Counselors Corner
Dual Enrollment Information
To qualify for Montcalm Community College (MCC) Dual Enrollment, students will be required to take the ACCUPLACER test administered by MCC. Students will meet with the HS Counselor to begin the process. For more information please see the HS Counselor and visit:
Financial Aid/Scholarships
The FAFSA can be completed any time after October 1st of the students senior year. You must submit this form in order to be considered for all federal financial aid programs, most institutional programs, and most state programs. Young Men, please be aware that you must also register with selective service (www.sss.gov) when you turn 18 to qualify for federal aid programs.
What is needed:
Parents tax forms, if you do not have your tax returns completed in time to apply for financial aid, you can use an estimate of income and taxes to file your FAFSA
Student's FAFSA Pin Number - This can be easily be obtained at www.pin.edu.gov ; your student will need this number inorder for his/her FAFSA to be completed.
For more information, please go to:
College Financial Aid:
www.fafsa.gov
www.finaid.org/fafsa
www.michigan.gov/osg
For scholarship searches, you can set up an account and profile with the following:
You can also check your college/university of choices’ scholarship pages.
We will also be announcing local scholarships through your school email.
Sending Transcripts to Colleges
Seniors, please remember to send your transcript requests via Parchment to colleges and universities you are applying to.
Testing
SAT - All Juniors will be taking the SAT in April. You will receive prep work during your Academic Core time. For more information please see: www.collegeboard.org
The ACT - Students please go to www.actstudent.org for test dates and locations. This is an optional test for students.
ACT Test Prep: www.march2success.com
Students will need to register, it's free and contains 7 full practice ACT test, all areas and timed.
To Do List by Grade Level:
9th Grade Planning Ahead
Meet with your counselor to discuss your college plans. Review your schedule with him or her to make sure you're enrolled in challenging classes that will help you prepare for college.
Remember, you will have more options if you start planning now for college and keep your grades up.
Start a calendar with important dates and deadlines.
Create a file of the following documents and notes:
Copies of report cards
List of awards and honors
Get more involved with your extra curricular activities.
List of schools and community activities in which you are involved, including both paid and volunteer work, and descriptions of what you do.
Go to college fairs in your are.
10th Grade Planning Ahead
Make sure you're enrolled in challenging classes that will help you prepare for college.
Start a calendar with important dates and deadlines.
Continue extracurricular activities, as admissions officers look at students' extracurricular activities when considering them for admission.
Continue participation in academic enrichment programs, summer workshops, and camp with specialty focuses such as music, arts, science, etc.
Go to College fairs in your area.
Learn about colleges.
Learn about college costs and how financial aid works.
Find out about Dual-Enroll options for your Junior year.
11th Grade Planning Ahead
August:
Obtain schedules and forms for the ACT. You can take this anytime, you don't have to wait for the state test in March.
September:
Attend College presentations at HS.
Start your college search: Your list of colleges should contain approximately 8 - 12 schools you are seriously considering.
Start with you: Make lists of your abilities, preferences, and personal qualities. List things you may want to study and do college.
January:
Take campus tours online or in person to further narrow your list of colleges to match your personality, GPA and test scores.
March:
Take the ACT tests. It is a good idea to take your tests in the spring to allow you time to review your results and retake the exams in the fall of your senior year, if necessary.
June:
Add any new report cards, test scores, honor, or awards to your file. Visit colleges, some have preview programs that allow you to visit their campus and stay in dorms.
Summer Between Junior and Senior Years
Review your senior year class schedule with your counselor.
Plan summer activities early. Enrich yourself by volunteering, getting an interesting job or internship, or signing up for special summer learning programs.
Request applications from colleges to which you'll apply. Check important dates; some universities have early dates or rolling admissions. Consult the College Application Calendar and the Financial Air Calendar for a basic idea of the applications timeline.
Begin working on Senior Scholarship Portfolio: Begin writing 1 - 2 page personal statement & request letters of recommendations from teachers, counselors, or community members.
12th Grade Planning Ahead
August:
Check SAT and ACT dates for retakes.
September:
Take another look at your list of colleges, and make sure that they still satisfy your requirements. add and/or remove colleges as necessary. Narrow your list of colleges to between 5 and 10.
Give any recommendation forms to the appropriate teachers or counselors with stamped, college-addressed, envelopes making certain that your portion of the forms are filled out completely and accurately.
Apply to your top 3 schools by Halloween, the rest by Thanksgiving.
Visit Local and National Scholarship page and begin planning to apply for scholarship every month.
October:
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on or after January 1st. Go to the FAFSA on the Web now to complete the form. Or complete a paper FAFSA. www.fafsa.gov
November/December:
If you completed the FAFSA, you should receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) within four weeks if you applied via paper. If you applied online, you can receive results via email within 3 to 5 days after electronic submission. If corrections are needed, correct and return it to the FAFSA precessor promptly.
Complete your scholarship applications.
Contact the financial aid office of the college(s) to which you have applied to make sure that your information has been received, and that they have everything they need from you.
March/April:
If you haven't received an acceptance letter from the college(s) to which you applied, contact the admissions office.
You should make a decision by May 1st as to which college you will be attending and notify the school by mailing your commitment deposit check. Many schools require that your notification letter be postmarked by this date. You must tell every college of your acceptance or rejection of offers to admission or financial aid by May 1st. Send a deposit to the college you choose.
June:
Have your School Registrar send your final transcripts to the college which you will be attending.
Scholarships:
Apply for scholarships throughout your Senior year!!!
Summer After Senior Year:
Participate in any summer orientation programs for incoming freshmen.
Now that you know you will be attending college in the fall, it is a good idea to evaluate whether to get student health insurance in case of any unforeseen emergencies or whether your families insurance coverage is sufficient.