Counselor Connection
Special Edition for Seniors: Class of 2024
Welcome Class of 2024!
We hope this newsletter provides the information you need for your post-high school planning, completing your college applications, and more!
Graduation Requirements:
Graduation Requirements:
To be eligible for graduation, a student must earn a total of 66 credits (minimum) in grades 9 through 12. It is possible to earn 84 credits during four years at EHS. Many students accumulate far more than the minimum number of credits during their high school studies.
Click HERE for a chart listing the EHS graduation requirements.
All seniors received a credit/graduation status update letter from their counselor. Please contact your counselor if you have failed required courses and need to make them up via Eagan Academy. Click HERE for Eagan Academy information and registration.
Changing Your Senior Schedule
If you want to change your senior schedule once you have submitted an application to a college or university, you must contact them first. Academic schedule changes could impact your chances of gaining admission. Contact the admissions office at the college/university you are applying to for more information about their specific policies.
College Representatives Visiting EHS
The College Application Process
Gone are the days of sending all of your college application materials in the mail in one giant envelope! Now, the college application process takes place almost exclusively online. Materials are sent electronically from different sources and even at different times. They all meet and come together at the college’s admissions office for review.
Please click HERE for a document that outlines the college application process.
Colleges offer a variety of application plans/options. Below is a chart that outlines and defines these different plans/options. Please see the college you are applying to for the application plans/options they offer for admission.
CIS, AP & PSEO Courses
A common question counselors are asked is how to accurately list CIS courses, AP courses and PSEO courses on a college application.
AP Courses: these courses should be listed as high school credit on your applications.
CIS Courses: these courses should be listed as college credit on your applications. Click HERE to look up the U of MN course name and number of your CIS courses.
PSEO Courses: these courses should be listed as college credit on your applications.
You do not need to send college transcripts for your CIS or PSEO courses when applying to college. You will send these transcripts in June - and only to the college you will be attending.
Requesting Official EHS Transcripts
EHS partners with Parchment - a service that allows students and families to order official transcripts online to be sent directly to colleges and universities. You can also order official transcripts to be sent to your home address, if needed. They remain official as long as they are unopened. There is a fee per official transcript upon ordering - payable with a debit/credit card. Please contact your counselor directly to request a fee waiver.
Click HERE for instructions on how to order official EHS transcripts through Parchment.
Micro video on ordering transcripts through Parchment
Click HERE for the Parchment link to set up your account and order transcripts.
NOTE: If using the Common Application, send your transcript ONLY to the Common Application, NOT the individual colleges.
Requesting Test Scores
Many colleges and universities require official ACT or SAT test scores as part of their application process. However, some colleges have moved to “test optional” or “test free” admission policies. You can find these policies on the admissions section of each college’s website. Here are two additional resources to use to check your list of colleges and their admissions test score policies:
MACAC (MN Association of College Admissions Counselors) Test Optional resource: https://www.mn-acac.org/testoptional/
National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest): www.fairtest.org
Click HERE to order official ACT scores to be sent to colleges
Click HERE to order official SAT scores to be sent to colleges.
NOTE: students were able to automatically send their ACT or SAT scores to up to four colleges as part of the test registration process - if this was indicated upon registration. Log into your ACT or SAT account to see if you did this, as these colleges already have your test scores.
Requesting Fee Waivers
Colleges and universities often charge an application fee to apply for admission. If this fee presents a financial hardship for your family, please reach out to your counselor. We can help you navigate the process to have this fee waived. For some colleges, the application fee waiver request is built into the application itself (like the Common Application and the University of Minnesota). For others, there is a separate request form to complete.
Requesting Letters of Recommendation
Some, but not all, college applications require letters of recommendation as part of their application process. Here is what you need to know:
FIRST: Check the “application process” for each individual college to see if they require letters of recommendation.
NEXT: Complete the Request for Letter of Recommendation form - be sure to attach your schedule, transcript (both found in Campus) and your activities resume, if you have one.
THEN: Ask your teacher in person and give them the above documents.
