KHS CLASS OF 2010

Meet Your Counselor

Preparing For Life After High School WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? WORK MILITARY COLLEGE Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau

FIRST THINGS FIRST . . .

FIRST THINGS FIRST . . .

MID-YEAR GRADUATES *If planning on starting college after the first of the year (January 1, 2010): *We MUST have a college acceptance letter by DECEMBER 1, 2009 in order to make arrangements for you to take your final exams early. *If you are not starting college in the spring semester, you will take exams as scheduled.

DIPLOMAS Ordered in December Stop by Student Services to make sure your name is spelled correctly! What you give us, is what we print! LEGAL NAME (First, Middle, Last, and Suffix)

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE SCHOLARSHIP ACCEPTANCE BRING A COPY OF ALL ACCEPTANCE LETTERS TO STUDENT SERVICES! We want to recognize you at Senior Awards (if we do not receive by our deadline, we will not recognize you.) ACCEPTANCE LETTERS

WORK/CAREER PREPARE What work environment to you want? What are you passionate about? What skills do you need to manage your career? Create a resume Practice interviewing SKILLS Well organized Leadership ability Good speaker Good writer Communication Team player Management ability Mathematical ability Computer skills Independent Accurate Concise Problem solving Can meet deadlines Good under pressure Consistency Good researcher Creative flair Attention to detail SEARCH Newspaper Internet Visit local businesses Networking APPLY! Have complete documents Have identification Good Luck!

MILITARY SELECTIVE SERVICE All young men in the U.S. are required to register with Selective Service within 30 days of turning 18. Registration is federal law. Register online or at any U.S. Post Office MILITARY SERVICES AIR FORCE ARMY COAST GUARD NATIONAL GUARD MARINES NAVY Military branches require the ASVAB aptitude test for entrance Recruiters visit campus every month in the cafeteria

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING NOW! Meet with you counselor to explore options Attend college fairs and visit campuses of interest Begin applying Prepare application essays Request transcripts Request and collect letters of recommendation Apply for scholarships Meet application deadlines Make good grades Take SAT/ACT

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE “THERE ARE OVER 130 COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA – WHERE DO I BEGIN?” COMMUNITY COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS INDEPENDENT COLLEGES/UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS UNC COLLEGES/UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS FIND A SCHOOL THAT MEETS YOUR ACADEMIC, CAREER, and PERSONAL NEEDS! 1-2 “reach” schools 2-3 “safe” schools 2-3 “strong” schools

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE QUESTION: WHAT DO COLLEGES LOOK FOR FIRST? ANSWER: YOUR GPA and TEST SCORES!

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE DEADLINES – DEADLINES – DEADLINES! *BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF DEADLINES AHEAD OF TIME* If you apply by the regular deadline for admissions – college acceptance letters should reach you by mid-April!

NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGES 58 COMMUNITY COLLEGES TUITION is $50.00 per credit hour up to 16 hours! (example: 4 classes x 1 semester = 16 credits x 50.00 = $800.00 x 2 = $1600.00/yr.) PROGRAMS OFFERED: Certificate Diploma Associate of Applied Science Max = 2 years No Dorms = Commuter status www.nccommunitycolleges.edu TRANSFER PROGRAM

NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGES YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO BE BUT NEED SOME TRAINING TO GET THERE! YOU WANT TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT CHOICES BEFORE SETTING ON A PATH! YOU NEED TO CUT THE COST OF A 4-YR COLLEGE DEGREE! YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO WORK AT YOUR JOB WHILE GOING TO COLLEGE! YOU WANT TO LIVE AT HOME!

NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGES TRANSFER PROGRAM Take credit courses in the arts & sciences Leading to an associates degree Designed for transfer into Junior level at a senior college or university GPA 2.0, grade of “C” or better in all courses Fulfills general education, pre-major, or elective requirements

NORTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES 36 COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES (4 Women and 5 HBCU) Every student receives a $1,950.00 Legislative Tuition Grant Since the amount of need changes according to the estimated expenses at each college, MORE FINANCIAL AID may be available for higher-cost colleges! PROGRAMS OFFERED: 4-year degree = Bachelor’s Additional programs = Master’s and Doctoral Close-knit environment/smaller student population Small class size/Individual attention with professors Live on campus www.nccicu.org

UNC SCHOOL SYSTEM 16 PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES REQUIRED MINIMUM WEIGHTED GPA and SAT/ACT SCORES FOR ADMISSION These scores are minimums and DO NOT GUARENTEE entry to any UNC institution! FALL 2010 minimum GPA 2.0 minimum SAT 700 minimum ACT 15 admittance averages vary by institution

APPLY CFNC “College Foundation of North Carolina” www.cfnc.org One-stop resource to plan, apply, and pay for college! Career resources! Virtual college fairs! Free test preparation! Send transcripts for free! CFNC “College Foundation of North Carolina” College Application Week November 16-20, 2009 Some colleges offer a temporary application fee waiver this week Some schools still charge regular application fee Student must create a CFNC account

PAYING FOR COLLEGE $ $ $ $ TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID $ $ $ $ LOANS GRANTS SCHOLARSHIPS LOANS: money that is loaned and has to be paid back with interest GRANTS: free money SCHOLARSHIPS: free money (merit, need, community, essay) – can be a lengthy process, and continues once in college! Federal  State  College  Private organizations Each college will present a financial aid package to you Talk to each institution’s financial aid departments A COLLEGE EDUCATION IS MORE AFFORDABLE THAN MOST PEOPLE THINK!

PAYING FOR COLLEGE GETTING STARTED FAFSA “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” www.fafsa.ed.gov Starting after January 1, 2010 Information from income tax return 4-6 weeks to process Complete the sooner, the better! Can be sent up to 10 colleges Used to determine loan and grant awards Colleges use information from the FAFSA to determine school-based contributions What do they take into account? Income, other family members in college, home mortgage costs, other factors (to determine EFC = Estimated Family Contribution) Make an appointment with Ms. Winters, our Financial Aid Advisor! (Sign-up in Student Services. Ms. Winters is here on Wednesdays.)

COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS SAT Aptitude test that examines reasoning and verbal skills Test includes 3 components Critical Reading (800) Math (800) required Writing test (800) Does take off points for wrong answers Registration www.collegeboard.com Not required for Community Colleges ACT Closer measure to what students are learning in school. Test includes 4 components (36) Reading English Math Science optional Writing test NO PENALTY for guessing Registration www.actstudent.org Not required for Community Colleges * DO NOT WAIT TO SEND IN YOUR APPLICATIONS UNTIL YOU TAKE YOUR TEST!

TRANSCRIPTS RELEASE OF RECORDS REQUEST (all out-of-state schools/NCAA – 3 free, additional $3.00) CFNC TRANSCRIPT MANAGER (free for all in-state schools) – www.cfnc.org DOCUFIDE (all schools - $5.00 per transcript requested) – linked to KHS website

ATHLETICS NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER All prospective Division I and Division II athletes must register Talk with your coaches and recruiters You need to qualify academically and be cleared as an amateur student-athlete Both divisions have core credit requirements Require minimum GPA (2.0) – sliding scale for Division I Require minimum SAT/ACT scores - request scores from testing agency Get this done NOW!

FUTURE EVENTS COLLEGE APPLICATION WEEK: November 16-20, 2009 FAFSA DAY: February 13, 2010 (9:00am-12:00pm) at Meredith College and Wake Tech KHS FINANCIAL AID NIGHT: coming to KHS in January 28, 2010 at 6:30pm in KHS Auditorium SENIOR AWARDS

QUESTIONS?