Nolan Catholic College Counseling
Class of 2023 - August 2022
Senior To Do List - September 2022
- College Checklist!
Review the checklist. Stay on task so you don't get overwhelmed! - Meet with your Guidance Counselor! Counselors will continue to meet individually with each senior throughout the month of September.
- Applying to Texas Tech, Texas AM, or UT Austin? Once you submit your application you will get an email with instructions to set up your application portal and complete a SRAR. See your counselor as soon as you've set up your application portal for assistance.
- Letters of Recommendation!
If you have NOT already requested letters of recommendation, please complete the 5 step letter of recommendation process as soon as possible!. See below for details.
If you have requested letters of recommendation then there is nothing else you need to do! Counselors will send letters by the college application due dates as specified in your Colleges I'm applying to list. - SAT or ACT Test Plan
Texas Public Universities Test Policies - HERE
Do you need to test or retest? See options below.
It never hurts to prepare! See below for test preparation suggestions. - Naviance Student
- Create a final college list and update Naviance, Colleges I'm Applying to list.
- Use the Compare Me and Scattergram tools to assess admissibility (see below for instructions).
- Continue to research colleges, careers, majors and minors (see below for more info and instructions). - College applications!
Continue to work on college applications! --See below for best practices, essay advice. See the checklist for information needed pertaining to Nolan Catholic and the Class of 2023. - College Visits at Nolan Catholic - Sign up to attend a college visit. See list below.
- College Events offered in the DFW area or virtual: see below.
- Scholarships! Check out the scholarships and scholarship search engines at the end of this newsletter.
Nolan Catholic College Fair
Date: Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Place: Nolan Catholic High School, Hartnett Arena
For a complete list of attending colleges: HERE
Parent To Do List - August 2022
- College Checklist!
Review the checklist. Stay on task so you and your student don't get overwhelmed! - Work together to create a final college list. Review and discuss college options with your student.
- Assess the financial feasibility of each college by completing a NetPrice Calculator for every school your student is interested in applying to. See instructional video posted below. (TX Colleges NetPrice Calculator)
- SAT or ACT? Talk to your student about whether they need to retest. See below for available dates
- Explore Naviance Student, a comprehensive website that students and parents can use to research colleges and careers.
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
Application Tips!
- Use your legal name.
- Enter your social security number if you are interested in financial aid, merit scholarships, or federal or state loans or grants.
- Use an email that you check often.
- Application Fee Waiver: if you're not sure if you qualify --ask Mrs. Martin
- Date of High School Entry: August 2019 (unless you transferred to Nolan Catholic)
- Graduation Date: May 2023
- Counselor contact information:
Mrs. Martin (A-E) - nmartin@nchstx.org
Mrs. Perales (F-Le)- tperales@nchstx.org
Dr. Quarles (Li-Ra) - squarles@nchstx.org
Sodonia Johnson (Re-Z) - sjohnson@nchstx.org
- Counselor title: Counselor
- Phone number: 817-457-2920 (do not add the extension)
- Colleges and Universities: If you have taken or are taking a Dual Credit class add TCC.
- Grading Info:
- Class Rank Reporting– None
- Class Size – 182
- Cumulative GPA –ask Counselor
- GPA Scale – 100
- GPA Weighting - Weighted
- Current or Most Recent Year Courses
- List Senior year courses from most academic to least.
- Course title should be clear to someone who does not attend Nolan Catholic.
- Honors - Examples would be Honor Roll, National Honor Society
- Testing Section
- Check the college requirements on the Common App, the college's website, Naviance Student, or email me.
- Activities - This is your opportunity to tell colleges what you have done throughout high school (including what you plan to do your senior year). Activities include arts, athletics, clubs, employment, personal commitments, and other pursuits. In other words, everything pursued outside the classroom.
- You do not have to use complete sentences.
- You have 10 opportunities to list extracurricular activities.
- List first the activities that you consider to be the most important, most meaningful, most current, most often. Include senior service projects. Most involved to least involved. Explain organization and be as specific as possible -- don’t use acronyms.
