November 2017
Monthly Newsletter
For seniors, the weeks preceding the Nov. 1 early deadline can be busy ones, even for the most organized of students. Yet even in the craziness of the fall crunch, there is an air of excitement as the long-awaited application deadlines become realities. The fall is a special time in senior year – whether submitting applications for an early deadline or in mid-December – one filled with opportunities for self-reflection, heightened engagement in the writing process, and the confidence and personal growth that emerge when taking ownership of a challenge.
This is the time of year when college counseling offices feel charged by a palpable and distinct energy unique to the college application season. It is a time when the courage to embrace the unknown is weighed against risk and an unpredictable landscape. It is a time when students embrace the future and its possibilities. It is a time when independence drives action. Once that Nov. 1 deadline passes, there is a discernible shift in the admission landscape, and college and university admission offices now find themselves at the center of everyone's attention. Though there are still essays to be written, applications to be completed, and deadlines to be met, the pace becomes more reasoned and balanced, a sense of accomplishment pervades our offices, and an air of calmer expectation settles on the high school side.
As we approach our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we want to thank our students for the opportunity to work with them as they engage in their application process; their parents for trusting us to challenge their children to self-reflect, take responsibility for the process, and find their best selves; and our faculty for their dedication and selfless support of our students.
With warmest wishes for a much-deserved Thanksgiving break,
The College Counseling Team
Senior Reminders
Scholarship Search
If you have searched the web for available scholarships, you have likely visited Fastweb, a comprehensive database that includes 1.5 million scholarship listings. That is a lot of scholarship options! It can be overwhelming to navigate through so many scholarships in order to determine if any of them match your profile and meet your needs. For a more focused search of possible scholarships, check out the ones we have listed on Naviance. Though our list is markedly smaller, the posted scholarships are worth exploring to see if one of them might be a good fit. Check back often as our list will keep growing; as suitable scholarships come to our attention, we will add them to our list on Naviance.
Financial Aid
Parents, if applying for financial aid, now is the time to complete the FAFSA, and for some schools, the CSS Profile as well. Requirements vary, so be sure to check each school's website and reach out directly to a school's financial aid office with any questions.
Watch out for those Fast Apps!
This is the season of the fast app, those tempting invitations to apply to a school you may or may not have heard of that suddenly arrive out of nowhere. These fast apps are designed to entice you to apply by making it exceptionally easy to do so. There is often no essay or application fee, and then there is the alluring promise of a quick decision. Proceed cautiously when you receive a fast app; don't fall prey to that institution's marketing drive to increase application numbers. Do your research as you would for any school you are considering, and ask yourself if it is truly a school you would like to attend if offered admission. If you receive a fast app and have any questions, please come see us in the College Counseling office.
Updating Naviance
Seniors, be sure to keep your "Active" list of colleges on Naviance updated, including your application plan (RD, EA, etc.) for each school. Be sure to indicate when you submit your application. We track your college lists regularly to check on the status of your applications, so it is important to keep your Naviance account up-to-date. As you start to hear from schools, you will also need to add that information to Naviance. Thanks!
On the Horizon
All essays and supplements need to be completed by Dec. 10 to ensure you have plenty of time to submit all of your applications prior to the holiday break that starts after Lessons & Carols on Friday, Dec. 15. Our office will be closed during the break, so it is important to have everything taken care and submitted by then; we want you to have a restful and restorative holiday season!
Juniors
Our first meeting with juniors took place on Tuesday, Nov. 7. In addition to introductions and a brief mindfulness exercise, the key points of our gathering were to review the calendar for the upcoming months as it relates to testing, our Junior Parents' night on Monday, Jan. 29, and scheduling meetings in the College Counseling office. As follow-up to that gathering, we have asked each junior to schedule a brief meeting with his/her college counselor prior to the Thanksgiving break; these meetings are introductory and serve as an initial touch-point for the upcoming process.
Juniors that were unable to attend Tuesday's meeting should have received an email from Mrs. Sohne-Johnston that outlines the information we shared. If you have any questions, please reach out via email or come by our offices. We are here to help!
Suggested Reading
"The Surprising Secrets of College Admissions" offers some insight into what colleges value in an applicant pool, but more importantly, it conveys important information about the often overlooked fact that there are so many wonderful options for students to consider when they begin searching for schools that will offer the learning community they seek.
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