What is in your Circle of Control? Think about those things you can and can’t control. Let go of those things that are out of your control.

Register at https://my.act.org/account/signin?location=https://my.act.org.

If you have only taken the ACT at SCHS when all juniors were tested, you will need to create an account with ACT to register to test again. You will need your ACT ID that is located on your score report sheet you should have received in the mail from the March 2020 school test. If you no longer have your score sheet Mrs. Keahey can give you your ACT ID. Mrs. Keahey does not have access to any information related to your personal ACT account that you (or your parent) have previously created.

2020-2021 Fall Test Dates (National)

Test Date- Registration Deadline- (Late Fee Required)

September 12, 2020- August 31- No late fees

September 13, 2020 (Sunday)

September 19, 2020

October 10, 2020- September 25- No late fees

October 17, 2020

October 24, 2020

October 25, 2020 (Sunday)

December 12, 2020- November 6- November 7 – November 20

*Remember most college have a Dec 1st deadline for academic scholarship applications. Some schools will accept the December ACT, but do your research before you assume your school of choice does! The October test is the safer option. *I should have ACT fee waivers by September 19th! Come see me! If you are eligible for free/reduced lunch then you qualify for an ACT waiver!

Method Test Prep is available again at no cost for seniors! This is a great tool to use to practice for the ACT! You can access Method Test Prep in your Clever app.

SCHS Senior Information Be sure to check the Class of 2021 Google Classroom and the home page of the counseling blog http://podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schs-counselor/ regularly for updated information about colleges, scholarships, and MORE!

College Visits

– Students should begin to visit colleges in the spring of their junior year and during the summer between their junior and seniors years.

– Many colleges are offering virtual tours due to COVID-19

– Students are permitted one excused absence for a pre-approved college visit in the spring of their junior year and two excused absences for pre-approved college visits during their senior year.

– The college visit form is available in the counseling office and must be signed and dated by a college official at the time of the visit.

– Return the form by taking a picture and emailing it to scboe-schs@shelbyed.org

– Currently, we are not allowing college or military recruiters to visit our school. However, we will be posting information and hosting virtual meetings with recruiters. Once visitors are allowed again, college recruiters will come to SCHS during 7th period and will meet with students in the conference room. Military recruiters will set up information tables in the lunchroom. The schedule for visits will be posted on the Class of 2021 Google Classroom.

– Most colleges also host visit days on campus. Check the Class of 2021 Google Classroom and counseling blog for specific dates.

College Applications

– Students should check with individual colleges and scholarship committees for specific deadlines. Seniors should plan to complete all applications and gather additional documentation by October 31.

– College application fees may be waived for students who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch. Inquire with individual colleges for more information. Mrs. Keahey can provide documentation for colleges that will accept it.

ACT/SAT

– All SCHS students take the ACT during the spring of their junior year. Students can register online to participate in additional administrations of the ACT or SAT.

– ACT fee waiver forms are available in the counseling office for students who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch.

– Method Test Prep is once again available at no cost for seniors. This is a great tool to prep for the ACT and can accessed through your Clever app.

Transcripts & Recommendations

– All colleges will require official transcripts. Some colleges and scholarship programs will also require recommendation letters.

– Transcript requests can be made at https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/4168/account. Forms are also available in the counseling office. Forms should be returned to Mrs. Keahey with payment.

– Each official transcript request costs $5.00.

– Counselor and teacher recommendation requests must be turned in 3 weeks in advance.

– Recommendation request forms are available in the counseling office.

– Recommendation request forms must be accompanied by a student resume or list of accomplishments/interests/future goals to assist the counselor in writing a proper recommendation.

– Once a recommendation is complete, it will be mailed directly to the college.

Financial Aid & Scholarships

– Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – www.fafsa.ed.gov

– For more information – http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/filling-out

– You will need to file your FAFSA for all forms of financial assistance including loans, grants, and scholarships.

– Completion of the FAFSA is a requirement of many scholarship programs.

– You should file your FAFSA in the spring as soon as you and your parents receive your W2.

– All students should complete a FAFSA even if you feel that you may not qualify for assistance.

