COLLEGE PLANNING
Message to College Bound Athletes
Athletic Transcript Release
NCAA/NAIA Accounts
Student Athlete Parent Presentation
and Recuitment Resources
COLLEGE ATHLETES
Senior Support Team
Wildcat Experience Dues/Obligations List
Senior Terms
Graduation Requirements
WELCOME
College Prep Checklist
Comparing College Entrance Exams
College Entrance Exam Prep
Paying for College, Financial Aid Checklist, and
FAFSA
College Visits
Wildcat Seniors,
The time has come for you to embark on your final year as a Richmond Hill Wildcat! As you finalize your time with us, we hope that you will utilize this document as a resources to guide you through this year. If you have any questions or need additional guidance, please contact your counselor or an administrator. We are happy to be a part of your achievements and to support your success. Have a great senior year!
See ya, Love ya, Bye!
Bivins Miller
Principal, Richmond Hill High School
SENIOR SUPPORT TEAM
Counselor Emily Neff
Counselor Tam Daniels
Counselor Debbie Kilpatrick
12TH GRADE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL BIVINS MILLER
Counseling Department Chair
Counselor
Amber Crews
Counselor Megan McDonough
Counselor Amber Miles
Dual Enrollment and Transitions Counselor Deanna Appleton
Counselors are assigned students by alphabet. School enrollment numbers will cause counselor alphabet assignments to shift at the beginning of every school year.
Assistant Principal
PATRICK MEANS
Assistant Principal
MALORIE SEIDLER
RHHS Career Coach
Julie McNeely
The Wildcat Experience Dues are the annual student fees collected and used to enrich "The WILDCAT experience for each student.
The dues provide funding for awards, positive interventions, enrichment activities, and events (Prom and Graduation Ceremonies)
The Wildcat experience dues are $3o.00 ANNUALLY, and unpaid dues do accumulate for each year that a student is enrolled and fees go unpaid. The unpaid fees will roll over into the next school year and result in student placement on the Obligations List.
The Richmond Hill High School Obligations List is an active list containing the names of individuals that owe money (fee and/or fines), school property, demographic/health information documents, and/or detentions.
Obligations are added as early as the 1st semester of the student's 9th-grade year and roll over and accrue until the end of the 12th-grade year or until the obligation is reconciled.
"Obligations not met will result in the inability to participate in activities such as sports, clubs, dances (to include Prom), trips, and or receive your diploma at graduation.
The RHHS OBLIGATIONS LIST
Senior year can be challenging, so we have provided a list of terms to help with the college application, financial aid,
and military enlistment process.
COALITION APPLICATION A standard application that 140 colleges and universities accept. Some schools will take the Coalition application in addition to current applications, while other schools will require all students to use the Coalition application.
COMMON APPLICATION: A standard application form that about 500 colleges accept in place of their form. Available at www.commonapp.org.
FINANCIAL AID PROFILE: A financial aid form produced by the College Board that is required for students seeking aid at approximately 10% of the nation’s universities (including most highly selective institutions). Check colleges’ websites for required information. Available at www.collegeboard.org.
DEFERRED ADMISSIONS: The practice of some colleges allowing an accepted student to postpone enrollment for one year.
DEFERRED DECISION: The practice of some colleges of holding an applicant’s record to review again with the next applicant pool. A student who is deferred is neither accepted nor rejected. Most schools require 1st-semester senior year grades and allow additional recommendations in the 2nd evaluation. Students should contact the admissions office to discuss ways to enhance the application and what should be submitted.
DEMONSTRATED NEED: The difference between the Expected Family Contribution and the total cost of attendance at a particular institution.
EARLY ACTION: An application process permits students to apply to an institution of preference early in the senior year and receive a decision well before the expected response dates in the spring. The candidate is NOT committed to enrolling at that institution.
EARLY ADMISSION: Admitting students of superior ability into college courses and programs before completing their high school diploma. This type of application must be filed in the junior year.
EARLY DECISION: An application process in which a student commits to the institution that, if admitted, the student WILL enroll. Only a student who can make a deliberate and well-reasoned first-choice decision should apply early decision.
FAFSA (FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID): The financial aid form produced by the federal government that is required for nearly all colleges. Students and parents should fill out the form starting October 1st at www.fafsa.gov.
HONORS PROGRAM: Any program offering an opportunity for superior students to enrich their educational experience through independent, advanced, or accelerated study.
ROLLING ADMISSIONS: An admissions procedure by which the college considers each application as soon as required materials have been received. The college then notifies each applicant of acceptance or rejection as soon as possible.
SENIOR TERMS
First Generation: First generation refers to students who are the first in their families to attend college or whose parents didn’t complete a college degree. Many schools have special offices or programs to guide first-generation students.
Full-Time College Student: A student taking a full course load, typically 12 or more credits.
General Education Requirements: Most 4-year college programs have general education requirements to ensure all students receive a broad education with knowledge of topics outside their chosen field.
HIPAA Release Form: The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gives your student a right over the privacy of their medical records when they turn 18. A HIPAA Release Form gives you, as their parent, the ability to access their medical records and make important medical decisions for them in the case of an illness or emergency.
In-State Student: A status conferred on students who live (or have established residency) in the same state as the college or university they attend. At public universities, in-state students pay much less in tuition than non-resident students.
Major: The primary focus of study in a 4-year degree. Some students start college with a declared major, and others choose a major after a year or so of academic exploration.
