SENIORS – SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER Julie Sitko, College and Career Counselor [email protected] 412-264-9440, ext. 2038 Hello from the Counseling Office at Moon Area High School. My name is Julie Sitko and I am the College and Career Counselor. This is the time to think about life after high school! My role is to advise and support students and families in the college search and to help identify “best fit” colleges and universities, and to assist students in finding potential careers. Here are some things to think about as we go through your child’s senior year: FALL - Post-Secondary Timeline for seniors • If necessary, take the ACT and SAT tests again – be sure to check with your colleges to determine what tests (if any) are required • Talk to teachers about writing recommendation letters. You’ll want to ask teachers who have taught you junior or senior year. Talk to teachers about the recommendation letters BEFORE requesting them in Naviance. • Apply to college. My recommendation is to submit your applications by Thanksgiving, but no later than Christmas. Be cognizant of individual college deadlines. • Request transcripts to be sent via Naviance • After October 1, complete and file the FAFSA. The FAFSA will be based on your family’s 2016 taxes. Moon will host a financial aid information night/FAFSA completion workshop on October 9. More information will be coming. • Register to meet with college representatives visiting Moon Area High School Requesting transcripts through Naviance: All transcripts must be requested through Naviance. The school counselors actually submit the transcripts. They need at least 10 school days to process transcripts. Pay attention to deadlines! ACT/SAT scores on the transcript: ACT and SAT scores are not on the high school transcript. I strongly encourage students to utilize the option to send scores to four colleges for free (prior to testing, or up to 9 days after SAT testing). If you wait until after you get your test scores, you will pay $12 for each school you want to receive your scores. Also, many schools (93 and counting) permit student to self-report test scores. Check out if the schools you’re applying to permit you to self-report. NCAA: If you child is an athlete considering playing sports at a division I or II school, make sure to visit the NCAA Eligibility Center website. www.eligibilitycenter.org Student athletes need to send two things to the NCAA: an official high school transcript (requested through Naviance) and official test scores –sent directly from ACT or College Board. NCAA will not accept test scores from the high school transcript. This registration does not apply to students attending division III or NAIA schools. Naviance Log-ins: The website for students to access Naviance is: student.naviance.com/moonshs. Once there, students will use their student id number as the username and birthdate for the password. Birthdates are to be entered like this: 7/5/2000 (they will need to include the slashes and will not put a zero before any single digit dates). Students are encouraged to explore colleges and careers through Naviance. If you cannot log into Naviance, you can reset your password through the “I forgot my password” link. I recently sent directions for requesting transcripts. All students should have access to Naviance and the ability to request transcripts. College Representatives Visiting Moon Area High School this fall! As of today, there are over 70 colleges and universities visiting Moon this fall. A full list of colleges is in Naviance. Announcements will also be made. Students must register for the college visits in Naviance. Registration will close two hours prior to the visit. After signing up in Naviance, you’ll come to the counseling office and get a pass. Additional schools will be added throughout the fall. Again, to see the schools visiting, go the main page of your Naviance account and scroll to the “What’s New” section (lower right side of the page). Click on more information for any schools that interest you and you can register on the next page. The online list is the most accurate list of visiting schools. College Date Time La Roche College Mon September 10, 2018 9:15 AM Case Western Reserve University Mon September 10, 2018 11:05 AM Thiel College Tue September 11, 2018 10:10 AM Cleveland Institute of Art Tue September 11, 2018 11:05 AM University of Mount Union Tue September 11, 2018 1:15 PM The University of Akron Wed September 12, 2018 9:00 AM Westminster College Wed September 12, 2018 10:30 AM Allegheny College Wed September 12, 2018 1:15 PM Radford University Thu September 13, 2018 8:30 AM Pennsylvania State University - Beaver Thu September 13, 2018 9:15 AM West Liberty University Thu September 13, 2018 1:15 PM Ohio University Mon September 17, 2018 10:10 AM University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Tue September 18, 2018 11:05 AM University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Tue September 18, 2018 1:15 PM The Ohio State University Wed September 