April 2019: 12th Grade
MDHS Counseling Newsletter
MD Seniors
Check out our upcoming events and reminders for the month of April!
Please remember to complete and submit the mandatory End of Senior Year Survey by May 6th. More information is below.
AP Exams: AP testing begins Monday, May 6 and ends Friday, May 17th. For morning exams, be sure to be at your assigned location by 7:30 AM and for afternoon exams, by 11:30 AM. Students who arrive late will not be admitted to the test. Your AP teacher will provide you with additional instructions including your testing location.
CSF & NHS Awards Ceremony
End of Senior Year Survey
We are asking all Seniors to fill out the END OF SENIOR YEAR SURVEY through Naviance by May 6, 2019. Completion of this survey is MANDATORY for all seniors. Your Cap and Gown will be withheld if you do not complete the Senior Survey and complete it correctly. Your responses will not be seen by the public, so please answer as truthfully as possible. The only thing that will be posted will be the school you are attending (your name will not be used). Only the Administrators and Counselors will see your admissions decisions.
Please fill out the questions VERY CAREFULLY. The information you submit for the scholarships/awards/honors programs may be used for Senior Awards. Be sure to be accurate when listing the names and amounts of the scholarships and awards. This will include all Merit Scholarships and College/University-specific scholarships (Dean’s, Regents, Chancellors, Presidential, etc.)
PARENTS: Please review your student’s information. Only students can fill out the survey. To review your students responses, log on to their Naviance account.
To submit the surveys, please complete the following three steps:
- Log on to Naviance (www.materdei.org/naviance) through the students account.
- Your user name is your Mater Dei Email address and your password should be the word “college”
- Go to the “About Me” tab and click “Class of 2019- Senior Survey” (it is on the left hand side under “Surveys to take”)
Be sure to answer ALL parts of Question #18
- Colleges you applied to
- Type of deadline (Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision)
- Final decision with each school (Accepted, Denied, Waitlisted, Deferred, Spring Admit, Guaranteed Transfer)
- Click the ATTENDING box for the school that you will be attending in the Fall of 2019.
When filling out the Scholarship information, please include ALL Scholarships and Awards received from the colleges and universities, even those you are not attending.
At the end of the survey on Naviance, click “save and return later” or “save and I am finished” to submit the survey. You will NOT receive a confirmation. You have until May 6, 2019 to make changes and corrections.
Senior Awards Night: May 22, 2019
Senior Awards Night is a special convocation held to laud the graduating seniors receiving honors, awards, and scholarships from Mater Dei High School, MD alumni and families, universities, and state and national organizations. Seniors will be recognized for their many special gifts and talents, from academic distinction to athletic excellence, for personal character, dedication to service, and more. This year Senior Awards Night will be on May 22, 2019 at 6:00pm in the LeVecke Center. All students and their families and guest are welcome to join the celebration. Recipients of honors and scholarships are expected to attend. For more information on the Senior Award Night and scholarship applications, please visit www.materdei.org/apps/pages/seniorawards.
Service Hours/Reflection
As a reminder, to graduate from Mater Dei students must complete 10 hours of volunteer service per semester, and at least half of all hours must be "direct service." For seniors who have been at MD all four years of high school, your requirement is at least 80 total hours of service, 40 hours or more of these must be direct service hours. The deadline in spring for service hours was March 18, 2019. Seniors also must submit a Reflection essay. If you have not submitted your reflection essay, please do so as soon as possible.
Visit the Christian Service Program web page for more information. Be sure you have submitted your hours through our new app, MobileServe. Please check that they have been verified. If you have any questions, talk to Mrs. Hopkins, our Director of Christian Service, in Campus Ministry.
Community College
- Will you be attending a California Community College next semester? Make sure to apply now!
- Create an OpenCCC account: https://www.openccc.net/uPortal/p/AccountCreation.ctf1/max/render.uP
- Check your community college's requirements for assessments and orientation and sign up for these dates
- Don't forget to file FAFSA or the CA Dream Act Application for financial aid and list your community college
If you are applying to Irvine Valley College (IVC), complete all the admissions and matriculation steps by April 12, 2019 to be part of the Freshman Advantage Program:
College Application To Do's
- May 1 is National College Decision Day, the deadline for seniors to submit their intent to register at their college
- Remember to check your email or college portals periodically for updates on your application status
- If you are committed to attending a college, please order your final official transcript directly to the college through your Parchment account. Please select "hold for grades" so that we may send your transcript when second semester senior grades are available.
- Send your official SAT/ACT scores to colleges that require them through your Collegeboard or ACT account
- Student Athletes: Check your NCAA account and make sure your documents (transcript, SAT/ACT score) have been received by the Eligibility Center: http://eligibilitycenter.org
You Got Accepted, Now What?
You may have heard back come college decisions if you applied early, or you may begin to receive your decisions throughout the spring. Congratulations on your acceptances!
Some important next steps will be reviewing your college offers and submitting your statement of intent (SIR) to register by May 1st. Here are a few things to do next:
- Attend a College Admit day or campus visit, ask questions
- Calculate and compare the cost of attendance (tuition, housing, etc.)
- Contact financial aid office if needed
- Respond to your acceptance letter
- Make a deposit
- Respond to financial aid letter, if required
- Check for any other required items
- Let your school counselor know! We'd love to congratulate you in person and hear where you're going next.
Here are some articles with information that can help you to navigate the decisions you will be making. You are also welcome to ask your counselor for support.
You Got Accepted, Now What? https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/making-a-decision/you-got-accepted-now-what
Calculator for Comparing Financial Aid Package/College Costs: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-awards/compare-aid-calculator
Explanation of Types of Aid: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-awards/your-financial-aid-award-explained
9 Steps to Take After Acceptance: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/chuck-cohn/the-9-steps-you-should-ta_b_9128546.html
What to Do if You're Wait-Listed: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/making-a-decision/what-to-do-if-youre-wait-listed
Mater Dei High School Counseling Department
Website: https://www.materdei.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=70016&type=d&pREC_ID=237246
Location: Mater Dei High School, 1202 W Edinger Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92707