- The first entry should reflect the first impression you want to make on the admissions officer. Set the stage for who you are! Are you a stem person, music, journalism?
- Mix it up! Don’t put all similar activities together.
- Use action words to describe what you did!
- Additional Information: Was there anything else that you would like colleges to know about you that was not already addressed? This is where you might explain a low grade, a lag in academic performance, or anything else that might have had an effect on your high school years.
- Common App - Courses & Grades: Not all colleges require that this portion be completed. After you add all the Common App colleges that you are applying to, check the line under the writing section to see how many if any require this. If it's not required, don't spend the time to do it because colleges will not look at it. They will get this information from your transcript.
Common Application
- See list of schools that accept the Common App - HERE
- Checkout the Class of 2023 College Checklist for tips and best practices for completing the Common Application
- Common App Guide for First Year Students - HERE
Apply Texas
- Opened July 1 for most Texas public universities
- Opened Aug 1 for University of Texas, Austin & Texas A&M.
- ApplyTexas - HERE
10 College Application Tips
- Meet College Application Deadlines!
Apply Early! If you want to apply to several colleges, be aware of every deadline. - Complete the Entire Application!
Take your time with each college application; fill it out carefully and double-check each section. If you submit an incomplete application, the panel may believe you are not a serious or qualified candidate. - Include Your Extracurricular Activities!
Admissions officers look for students who have maintained a strong academic standing and a proven track record of extracurricular activities. Admissions panels usually give priority and scholarships to well-rounded students who lead a balanced, driven and active life. - Be Neat and Organized!
College admissions review panels do not appreciate misspellings, grammatical and syntactical errors. Technical issues discredit you as a serious applicant. Have a friend, teacher, or family member look over your college application before submission to assure that it is neat and complete. - Write a Stellar Essay: Avoid the Fluffy Stuff!
When you answer application questions and essay prompts, steer clear of “the fluff”. Write clear and concise sentences that directly answer the prompt, conveying exactly who you are and why you want to go to that school. Admissions officers are more impressed by simple and articulate essays than wordy, unintelligible language that “sounds smart” or is “trying too hard.” - Be Creative!
There is a distinct line between creative writing and fluff, so if you feel confident enough in your writing, take a chance and have fun with your essay. This is your opportunity to “wow” the panel and show off your skills. - Don’t be Cliché!
Stay true to yourself. Depending on the essay prompt, reflect on your experiences or express your opinions with sincerity and originality. This is your chance to demonstrate your individuality. - Honesty is the Best Policy!
Embellishing the truth will only hurt you in the long run and admissions officers are authorized to check your claims and references. Allowing your parents to complete your application is also dishonest. It’s fine to ask their opinions about it, but it’s cheating to have someone else write your essay or fill out your application. - Don’t Forget Essential Documents!
Request your Nolan transcript (directions will be in the June newsletter) and letters of recommendation be sent to the colleges you're applying to.
Send SAT and/or ACT test scores via CollegeBoard.org or ACT.org. - Get Awesome Letters of Recommendation!
Many colleges require one or more letters of recommendation from a teacher who knows you well. Follow the NCHS letter of rec process!
How To Write an Awesome Essay for College & Scholarship Applications
- Follow directions. This simple tip is the most important one. Answer the question asked of you, keep within page or word limits, and pay attention to any special formatting requests. ☑
- Write your best. For most applications, you will only be submitting one or two written pieces. The people who read your applications assume that what they see is the best you can do. It’s your job to make sure you prove them right! Your essays should be examples of your best writing. ☑
- Proofread. This is good practice no matter what you’re writing, but you’ll want to make sure you proofread these essays extra carefully. Better yet, have a friend or trusted adult proofread for you, too. You’d be surprised at the number of applicants who write that they really want to go to Texas Christian University on their application to Texas Tech University! Thorough proofreading can prevent these simple mistakes.
