Senior

Dear Senior,

Well, this is it!  You’re the big dog on campus.  There is a lot to accomplish this school year.  You have to make sure you keep those grades up and make up any credits that you are missing in order to graduate.  Start talking to your counselor early on in the school year so that you have all of your bases covered.  If you’ve put things off in the past it’s time to play catch up.  By the time Christmas rolls around you’ll need to have a lot of things done.  Take a look at the “to do” list below to determine what you need to do.

To Do:

Before Christmas:

1.  Meet with your counselor at the beginning of your senior year to make sure you have taken or are currently enrolled in all of the courses necessary for graduation.  You don’t want to be in a position of missing credits and not finding out until the beginng of May of your senior year. 

2.  Make sure you have taken the ACT or SAT.  The fall of your senior year is a good time to give it that one more shot to improve your score.

3.  Make sure you have researched private scholarships and know when the deadlines are.  Many will have deadlines in the fall of your senior year.  Sometimes they are very early so don’t procrastinate.  For example, the Horatio Algier Association Scholarship’s deadline is usually in November. 

4.  Begin applying to universities. It is a good idea to apply to several universities that way if your first choice doesn’t work out you will have a couple of back up options.  You should already have had your ACT scores sent to some universities that you are interested in attending.  Make sure that every university that you are applying to receives your ACT scores.  Make sure your high school transcripts will be available to universities electronically.  You can ask your guidance counselor about this.

5.  If you haven’t already explored the world of financial aid, now is the time to do it.  After Christmas you will need to apply for financial aid by submitting a FAFSA.

6.  Ask for recommendations from teachers, community leaders, counselors or other adults who recognize your talents and skills.  It isn’t a good idea to have your mom or dad write a letter for you.  Try to get people outside of your immediate family.

7.  Explain to your parents that they will need to get their taxes done as early as possible.  Most employers provide W2’s (paperwork necessary to do taxes) in January.  The earlier they do their taxes the earlier you can submit your financial aid paperwork and the greater the chance of you getting better aid.

8.  Create a resume of your academic, extra curricular and personal achievements.

9.  If you are interested in an artistic field, create a portfolio of your work to be submitted.  Most art schools require a body of work to be reviewed for admission.

After Christmas:

1.  Annoy your parents until they get their taxes done.  If you have a job make sure you get your taxes done too.  This is extremely important.  Sometimes adults put things off just like kids.  Think of this as an opportunity to bug your parents about getting their homework done just like they probably do to you.

2.  When your parents have their homework done (taxes) sit down with them at the computer or with someone who knows about the financial aid process and fill out the FAFSA on line.  Make sure you read all about the FAFSA online before you begin.  It is important to have the necessary information to complete the form.  The earlier you get this submitted the greater the likelihood of you receiving grants.  There is a limited amount of grant money and applying late will mean you may not get as much or any even if you qualify.

3.  After you have submitted your FAFSA you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR).  This document will tell you what aid you qualify for and require you to select which aid you wish to accept.  You must send this back with any corrections as soon as possible.  It is important that it is accurate. 

4.  Make a final decision about which university you are going to attend.

5.  Make decisions about housing and meal plans.  We recommend that you live on campus for at least the first year of college.  This will provide you with the community and support that you need in order to be successful.  Remember, be involved.

6.  Submit all forms regarding housing and other campus related decisions.  Make sure you get all of these things in on time.  Don’t play around with your forms and forget to send them in.  There is no “late credit” like in high school when it comes to reserving your dorm room.  When they are full, they are full.

Suggest Course Schedule for Seniors

The following list is a suggested list of courses that seniors should take in order to be prepared for higher education.  Remember, when there is an AP course available and your teacher or counselor believes that you can handle such a course it is wise to subsititute the AP or Honors version of the course.  For example if 12th grade Honors English IV is availabe take that one instead of English IV.  Before signing up for honors or AP discuss this option with your parents and your counselor.

English IV

Advanced Math, Pre-Calculus, or Calculus

World History or Western Civilization

Physics or Biology II

Band, Fine Art, Theater, Choir, or another form of the arts

Elective (another math, science, writing, or foreign language)

Elective (extra curricular or other)

**note** Research shows that the more math classes a student takes the more likely he/she will be successful in college.