Teaneck High School Class of 2021
Senior Parent Meeting

The Teaneck Advantage: Educational Excellence for All 1

THS School Counseling Department

Director of Guidance, Career Services & Vocational Education Keshia Golding-Cooper

School Counselors Douglas Book Beth Fleischer Lillian Garcia Kharisma Mitchell Kelvin Reese Jennifer Taylor

Secretaries Charles Hollis Kim Dockery

201-833-5427 201-833-2479 201-833-5431 201-833-5436 201-833-5430 201-833-5433

201-833-5137 201-833-5426

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Purpose

Overview

of Senior Parent Meeting

●	College Types, Timelines and More ●	Application Components
●	Process Overview
●	Other Important Information ●	Q & A

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Types of Colleges Which one is a good ﬁt?

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Types of Colleges

Two Year Schools (e.g. BCC)	Four Year School (e.g. FDU)

●     Apply in February (ideal) ●     No transcript until after
graduation
●     No SAT/ACT ●     No letters of
recommendation
●	Qualifying students can apply for NJ STARS Program (Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship)

●	Apply by deadline (October -January, mostly)
●	THS needs to send information- transcripts, letters of recommendation
●	Student needs to send materials - essay(s), SAT/ACT scores, etc.

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How to Decide?

Consider:
Geographic location
●	School size (small, medium, large)

●
Academic programs offered
●	Private vs. Public (cost factor)

●
Other services offered
●	Extracurricular activities available ●

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College Visits

Tour various campuses ●	Looking at:
○ Library facilities ○ Residence halls
○ Campus security ○ Dining facilities ○ Campus setting
Consider being a student for a day
○ Athletics/Recreational facilities

●
Follow up with a thank you
●	Arrange for an interview if necessary

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College Rep Visits

often.
College representatives visit Teaneck High School

•Virtual Meetings
You can check to see which colleges will be visiting by: •Checking Naviance

check the Class of 2021 Google Classroom Code
•Students should check with school counselor and

u3ycrf2

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Application Forms

●	Common Application: More than 800 colleges ●	Coalition Application: 100+ colleges
○	(UMD, UWash, VTech- ONLY accept the Coalition) ●	Common Black College Application: over 50 HBCU’s
●	School - Specific Application

Students should try to complete the fewest application forms possible!

Coalition is more time intensive than the Common App

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Main Application Options

Early Decision (ED)
●	BINDING - student makes a commitment to a
1st choice institution. (If student is admitted, they are attending)
●	Must withdraw other applications if they are
admitted
●	Not the best option if financial aid is a factor
due to the notification timing
●	Should visit school multiple times
●	Deadlines: October -January

Early Action (EA)
●	NOT binding
●     Students apply early and receive a decision well in
advance of the institutions regular response date
●	Need to check the details-may be Restrictive Early
Action (REA) - the students may be restricted from applying ED or EA or REA to other institutions. If offered enrollment they have until May 1 to confirm
●	Deadlines: October -December

Regular/Rolling
●	NOT binding
●	May notify on a rolling basis, or may notify all
at once (in April)
●	Have until May 1 to decide
●     Deadlines: December -May, but should be
mostly done by mid-January

NOTE:
Some schools may have a combination of all 3 types of deadlines.

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Students-Get Organized Save Time, Eﬀort and Sanity

Create a list of target schools:
●	Visit each schools’ undergraduate admissions web page to gather information ○	Types of applications accepted, deadlines, items required, submission
process, essay topics & financial aid forms ●	When applying
○	Read and follow directions carefully
○	Answer all of the questions completely. Don't leave any blanks, unless the question doesn't apply.
○	Have the following:
■	Essay/Personal Statement/Supplementals ■	Recommendations
○	Send official SAT/ACT scores

Use a spreadsheet, checklist, calendar or whatever works!

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Application Components What do colleges need to make a decision?

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Transcripts

●	Includes grades for all courses taken from grades 9-11 and senior courses in progress ●	Includes an unweighted and weighted GPA
●	Official transcripts are sent by the School Counselor

However...