- Be yourself. Essays are an opportunity for the admissions and scholarship committees to learn about the parts of you and your experiences that aren’t captured by the “numbers” (GPA). Use your essay to show them what’s important to you and to let your personality shine through. For example, some students wonder if it’s okay to write a humorous essay. The best advice we’ve heard about this is “Funny essays can be great to read, but if no one’s ever told you you’re funny, this isn’t the time to try.”
- Remember you have an audience. Most of the time you won’t meet the person who is reading your application, so it can feel like you don’t have an audience. It’s important to remember that you do. While it’s okay to write about the things that matter to you, it’s always wise to consider that you don’t know the politics, religion, or personal beliefs of the person who is reading your application. Choose a topic that interests you, but be careful not to offend.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle. There’s no question that writing essays can be time consuming. Reduce the amount of time you spend by reusing your work when possible. Many prompts are just slightly different from one another, and with some careful editing (and proofreading!), you should be able to recycle an essay for one application into a usable essay for another
NAVIANCE STUDENT & THE COLLEGE LIST
Colleges I'm Applying to List
- Do you have a safe school, a good fit school, and a reach school or two? If you're unsure, use the "compare me" and "scattergram" tools in Naviance.
- All the school's you are applying to need to be in your Naviance list!
- Add application type -- Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision.
- Request a transcript be sent to each college as you submit applications. See checklist for instructions.
SAT / ACT - MAKE A TEST PLAN
Current as of May 15, 2022
COLLEGE COST
Net Price Calculators - How much will a college really cost?
A SAFE school is also affordable for your family. See below to determine how much a college might cost (after scholarships and financial aid).
Search for Net Price Calculators on each college's financial aid page or search HERE
Texas Universities Net Price Calculator search HERE
What is a Net Price Calculator?
A Net Price Calculator is a tool that is available on every college or university’s website and allows prospective students to enter information about themselves to find out what students like them paid to attend the institution in the previous year, after taking grants and scholarship aid into account.
What does Net Price mean?
Net Price is the amount that a student pays to attend an institution in a single academic year AFTER subtracting scholarships and grants the student receives. Scholarships and grants are forms of financial aid that a student does not have to pay back.
Complete a NET PRICE CALCULATOR for each school on your list! Students and parents will need to work together to provide the required information.
TEST PREP OPTIONS
Khan Academy is a FREE Test Prep Option
- Personalized practice just for you! Khan creates a tailored practice plan for you based on your PSAT/NMSQT scores or a diagnostic test.
- Provides 8 full-length, real practice tests and content created in partnership with CollegeBoard.
- It's interactive and has thousands of practice questions, videos, lessons, and hints plus study and test-taking tips and strategies
- Gives you instant feedback and progress so you know where you stand!
Students can link their CollegeBoard PSAT scores and Khan Academy accounts. Follow these steps (or see the video and pdf instructions below):
- Go to satpractice.org. Create an account on Khan Academy or sign in to your existing account.
- When prompted, agree to link your Khan Academy and College Board accounts.
- Send your scores.
ACT Test Preparation
- The Official ACT Live Online Class, Powered by Kaplan - A team of top-rated teachers show students what to study and how to study during a series of engaging live classes. Get all of your questions answered in real time. Learn more about ACT Live Online.
- The Official ACT Self-Paced Course, Powered by Kaplan - Learn anywhere, anytime with on-demand tutorials. These bite-sized lessons offer the perfect mix of structure and flexibility. Learn more about ACT Self-Paced Course.
- The Official ACT Tutoring, Powered by Kaplan - Learn test content and test-day strategies in individual tutoring sessions led by an expert from Kaplan, who will adapt to your needs in real time, answer your questions, and provide you with personalized recommendations. Learn more about ACT Tutoring.
- The Official ACT Prep Guide 2021-2022 Edition - Practice with real ACT tests so you know what to expect on test day. Now with 6 official practice tests and 400 new digital flashcards, you can familiarize yourself with the test format and review explanations for all your answers. Learn more about the Prep Guide.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
WHO SHOULD YOU ASK?
✓ A TEACHER who taught you Junior or Senior year in a core subject—English, math, science, social studies, science, or world language.
HOW MANY RECOMMENDATIONS?