ALWAYS: Write your teacher a thank you note!
Micro video on requesting letters of recommendation
Some other things to consider about letters of recommendation…
Teachers will always submit their letters directly to your colleges - not to you.
Be sure you really need one before you ask for one.
Some colleges will take letters of recommendation (even if they are not required) if you are “on the bubble” for admission; please see your counselor to talk through whether submitting letters of recommendation in these instances would be strategic.
College Application Essays
Some colleges may require an essay or personal statement (sometimes more than one). Please check the application steps for each college to see if an essay is required.
Click HERE for tips on how to write a college application essay.
College Board resources for writing college application essays: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays
Counselor Forms/Secondary School Reports
The Common Application
Click HERE for the "Application Guide for First Year Students."
Click HERE for additional resources for completing the Common Application (Common App Ready).
The EHS Counselors will host a "Common Application" Seminar for seniors using the Common Application on Wednesday, September 28th from 9:00 am until the end of PAWS in Lecture Room C.
Sign up HERE to attend.
With the rising cost of college tuition, applying for scholarships is more important than ever. The three main sources of scholarships are as follows:
Directly from a College or University: check college websites for information about freshman scholarships - are students considered automatically when they apply for admission or is there a separate application? Or both?
North Star Promise: Beginning in the fall 2024, The North Start Promise Scholarship program will create a tuition free pathway to eligible Minnesota residents attending MNSCU colleges & universities. Click HERE to see if you qualify.
Naviance Student: EHS tracks scholarship opportunities through Naviance Student, the career and college portfolio platform used by EHS students all 4 years of high school. Students should log into their Naviance Student account, (click on “student” and then “continue with single sign on”). The scholarship list is found under the “college” tab.
Video on how to access the Naviance Scholarship list HERE.
Online Scholarship Search Databases: Students may also search for scholarships using online scholarship search databases.
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/sPages/scholarshipsAll.cfm
Database of Minnesota Institutional Scholarships
Free scholarship search. Database of scholarships, grants, fellowships, and loans.
https://www.raise.me/join/eagan-senior-high Raise.me is a free website that allows students to earn scholarships to their partner colleges for small achievements like good grades, extracurricular involvement, and community service hours.
One-stop scholarship platform that makes it easy for students to find and apply for scholarships, for free.
www.SallieMae.com/scholarshipsearch
Scholarship search accessing over 3 billion in scholarships along with other financial aid resources.
FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to receive any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. Aid may include federal or state student loans, grants or work study opportunities. Eligibility is based on family income.
EHS will host a FAFSA/Financial Aid Information Night on Thursday, October 12th @ 6:00 pm (Parent/Teacher Conferences night).
We will also host a FAFSA Completion Night in January 2024 - date and time TBD.
NET PRICE: The 'Net Price' is a college's cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships a student receives. Every college/university has a 'Net Price Calculator' available on their website that will give students a personalized estimate of their net price - usually found under the "financial aid/scholarships' section of their website.
CSS Profile
Click HERE to see more information and a list of participating schools.
For federal aid you must complete the FAFSA - see information above.
Reciprocity
Minnesota has reciprocity agreements with Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota to provide lower tuition costs to Minnesota residents. It also has an agreement with the Canadian province of Manitoba, and a limited agreement with Iowa Lakes Community College in northwestern Iowa. Click HERE for more information.
Midwest Student Exchange Program
If you are a Minnesota resident (including eligible undocumented students), you're eligible for reduced tuition at a limited number of Midwest public and private schools and programs of study in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Click HERE for more information about the Midwest Student Exchange Program.
ASVAB
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a heavily researched and well-respected aptitude test developed by the Department of Defense. It measures a young adult's strengths and potential for success in military training.
7:30 am - 11:20 am
Lecture Room C
Please contact your counselor to register.
Still Deciding?
Not only is Naviance Student a great resource for college research, it has many tools to help students with career and major planning. Here is a short video on how Naviance Student can help you continue to explore your options: