So, you’re going to be a senior!

Find presentation with helpful links on the FHE Counseling website:

• Click on “Grade Specific Information”
• Click on “Juniors”
• Also check out our “Counseling Office News”!

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CHECK YOUR EMAIL!

LOTS of important information, dates, and deadlines will be communicated by email at the beginning of senior year.

SAT & ACT Information

• Are you interested in retaking the SAT or trying the ACT? Visit CollegeBoard.org and/or actstudent.org for information about upcoming test dates. There are several local testing sites.

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• REMEMBER: If you plan to re-test and send your new scores to colleges, you should take the test(s) again in the fall. Scores do not come back for approx. 6 weeks, so plan accordingly!

Test optional?

Colleges may remain “test optional” for admissions in 2026-27. It is up to you if you would like to submit a test score or not!

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You can find the average test score range of applicants on each college’s website. This is a good way to see how your test score compares to recent applicants, and this can be helpful in deciding to send or not to send. See the next slide for an example of this.

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“Test optional” may only apply to admissions. Some colleges will want to see a test score after you’ve been accepted if you want to be considered for scholarships.

Example: U of M Freshmen Class Profile

Colleges typically have GPA and test data for prospective students to use to determine if the college may be a good fit.

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This only shows the middle 50%! This means about 25% of applicants had higher GPAs and/or test scores, and 25% had lower GPAs and test scores. Remember, they look at more than just GPA and test scores!

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Because test scores have been optional since COVID, it is possible that the scores reported in this data are skewed to the higher end.

College Rep Visits at FHE

Counselors will visit Seniors in the fall with details about rep visits and how to sign up. Some things to consider:

• Do some homework in advance; you should be visiting with reps for colleges to which you’re fairly certain you’ll apply
• Have some questions ready! Remember, the rep will be one of the first to see your application. Be active in the rep visit as a way to make a great first impression.
• Rep visits are during the school day, so any class time you miss will be time that you’re responsible for recovering. Be sure to make arrangements with your teacher ahead of time.

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GETTING READY TO APPLY TO COLLEGE

ALWAYS use a personal email address for all college applications!

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Your FHPS Gmail account will BLOCK messages from colleges.

DO NOT USE!

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And make it professional; john.smith@gmail.com looks so much better than i.love.tacobell@gmail.com. Represent yourself well.

Types of application deadlines:

Early Decision: this is a binding agreement with the college. If you apply as an Early Decision candidate and you are accepted, you are automatically committed to the college and may not accept offers from any other colleges.

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Early Action: Non-binding, so you may apply to any colleges and be accepted to multiple before making any decisions. The Early Action deadline is Nov. 1.

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Regular Decision: Normal application timeline starting the fall and ending some time in the early/mid winter months (varies by college)

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Rolling Admissions: Enroll any time with the intent to start at the next available semester.

Things you can do before next fall:

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1. Confirm Application Deadlines - these depend on the college and vary, it’s up to you to know them!

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• Find out if a test score is required – during COVID, some colleges made this optional. As things improve, colleges may require these once again!

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• Test scores may be optional for admissions, but later needed for scholarships

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• Request recommendation letters – You should request these ONLY IF you’re 100% certain that your colleges require them!

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Things you can do before next fall:

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4. Start the Common App - The Common App for 2026-27 will open on August 1. It is a bit tedious. If you’re planning to use this to apply to colleges in the fall, summer is a great time to get started.

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Writing prompts are available early so you can paste these into your official application in August! The next slide includes information about help with essay writing.

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***If you are NOT applying to multiple colleges that use the Common App and have the option to use the college’s own application on their website, we encourage you to use the college’s application.

College Essay Help!

The Academic Boosters of FHE have a summer workshop available! Dates, times, details, and registration at fheabc.com/essay-prep. Space is limited, so sign up soon!

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Can’t make it to the summer workshop? Other resources are available in our community. Talk to your counselor if you’d like more information.

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For students looking at highly selective colleges, the essay is one of the most important pieces of the application. Highly selective colleges receive applications from thousands of students with very similar GPAs and standardized test scores. The essay is one of the things that can set you apart from the rest!

The Common Application

• The Common App opens on August 1, 2026

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• At the start of your senior year, counselors will be in classrooms to talk more in depth about completing applications and sending them to colleges.

