Does your college essay stand out?

The college essay is one of the most important parts of your application. While it is important for you to have good grades, rigorous curriculum, and strong standardized test scores, the essay is the part where you get to make yourself stand out as more than just some numbers. You are more than your scores, aren't you?

Your essay is the moment when you get to be YOU on your application. Are you going to write a stuffy essay that sounds like you're doing an English assignment that you didn't want to do in the first place? Or are you going to do your essay as if your future depends on it? Because - get this - your future DOES depend on it.

Imagine the job of an admissions officer: tens of thousands of applications; some great grades, some average ones; some extraordinary SAT scores, some okay scores; recommendation letters; and then ESSAYS. Can you imagine reading thousands of essays and remembering every single one? I can't! But which ones do you think they'll remember? The ones that stand out! And what makes an admission essay stand out? Let's see...

St. John's University Instant Decision Day

Hello seniors!

Welcome back! I hope you all got to rest up and work on your essays. I only saw a couple of you asking me to review essays today – not enough!! Start getting those essays in to me so they can be perfect for your applications.

 

Wednesday, December 18^th St. John’s University will be coming here to host an INSTANT DECISION DAY. That means you will have the opportunity to meet individually with an admission counselor to discuss opportunities at St. John’s, in addition to receiving an on-the-spot admission decision and academic scholarship information.

 

Required documentation:

·         A completed application for admission. Paper applications will be available the day of, or you may complete the application online and print a copy for review. The $50 application fee will be waived for participating students.

·         Official high school transcripts. Preferred minimum GPA of 80

·         Official standardized test scores. Must have a composite SAT of 900 or higher (Critical Reading score of 400 minimum and Math score of 400 minimum) or equivalent ACT-Composite score of 19

·         Personal essays and recommendation letters are optional but encouraged

 

-Be prepared to spend about 10-15 minutes for private discussion with an admission counselor

-Instant Decision is not available for students applying for the Pharmacy, Fine Arts, Physician Assistant, Bio-Optometry, or Bio-Podiatry programs.

 

In preparation for the Instant Decision Day, required documents will be collected one week prior on December 11^th. That means you will need to turn them in to me next week! See me for more info!

 

Scholarships

Most of the time, I'll tell you to search around websites like www.collegeboard.com or www.fastweb.com to find scholarships that would best suit you but I'm gonna take some time to tell you about some local scholarships that you may not find on those websites!!

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The O'Keefe Foundation Scholarship

A wonderful scholarship opportunity from an organization formed in memory of Firefighter Patrick J. O'Keefe of the FDNY's Rescue Company One who was killed at the WTC on 9/11. This scholarship is an $8,000 award paid over 4 years and is available to any US citizen who is an immigrant or child of an immigrant OR has lost a parent to a violent act.

Qualifications:

• Must be a graduating seniors
• Must be accepted into an accredited college or university (at the time of the award, not the time of application)
• Must be a US citizen who is an immigrant or child of an immigrant OR has lost a parent to a violent act.
• Must reside in Nassau or Suffolk county or one of the five boroughs of New York City. 
• There are NO academic or financial requirements, however, financial need is considered. 

How to apply:

Complete an application, provide two letters of recommendation, and write an essay about yourself. If you fit the qualification criteria, see me or Ms. Marsigliano for information about what to include in the essay and filling out the application. See http://spiritrider.org/ for more information. 

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Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund

Who can apply?

The program is limited to New York City public high school seniors who will graduate from a vocational, academic or alternative school or will receive an equivalency diploma from a public evening school or a New York City Board of Education alternative educational program. In addition, students must have high academic standing and demonstrate leadership in school and community. All applicants also must be eligible to receive and must apply for federal financial aid (a Pell Grant).

What about financial eligibility?

In order to qualify for the UFT Albert Shanker scholarships, students must have family income levels no higher than the maximums set by the Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund. Maximum levels vary according to the number of dependents in the family. Further details and exact income data are listed on page four of the scholarship instructions.

