College Planning

• Begin to think about future plans (2 or 4-year college/university, trade/technical school, military, employment)

• Focus on grades, study habits, organization skills, and getting involved.

• Start a resume or log of school & community activities, volunteer hours, employment, and awards/honors.

• Utilize Naviance to become familiar with its many career & college planning features. Students will be introduced to Naviance in Freshman Academy during the fall.

• Think about touring LCTI and visiting during the fall open house event (typically held in November).

• Choose sophomore year courses based on teacher recommendation, freshman year grades, graduation requirements, and interests. Meet with a school counselor to review course selection.

• Continue to build your resume or log with school & community activities, volunteer work, employment, and awards/honors. Begin to take on leadership roles when they arise.

• Continue to participate in school and community activities.

• Consider taking the PSAT in October for practice.

• Continue to explore Naviance to assist in identifying potential careers and colleges. Students will utilize Naviance in Careers & Technology Applications class.

• Research and explore summer educational opportunities (college enrichment programs, camps, summer courses, employment).

• Visit college campuses.

• Select junior year courses based on teacher recommendation, sophomore year grades, graduation requirements, and interests. Increase rigor where appropriate. Meet with a school counselor to review course selection.

Keep in mind that colleges look for the following:

• Challenging coursework

• GPA

• How your free time is spent i.e. employment, volunteer work, activities in school and in the community

• An overall upward trend (increasing rigor and performance throughout high school)

FALL

• Identify colleges you are interested in exploring

  • List the factors that matter most to you (location, size, major, public/private, etc.)

  • Utilize Naviance SuperMatch and other college search programs (College Board, Niche, etc.).

• Attend the college information programs and financial aid night offered at SLHS.

• Sign up in Naviance to meet with college representatives when they visit SLHS during Spartan period.

• Discuss your future goals and plans with your parents and school counselor.

• Sign up to take the PSAT offered in October (qualifying juniors are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship program).

• Register to take the AP (Advanced Placement) tests for courses you are currently taking.

• Plan to attend the local PACAC college fair (usually held at Northampton Community College in Oct.) and/or the NACAC college fair (usually held at the PA Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA in Oct.).

• Review your PSAT scores to identify which areas you may need to improve upon. Connect your College Board account with Khan Academy in order to access free SAT prep customized for you based on your PSAT results.

• Create a testing plan that works for you, and register to take the SAT or ACT (note that SLHS offers the SAT in March, August, and October each year).

• Evaluate SAT/ACT Prep options, as needed.

SPRING

• Sign up for the COLLEGE PREP FOR JUNIORS Spartan Period offered by the SLHS counselors to help you prepare for the college application process

• Continue to update your resume with school & community activities, volunteer work, employment, and awards/honors/leadership roles.

• Continue your college search:

  • Gather as much information as you can (majors offered, price, financial aid available, private/public, internship opportunities, etc). Keep in mind that the college should match your personality, GPA, and test scores.

  • Determine admission requirements for both admission to the college AND admission into the specific program you wish to study.

• Start to visit colleges that interest you. Visiting while college is in session provides a different perspective than a visit over the summer.

• Attend college fairs in the area (Emmaus High School College Fair in May).

• Athletes planning to play Division I or Division II sports need to register with the Eligibility Center and submit an NCAA transcript release (found on the SLHS guidance website) to the guidance office.

• Register and take either SAT or ACT (as well as subject tests IF required- some highly selective colleges require subject tests)

  • Utilize the 4 free score reports when registering to take the test. See your school counselor if you have concerns about sending your scores to colleges.

  • Prospective NCAA athletes must send SAT or ACT scores to the NCAA (code: 9999)

• Begin looking for summer employment opportunities in your career area of interest. Consider volunteering.

• If the colleges you are interested in applying to require letters of recommendation, ask one to two teachers who know you well if they are willing to write a recommendation letter for you.

• Fill out the teacher recommendation questionnaire in Naviance.

• Choose senior year courses based on career interest, future goals, teacher recommendation, grades, and graduation requirements. Increase rigor where appropriate. Meet with a school counselor to review course selection.

SUMMER

• Continue to visit colleges and solidify a list of schools to which you will apply.

  • TIP: Call ahead to schedule appointments with the financial aid and admissions counselors. Find out if you can sit in on a class, meet with a professor, and/or spend a night in a dorm. While on campus, make it a point to speak with students about the college.

• Begin completing applications (August 1st):

  • Determine HOW you will apply to college (either utilizing the Common Application, the Coalition, or the individual college website)

  • Look over the essay prompts and begin writing. Deciding what to write is often the most difficult task!

  • Have a teacher, parent, and others review your essays for grammar, punctuation, readability and content.

• Decide if you are going to apply to a college's early action or early decision programs (Early Decision is a binding agreement - if accepted, you must attend. You can only apply to ONE school Early Decision).

• Determine if you need letters of recommendation. Schools have different requirements. Some require teacher letters, some require both teacher and counselor letters, other colleges require no letters at all.

  • Complete the Teacher Recommendation Questionnaire and/or Counselor Recommendation Questionnaire in Naviance if you need recommendation letters for the colleges you are applying to.

FALL

• Sign up for the COLLEGE APPLICATION PREP 12 Spartan Period offered by the SLHS counselors to assist you with college applications.

• Request in Naviance teacher and/or counselor recommendation letters if necessary for the colleges on your list.

• Take SAT or ACT again, if necessary, and utilize the 4 free score sends.

• Sign up to meet with college admission representatives when they visit the high school.

• Create a spreadsheet or list of colleges with deadlines for applications and financial aid to stay organized.

• Complete college application process (ideally by Thanksgiving):

  • Consult the “College Application Checklist” posted in Naviance and on the guidance website.

  • Submit student applications online via the individual college website, the Common Application, or the Coalition application.

  • Send SAT or ACT scores to the colleges directly from collegeboard.org or act.org.

  • If using the Common Application, “match” Naviance with Common Application (see school counselor for help).

  • Request transcript in Naviance (this is done AFTER you submit your application).

• Focus on grades- many colleges will request to see Q1 or midyear grades.

• Register to take the AP (Advanced Placement) tests for courses you are currently taking.

• Begin to search for scholarships on college websites and using databases.

• Attend financial aid night at SLHS.

• Complete the FAFSA for financial aid.

SPRING

• In Naviance, request midyear grades to be sent to any colleges who need them.

• Complete scholarship applications available in Naviance (located on the “colleges” tab; filter by local scholarships).

• Compare college acceptance letters and financial aid/scholarship offers.

• Make your college decision no later than May 1st.

• Notify other schools that you are not planning to attend.

• Be mindful of any deadlines regarding housing, orientation, etc. at your chosen college

• If you were placed on a waitlist, notify the college to let them know if you are still interested in attending.

• In order for your final transcript to be sent to your college, please select the college you will be attending in Naviance (located in “colleges I’m applying to”).

• Write thank-you notes to the people who wrote letters of recommendation.