HRHS Senior Newsletter
September 2018
WELCOME BACK!
The Guidance Office wishes you a fun and successful senior year!
Here is some important news and a few things to work on this month.
Changes in Guidance Roles
Ms. Scully is the new college & career counselor. She is here to support you with your plans for after high school whether you plan to go to work, the military or college. Feel free to stop by the Guidance Office to ask questions or set up a meeting with Ms. Scully.
Ms. Scully will begin to send out passes to meet with students individually and in small groups to make sure that students have all the information they need.
Counselor Letters of Recommendation
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
Students applying to four-year colleges should ask one or two teachers for letters of recommendation. All teacher recommendations will be submitted online via Naviance. In order to ask a teacher for a letter, students should create a resume in Naviance and fill out the “Recommendation Form” (located here). Once students ask a teacher to write a letter, they need to log into Naviance and add the teacher to their recommender list.
Transcript Release Form
College Representatives Visiting HRHS
Throughout the fall, college representatives will visit HRHS to meet with interested students. These information sessions are a great way to learn important admissions information about each college and to also learn more about the programs that are offered. The representatives who visit HRHS will often, later in the fall, be deciding whether or not students are admitted into the college. Students have a better shot at admissions when a counselor can put a face to the name on an application.
If interested in meeting with one of the representatives, students should sign up in the guidance office or on Naviance and ask their teacher for permission to miss class.
Here is the schedule of visits for September and October.
Listen to announcements for updates.
- Sept. 10th @ 9:45 - Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
- Sept. 12th @ 1:15 - University of New Haven
- Sept. 17th @ 12:30 - Stony Brook University
- Sept. 17th @ 1:15 - University of Maine at Machias
- Sept. 18th @ 7:45 - Keene State College
- Sept. 18th @ 8:45 - University of Maine
- Sept. 18th @ 1:15 - Saint Joseph's College
- Sept. 19th @ 7:45 - University of New England
- Sept. 19th @ 9:45 - Alfred University
- Sept. 21st @ 7:45 - Bryant University
- Sept. 24th @ 8:45 - Saint Anselm College
- Sept. 24th @ 9:45 - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
- Sept. 24th @ 1:00 - University of Rhode Island
- Sept. 24th @ 1:15 - University of San Diego
- Sept. 25th @ 8:45 - Albertus Magnus College
- Sept. 25th @ 9:45 - New England Institute of Technology
- Sept. 26th @ 9:45 - Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Sept. 26th @ 12:30 - Westfield State University
- Sept. 26th @ 1:15 - Sarah Lawrence University
- Sept. 27th @ 9:45 - Saint Michael's College
- Oct. 1st @ 8:45 - Worcester State University
- Oct. 1st @ 12:30 - Simmons College
- Oct. 2nd @ 1:15 - Endicott College
- Oct. 4th @ 9:45 - Springfield Technical Community College
- Oct. 4th @ 12:30 - University of Massachusetts, Lowell
- Oct. 10th @ 7:45 - Bentley University
- Oct. 15th @ 12:30 - Curry College
- Oct. 18th @ 8:45 - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Oct. 18th @ 12:30 - Springfield College
- Oct. 22nd @ 12:30 - Framingham State University
- Oct. 23rd @ 7:45 - Roger Williams University
- Oct. 24th @ 7:45 - Lesley University
- Oct. 29th @ 9:45 - Emmanuel College
- Oct. 29th @ 12:30 - Western New England University
- Oct. 31st @ 12:30 - Castleton University
College Fairs
Consider visiting an upcoming college fair to learn about a large number of colleges and universities in one day. Admissions and financial aid counselors will be available to answer questions.
NEACAC College Fair: Sept 16th, 1:00-3:00 pm
Western New England University
Optional Admissions and Financial Aid Workshop begins at 12:00
SAT and ACT Test Information
Students must request to have their SAT and ACT scores sent to colleges directly from the testing agency. The guidance office cannot send out test scores.
When students register for the SAT they have the option to send their scores to four colleges for free. There will be a $12.00 fee for each additional college.
If you are unhappy with your PSAT scores or June SAT scores, you may want to consider taking the ACT. Check out your Pre-ACT scores to find ways to prepare for the test. To register for the ACT, go to actstudent.org.
SAT Dates
ACT Dates
SAT and ACT Prep
Students can continue to use collegeboard.org and khanacademy.org to review for upcoming SAT exams and actstudent.org to review for the ACT.
Various other organizations run review classes for the SAT and ACT, such as Brian Leaf in Northampton (brianleaf.com). Listen to announcements for other courses if they become available.
Common Application Help
Collegewise provides a free guide to the Common Application. The guide is designed to support students who:
- Have not yet started filling out the Common App and want to save time by ensuring it is filled out correctly the first time through
Have already completed the Common App and want to do a line-by-line review before submitting
Are struggling with just a particular section or two and need some help
Go to this link to access your free copy.
College Essay Writing Workshop
Financial Aid Night/Workshop
Financial Aid Night will be held on Wednesday, October 3 at 6:30pm in the HRHS Media Center. The presenter, from The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority will give an overview of the financial aid process and she will also discuss the sources of financial aid, loan options and the various applications for financial aid, including the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
Emerald College Funding Solutions, a private college financial counseling organization, is providing a free workshop titled "The Little Known Secrets of How to Get The Maximum Amount of Money For College”. The workshop is schedule on Saturday, September 8th at 9:30 am. For more information and to register for the workshop go to: http://www.emeraldcollegefundingsolutions.com/id5.html .
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal School Aid) can now be filed as soon as October 1st (previous date January 1st.) This change allows families to use their prior-prior year income (income from 2017) as opposed to to 2018 income. For more information or to set up your account, visit the official FASFA website.
Responsibilities During the College Application Process
Student responsibilities:
Research colleges in order to find those that are the best fit for your academic and personal interests.
Keep track of all application deadlines.
Ask teachers and guidance counselors for letters of recommendation with sufficient notice before deadlines.
Request transcripts for each college application.
Communicate with your counselor if you need help with the application process.
Counselor responsibilities:
Meet with each senior in the fall to discuss his/her after graduation plans.
Help students to acquire the strategies and skills needed to perform college research.
Answer student questions about the college application process.
Provide encouragement for students throughout the college application process.
Scholarships
Each month, a variety of scholarships will be listed in the Senior Newsletter. Students can find more information about available scholarships by going to the Scholarship section on Naviance. Fastweb.com is a great resource for scholarships as well.
Horatio Alger Scholarships - $7,000-$22,000
(Deadline: October 25, 2018)
To be eligible a student must:
1) Be a US citizen and be enrolled full-time as a senior in the US with plans to enter a college and pursue bachelor’s degree at a non-profit public or private institution in the US no later than the fall following 2016 graduation.
2) Demonstrate critical financial need ($55,000 or lower adjusted gross family income is required).
3) Be involved in co-curricular and community service activities and display integrity and perseverance in overcoming diversity.
4) Have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Applications can be found by going to:
https://scholars.horatioalger.org/scholarships/about-our-scholarship-programs/
STAR Program at Rensselaer
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute invites academically talented seniors who are underrepresented minorities or young women to apply for the STAR (Science, Technology, Arts at Rensselaer).
Program to be held on campus on October 25th - October 27th. Weekend activities include: interactive leadership activity, academic experience, undergraduate research overview and tour of laboratories, camps tour, student panels, student organizations and clubs fair, lodging and meals with current students. Travel grants may be available.
Application Deadline: Sept. 24, 2018
Click here for more information about this program and to apply.