Important: Do not request Teacher or Counselor letters via Common App. They will be sent via Scoir.  You must follow the WHS process for requesting letters of recommendation, using Scoir and requesting transcripts. 

Seniors have been sent screen shot instructions for the Common App Recommenders section, Requesting letters via Scoir, Short and Sweet Steps to a Complete College Application and links to the Student Appraisal Form for Non WHS and Parent Questionnaire. This was all presented in English class as well. 

Winnacore: On the Common App, go to the Education tab, Honors and then this line: 

WinnaCore: Community Service Honor Society for those who earn 50 hours or more of community  service

The community service that earned the 50+ hours should be described in your activities. 

If you have a January 1st-January 10th  College Application deadline, please complete the yellow Transcript Request Cards (one per school) and bring it to the counseling office. At this time, you should also move the college to the "Colleges I'm Applying To" tab on Scoir.  

 To ensure we have enough time to prepare and submit all your documents, turn the cards in by the end of school on Thursday, December 14th. Very important with holiday break coming up to meet this deadline!

APPLY NH Day:  November 13,  2023
Seniors:  Sign up for the APPLY NH Day on Monday, November 13. A sign up form has been emailed (sent on 11/3/23) to the Class of 2024 to sign up. Students choose a block (1,2,3,4 or 6) to bring their laptop to the auditorium.  If you need help completing the application or setting up Scoir, we will help you on that day.  Students will be given a code when they are ready to submit their application. This includes ALL public and private colleges, 2 or 4 year in New Hampshire.  

Parent "Brag Sheet" Questionnaire: This is an opportunity to give me more information about your student to incorporate into the counselor letter of recommendation. It is voluntary but I highly value your insights! 

https://forms.gle/ZcEYMQTaJH7e9Ejw5

Appointments: I encourage all seniors to meet with me and those applying to 4 year college MUST meet with me.  I have sent the class my appointment link to sign up. I am happy to meet with parents as well but please email me to set up a time. I will also be offering drop in sessions weekly during Warrior Block for help on applications, essay, resume etc as needed.

Information and Resources: I have lots of information and resources to share! Please see my website for information, announcements and resources. I also post videos and links there. I will post information that goes out to students there as well so parents can see what students are being told as well. 

https://sites.google.com/warriors.winnacunnet.org/whs-college-and-career-service/home

No matter what post-secondary goal a student has, I am here to help students navigate and make sure they have a plan in place. While this email makes it seem like the focus is all on the college application process, there are many other options.  My hope for all students is to have a plan for post graduation and have everything they need to meet their goals, regardless of what those goals may be. I'm looking forward to a great year. 

6/21/23 Excellent Article:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2023/06/21/the-college-admission-tyranny/?sh=4d19a5356137

“If I make this choice and I do not get into the college(s) that I am hoping to, will I still be glad I made it?” 

6/12/23 Teacher Recommendations

Class of 2024 can begin asking teachers for letters of recommendation.  Please pick up the pink Teacher Letter of Recommendation Request form in the guidance office. Ask the teacher in person.  In the first weeks of school, I will give instructions on how to send the link via Scoir for the teacher to upload the letter. Do not request it via Common App.  

If students want to wait until September to request letters, that is perfectly fine.  There will also be opportunity for parents to fill out the "Brag Sheets" and teachers who are not writing a recommendation to complete the Student Appraisal Form/Green Sheet. Employers, Coaches and Advisors can also complete similar forms. This will all be shared in first weeks of school. 

6/12/23 To Retake the SATs or Not? 

This is not a straightforward answer!

1. If you did well on the SATs and think you will likely submit them to colleges whether test optional or not, you should re-take them to get the best possible scores. 

2. If you know you are applying to test required colleges, you should take them again to get the best possible scores. 

3. If you did not get scores that are a good match for your grades AND you are applying to all test optional schools, no need to re-take. You won't submit. 

4. If you do not know yet if all the colleges you are likely to apply to are test optional or not, keep a list and make a decision as it gets a bit closer.  

Sign into your CollegeBoard account to register for all fall dates 

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration/dates-deadlines

Even if you decide to apply early to colleges, the October date will give you time to get the scores back to send (or not).  

