WBHS College Prep Information
Part 2 - Class of 2023..... Summer Prep.....June 2022
It's almost here!!! Senior Year!
If you missed the email from Mrs. Essig a few months back, you can catch up by clicking here:
Part 1 - WBHS College Prep Newsletter - March 2022
As a reminder, most college applications will go live for the Class of 2023 on August 1st. We encourage you to get a jump start on those college applications by joining us for the College Application Boot Camp! We hope to see our seniors there!
-- Mrs. Noelle Essig and your WBHS Counseling team
***BTW...We know this is a lot of information... grab a cup of coffee while you sit outside to relax..... read this in parts and be sure to bookmark this newsletter as a reference.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE COLLEGE APP BOOTCAMP
The WBHS Common Application and College Application Boot Camp is an annual event at WBHS. We hold this event prior to the start of school. Seniors can choose from August 15th or August 16th. Times will be sent in August but we anticipate a start time of 8:30 a.m and end around 3 p.m.
This program is for students at all phases of the college application process! We show you how to navigate the Common App, how to invite your recommenders, where to enter your essay and how to select your colleges in Common App. We will even make sure you know how to order SAT/ACT scores, use Parchment, work on essay writing and discuss how to create your resume. This will be a very productive, hands-on experience! We have workshops for all phases of the process.
This is an event your college bound senior does not want to miss!
Be sure to create a personal email account that is used just for college applications and/or the Common App.
If you are using a scholarship search engine, use a "junk" email address that you don't mind getting a lot of spam-type email.
Top Reasons to Visit Colleges
- You won’t really know how you feel about a place until you’ve been there. A college catalog, view book, or website can only show you so much.
- The college information sessions and the campus tours will give you a much better idea of what the college is like and if you would be happy there.
- A small investment in time now can save significant time, money, and hassles during the college application period.
- You’ll get a sense of the college’s vibrancy, character, and facilities. Visits will provide you with a more complete picture.
- College tours allow students to ask questions, meet other prospective students and understand the college on a deeper level.
- How you feel about schools once you visit in person may affect the direction your college search and application process takes. College visits help you to refine your search.
- Applying to college is a complex process and visits to campuses will serve you best if you use them as a research tool, rather than a final decision-making aid.
- Time, energy and money are finite resources and you want to use them wisely throughout the application process. First-hand knowledge will help you to clarify your vision and narrow your list.
- Most colleges love students who are sincerely interested and visiting colleges is one way to show this.
- You want to be able to relax and make a fully informed choice once you have been accepted. If you’ve already visited those schools at least once, that’s just what you will be able to do.
Each fall we connect 11th and 12th-grade students with admissions representatives from around the US. These visits are either live at WBHS or via Zoom in our College and Career Center. This is a great way to ask questions and learn more about a college without having to travel.
As Mrs. Essig schedules the admissions rep visits, she will add them to the College and Career Center Canvas Calendar. Look for more details in the fall.
Central Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Grand Valley State University
Lawrence Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Northern Michigan University
Oakland Community College
Oakland University
Saginaw Valley State University
University of Michigan - Dearborn
WB uses a website called Parchment to send transcripts to colleges, scholarship organizations, and employers. Students should use a personal email address to create this account and not your WBHS student email. Keep in a safe place and do not create multiple accounts.
Mrs. Essig will walk students through this during the College Application Boot Camp. If you want to get started, please watch Mrs. Essig's video showing you how to easily create your account.
Check each college website to see if standardized test scores are required. Many colleges no longer require an ACT or SAT for admission but instead allow you to decide if you would like to provide a score. This is called "test-optional." However, we still find that many of these colleges are using test scores when awarding scholarships. To keep all options open, it may be to your advantage to have a score available. Please research the colleges you are interested in and see what their testing requirements are for your class. Please note that as of this point, U of M is "test-flexible" which means that they would like an ACT, SAT, PSAT, or AP test scores.
It is important to give careful consideration when asking for letters of recommendation and know that most colleges do not need a letter of recommendation. If you need a letter, it is important to ask early and provide a "brag sheet" to the recommender. Watch the video to learn important details!
The resume is very useful when filling out college applications. I encourage students to look at the articles below when providing descriptive words for their activities. This is also used for the activities section when filling out college applications. If you feel your resume is lacking in an area, take advantage of the summer to enhance your resume!
During the College Application Boot Camp, Mrs. Nadler will share a wonderful presentation on the college essay. In the meantime, please check out the College Essay Guy to find great resources on writing the college essay.
Seniors show up on my doorstep in March frantic about looking for scholarships.... this often times is too late.... start now. Please know that the best place to find scholarships is with the college itself. Consider applying to colleges where your stats are above the average of admitted students. Colleges like CMU, GVSU, Wayne State, and Oakland University give amazing merit aid to students for their grades in high school. If you are applying to highly selective colleges, know that most of the aid there is linked to having financial need. Not always, but many times. Follow me on Twitter and read the WBHS Counselor Connection for more information on scholarships.
