Remember, community colleges, such as Gaston College, do not require the SAT or the ACT. Students who have graduated from high school in the last 5 years, have an unweighted grade point average of 2.6 or higher AND have completed four eligible high school math courses are eligible to take community college classes without a pre-test requirement.
Most all colleges accept either the SAT or the ACT, but admissions requirements vary from school to school. Consult your prospective school when deciding which test is right for you. Keep in mind some students prefer to take both. The ACT is administered to all Ashbrook students in 11th grade in the spring.
Students who receive free or reduced lunch may receive a fee waiver for SAT and/or ACT. Students who take the SAT using a fee waiver will receive four college application waivers in their College Board account. See Ms. Kay in Student Services for a form to request a fee waiver.
Students who qualify for a fee waiver will need to create an account, log in to the SAT or ACT website, complete all of the registration information (save this information!) except for the payment information. Students may then come to Student Services, log in to their account, and then the fee waiver code may be entered as payment information.
At Ashbrook, we administer the ACT to 11th grade students. Upon receipt of your score report, please follow these instructions to create an account.
Visit ACT.org and create an account (Because Ashbrook registered you for the ACT, when prompted, "Have you registered for the ACT before?", check no. When asked have you taken the ACT before, check yes.)
Follow the instructions to create your account. You will need your ACT ID number that is on your score report to connect your scores to your account. If you cannot find your score report, click on ‘Contact’ on act.org and request by email or chat that your accounts be merged.
All students may access Khan Academy for SAT prep for free. Students who take the ACT with a fee waiver my access Kaplan ACT Academy for free.
Click CFNC, Big Future, and CollegeScorecard to help you with your college search!
Always begin at CFNC.org
Go to the school's website and click on their admissions tab. The website will direct you from there.
All juniors receive a 90 minute college and career presentation by counselors where the college application process is explained.
All seniors are invited to attend a session during College Application Week in October to work on applications.
Counselors will hold a College Application Workshop after school for students and parents. Click here to register for this year's workshop which will be held in the New Conference Room on October 10th from 3 to 6 pm.
NOTE: FINAL transcript to the College/University you will attend is to be sent by the same method the initial transcript was sent.
NC colleges (where applications are not submitted through Common App)- send transcripts through CFNC.org. Log into your CFNC account, hover over the Apply tab at the top of the page, click "To College", and then click "Application Hub". You may then complete your college application and/or send your transcript.
Out of state colleges (where applications are not submitted through Common App)- students can request up to 5 transcripts through GCS ScribOrder for free as a current student.
The Common Application- Your counselor will upload your transcript in the Common Application portal. Be sure to correctly enter your school counselor’s name and email address (see below) where prompted.
Ashbrook School Counselors:
If you need a PDF of your transcript, please email your school counselor to request:
Last name A-C: Lacey Bennett lkbennett@gaston.k12.nc.us
Last Name D-I David Rice dtrice@gaston.k12.nc.us
Last name J-Q: Cortney Doster cmdoster@gaston.k12.nc.us
Last name R-Z: Brandon Thomas bmthomas@gaston.k12.nc.us
All Non-current Gaston County Schools Students All requests for transcripts, student records, or for verification of graduation should be submitted online at GCS ScribOrder.
(Remember to send your Gaston College transcript in addition to your high school transcript if you have taken a Gaston College course.)
To obtain an official transcript in person, visit the Business Office (1st floor Myers Center) to pay the $7.00 charge per copy. Then visit the Records and Registration Office in person with your photo identification.
To obtain an official transcript by other means, complete the Transcript Request Form and mail, fax (704-922-2344), or email (gcregistrar@gaston.edu) the form to the Records and Registration Office. Please note that the form must have your actual signature on it to be processed.
All NC college financial aid offices are available to assist students and parents with FAFSA completion.
The Gaston College Financial Aid office is happy to assist you and your family with completing the FAFSA and RDS even if you do not plan to attend Gaston College. Operating hours can be found here.
In order to qualify for in-state tuition, students must complete the Residency Determination Service (RDS). A number will be assigned to students that all NC public colleges use to determine residency for in-state tuition classification. Private or independent colleges also require completion of this process for students to be considered for state grants. Log into your CFNC.org account to begin the RDS.
If you have an interview to prepare for, click here for tips and preparation pointers. If you would like to have a mock interview, contact your school counselor at least one week before your actual interview.
Having your extracurricular profile (high school resume) up-to-date is very important when applying to colleges. It allows you to easily reference all of the great things you have participated in, accomplished, etc., as you are completing your college applications. Also, if you are ever in need of a letter of recommendation, it is important to provide the person you ask to write your letter with a copy of your extracurricular profile so they can write a very detailed letter. Make sure to ask well in advance of the due date! Copy and paste the template below to create yours if you haven't already.
If you need a letter of recommendation for a student opportunity, scholarship, or college application, email and talk with your prospective recommender (usually your counselor, teacher, community leader, etc) 10 days in advance of the due date.
Ask the prospective recommender if he or she will write a letter for you and if the answer is yes:
Share information about the opportunity and any required forms.
Share your extracurricular profile.
Share how the letter is to be submitted and if electronically, share the link/website.
Sometimes it is helpful for your counselor to know more about you than what is listed on your extracurricular profile.
Click here for a list of Letter of Recommendation questions you can answer and share with your counselor.