Freshman/Sophomore Checklist

Meet with your counselor! Study every year counts; good year to build GPA View Bright Futures scholarship evaluation at College ready! Know the post secondary readiness
www.flvc.org

scores PSAT in October for sophomores Continue activities /community service and document Career Development and College Exploration High school curriculum mapping, post secondary planning and next steps FCAT, EOC AP exams for sophomore

Junior Checklist

Meet with your counselor! Study junior year grades are important View Bright Futures scholarship evaluation at www.flvc.org Take the PSAT Take the SAT and ACT in the spring www.collegeboard.com,
www.act.org

College ready! Know the post secondary readiness scores Continue activities /community service and document Know the steps for applying to college Write Essays Prepare Resume Letters of Recommendation AP exams

Senior Checklist Fall

Meet with your counselor! Study senior year grades are important View Bright Futures scholarship evaluation at www.flvc.org Take the SAT and ACT www.collegeboard.com, www.act.org Continue activities /community service and document Prepare college applications - online is preferable. Use www.flvc.org, the common application, or school-specific websites
Letters of Recommendation Write Essays Prepare Resume

Request transcripts from guidance office Research and apply for scholarships Attend Making it Count presentation Apply for Bright Futures in December at
www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org

Senior Checklist Spring

Meet with your counselor! View Bright Futures scholarship evaluation at www.flvc.org

Keep grades up, colleges may rescind admission for falling

grades Continue to take the SAT/ACT Apply for scholarships and financial aid (students will receive senior newsletters and students should visit the DA guidance webpage and Counselor Corner Blog) Fill out the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov Attend Beacon financial aid workshop and financial aid night in the spring Follow up with colleges to confirm your attendance AP and senior final exams

Grade Point Average

State, Unweighted, Graduation GPA District, Weighted, Ranking GPA (whole quality point

for each honors, dual enrollment DE and AP course) Re-calculated, Academic GPA (half of a quality point for each honors course, whole point for AP, DE) i.e. State University Schools in Florida Florida Bright Futures GPA (half of a quality point for each honors and AP and some DE). Visit www.flvc.org to view your evaluation

Community Service and Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities and community service are hot

items! Participation throughout grades 9-12 is most important

track all service, extracurricular activities, accomplishments,

honors and awards submit all documentation for bright futures/silver cord to the media center (seniors must turn in each verification form for all service completed to date by end of the first 9 weeks obtain pre-approval for current year/upcoming service

What kind of activities are important? Quality participation in one or few activities Service to the community volunteering Service and involvement in the school

Leadership and/or significant contributions

Test scores and high school grades are important . . .

. . . However, they measure only part of your potential

Six Steps to the College Application Process

1) Know yourself and your reasons for attending
2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

College Consider College characteristics List, compare, and visit Colleges Apply for admission and observe deadlines Develop a plan to finance your education Review and finalize your plans

Meeting College Expenses

Merit Scholarships
Based on talent or merit

Very competitive - national pool of applicants

High GPA and test scores Academic

Artistic
Community service Leadership

Essay competitions

Meeting College Costs

BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM c/o 2013
Students must apply for Bright Futures and other state scholarships at www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org

Seniors will apply through their English class in February. Must meet minimum requirements for academic GPA, SAT/ACT test scores, and community service - Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) - 3.5 weighted Academic GPA (minimum 16 required academic credits), *1280 SAT/28 ACT, 100 hours community service - Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) - 3.0 weighted Academic GPA (minimum 16 required academic credits), *1020 SAT/22 ACT, 75 hours community service Must maintain GPA in college Must complete the FAFSA * Test scores vary depending on graduation year

Meeting College Expenses

Need Based Financial Aid
GRANTS, LOANS, and WORK STUDY Many students and families receive need based financial aid. The Federal Government The Student Guide and Funding your education www.ed.gov/finaid.html Families complete FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid Do Not Send until after January 1 of senior year (unless applying for summer after graduation)
www.fafsa.ed.gov

Determines are EFC - Expected Family Contribution

www.act.org or www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov

Important Websites

www.duvalschools.org www.da-arts.org/student-services/bulletin-board www.douglasandersonguidance.blogspot.com www.cyberguidance.net www.finaid.org www.scholaraid.com www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov www.flvc.org www.fastweb.com www.cappex.com www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org www.flchoices.org