It's up to you but I think the advantage of getting back into the swing of school and getting a few weeks of math review makes October a great date to re-take.  WHS is a test site for the October Saturdary SAT. (You still sign up via CollegeBoard)

Fall Dates:

9/11/23 Senior College Application and Process Night, 6:30 PM, Auditorium

10/23/23 Financial Aid Night, 6PM, Auditorium 

6/23 FAFSA Changes: 

The Federal Government is updating the FAFSA. It will have less questions, some terminology will change and access to some grants will be modified. The Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) will now be the Student Aid Index (SAI).  What this means right now is the colleges' Net Price Calculators will not be as accurate.  Colleges will be determining how to deal with the changes as we move along and there will be updates. 

6/23 Supreme Court Action?

Higher Ed is waiting for the Supreme Court Decision on using Affirmative Action in Admissions.  This could lead to changes in what colleges ask on applications and what their approach to building a class looks like. Much more information will be coming once we know what the decision is. 

3/22/23 Junior Parent Night on 3/27 at 6:30PM in Auditorium

The College Search and Application Process presentation will be held on March 27th at 6:30PM in the Auditorium.  Focus is on parents of juniors but all are welcome to attend!  Topics that will be addressed:

• Finding the Right Fit- what to look for and how

• What does Admissions look at and how

• Selectivity, Holistic Admissions and Admissibility

• Important Statistics 

• Standardized Tests and Test Optional Policies

• Defining types of Deadlines

• Understanding Merit Aid vs Need Based Aid and the Fin Aid Process

• Myths and Secrets!

• Trends in Admissions

• Winnacunnet College Application Process:  Scoir,  Letters of Recommendation, Green Sheets, Yellow Cards, Essay and Common App in Senior English

2/7/23 If you have a February 15th or March 1st  College Application deadline, please complete the yellow Transcript Request Cards (one per school) and bring it to Ms. Parks in the counseling office. At this time, you should also move the college to the "Colleges I'm Applying To" tab on Scoir.  To ensure we have enough time to prepare and submit all your documents, turn the cards in by the end of school on  Friday February 10th. 

1/09/ 23 February 1st College Application Deadline: If you have a February 1st  College Application deadline, please complete the yellow Transcript Request Cards (one per school) and bring it to Ms. Parks in the counseling office. At this time, you should also move the college to the "Colleges I'm Applying To" tab on Scoir.  To ensure we have enough time to prepare and submit all your documents, turn the cards in by end of school on  Thursday, January 12th.  PLEASE BE MINDFUL  OF OUR DEADLINES. 

1/5/23 Scholarship Announcement: 

In past years, the Winnacunnet Dollars for Scholars application opened on Jan 15th. From this year and now on, the Application will open on March 15 and close May 5. 

Many local scholarship applications are also due in April and May. Any that have earlier deadlines will be sent to all seniors. 

In early March, I will send out information on how to apply for local scholarships. 

Scholarship Lists

For National Scholarships, this is a reputable source: 

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/scholarship-directory

NHHEAF also has a list of NH Scholarships:

https://www.nhheaf.org/financing/scholarship-search

PSATs released on 12/6/22. 

If you have a December 15 College Application deadline, please complete the yellow Transcript Request Cards (one per school) and bring it to Ms. Parks in the counseling office. At this time, you should also move the college to the "Colleges I'm Applying To" tab on Scoir.  

 To ensure we have enough time to prepare and submit all your documents, turn the cards in by end of school on  Wednesday, November 30th (Wednesday after Thanksgiving Break)

On December 1  we will be sending the list of students with 12/15 deadlines to all teachers so they know they need to complete Green Sheets and Recommendations for those on the list. 

Teacher Recommendation requests should be requested on Scoir at this time, if not already done.  See Attachment for pictures. 

Student Questionnaires, https://forms.gle/q9YTwDuJybhgHGdTA and Parent Brag Sheets, https://forms.gle/KrHwL1PusUeWJ16YA should also be completed now. 

Don't forget- do NOT put an email address for your recommenders on Common App. Just request via Scoir. Directions are attached.

You are responsible for submitting your application by the deadline and paying the application fee.  I can provide fee waivers to those who need them due to financial hardships. 

Email sent to all Seniors on 10/6: Instructions on How to Apply via Common App

Instructions on how to  actually APPLY! 

When you are ready to actually send in your application to a college from Common App, these are the steps. 

It is very important to understand that YOUR APPLICATION (Common App or an individual college application form) is WHAT MEETS THE DEADLINE AND DRIVES THE WHOLE PROCESS.  Until you apply, you do not exist as an applicant- even if WHS has sent your letters and transcript. You, the student, are in total control of your application. 

