www. collegeforalltexans. com ❖ Need Help? ? Contact Financial Aid Office or Café College

PAYING FOR COLLEGE

❑ PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE FASFA, BOTH PARENT AND STUDENT MUST SET UP AN FSA ID # ❑ THE FSA ID # IS USED TO COMPLETE THE FASFA ❑ NAME, DOB, AND SS# ARE USED TO ESTABLISH THE FSA ID# ❑ THE FASFA USES 2019 TAX INFORMATION FROM 2019, “THE PRIOR YEAR” FSA ID # AND FAFSA

ONLINE HELP

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN PAYING FOR COLLEGE… ► Use FAFSA 4 Caster or Cost Calculators on college websites to get a good idea of real costs of attending. ► If you have a special niche (examples: athletics, rank, National Merit, etc. ) or have demonstrated financial need, the university often offers scholarship incentives to attend. ► Private universities are more expensive than public colleges, but their scholarships are often generous. Some may end up costing the same as a public university. ► Unless the student has made a binding Early Action contract with a college, the student has until May 1 st to officially choose their college and pay the initial enrollment deposit.

TYPES OF SCHOLARSHIPS Need and Merit based From university or colleges, organizations or businesses Check District Database and bucket in College and Career Center Beware of scams! Use Free scholarship search engines • Collegescholarships. com • Fastweb. com • Goodcall. com • Scholarships. com • Raise. me Apply for many, they add up! Transcripts for scholarship applications are FREE

NEISD SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH ▶ https: //www. neisd. n et/Page/822

Bexar County Clearinghouse Scholarships ◦ DUE: Friday, October 16 th at 4: 30 pm to the Counseling office ◦ https: //www. neisd. net/site/default. aspx? Page. Type= 3&Domain. ID=7757&Module. Instance. ID=54454&View ID=6446 EE 88 -D 30 C-497 E-93163 F 8874 B 3 E 108&Render. Loc=0&Flex. Data. ID=176802&P age. ID=21322

Military Scholarship Options ▶ 4 year ROTC scholarships require a service commitment.

HELPFUL WEBSITES applytexas. org - Texas Electronic Application commonapplication. org - Out of the State Application collegeboard. org - On-line registration for SAT Act. org - On-line registration for ACT ncaastudent. org - Student Athlete information fafsa. ed. gov. org- GOV FREE Financial Aid fastweb. com - FREE College Scholarship Search fastaid. com - FREE Financial Aid Search studentaid. ed. gov - Student GOV Financial aid cafecollege. org - San Antonio College Events campustours. com - College campus virtual tours collegescholarships. com - FREE Scholarship Listings finaid. org/scholarships - FREE College Scholarship scholarships. com - FREE College Scholarship Search schoolsintheusa. com - College MAJORS comparecollegetx. com – TX College Comparison Site collegeforalltexans. com- TX College & Financial Aid Info

More Questions / Need Help? ? ? See your Counselor Mrs. Wickline (A-Bel) Mrs. Quiroz (Bem-Cu) Ms. Peel (Cv-Gig) Mr. Eidson (Gil-Kai) Career Center Mrs. Schrecongost (Kaj-Mef) Mrs. Vacek Mrs. Tanner (Meg-P) Mrs. Blattner (Q-Sou) Mrs. Wilkes Mrs. Wilson (Sov-Z) Contact University

How to Help Your Chances w/ Admissions ▶ ▶ ▶ As a rule of thumb, the earlier you apply, the better Meet with college reps when they come to Reagan College visits College interview Weekend seminars/ workshops Ask questions! If you need help, come see your counselor! We want to help!