I NEED MONEY! HOW DO I FIND SCHOLARSHIPS?
1. Apply for Financial Aid after October 1st of the senior year. www.FAFSA.gov
2. Check with each college in which you are applying for merit-based scholarships and deadlines.
3. Check for memorial and alumni scholarship opportunities at each college in which you may qualify.
4. Check with student’s/parent’s employer, banks/credit union, religious & civic affiliations, etc. for scholarships.
5. Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/WBHSCounseling
6. Read the Counselor Connection newsletter sent out twice a month and check the College and Career Center Canvas page for a huge list of scholarships.
7. Conduct a search by using a national search engine, such as Google, www.fastweb.com , www.scholarships.com, www.myscholly.com , bold.org, etc. Be sure to create an email address just for these searches as students will receive a lot of emails. There is no need to pay money for these services! Watch for scams!
8. Check Careeronestop: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx
9. Check out the Class of 2022, College Board Opportunity Scholarships. https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/
10. For more information: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/finding-scholarships#how-find
11. Remember it takes work to receive most scholarships! You won't know if you don't try!
SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION
Sample Scholarship Spreadsheet
Keep in mind that Mrs. Essig will be starting a Scholarship Club in the fall! This will be a working club where we spend time filling out actual applications! Get your resume ready!
Stay informed- We work really hard to provide you with important information in a timely manner and we try to not overload families with numerous emails. We have streamlined our source of communication into a few tools. Thus please take the time to read our information so you don’t miss out!
WBHS Counselor Connection - Twice a month, I send out the WBHS Counselor Connection. This newsletter provides valuable information from our counseling department. We send this out to high school students' and parents' email addresses. We also post the newsletter on our website which can be found here: https://www.wbsd.org/west-bloomfield-high-school/counseling-office/counselor-connection-newsletter
If you are the parent of a high school student and are not receiving the newsletter, you may need to update your email address with us, or you may have placed some “blocks” in PowerSchool that you need to have removed.
College and Career Center in Canvas - This is a MUST-read resource for parents and rising seniors. Please spend some time exploring these pages with your junior. Here you will find many videos and links to valuable resources on ALL topics related to post-secondary education.
Twitter - We have a pretty active Twitter page and I encourage you to check us out on a regular basis. This is many times how colleges are communicating with us and we “retweet” their information. You can find us at @WBHSCounseling. https://twitter.com/wbhscounseling
WBHS Counseling Website - Our counseling website has the answers to many of the questions you may have. Check us out by clicking here: https://www.wbsd.org/west-bloomfield-high-school/counseling-office
https://www.oakland.edu/financialservices/understanding-financial-assistance/events/
WBHS will host several visits with the admissions reps from HBCUs. Also, please know that there is a college application called the Common Black College App where students can apply to over 55 HBCUs for one $20 application fee. Check it out here: https://commonblackcollegeapp.com/
Mrs. Essig and Ms. Thompkins offer a session during the College App Boot Camp where we talk about programs such as Midnight Golf, UNC Scholarships and more.
Check out these websites for more information:
MIApprenticeship
MUST - Careers
Registered Apprenticeships
Tech Apprenticeships
Advantage Oakland Trade School Information
Apprenticeship Industries
Mi Road 2 Work
MiTalent Skilled Trades
Students with financial barriers may be eligible to apply for fee waivers for the ACT, SAT and College Applications. If you think you may be eligible, but have not yet applied for free and reduced lunch, you can fill out the form here: https://westbloomfield.familyportal.cloud/
You will need to apply each school year to determine your eligibility. Please reach out to your counselor to obtain the waiver and learn more.
Once you have obtained your waiver codes, click on the links below to learn about the benefits available to you.
SAT: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sat-fee-waiver-student-brochure.pdf
ACT: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/FeeWaiver.pdf \
PSAT: Reduced rate, contact the Counseling Office when registering.
AP Exams: Reduced rate, contact the Counseling Office when registering.
Common App Fee Waiver: https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/What-do-I-need-to-know-about-the-Common-App-fee-waiver
College Applications:
Typically, in within each college application, you can click a button to request a fee waiver if you qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. If you do not see an area, you can click here to find a form:
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/RequestForWaiverForm.pdf or https://www.nacacfairs.org/learn/fee-waiver/
Enrollment Deposit for College: (Check with your college to see if they will accept) https://www.nacacfairs.org/globalassets/college-fair--homepage/ncf-documents/learn/nacac-req-for-enroll-form-0420_1-fillable.pdf
College App Fee Waivers in October!
When we know more for this year, Mrs. Essig will send an email out!
WBHS College and Career Center
College and Career Counselor
Email: Noelle.essig@wbsd.org
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/west-bloomfield-high-school/counseling-office
Location: 4925 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 865-6768
Twitter: @WBHSCounseling