Want to know when a college representative will be visiting our school or looking for SAT/ACT dates…check out our School Counseling Calendar for important upcoming events and deadlines.
Helpful Online Workshops
Workshops Sponsored by ACT
- College Admissions from A to Z: Ace Your Application Process (and Stay Stress Free)
- Hosted by ACT and Collegewise
- Recording link
College and Career Planning Resources
| College Board Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ College Board Big Future checklist: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/checklist/ College Board Scholarship search: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarships ACT Encourage: https://encourageme.com/lp/my-journey/ ACT Students and Parents: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/students-and-parents.html ACT Scholarship search: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/students-and-parents/college-planning-resources/paying-for-college/free-college-scholarships.html U.S. Dept of Labor My Next Move ONet Interest Profiler: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip |
College Fairs
No local college fairs scheduled at this time.
April NACAC Virtual College Fair
- April 21, 2024
- 1:00-6:00pm
- Register at https://www.nacacattend.org/24VirtualApr21
Free and open to the public, National College Fairs are the perfect place to learn more about prospective institutions!
Admission representatives from schools across the country are all gathered in one place. Their goal: To encourage you to learn more about their institutions, and help you sort through the qualities you’re looking for in a college.
Use your virtual visit to:
- Explore your options. Each fair draws representatives from 175 to 400 colleges. The schools are located throughout the US, and from around the globe.
- Ask questions. What’s college life like? What majors are popular on campus? Chatting with representatives from a variety of colleges can help you cement your own preferences.
For more information, visit https://www.nacacattend.org/
College Night Recap
- Take the SAT/ACT if you haven’t achieved your target score. The remaining paper and pencil SATs at SFCA will be November 4 and December 2. SFCA will no longer administer the weekend SAT after December. As of 5:00pm today, there are 11 remaining standard seats and 5 accommodated seats available for the November 4 administration and 11 remaining standard seats and 5 accommodated seats available for the December 2 administration. If you are planning on taking the SAT on either of these dates, SIGN UP TODAY! DO NOT WAIT! Remember, these administrations are available to all local high school students so you should sign up now before other students fill these seats! If you attempt to sign-up and SFCA is not available, please e-mail me so we can look into hiring additional proctors. If you know anybody (not related to a test taker) willing to be paid to proctor, please let me know and I’ll be happy to continue increasing the capacity. If we are unable to find additional proctors, we will need to cap it soon!
- Remember all Seniors take the SAT School Day on October 11th. Be prepared with #2 pencils and an approved calculator.
- Create a timeline of deadlines to stay organized.
- Always take advantage of Early Action deadlines such as the Oct 15 Early Action deadline for FSU!
- DO NOT apply Early Decision unless you have the support of your parents to pay for the institution’s tuition. Remember, Early Decision is a binding agreement.
- Your goal is to apply to all universities/colleges by no later than November 1 as it’s the scholarship deadline for many institutions (it might be earlier for some, check the website of your prospective institutions).
- Seniors, please read my previous e-mail regarding recommendation etiquette before asking a teacher for a recommendation. Please make sure your institution(s) actually require a recommendation before asking.
- Break down your application packet into manageable pieces. For example, break it down into 3 parts:
- Week 1: Complete resume and essays (Common App essay and supplemental essays if your institutions require them)
- Week 2: Complete information in Common App or institutional application if your institution does not accept Common App
- Week 3: Complete inputting course and grade information in SSAR/SRAR and link it to your applications (or SPARK if applying to UCF)
- Need help with your application, essays or resume? Meet with me during your electives, English or after school for help brainstorming, writing or polishing your essay and/or resume!
- Essay workshops: https://apply.jhu.edu/event_group/workshops/
- High school resume examples: https://www.beamjobs.com/resumes/high-school-student-resume-examples
- Resume templates: https://www.canva.com/ (You can sign up for a free Canva account with your sfcawolves.org e-mail address)
- The Classic Learning Test is a new test approved by the state of Florida that can now be considered for admission to Florida’s public universities and Bright Futures eligibility. After discovering the CLT is completely online, shorter and can be taken at home, some Seniors were inspired to try the CLT to qualify for Bright Futures. Interested in learning more? Please visit the CLT website.
- FAFSA is changing for the 2024-2025 academic year! It traditionally opened in October in the past, but this year it will open in December. Please attend FAFSA Night on November 6 at 6:00 to learn about the new vocabulary and process!
CLICK HERE to download the PDF version.
Coming Soon
Perspective
It’s currently Feb 2024. This year’s sophomores will start applying for college in a little over a year, beginning August 2025
Reflection
Who are you and who do you want to be? Take the time to reflect on and journal about the questions in the presentation so that you can make personalized and intentional decisions about your college and career.
Research
To make well-informed decisions, research prospective institutions and careers. Attend campus tours!
Timeline
Keep in mind, admission committees are reviewing your application during the fall of senior year. Therefore, they will only see your freshman-junior year transcript and activities so it is important that you grasp the concepts in your classes to excel in your coursework each year and work towards a strong GPA.
Sophomore Year
- Research prospective institutions’ admission requirements including median test score and GPA ranges. Knowing this information will establish a target standardized test score for next year and help students understand the typical GPAs their prospective institutions seek.
- Start researching and applying for scholarships on scholarship search engines and university websites. If you’re not eligible yet, make a timeline of scholarship applications and deadlines so you have a plan for when to apply!
- Students will want to create an initial draft of their high school resume and update it over time
- This summer, students should study for standardized tests as they will begin taking SAT/ACT in junior year in preparation to have scores ready to send to colleges in fall of senior year
Junior Year
- The October PSAT also serves as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Students are competitive for earning National Merit Finalist status if they earn a minimum score in the mid-high 1400s on the junior PSAT. If a student qualifies as a National Merit Finalist, they’ll qualify to apply for the Benacquisto scholarship which is a state scholarship that covers full cost of attendance. For specific information, please visit: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/PDF/factsheets/BSP_FAQ.pdf
- Update resume
- Continue applying for scholarships
- After AP exams in May, work on your initial college essay drafts
- Summer before Senior year
- Meet with me to polish your essays and resume
- Continue applying for scholarships
Senior Year
- Tips
- If an institution has an Early Action deadline, make sure you apply by that deadline! At many institutions, students have a greater chance of being admitted during the Early Action review. Make sure to apply Early Action, not Early Decision because Early Decision is binding!
- If your academic profile doesn’t meet the admission profile for fall admission, you may have a better chance at admission if you apply for summer admission
- To-Do
- Continue applying for scholarships
- August 1- The Common App opens- Create a Common App account. With your polished essays and resume ready to go from the summer, all you have to do is complete the demographic information and online transcript (SSAR) and you’ll be ready to submit! The bulk of the application is completing the essays and resume so it’s important to finish these over the summer. The goal is to complete and submit your applications before September so that you can focus on your Senior year coursework
- October 15- Early Action deadline for FSU and other institutions
- November 1- Deadline for all other Florida public institutions including University of Florida!
- Review prospective university websites for housing application process and deadlines
- December-ish- Complete the Florida Financial Aid Application to apply for state-sponsored scholarships and grants including Bright Futures. Also, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid with parents (if it’s available for the following academic year).
CLICK HERE to download the PDF version.
Coming Soon
College Visits at SFCA
We currently do not have any college visits scheduled