19, 2018 8:22 AM Kent State University Wed September 19, 2018 10:30 AM Bethany College Wed September 19, 2018 12:10 PM The Ohio State University Thu September 20, 2018 8:30 AM Southern Methodist University Thu September 20, 2018 10:10 AM Bella Capelli Academy Thu September 20, 2018 1:15 PM Earlham College Fri September 21, 2018 8:30 AM University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Fri September 21, 2018 9:15 AM Youngstown State University Fri September 21, 2018 11:05 AM Ohio Northern University Mon September 24, 2018 9:15 AM Marietta College Mon September 24, 2018 10:10 AM Chatham University Mon September 24, 2018 1:15 PM Malone University Tue September 25, 2018 9:15 AM Indiana University of Pennsylvania Tue September 25, 2018 11:05 AM Wheeling Jesuit University Tue September 25, 2018 1:15 PM Pennsylvania College of Technology Wed September 26, 2018 9:00 AM Binghamton University Wed September 26, 2018 10:30 AM Baldwin Wallace University Wed September 26, 2018 1:15 PM University of Pittsburgh Thu September 27, 2018 8:30 AM Waynesburg University Thu September 27, 2018 11:05 AM Seton Hill University Thu September 27, 2018 1:15 PM Waynesburg University Fri September 28, 2018 11:05 AM Muskingum University Fri September 28, 2018 1:15 PM Juniata College Mon October 1, 2018 9:15 AM Michigan State University Mon October 1, 2018 10:10 AM Mercyhurst University Tue October 2, 2018 9:15 AM Duquesne University Thu October 4, 2018 8:30 AM University of Rochester Fri October 5, 2018 9:15 AM University of California, Berkeley Fri October 5, 2018 1:15 PM Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Tue October 9, 2018 9:15 AM The University of Alabama Tue October 9, 2018 10:10 AM The College of Wooster Tue October 9, 2018 1:15 PM University of Kentucky Wed October 10, 2018 8:22 AM Miami University, Oxford Wed October 10, 2018 9:00 AM Hiram College Wed October 10, 2018 1:15 PM Gannon University Thu October 11, 2018 8:30 AM Saint Francis University Thu October 11, 2018 1:15 PM Clarion University of Pennsylvania Fri October 12, 2018 11:05 AM West Virginia University Fri October 12, 2018 1:15 PM Bowling Green State University Mon October 15, 2018 10:10 AM Carlow University Tue October 16, 2018 9:15 AM University of Toledo Tue October 16, 2018 1:15 PM Robert Morris University (PA) Wed October 17, 2018 9:00 AM Bucknell University Wed October 17, 2018 1:15 PM St. Bonaventure University Mon October 22, 2018 11:05 AM Gettysburg College Wed October 24, 2018 11:15 AM University of Maine Fri November 2, 2018 9:15 AM Elmira College Thu November 8, 2018 8:30 AM SAT & ACT TEST DATES 18-19 SAT Test Registration Deadline: ACT Test: Registration Deadline: August 25 July 27 September 8 August 10 October 6 September 7 October 27 September 28 November 3 October 5 December 8 November 2 December 1 November 2 February 9 January 11 March 9 February 8 April 13 March 8 May 4 April 5 June 8 May 3 June 1 May 3 July 13 June 14 SAT registration: www.collegeboard.org ACT registration: www.act.org --When registering - only fill out what is required! You will need an electronic picture and credit card. Tests are offered at Moon on the bolded dates but held at neighboring schools on all other dates. --Students on free/reduced lunch are eligible for a fee waiver. See the counseling office. --Every college accepts either the SAT or ACT. There is no preference. --Check if your colleges require the writing portion of the tests – only 22 schools in the country require the test. Be sure to check with your schools before taking the writing part of the test. --It is recommended you take both tests, determine which test you performed better on and take that test a second time to have the highest score possible. ** Registration deadline dates are subject to change, but are accurate as of the writing of this letter** Evening programs at Moon Area HS: Financial Aid /FAFSA Completion Workshop Tuesday, October 9 Moon Area High School LGI 6:30 PM SAT/ACT Workshop - How to prepare for the tests Wednesday, November 7 Moon Area High School LGI 6:30 PM COLLEGE EVENTS HAPPENING IN THE AREA Beaver County College Fair @ PSU Beaver Tuesday, September 25, 2018 6:00-8:00 PM Gymnasium 100 University Drive, Monaca Christian College Fair Saturday, September 15 11:00-1:00 Orchard Hill Church 2551 Brandt School Road Wexford, PA 15090 Register at www.ChristianCollegeFairs.com Exploring Educational Excellence (Brown U, Columbia U, Cornell U, Rice U, and the U of Chicago) Information Session Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 07:00 PM Pittsburgh Marriott City Center 112 Washington Place Pittsburgh, PA 15219 www.Exploringeducationalexcellence.org North Pittsburgh College Fair @ La Roche College Monday, October 8 6:00-8:00pm Kerr Fitness & Sports Center 900 Babcock Boulevard Pittsburgh, PA 15237 South Hills College Fair @ Bethel Park HS Tuesday, October 9, 2018 6:30-8:30 PM Bethel Park High School 309 Church Road Bethel Park, PA 15102 Colleges and universities host open house and other visitation programs throughout the school year.