Students must show valid proof of family income, which must include income of parents, step-parents, guardians or any other adults who have assumed legal responsibility for the applicant. The Scholarship Fund requires tax returns and other official documents as proof of family income. It is important to document income from all sources, including non-taxable income such as public assistance payments, child support, Social Security and veteran’s pensions.

An applicant whose family lives abroad will also be required to appropriately document family income.

The deadline for the Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund is JANUARY 31ST. The award is $5,000 paid as $1,250 per year. See Ms. Marsigliano for the application and making sure it gets sent in on time. 

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Legend Award for Young Visual Artists

This scholarship is not exclusively for seniors! It is for all high school grade levels. 

This award was conceived by Sharon and Mark Voto of Legend Business Group as a way to recognize the talents of young local visual artists and give them financial support to help them achieve their goals. 

One finalist  will be selected to receive $1000. First and second runners up will receive $500 and $250. 

Five finalists will be selected to exhibit at the Legend Business Group showroom. 

Who is eligible?

• High school students in grades 9-12
• Residents of Staten Island
• Visual artists working in painting, drawing, sculpture, or installation

How do you apply?

1. Submit an application letter with your information and a brief description of your aspirations as an artist, and how you plan to spend the award if received. 

2. One letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to your artistic excellence.

3. A digital portfolio of 10 jpeg images showing a sample of your work on a CD.

4. Work Sample List giving information for each of the 10 jpeg images.

Entries must arrive at COAHSI by February 22nd. Do not send original work! Entries will not be returned. 

See me or Ms. Marsigliano for specifics on what to send in and where to send it! 

-Ms. Miller

CUNY Deadline is approaching

Seniors,
Many of you have already completed your CUNY applications but for those of you that haven't - the deadline is fast approaching!!

FEBRUARY 1ST IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE CUNY APPLICATION!!

After Feb 1st, you will not be able to submit an application online to any CUNY schools. CUNY has some incredible schools around New York City at a fraction of the cost of private schools in the area. 

Not sure what you want to study as a career in college? Choose CUNY for 2 years to save money and explore your elective options.

Not sure if you'll get financial aid for all four years of college? Everyone gets less financial aid in their first 2 years than in their last 2 years! Choose CUNY for 2 years (at least!) to lighten your loan debt!

Not sure if you want to live at home and commute or live away from home at school? Choose CUNY to see what the college lifestyle is like and transfer if you want!

Want to get a great education in a major like Nursing, Computer Technology, Auto Tech, Psychology, Social Work, Science, Education, Business, Management, Marketing, Graphic Design, Criminal Justice, English?? CHOOSE CUNY!! 

Visit www.cuny.edu to explore CUNY schools and to complete your application. 

***IT IS THE SIMPLEST COLLEGE APPLICATION YOU WILL FILL OUT!!***

Have your Social Security Number and Student ID / OSIS #, basic information, and your list of CUNY colleges you'd like to attend. Make sure to include a Community College or two as fall-backs! 

Come see me if you have any questions over the next 2 weeks while the application is still open. 

-Ms. Miller

College Recommendation Letters

Many of you have been sending in lots of college applications and I'm so proud and excited for you! You're researching schools and majors, going on campus tours, and asking a TON of questions (I love it, honest!).

I just want to remind you all, that even though you have pressed the big SUBMIT button, your application is NOT finished! Almost every school you apply to will be looking for some further documentation. Here is some info and tips on everything you'll need to send in.