Some schools no longer require transcripts (e.g. Rutgers, Penn State, CA system schools, NC State, Pitt.)

●	They require a SRAR- Self Reported Academic Record
●	Student needs to enter each course and each grade into the school’s online application system
●	Students can get an unofficial transcript from Skyward

Community Colleges (e.g. BCC) require transcripts only after graduation

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Students eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch are eligible for SAT/ACT and application Fee Waiver Requests!

Test Scores - SAT

Most Colleges are TEST OPTIONAL for the Class of 2021

September 26th Test:Scores available beginning Oct. 9th

October 3rd Test: Scores available Oct. 16th

November 7th Test:
Regular Registration Deadline: 10/7

December 5th Test:
Regular Registration Deadline: 11/5

THS is a Test Center for the SAT.

Go to collegeboard.org to register & updates

IMPORTANT:
Students should check each college website for testing policy for the class of 2021 and the last accepted test date, for their application type ED, EA, etc.

The fastest & least expensive way to send official score reports to your colleges is by requesting these during the registration, or within 9 days after taking the SAT.

SAT Subject Tests required by a few schools, again, students should check the school website.

Also, only a few schools requires the SAT
with essay.	14

Test Scores - ACT	Most Colleges are TEST OPTIONAL for the Class of 2021

October 10th,17th,24th, & 25th Test:
Registration Deadline is 9/25 NO LATE FEES

December 12th Test:
Regular Registration Deadline 11/6

Register at ACT.org

Samples of test optional policies and frequently asked questions: Rutgers, Columbia, Spelman, BU, & Hunter .

Don’t Forget! Even before the
pandemic, there have always been lots of test optional schools. For a full list visit:

www.fairtest.org

Which test is right for me, the SAT or ACT?                   B

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Sending Scores

●	Some schools now accept self-reporting of scores. Check the school’s requirements!
●	A majority of schools require scores directly from the testing service (College Board or ACT)
●	Request via online account at LEAST two weeks before the college application deadline
●	There is a fee per school (and for ACT, per test date) ●	4 free score reports when registering for SAT’s
●	SAT scores are sent as quickly as possible to you, chosen colleges, and scholarship programs
●	Within 9 days of taking the test, you can add, change or remove a college(s) to/from score report
If you need to order more than four score reports, or send score reports more than 9 days after, it will cost approximately $12 for each
TESTING WEBSITES
www.collegeboard.org                                   www.actstudent.org                           16

Letters of Recommendation
...may be more important than in prior years due to current TEST OPTIONAL climate

●	Counselor Letter
○ Student Brag Sheet & Parent/Guardian Brag Sheets must be completed in
Naviance, A.S.A.P. ●	Teacher Letter(s)

○ Students should ask their teacher(s) in person/via email due to virtual

learning well in advance of application deadlines.

○ Once teacher agrees, must request in Naviance:
Colleges-->Apply to College-->Letters of Recommendation-->Add
Request-->Select Teacher-->Select “All Current & Future Colleges”-->add note
○	NEVER request THS Teacher or THS Counselor Rec. Letters via the Common App. These letters can ONLY be requested via NAVIANCE!!!
●	Non-academic sources (e.g., community service/job supervisor, coach)
●	Required by some (not all) schools

Students should follow directions carefully. There are some schools (Rutgers, Penn

State, Pitt, WVU) that do not accept letters of recommendation.	17

Essay or Personal Statement

●	MUST be the student’s own original work, written in the student’s voice
●	Not required by all schools
●	Some schools require many essays and/or short answers ●	Have someone else proofread it- teacher, relative, school
counselor
●	Some students worked on college essays in junior year during their english class

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THS Process Overview

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Applying Online

●	Start by checking application deadlines
●	Begin applications with earliest deadline first
●	Apply either through the college website or preferred application website:
○	Commonapp.org
○	Coalitionforcollegeaccess.org ○	Commonblackcollegeapp.com

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Counselors require a
BEFORE ANYAPPLICATION CAN BE PROCESSED

		
				
	THE COUNSELOR MUST HAVE: 1. Transcript Consent Google Form
2. Student Brag Sheet - completed on Naviance (for schools that require a letter of rec.)

