December 2022
For Seniors
At this point in the application season, some students have received some decisions while many colleges will be sending out their decisions in the near future. The application process is in three stages, and students have the power in two of them. 1) Students get to choose where they apply, 2) colleges make decisions, and 3) students get to choose their desired college from their offers of admission. Keep in mind, any college would be lucky to have you; regardless of their decision, you are worthy, and have the power to define yourself.
Double Check!
Have you checked all your student portals at your schools? This is how you will be notified of items that are missing from your application.
Did you file the FAFSA? And, do you need to file the CSS Profile? Some schools require both of these and it is your job to know. Check here to see if any of your colleges are on the list.
Deferrals and Wait Lists
What do you do if you receive a decision that states you are being deferred to the regular decision round or that you are placed on a waitlist? If the school is still of interest to you, there are a few steps you can take:
- Make sure you continue to do well academically in school.
- Request to have your mid-year grades sent to the school. We will prompt you, with an email in January, to request a mid-year transcript to the schools that need one. Grades from the first semester will be final around January 20.
- Send an update to the college’s admissions office. Express your continued interest and provide an update that is not reflected in your application. Did you get a new job? Did you write an excellent paper that demonstrates your analytical skills? Did you connect with somebody to obtain an internship? There are many things that you could highlight.
- Connect with your Hill-Murray college counselor to strategize communication with the school.
Scholarships
Have you checked the Scholarship tab in Naviance? Click Scholarship Search. When we are notified of a scholarship, we post it here. You also might register on a scholarship website: FastWeb, GoingMerry, and BigFuture are some of the best. You will create a profile and then be notified of scholarships that match your criteria. If a scholarship requires an essay, remember that you can possibly reuse/tweak something you have already written.
For Juniors
Time to meet
There is a high probability that when you gather with family over the winter break, you will be asked, “Where are you going to college?” by some well-meaning family member. Instead of replying, “I have no idea, I’m only a junior” or “Back off Uncle Buck, leave me alone,” we encourage you to reply with something like, “Well, Aunt Judy, that’s a great question. I am just beginning my college search, and I just met with my college counselor before break OR I will be meeting with my counselor after winter break.” Ms. Egan and Mr. Reid are ready to meet with juniors to strategize your post-high school planning.
Registration
You will soon be signing up for classes for your senior year. Make sure to talk with your current teachers to get some advice on what would be appropriate classes for you to take to ensure you are preparing properly for the next phase of your academic and life journeys.
Also, consider taking a Global Online Academy course for another option of a rigorous academic experience that also provides a bit of flexibility in how you work with content and fellow classmates. Please connect with Mr. Reid if you have any questions about GOA.
ACT Test
If you plan to take the ACT test in 2023, students can register at www.act.org. The exam dates are February 11, April 15, June 10, and July 15.
Parent Meeting
A reminder that Junior College Night is Wednesday January 11, 6:00-7:00 PM in the auditorium. This meeting is a repeat of the fall meeting; if parents attended the fall meeting, they do not need to come to this meeting.
