August 26, 2024

School Counseling Department

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Navigating Your Senior Year

Class of 2025

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August 26, 2024

School Counseling Department

BOYERTOWN AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

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YOUR BASH TEAM!

• Mrs. McArthur cmcarthur@boyertownasd.org A-L

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• Mrs. Mazzie (cmazzie@boyertownasd.org) M-Z

You are permitted to report to the School Counseling Office at any time during the day!!! Please see us!

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Counseling Office Staff

• Ms. Bridget Moyer- Front Desk (bmoyer@boyertownasd.org)
• Mrs. Kathy Hiryak (khiryak@boyertownasd.org)

Counseling Office Administrative Assistant-ALL TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS GET EMAILED TO HER, NOT YOUR COUNSELOR!

• Mrs. Michelle Bright (mbright@boyertownasd.org) Career Assistant-Portfolio Assistant

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Graduation Requirement Reminders

• YOU are responsible for tracking your credits. Check your schedule and make sure you have what you need.
• 24 total credits earned during grades 9-12 in the following areas:
• 3 science classes
• 4 social studies, English, and math classes
• 2 health/wellness classes (grades 9 and 10)
• 4 physical education classes (NJROTC & BCTC exempt in grades 11 & 12)
• Electives highlighting your areas of interest 
• Successful completion of the career portfolio (Senior Presentation) or BCTC project (CEW Standards) and Smart Futures activities
• Satisfactory completion of EOCAs

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Post Secondary Application Checklist

September

• Start applying!
• Talk to your parents/guardians about a budget
• Sign up for SATs/ACTs if you have not already taken them or are unhappy with your scores
• Ask for letters of recommendation��October/November
• Attend college fairs/open houses/visit schools
• Apply for scholarships!
• Send in applications for Early Action/Early Decision- Typically due November 1^st
• Ask an English teacher to proof your application essays

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December/January

• Finish applications
• Complete the FAFSA

�February/March

• March SAT administration at BASH
• Start ranking schools
• Continue to apply for scholarships

�April/May

• Expect to hear from most schools
• Complete your Senior Survey 
• Review financial aid packages
• Send in deposit once your decision is made

June

• Graduation!
• Final transcripts are sent to where you indicated on your Senior Survey

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Helpful Reminders for College Applications

• Complete a Transcript Request Form (TRF) and submit  to the Counseling Office
• If you need a Letter of Recommendation, complete the “Brag Sheet” and submit to your School Counselor (sometimes teachers request these)
• When completing your brag sheet please make sure to either make a copy of the brag sheet or download and save your own. Do not type directly on our google form. It will save your information.
• Request supporting documents such as letters of recommendation and transcripts at least 10 school days prior to deadlines
•  PROOFREAD your applications
• Save a copy of each application before submitting
• Follow up with the college(s) to make sure they have received your information if you have not received a confirmation within 48 hours of submission

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College Applications

Common Application

• One (lengthy) electronic application that many colleges accept - WWW.COMMONAPP.ORG
• Invite your counselor through their boyertownasd.org email account (follow-up to confirm they received your invite)
• If you created a common application account BEFORE August 1^st, you MUST re-invite your school counselor! We cannot view your account if you applied before this date.
• Invite any other needed recommenders through their email (ask permission first)
• Submit your application as soon as it’s complete (you do not need to wait for your recommendations prior to submitting)
• Transcript is uploaded electronically by your counselor
• Letters of recommendation are uploaded electronically by counselor and any other recommenders

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College Applications

All other Applications

• Many colleges still have an individual application
• may not be as lengthy as the Common Application 
• might save you time if you are applying to only a couple of colleges
• Complete the application and submit
• After submitting, bring a stamped envelope to the counseling office if the college requires an official transcript
• Distribute an addressed, stamped envelope to your counselor and/or any person who you request a letter of recommendation from 
• Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR)- Some colleges (Pitt, Penn State) want you to self-report all of your high school courses and final grades, and won't review your application for admissions until you do. Use your high school transcripts for reference, you must accurately enter the required information.

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Financial Aid

• Financial Aid Night will take place via zoom this year. A time, date, and link will be pushed out closer to the event.
• You should submit your FAFSA in December using last year’s tax information
• We will be holding a Financial Aid Night and FAFSA Q&A night. Date is TBD.
• You and a parent must both create an FSA ID and will use this to complete the FAFSA application found at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa
• THIS IS A FREE APPLICATION – if you are prompted to pay a fee to submit your application, you are on the wrong site
• Each college will give you a Financial Aid Summary Letter based on the information that they receive from your FAFSA, plus any need or merit- based scholarships they are able to offer you

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Scholarships

• The Counseling Office keeps a running list of scholarships on our webpage – check back often for updated scholarship opportunities
• Go to RESOURCES – SCHOOL COUNSELING – SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
• Scholarships specific to individual schools will be emailed out to the senior class via your student email address
• Local scholarships will be made available to you via the Counseling webpage around the end of December
• Additional scholarships can be found through individual college webpages, scholarship database websites, your workplace, your parents’ workplaces, your bank, your church, and many other community resources  - If you take the time to seek them out, you’ll be surprised at how much you can receive in scholarship aid!

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Miscellaneous Information

• We are going to make a very conscientious effort moving forward to record every college/university that you get accepted to, job you are starting, or what military branch you sign up for, etc.  As you get your acceptances, job contracts, and/or military acceptances, please let your school counselor know.
• We are also doing the same process for Scholarships and Grants that you receive.  Please let your school counselor know when you receive a scholarship or grant.

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Communication

• Counselors rely mainly on email to communicate with students and send out important announcements
•  check your school email frequently!
•  Schedule an individual in-person meeting, ZOOM, or Google Meet with your counselor
• Web Page
•   go to-www.boyertownasd.org
• select high school->resources->school counseling

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Have a wonderful school year!