3. Transcript Request Google Form (at least 10 school days before deadline)

If student is planning to apply to a college Early Decision or Early Action, he/she should see his/her counselor NOW.

before the deadline to
minimum of 10 school days submit materials.

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Overview of the Application Process

1.	Transcript Consent Google Form submitted to counselor via parent/guardian email address

2.	Student completes and submits online application, including self-reported grades if required

3.	Student adds colleges to Naviance list

4.	Student submits Transcript Request Google Form to counselor *at least 10 school days before deadline*

5.	Student sends SAT/ACT scores to colleges, when required

6.	Counselor submits counselor recommendation and uploaded teacher recommendations

7.	Counselor submits transcripts by the deadline (mostly through Naviance)

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Other Important Information

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Naviance

●	Request teacher recommendations ●	Complete brag sheets
●	Complete activities sheet
●	Sign up for scheduled college rep visits ●	Track applications
●	Search for scholarships
● Update college acceptances
● Class of 2021 Google Classroom join code: u3ycrf2
●	Pay close attention to Google Classroom announcements

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FinancialAid

●	It’s all about the FAFSA!!!!!
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid- www.studentaid.ed.gov)

●	File the FAFSA & CSS Profile ASAP.
(College Scholarship Service Profile, is an online application created and maintained by College Board that allows college students to apply for non-federal financial aid. There is a cost associated. cssprofile.collegeboard.com)

●	Check out www.fastweb.com for thousands of scholarship opportunities

Deadlines are CRITICAL - and vary by schools and decision plan

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NJ STARS

(New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship)

●	Scholarship covers tuition for NJ community colleges

Requirements:
●	Top 15% of class
●	In past, weighted class rank has determined eligibility
●	Students must complete a rigorous series of high school courses
●	https://hesaa.org/Documents/NJSTARS_program.pdf

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Scholarship Information

● Search tools (www.fastweb.com and Naviance)

● FAFSA/ Financial Aid Night - 10/1/2020

● Merit vs. Need Based Aid

● Read Naviance emails

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NCAA Clearing House

In order for athletes to be eligible for Division I & II,
● NCAA eligibility registration must be completed online. the

egister online with the NCAA
● Rwww.ELIGIBILITYCENTER.ORG

Speak to your Counselor if you are d opping classes- make
● sure all of your classes are approvedrfor the Clearinghouse

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new school of interest is listed.
offerings and demographics before attending the Rep Visit.

THS Campus Rep Visits

VISITS GO VIRTUAL!

Students will be able to check Naviance to see if a school of interest
button.
will be doing a Campus Rep Visit and register to attend with a click of a

Best Tips

-

-

-

-

Students are encouraged to check Naviance regularly to see if a

Students should research the colleges’/universities’ major

attentive and pu ting their best foot forward.
Students shouldtenter the Rep lVisit with their mic off, camera on,

Follow up with a thank you emai
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THS College & CareerWeek - Save the Date

●	October 26th-October 29th
Join the THS Counseling Department for a virtual College & Career Week, as we host universities across the country,
in-state and local colleges, HBCUs, Ivy Leagues, training academies, trade schools and military programs.

Parents are invited to join the student via the Zoom link.

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What Are the Next Steps?

Student Checklist...
❏ Activate Naviance Account
❏ Create Accounts for Collegeboard, Common App, Common Black College App, etc. ❏ Complete Student Brag Sheet and Parent Brag Sheet
❏ Complete Requests for Recommendations
❏ Input “Schools I Am Applying To” in Naviance ❏ Schedule Counselor Meeting
Parent Checklist…
❏ Check your Naviance Account
❏ Support the student and have open conversations about their goals and interests

❏ Understand this is an overwhelming and often stressful time for the students ❏ Complete FAFSA

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