PowerPoint Presentation
Choose a balanced course load with you future and GPA in
mind.
Work with the school counselor to create a yearly schedule for
meeting graduation requirements. (Career Planner)
Talk to a school counselor about taking PAP,AP, and/or Dual Credit
courses.
Get involved with community-based, leadership-oriented, and
extracurricular activities.
Explore and identify career fields of interest through online
research and by attending career fairs and other events.
Keep a running list of accomplishments, awards, and recognitions to
use in preparing a resume and college applications.
9th Grade Focus
Research funding for college, including scholarships, grants,
loans, etc.
Reach out to mentors in the fields of interest.
Exploring college and career options.
Consider taking a practice test to prepare for the PSAT.
10th Grade Focus
Take the PSAT. Students must take the test in 11th grade to qualify
for National Merit scholarships.
Attend college fairs and college-prep presentations.
Register for college admission exams such as the SAT and ACT
Research ways to pay for college.
Identify scholarship opportunities to pursue.
Contact colleges/recruiter to request information.
Narrow down the colleges being considered.
Start college visits
11th Grade Focus
Register for and take (or retake) the SAT and/or ACT.
Contact colleges/recruiter to request information.
Complete and submit college applications prior to deadlines.
Complete and submit scholarship applications prior to
deadlines.
Request transcripts and letters of recommendation.
Work with parents to complete and submit the FAFSA.
Finish submitting scholarship applications.
Decide on the college to attend and contact its offices.
12th Grade Focus
Take personality and career assessments:
Career Cluster (can be taken every year)
StrengthsExplorer® (middle school; can only be taken once)
Career Key (middle school only)
Career Interest Profiler (high school only)
Do What You Are® (high school only)
Learning Style Inventory™ (high school only)
MI Advantage™ (high school only)
Naviance
Students in NISD use Naviance Family Connection to:
Research, examine and reflect on the assessment results
Research, pin, and save colleges in About Me tab using SuperMatch
College Search, watch videos and interviews on a multitude of
careers through Roadtrip Nation.
Build a resume
Counselors
Counselors
Academic Advising
Academic Advising
Taking all the classes you need to graduate on time
Taking the types of classes that most colleges look for
Getting the help you need if you’re having trouble in class
for College Success
College Planning College Planning
Career Planning
Your school’s counseling office can help with planning for your
future in several ways.
Career fairs
Tests that reveal students’ strengths and interests — information
that may help with career decisions (ASVAB)
Naviance
Counseling
20 Questions to Ask Your School Counselor
Your school counselor is one of your best resources as you plan for
college. Your counselor has information about admission tests,
college preparation, and your education and career options.
Here are some basic questions to help get your conversation
started:
1.What courses do I need to take to be ready for college?
2.How should I plan my schedule so I'll complete them?
3.Which elective courses do you recommend?
5.When is the PSAT/NMSQT going to be given?
6.How should I study for the SAT, and is it given at this high
school or do I need to go somewhere nearby?
7.Do you have any college planning sessions scheduled?
8.Do you have college handbooks or other guides that I can browse
or borrow?
10.What kinds of grades do different colleges require?
11.Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?
12.What colleges do other kids from our school go to?
13.What are the requirements or standards for the honor
society?
14.Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to the
colleges on my wish list?
20 Questions to Ask Your School Counselor
16.If my colleges need a recommendation from you, how can I help
you know me better, so it can be more personal?
17.Are there any special scholarships or awards that I should know
about now, so I can work toward them?
18.Can I see my transcript as it stands now, to see if everything
is as I think it should be?
19.What forms do I use to apply for financial aid and where I can
find them online?
Reality Check
Parent Action Plan: 9th Grade
Summer Before High School
Summer Before High School
Show your child how to explore career ideas. He or she can make a
list of interests, talents and favorite activities and start
matching them with occupations.
Fall
Fall
Help your child set goals for the school year. Working toward
specific goals helps your child stay motivated and focused.
Make a plan to check in regularly about schoolwork. If you keep up
with your child's tests, papers and homework assignments, you can
celebrate successes and head off problems as a team.