✓ A letter of recommendation from 2 TEACHERS!
HOW DO YOU ASK?
✓ In person! “Would you be willing to write me a positive letter of recommendation?”
WHEN DO YOU ASK?
✓ Ask 4 weeks prior to your deadline!
5 STEPS! WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
The following 5 items must be completed before letters will be written!
- FERPA Release (Naviance > About Me > Surveys > FERPA Release).
- Resume (Naviance > About Me > Resume). Your letter of recommendation writer will use this to reference what you have been involved in throughout high school.
- Letter of Recommendation Questions (Naviance > About Me > Surveys > Letter of Recommendation Survey)
- ASK 2 teachers and/or counselor to write a letter of recommendation for you.
- When the above items are done, complete this FORM!
COLLEGE EVENTS IN THE DFW AREA
The University of Oklahoma
An Evening with The University of Oklahoma
- Thursday, October 6, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Marriott Dallas at Las Colinas 223 West Las Colinas Blvd , Irving, TX 75039
- Register for the event by Monday, October 2 at 12:00pm CT. Space is limited.
Questions?
call: (405) 325-2151, text: (405) 292-4646, email: admissions@ou.edu
NACCAP College Fair
- Date: Monday, September 19th
- Place: Prestonwood Baptist Church
- Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Over 50 colleges and universities will be attending!
- Contact for Questions: Indy Axton (iaxton@dbu.edu)
Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, Williams
Six of the nation's top liberal arts colleges —Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams—are joining forces to offer you an opportunity to connect with our deans of admission as they reflect on this year’s application season and help you prepare for the application season ahead.
- Majors, Minors, and More: The Academic Experience at Liberal Arts Colleges - September 20 at 7 pm EDT
- Opportunities and Outcomes at Liberal Arts Colleges - October 11 at 7 pm EDT
- Campus Life and Building a Community - October 19 at 7 pm EDT
Register HERE
University of Chicago -- Virtual Workshops
- Neubauer College Week: Essay Writing Workshop
Monday, September 12, 2022 at 8:00 PM until 9:00 PM, Central Daylight Time.
Learn about college essays with UChicago College Admissions.
Register HERE - Neubauer College Week: Financial Aid
Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 5:30 PM until 6:30 PM, Central Daylight Time
Learn about the financial aid opportunities and how to apply for aid.
Register HERE Neubauer College Week: UChicago Student Panel
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM, Central Daylight Time
UChicago students will talk about campus and student life and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain a greater understanding of the student perspective.
Register HERE
Scholarship search engines
- Going Merry - It’s free! Going Merry has thousands of national, regional, and local scholarships. To sign up, go to: https://app.goingmerry.com/sign-up#students
- Access Scholarships
- CollegeBoard, BigFuture - Complete the college planning steps on the BigFuture dashboard! Participating Juniors will be automatically entered into drawings (.pdf/403 KB) for $500 scholarships plus two $40,000 awards every month.
Scholarships Awarded By A College Or University
Check the Financial Aid and Scholarship webpages of each college you're applying to! Are there any additional applications needed (besides the admissions application)? Are there any scholarships that fit your profile and need an additional application?
Complete a Net Price Calculator for every college on your list! A Net Price Calculator is available on every college's website and is an easy tool to use to estimate how much each college might give you in scholarship money!
Other Scholarships
- EFWBA 2022-2023 Wanda Conlin Scholarship Program. - Applications are due no later than Oct. 14 to EFWBA2022@yahoo.com. See application attached below.
- Voice of America, Veteran's of Foreign Wars, due Oct 31. - HERE
- TCU’s STEM Scholar Program
- Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation: Provides national, merit-based scholarships. When to apply: August 1–October 31 Learn More
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Offers scholarships to qualified students with demonstrated financial need. When to apply: August 1–November 13 Learn More
- Ron Brown Scholar Program: Offered to African American high school seniors, this scholarship focuses on leadership and civic engagement. When to apply: Early timeline: August 1–November 1. Regular timeline: August 1–January 9 Learn More