Junior Bulletin, April 25, 2017

START THE SEARCH FOR YOUR COLLEGE!

Visit Swarthmore

Swarthmore College hosts Junior Visit Day on Saturday, May 13 at 9:00 AM. This program introduces students and their families to the general college admissions and financial aid processes. Students can participate in special programming – including workshops, Q&A with Swarthmore’s Director of Admissions, and even private meetings with experienced financial aid professionals. Tours of campus and sessions on athletics and engineering are also available. You can sign up here; registration fills quickly. Swarthmore especially looks forward to welcoming students who are the first in their families to attend college, or come from communities underrepresented on the campus. Learn more about group visitation opportunities online.

Villanova University Mainline College Fair

Regional colleges attend the Mainline College Fair on May 15, 2017, 6:30PM to 9:00PM at Villanova campus. This is a good opportunity to talk to college representatives in the area and get to know more about the college application process. For more information, visit HERE and contact gotovu@villanova.edu

Penn College Exploration Workshop

Current high school juniors are invited to attend a workshop at Penn Saturday, May 20.  The workshop focuses on the college search process in general, as well as financial aid issues. Lunch will be provided. Click on the link to learn more and register for this workshop, which  is part of Penn’s Ivy In Your Backyard series.

Senior Bulletin, April 25, 2017

 GET READY TO GO!

Many colleges require a final acceptance of their offer by May 1.  Be sure to check the date for all the schools that accepted you.  If you are still considering financial or other issues, you can ask for an extension.  Email the admissions office and explain your need for a few more weeks to reach a decision, but don’t take for granted that they will agree.

It is polite to write an email to the admissions office of colleges you are turning down – thank them for the offer and explain that you will be attending a different school (you don’t have to say which one!).

You can make friends and learn important information by joining social networks at the school of your choice.  Check the website of your school to find out whether your potential major has networks you can join.  

Take the time to thank your SLA teachers and advisers for their help, keep them posted about your decisions, and stay in touch!

 FINAL COMPLETION OF FAFSA

The School District of Philadelphia offers students a FAFSA Completion and Financial Aid Support Night.  This event will be held at The School District of Philadelphia (440 N. Broad Street) April 27, 2017 from 4:00PM- 7:00PM. Admission and services are FREE. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. BE SURE to bring documents needed to receive assistance (2015 tax returns, W2’s, financial aid award letters etc.) For questions call the Chief Academic Support Office at 215-400-6728 

Financial Award Letter Comparison Sheet

THIS is a great tool for you to compare financial aids with the schools that you are interested in attending. Since this is just a sample comparison sheet, you can modify the format to fit your need.

Class of 2018 Sign Up to Get College Office Text Message Alerts

Sign up here When you sign up, you will be able to receive the most recent Junior Bulletin notification and other reminders from the college office. We want to help you stay on top of deadlines!

Class 2017 Sign Up to Get College Office Text Message Alerts!

Sign up here. When you sign up, you will be able to receive the most recent Senior Bulletin notification and other reminders from the college office. We want to help you stay on top of deadlines!

Grades 9-11 Official Transcript Request

Students are sometimes asked to provide an official transcript to an academic institution, summer program, or community agency. All SLA students in grades 9-11 can request official transcripts by completing a Transcript Request form HERE. (When students are asked for unofficial grades, a report card or grade printout from SchoolNet will be sufficient.) Bring all completed requests to the College Office, room 312.

Notes:

• Allow TWO WEEKS to process the request.
• If sending request via email, complete the Transcript Request form, scan, and email (preferably in .PDF) back to Mrs. Hirschfield at khirschfield@scienceleaderhsip.org.
• Seniors who need official transcripts must add it to the Transcript Request Log in the College Office.

SLA’s High School Profile

Click here to view the Class of 2017 School Profile.

Diversity College Fly-In Programs

Would you like to visit colleges but it’s too far away and expensive? Fly-in programs offer students the opportunity to stay overnight on campus to get a feel of their college environment and see if it’s the right college for you.

Check out this list for colleges who offer fly-in programs with financial assistance for eligible students.

Remember to keep track of the upcoming application deadlines for the programs you are interested in.

College Application Fee Waiver FAQs

Income-eligible seniors who took the SAT or SAT Subject Test using a fee waiver will receive four college application fee waivers from College Board.

Here are the most frequently asked questions regarding the fee waivers.

Questions to Ask Colleges

Here are a few scripted questions that Juniors and Seniors can ask when talking to College Admission Representatives:

Around Academics:

-Do you have any professional programs? (eg: does your liberal arts school offer a teaching credential, is your nursing program accredited)

-How many students on campus do research with their professors? How easy will it be for me to find academic mentorship at your school?

SLA Graduation Requirements

SLA Graduation Requirements

ACT/SAT Test Optional Schools

If you’re interested in applying to any test optional schools, click here for a list of schools that may be of interest to you.

Common Application Information

Common App powerpoint from June College Prep Workshop here.

Check out this document for Common Application FAQs!

College Entrance Exam Deadlines Coming Up!

Juniors:

Please be aware of the following upcoming deadlines for the college entrance exams (SATs and ACTs):

Click on the links below to get test date information.

SAT- http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-us-dates

ACT-http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html

Transcript Requests for Non-Seniors

Attention freshmen, sophomores and juniors!

If you want to participate in a summer enrichment program, or want to apply for a scholarship, come to the college office and request a transcript to be sent!

Introducing the College Navigator

Juniors and Seniors and related parents, the College Navigator should be your second favoriate website of all time–after this one of course. Here, you can browse through real-time data on actual price based on

Navigating the College Financial Aid Process

There are two websites that the College Office wants you to look at today. Have you looked at the College Board’s Net Price Calculator and FAFSA Forecaster?

Want to know how to convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale?

Use  THIS CHART to help you figure out your GPA on a 4.0 scale. As a general rule SLA GPAs are unweighted.

Preparing for College Entrance Exams

SAT & ACT PREP RESOURCES

It’s so important for students to begin prepping for their college entrance exams! There are tons of great test-optional schools, but some of them may require ACT/SAT test scores to be considered for merit scholarships.

Here’s a list of Test Prep Resources to help you get started!