Winter
Start thinking about financial aid. It’s not too early to look into
types of aid that could help you cover college costs.
Spring
Summer
Summer
Help your sophomore explore career ideas. He or she can make a list
of interests, talents and favorite activities and start matching
them with occupations.
Fall
Fall
Fall
Winter
Spring
Make a college wish list together. Talk with your 10th-grader about
qualities he or she may want in a college in terms of location,
size, majors offered and so on. Check out How to Find a College
That Fits You to learn more about deciding on college must-haves.
(www.collegeboard.com)
Spring
Parent Action Plan: 11th Grade
Summer
Get the facts about what college costs. You may be surprised by how
affordable higher education can be.
Fall
Make sure your child meets with the school counselor. This meeting
is especially important this year as your 11th-grader starts to
engage in the college application process.
Encourage your child to set goals for the school year. Working
toward specific goals helps your high schooler stay motivated and
focused.
Fall
Winter
Winter
Winter
Encourage your junior to consider taking SAT Subject Tests. Many
colleges require or recommend taking these tests to get a sense of
your child’s skills in a certain academic area. In general, it’s
best to take a Subject Test right after taking the relevant
course.
Spring
Search together for colleges that meet your child’s needs. Research
scholarship options through Naviance. This form of financial aid
provides money for college that doesn’t need to be repaid.
Spring
Help your child make summer plans. Summer is a great time to
explore interests and learn new skills — and colleges look for
students who pursue meaningful summer activities. Help your high
schooler look into summer learning programs or find a job or
internship.
Parent Action Plan: 12th Grade
Summer
Visit colleges together. If you haven’t already, make plans to
check out the campuses of colleges your child is interested
in.
Summer
Find out a college’s actual cost. Once your 12th-grader has a list
of a few colleges he or she is interested in, use the Net Price
Calculator together to find out the potential for financial aid and
the true out-of-pocket cost — or net price — of each college.
(www.collegeboard.com)
Summer
Fall
Encourage your child to meet with the school counselor. This year,
he or she will work with the counselor to complete and submit
college applications.
Fall
Help your child prepare for college admission tests. Many seniors
retake college admission tests, such as the SAT and the ACT, in the
fall.
Fall
Winter
Winter
Fill out the FAFSA to apply for aid. The government and many
colleges use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
to award aid. Now it’s easier than ever to fill out this form
because you can automatically transfer your tax information online
from the IRS to the FAFSA.
Spring
Help your child process college responses. Once your child starts
hearing back from colleges about admission and financial aid, he or
she will need your support to decide what to do.
Spring
FAFSA
Where to Find the FAFSA
January 1 is the first day you can file the FAFSA
FAFSA on the Web
Before You Apply
FAFSA
FSA ID
FSA ID
Note: The FSA ID replaces the FAFSA PIN as of May 10, 2015. If you
already have a FAFSA PIN, you can create a new FSA ID and link that
to your existing PIN.
Collect documents.
Reminders and Resources
January 1 is the first day you can file the FAFSA. You should try
to file as close to this date as possible. College, state and
private aid deadlines may be much earlier than federal deadlines.
You should pay attention to your colleges' priority financial aid
deadlines.
The New IRS Data Retrieval Tool
You can save time and effort if you qualify to use the IRS Data
Retrieval Tool. It will transfer your income tax data directly from
the IRS to your online FAFSA.
You and your parents may be eligible to use this tool if:
Your family income tax returns were filed electronically at least
two weeks before you complete the FAFSA.
The New IRS Data Retrieval Tool
The New IRS Data Retrieval Tool
What Happens After You Apply
The Student Aid Report (SAR)
After the information you provided is analyzed, you will receive a
SAR that contains the data you entered on the FAFSA. The U.S.
Department of Education will send this form to you either by email
or by postal mail.
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Other Financial Aid Forms
Help with the FAFSA
If you have questions about the application, FAFSA on the Web or
federal financial aid for students in general, call:
Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC)
800-4-FED-AID (433-3243) / TTY 800-730-8913
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time