1. Common App 

To apply, all parts of the application must have a Green Checkmark to proceed. (Profile, Education, Activities, Writing etc)

2. Go to My Colleges at the top

Click open the name of the college you want to apply to. Answer all the questions so that Questions and Recommenders are Green Checkmarked. 

3. Review and Submit: When you click on this, it will let you know if anything is missing and you will have to go back to complete any missing information. 

   You will then be directed to review the entire application as a PDF. This is how it will look to College Admissions.  Check it over- look for misspellings or errors.  I am happy to look it over for you as well- sometimes another set of eyes pick up errors. 

    Confirm that you looked it over and that are ready, really, to apply. Sign your name and date it. 

     Pay the application fee, if there is one. 

4. Submit!!! 

When it goes though, the screen will say Congratulations and throw confetti all over the screen. Yay! 

5. Go to the next college and do the same process. You apply to each one separately.  

Things to know:

-Once sent, it is not updated or changed by anything you do on the Common App. It's a pdf so no updates. 

-Weird step under recommenders: You put the teacher's name in but you also have to ASSIGN the teacher for it to show up and turn the check mark green. 

-WHS sends Transcripts and Letters of Rec separately via Scoir. Once your application is there, all the supporting documents get "filed" into your application. This takes time and common for a delay as it all gets sorted. 

-Most colleges will send an email with next steps that often includes setting up a portal for that school. You will have several portals! Make sure to set them up and follow any additional instructions. 

-If a college wants a Self Reported Transcript (may be called the SSAR), come see me. Some colleges have told me how they want the set up to be with our trimesters. 

I am more than happy to go over these details in person- just make an appointment or stop by. I know it can be nerve wracking to hit that Submit button- I'll help and then cheer with you when it's done. 

Email sent to all Seniors on 10/6 regarding WinnaCore

If you have logged more than 50 hours with Ms. Krapf, you have earned Winnacore Status.  

On the Common App or any app, you will list the Community Service Activities that earned the time (Fresh Start, Interact, Blue Ocean, Gather etc)

Under the Honors Section of the Common App (under Education section)

cut and paste this:

WinnaCore: Community Service Honor Society for those who earn 50 hours or more of community service

Email sent to all Seniors on 10/4 regarding SAT deadline:

If you plan to take the SATs again, deadline to register for the November SATs is this Friday, October 7th. They will not be offered at WHS but there are other local test sites. 

Sign into your CollegeBoard account and register from there. 

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration/dates-deadlines

Email sent to all Seniors on Monday, 10/3

If you have a November 1 College Application deadline, please complete the yellow Transcript Request Cards (one per school) and bring it to Ms. Parks in the counseling office. At this time, you should also move the college to the "Colleges I'm Applying To" tab on Scoir.  

 To ensure we have enough time to prepare and submit all your documents, turn the cards in by end of school on  Thursday, October 6th. 

On Friday we will be sending the list of students with 11/1 deadlines to all teachers so they know they need to complete Green Sheets and Recommendations for those on the list. 

Teacher Recommendation requests should be requested on Scoir at this time, if not already done.  See Attachment for pictures. 

Student Questionnaires, https://forms.gle/q9YTwDuJybhgHGdTA and Parent Brag Sheets, https://forms.gle/KrHwL1PusUeWJ16YA should also be completed now. 

Don't forget- do NOT put an email address for your recommenders on Common App. Just request via Scoir. Directions are attached. 

You are responsible for submitting your application by the deadline and paying the application fee.  I can provide fee waivers to those who need them due to financial hardships. 

Email to Students on 9/12/22

You may be seeing invitations to College Open Houses this fall.  The colleges are rolling out the red carpet to the Class of 2023 and want you to visit! 

There are some differences between a college tour and when a college hosts an Open House.  

TOURS: Most colleges have scheduled tours throughout the week.  Typically an admissions representative speaks to the whole group, answers questions and then sends the group out on a tour with a student guide.  Classes and life at college are going on as normal and your tour just takes you through a typical day. 

OPEN HOUSES:  Open Houses are days that are for prospective students to learn a lot about the campus and programs.  There may only be 1-2 per year.  Faculty from various departments will be on hand to discuss their programs.  There may be workshops on Financial Aid, Admissions, Residence Life etc that you can choose to go to.  Tours will also be included.  These are typically on the weekends and no classes are in session so the focus is on prospective students. 

There are a lot of Open Houses up until mid-November.  You have to sign up ahead of time. They will be listed on the websites and they may email you about upcoming dates.  UNH Open House on 10/1 is open for registration right now: https://admissions.unh.edu/visit/fall-open-house

There are quite a few on Columbus Day weekend at various schools but it varies widely. 