Minor: A secondary focus of study, typically earned in tandem with a major. It takes fewer course credits to complete a minor, which complements the major area of study or is something a student pursues because they love the subject.
Nonresident: Status applied to students who don't live in the same state as the university they’re attending. Nonresident, out-of-state students usually pay much higher tuition at public institutions than in-state students.
Orientation: Incoming first-year college students are usually required to participate in orientation, either on campus or virtually. Orientation programs may be offered over the summer or during welcome week and move-in. During orientation, students learn about campus resources and the student code of conduct and may meet with their academic advisor to select fall classes.
Registration: When students can sign up for the classes they wish to take in the following quarter or semester.
SAT: The Scholastic Aptitude Test, known as the SAT, is used by many colleges to determine a prospective student’s ability to succeed academically at the school. Like the ACT, the SAT is usually taken in the spring semester of the junior year of high school and can be retaken in the fall of the senior year.
Transfer Credits: Credits that can be transferred from one school and applied toward a degree at another.
Tuition: The amount paid to attend a college. Tuition is only part of the bill: students pay fees, and room and board are extra.
Wait List: A list of applicants who have yet to be admitted to a university but could still be in the coming months. Being offered a spot on a waitlist is a way for a school to tell students that they meet admission requirements and will be invited to join the first-year class if space permits. Many schools only admit a small percentage of waitlisted students.
SAR (STUDENT AID REPORT): A form sent to families in response to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid submission that includes the Expected Family Contribution, a figure that may be modified at colleges that use institutional methodology.
SSAR (Student Self-Reported Academic Record): An online form is required instead of an official transcript Students self- report all their high school and dual enrollment courses completed and currently in progress instead of requesting a transcript.
WAITLIST: A term institutions use to describe a process by which they may initially delay offering or denying admissions during the regular decision process. These students may be considered if space is available after admitted students have indicated whether they will attend.
ACADEMIC RESUME: A summary of your high school “career.” It will include the information requested on most college applications- GPA, test scores, activities, awards, etc.
Academic Advisor: An academic mentor who guides your student through their degree. Advisors assist with course registration, make sure your student is taking the right courses in the right order, and help them make important academic decisions. Every first-year student is assigned an advisor. When students declare a major, they receive a new advisor in that department.
ACT: A standardized test taken in high school that college admission offices use to help decide whether to offer admission to an applicant. The ACT is typically taken in the spring of high school junior year and/or fall of senior year.
Add/Drop Period: A grace period at the beginning of each semester during which your student can decide to add or drop a course with no penalty.
AP Course: An Advanced Placement (AP) course is a class your student can take in high school that could earn them credit toward their college degree. AP classes are typically more rigorous than regular classes. Classes culminate in AP exams in the spring.
Coed: Refers to any program, dormitory, or activity that includes all genders. This term is typically used to describe residence halls with male and female students living on the same floor.
Community College: Community colleges are usually public institutions that focus on providing accessible, flexible courses. Although some CCs have dorms, most CC students commute from home, and many are working full or part-time.
Credit Hour: Each course is assigned a certain number of credit hours, usually corresponding to how often a class occurs, how long classes are, and the course difficulty. Many classes earn a student 3 to 4 credit hours. A student must take at least 12 credits per semester to be considered full-time.
Department: Refers to a certain section of a university. Departments are usually aligned with degrees or areas of study within a college, such as the engineering department, English department, etc.
FERPA: This stands for Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This law protects the privacy
of educational records and transfers from parents to the students when they turn 18 or start college. FERPA covers all school-related records, including your student's grades, information from the campus health center, disciplinary records, and more. If students want to give a parent or another third-party access, they may complete a FERPA waiver. There is an exception: If the college feels there is a need to protect the health and safety of your student or others, they may disclose information.
COMPARING COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS
COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM PREP
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. Each year, over 13 million students who file the FAFSA get more than $120 billion in grants, work- study, and low-interest loans from the
U.S. Department of Education.
Financial aid is money to help pay for college. Financial aid can be grants, scholarships, loans, or work-study programs. To determine eligibility for federal and some state financial aid programs, students must: -Demonstrate financial need or exhibit academic merit, depending on the type of financial aid, along with additional requirements.
COLLEGE VISITS
College visits are an essential part of the college admissions process.
Seniors are allowed two excused absences to empower students and parents to explore the best college experience on both the personal and academic
levels
Students must obtain permission for the excused absence from ALL teachers and their counselor NO less than ONE WEEK
before the visit. Visits CAN NOT be combined with STUDENT HOLIDAYS, DURING EXAM WEEK, or BEFORE/AFTER PROM.
RHHS
MESSAGE TO
COLLEGE BOUND ATHLETES
The recruitment process for college athletes can be overwhelming. The Richmond Hill High School Athletic Director, Assistant Athletic Director, and the Campus NCAA representative have partnered with coaches to ease the experience for students and parents.
In the following pages, you will find forms, presentations, resource links, and details for establishing NCAA and NAIA accounts.
Don't hesitate to contact coaches, school counselors, and the NCAA Campus representative for assistance and to address additional questions.
ELIGIBILITY RESOURCES
COLLEGE BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE GUIDE
RECRUITING CALENDARS AND GUIDES
ATHLETIC RESUME AND COVERLETTER
RECRUITING RESOURCES