Chegg.com: over 25,000 scholarships in addition to textbook savings https://www.chegg.com/scholarships

FastWeb: has a database of 600,000 scholarships http://www.fastweb.monster.com

College Board: offers a database with 23,000 sources of funding https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search

FastAid: says they’re one of the oldest and largest free scholarship search http://www.fastaid.com

Scholarships.com: another free scholarship search service http://www.scholarships.com

Nationally coveted scholarships and fellowships; gives you access to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral rewards https://www.scholarships.fatomei.com

ScholarSite: allows students to search for scholarships by field of study http://www.scholarship-page.com/

Yconic: offering free scholarship matching & peer-to-peer support for your life as a student https://yconic.com/

GoCollege: has 600,000 scholarships from more than 8,000 funding sources http://www.gocollege.com/

International Education and Financial Aid: specializes in scholarships for international students and study abroad https://www.iefa.org/

CollegeScholarships.com: provides scholarship searches and personalized scholarship application letters http://collegescholarships.com/

Military.com: includes information for current and former military personnel, as well as financial aid for dependents https://www.military.com/education/money-school

Peterson’s Scholarship: $10 billion in scholarships from 5,000 providers https://petersons.com/college-search/scholarship-search/

SuperCollege.com: offers a substantial free scholarship search http://supercollege.com/scholarships/scholarships.cfm

Sallie Mae-College Answer: free college scholarship search https://www.salliemae.com/college-planning/college-scholarships/?lnkid=SM-PlanHP-getstarted-scholarships

JUNIORS & SENIORS!!!

The Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) provides a leadership development program for juniors and seniors in high school chosen for their character rather than academic standing.

The basic tenant for the YLDP is that a person’s character is more important than anything else in the ability to lead others and be a true leader.

Seniors that were selected last year are automatically accepted in this year’s YLDP program.

Students interested in representing SCHS in this program should pick up a YLDP packet in the guidance office.

Think about your social media posts and activity. Would you want college admissions or employers to use the information you’ve shared, posted, or liked as your resume?

Review the presentation below to learn tips on how to prepare your social media for college and the workforce.

Always carefully consider your personal boundaries and responsible use of social media.

University of Alabama at Birmingham Updates

This year will be unlike anything we have faced before. UAB is trying our best to do right by the student and their families during this time. There have been changes to this year’s admission process.

1. Students will now be able to upload certain documents to their application (i.e. fee waivers and citizenship documentation). Transcript, test scores, and appeals can NOT be uploaded. They will still need to be officially sent.

2. We will now be reviewing PSAT and Pre ACT scores for admissions and scholarships if the student has not been able to take the ACT.

We do have a great new scheduling tool that will allow students to select a date and time for a phone or zoom call to discuss admissions, scholarships, UAB in general, meeting with a current student, etc. This new tool is called Calendly and can be accessed at https://calendly.com/uabjames!

UAB regional admissions counselor is James Barlow. His contact information is below.

Cell: 205-895-1796 (call or text) |jmbarlow@uab.edu

University of North Alabama Updates

Attached is a quick sheet with all the information you need to know regarding UNA’s test optional information, campus visits, and MORE! Also attached is a digital version of UNA’s travel brochure.

UNA regional recruiter is Ms. Hadley Skalnik. Her contact information is below.

256.765.4108 lskalnik@una.edu UNA Box 5011 | Coby Hall • Florence, AL 35632-0001 http://www.una.edu/admissions/

Admission Requirements

The University of Alabama has approved admission requirements for the 2021 freshman class. We will continue to require either a SAT or ACT score to be considered for admission and use those scores for automatic merit scholarships. Because of the uncertainty around testing, we have opted to implement a conditional admission program for students who do not have test scores but wish to apply. This will be with the understanding that a test score will ultimately be required for admission and enrollment. We will continue to monitor students’ ability to test and make changes as needed. Click the link for more details, https://adm.ua.edu/register/2021-adm-req

Tide Chats

These sessions are designed to connect students with their recruiter and can be scheduled at https://adm.ua.edu/portal/meet-your-recruiter. Our regional recruiter for UA is Christy Hudgens.

Virtual Information Sessions

The University of Alabama is hosting virtual information sessions each weekday to provide opportunities for students and families who are unable to visit campus at this time. We’re offering college/interest-specific sessions, broad admissions information programs and virtual chats with our UA Student Ambassadors. These sessions are designed to offer the same information you would receive during an on-campus visit. Visit https://adm.ua.edu/portal/virtual-info-sessions for more information.

Campus Tours

We currently offer both walking tours of campus and a combination bus/walking tour in a limited capacity. All campus tours include an Undergraduate Admissions Information Session and descriptions of each tour are provided on the registration page at https://adm.ua.edu/portal/tours.

Auburn University Updates!

The AU website has been updated to display fall 2021 admissions requirements and deadlines- http://www.auburn.edu/admissions/prospectivestudents.php#Freshman.

The fall 2021 freshmen application is now available.

Kali Tucker is our Regional Admissions Advisor for Auburn. Her contact information is below.

334-734-3381 (office) kali.tucker@auburn.edu http://auburn.edu/admissions/