Tours are more flexible and helpful when you are not sure how interested you are in a school.  

NEACAC College Fair on Thursday September 29th  from 9-11am.  Southern NH University is hosting the closest NEACAC College Fair and over 100 colleges attend.  These have not fully bounced back yet from the past 2 Covid years.  The advantage is that you can often talk to reps who don't go to individual high schools to visit or are from far away. 

List of schools attending SNHU NEACAC Fair is attached to this email. 

Winnacunnet Fairs and Visits: We will have 3 Mini Fairs with about 20 colleges, trade schools, military, cosmetology schools etc. at each one.  These will be held at noon on Sept 20, Sept 28 and Oct 13 in the hallways near the library. You can see who will be here on the Scoir Calendar but we will send out emails with the lists as well. 

Individual colleges will visit at other times than the fairs if they can't make the fair.

The admissions reps who are here are the ones who typically read applications from Winnacunnet. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and even get to know about a school you hadn't considered. You can also just stop to tell them you plan to apply or are interested. 

Email to students on 9/1/22

If you are planning to take the SATs again, we are a test site on October 1. The deadline is FRIDAY, September 2 (tomorrow). 

Log into your CollegeBoard account to register. All registration and payment is done on CollegeBoard, not at Winnacunnet. 

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration/dates-deadlines

Senior College Application Parent Night: September 12 at 6:30pm in the Auditorium. All info covered in the senior classes will be covered. 

Financial Aid Night:  September 26 at 6:00PM in the Auditorium. More info will be sent later 

Postsecondary Mini Fairs and visits are back! Colleges (both 2 year and 4 year), military, trade schools, cosmetology- all postsecondary options will be visiting this fall. 

November 14th: "I Am College Bound" Day. All applications for all colleges in NH will be free for students who apply at Winnacunnet that day. More info and sign ups to come. 

6/13/22 SAT Registration Info

Retake or not? 

1. If you did well on the SATs and think you will likely submit them to colleges whether test optional or not, you should re-take them to get the best possible scores. 

2. If you know you are applying to test required colleges, you should take them again to get the best possible scores. 

3. If you did not get scores that are a good match for your grades AND you are applying to all test optional schools, no need to re-take. You won't submit. 

4. If you do not know yet if all the colleges you are likely to apply to are test optional or not, keep a list and make a decision as it gets a bit closer.  

Sign into your CollegeBoard account to register. 

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration/dates-deadlines

May 23 info to students: Letters of Recommendation

Before you leave for the summer, you may want to let a teacher know that you intend to request a Letter of Recommendation from them for college applications.  There are Pink Letter of Recommendation forms in the Counseling office (under the window to the right of the door when you enter the office). 

Things to keep in mind:

1. Only ask one teacher right now 

2. Ask IN PERSON. 

There is no need to do anything else other than ask the teacher and give them the form (it's meant to be a visual reminder)- we will talk about links to upload to Scoir and such this fall). Do not request the teacher via Common App or Scoir at this time. It is very important that you follow WHS guidelines for this process

This is to give teachers a heads up that you will need a letter- this does not mean they will do it this summer. It's up to them. Some will write this summer, some will wait until they know a deadline. Teachers who prefer to be asked in the Spring will let their classes know. 

Green Sheets- Teacher Appraisal Forms that only come to me:

These forms are given to teachers/coaches/employers who know you in a certain area of your life and may have very good insight and assessment of you that would be great for a college to hear about. These come back directly to me and I use them in the Counselor Letter of Rec. No one else sees them.

Example: "Teachers and coaches comment on Snoopy's ability to....." 

or "In math and science courses, teachers comment on Snoopy's skills in....." 

If you would like to ask teachers to fill out a Green Sheet for you, you can also pick these up in the counseling office and hand them to up to 4 teachers. You should not choose the same teacher for a full recommendation and a Green Sheet.  

The Green Sheets are on Green Paper.

We will begin the school year in the fall with detailed instructions about Letters of Recommendation, Green Sheets, Setting up Scoir and Common App so if you do not ask for Letters and Green Sheets right now, that's fine. There will be plenty of time before any Early Deadlines. 

Focus on figuring out the best fit colleges to add to your list and enjoying some downtime! 

Paying For College Workshop with NHHEAF- recording on the Financial Aid page of this site. 

The College Search and Application Process presentation was  held on March 9th: You can watch a video of the presentation under the tab College Search on this site.