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• Applying to college from Sept. through Oct. (for Early Action) is very typical! Many students will continue to apply into late Dec. and early Jan. You are not expected to have applications sent to colleges before you start your senior year.

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• You do not need to request anything from teachers or your counselor in the Common App.

Michigan Common App Colleges

34 Colleges and Universities!

Click here to learn more!

Common App or not?

Most students apply to 1 - 5 colleges. If the majority of the colleges you are planning on applying to are on the Common app (more than 1,100 colleges use the Common App!) USE it!

Benefits:

• Everything on one website, requirements grid
• One payment for all applications
• Common App Personal Essay (Required by all schools)
• College Specific questions (Required by some)
• Supplements (Required by select few)

Free College Applications

• Check out this website from the Michigan College Access Network which will be updated with a list of free 2026-27 applications!

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• Always double check with your college’s Office of Admissions.

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• Participating colleges may do this differently
• Some colleges may take free apps all month, while others may only have free apps during a specified time period. Check with the Office of Admissions!

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***If you plan to apply as an Early Decision candidate, “Free College App Month” may not follow the timeline for Early Decision.

Letters of Recommendation

NOT ALL STUDENTS WILL NEED A TEACHER LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION.

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Rule of Thumb: Plan to ask 1 or 2 recommenders. One teacher is always a good idea, especially if they teach what you want to study. A second recommender could be someone who knows you outside of school like a coach, pastor, or manager.

Letters of Recommendation

In the case you need a letter:

• Think of a teacher from JR or SR year, in a subject related to your intended major - those are the most effective letters.
• Please be sure you have spoken, in person, with the teacher you would like to write a recommendation
• Create, or update, your resume in Naviance so teacher(s) may have that to assist in writing a letter. It is nice to bring them a printed copy as well.
• If requesting a letter in Sr. year, allow teachers at least 3 weeks to submit the recommendation. Please plan ahead.
• Write the teacher a nice thank you note for going beyond their normal duties to write you a letter.

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A Change from Naviance!

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Because we are switching to a new system, you will lose your information in Naviance over the summer. If you work on your resume in Naviance in the coming weeks, be sure to save a pdf, and you can upload this to our new system next fall. You can also email the pdf to teachers who will be writing your letters!

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Or, you can create a resume on your own. For rec letters, we’re really just looking for a “brag sheet,” listing all of your accomplishments in and out of school. It does not need to follow a specific format!

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Starting this summer:

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All work in the summer should be done on Common App only. Counselors will visit you in your Senior English classes in the first week of school to give you instructions for using the new system that will replace Naviance.

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SchooLinks:

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SchooLinks will replace Naviance next fall. You actually have access to SchooLinks now, and can explore college information at your leisure.

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You are not expected to be well-versed in SchooLinks by next fall! Counselors will present more on our new system when we return in August. In the meantime, click here for helpful information.

Financial Aid

We encourage all students to consider completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

This opens for you in October of 2026

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Do NOT fill out the FAFSA this summer! We will send you and your family more information about this next fall.

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NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Centers

• College bound Student-Athletes ONLY
• Please inform your counselor of this plan! You should have a NCAA credit audit completed before the start of senior year.

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NCAA Division I or Division II institutions only

Eligibilitycenter.org

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NAIA institutions

playnaia.org

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Scholarship Information

• CHECK THE FHE COUNSELING OFFICE WEBSITE!!! As we receive information about scholarships, it will post in our Counseling Office News, and also on Facebook. Archived scholarship info can be found under the “Scholarships” section of our website as well.
• We also post scholarship opportunities (those scholarships offered outside of what a college awards) to Naviance (Colleges -> Scholarship List). Example: FHPS Academic Boosters

This list is updated regularly but is NOT exhaustive

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Scholarship Information

• Colleges will also review your FAFSA information (after you complete it in October of 2026) and possibly offer scholarships or grants based on your information.
• In addition to scholarships offered locally and statewide, you may also register for free to receive scholarship information from any of the national scholarship databases listed on our website (for example FastWeb and Chegg).

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Questions?

Remember, this slideshow is available on our FHE Counseling Office website, located under “Grade Specific Information”

BLINK

A - H

GOSSETT

I - O

MAYNARD

P - Z