Transcripts

• CUNY: As long as you put your OSIS # in the application, they automatically receive your transcript. The perks of applying to a public school from a public school!
• SUNY: Once you fully submit your application (with payment), your name and application info will pop up on the SUNY CounselorConnect, which is checked every day. We upload your transcript immediately.
• A sidenote: Even though we do upload your transcript, you DO have to fill out the Student Online Academic Report (SOAR). I know it's a lot of information, but it is a required part of your application. 
• Common App: CommonApp has a Counselor Portal very similar to the SUNY one, which means once you submit your application, your name pops up on the list and your transcript is uploaded. The difference, however, is that your transcript is not submitted until your entire Counselor School Report is submitted. More info on that in the Recommendation area. 
• Other schools: There is no definitive process for the rest of the schools (non-CUNY, non-SUNY, non-CommonApp); each school will have a different method. Many schools use SendEDU.org (ex: NJIT, Wentworth, St. John's, just to name a few); these schools will tell you to bring a Document Request Form to your Counselor. It will also ask you to put in my name and email information - this does not mean it will automatically be sent to me! You still need to bring in the document request form in order for me to upload all of your information to the school and complete your application. There are a few schools left who do not have any electronic upload option; these schools will give you an address to  mail to and an application ID number to attach to the information. Please bring in that information.

Recommendations:
Some quick info about your letters of recommendation before giving school specific info. Choose the people you request letters from wisely. I strongly suggest you get one from your shop teacher, as they have been with you 2 periods a day for the last 3 years. They know you and your work better than most other teachers. After that, think of teachers whose classes you've done exceptionally well in. Outside of school, think of mentors, internship or volunteer supervisors with whom you've done a lot of work that you are proud of. Do not exceed THREE recommendation letters, unless a school specifically asks for it.

• CUNY: The CUNY General Freshman Admission application does not *require* letters of recommendation, however they would be a great supplement to your application, as many students do NOT submit them. If you are getting recommendations for other schools, you might as well send them in with your CUNY application! The Macaulay Honors application does require two recommendation letters. You are able to electronically send a request - but please follow up with the people you have sent requests to.
• SUNY: Similar to the CUNY app, most SUNY schools do not *require* letters of recommendation, but they add to the big picture of who you are as a student and as a person. The SUNY CounselorConnect is able to accept TWO recommendation letters, so make sure they are from the people who can most accurately speak about your strengths and accomplishments.
• CommonApp: CommonApp gives you the option to electronically request recommendations from teachers/supervisors/etc. Please follow up in person with these people. Hard to believe but some people do not check their email as often as you! The best way to get your recommendation done as soon as possible is to personally ask your recommenders. 
• Your CommonApp submission is dependent on your actual application, your transcript, your rec letters, your essay and the school report. The school report is filled out by me, your Guidance Counselor. This report can NOT be submitted without a Guidance Counselor recommendation. Stop in and see me if you have filled out a CommonApp.
• Other schools: Every school outside of these three forms will be different. Some will specifically say no recommendations, some will say recommendations are not required (similarly to CUNY - send them in!), some will ask for one, two, or three. Do NOT send more than what the school is asking for. Think of the amount of paperwork they are reading as it is! They do not want to read extra. On that note, they may not even read extra ones you send in. Request hard copies of recommendation letters from your recommenders.

   The Essay:

• You have all heard how important the essay is to your college application. It gives you a chance to speak about *you* and give a better picture of who you are as more than just the numbers on your transcript. Mrs. Marsigliano is amazing at helping with college essays. Also, don't hesitate to speak to your English teachers for help with your essay!
• CUNY: Just like the recommendations - not required, but would help your application out.
• SUNY: Required on almost all school's supplemental applications. 
• CommonApp: Required step in the application
• Other schools: Some schools will ask for an essay, other schools will not. Similar to the recommendation letters - if it is not *required*, send it in. If they say no essay, don't send it in. Most schools will require an essay as part of the application. 

Secondary School Report: 
A Secondary School Report (SSR) is filled out by your Guidance Counselor (me!). It is a simple form which asks for your rank and GPA and course load information. Almost all schools ask for one to be filled out. The SSR also asks for a Guidance Counselor recommendation. You must come see me after filling out any applications because we need to speak and I need to know as much about you as possible to write an accurate (and glowing!) recommendation letter. It is incredibly important that you come see me as soon as possible as your application will not be complete until the SSR is submitted.

• CUNY: Does not require or request a SSR.
• SUNY: The SSR is automatically requested in the SUNY CounselorConnect portal and is immediately submitted when your transcript is submitted.
• CommonApp: As stated earlier, the CommonApp School Report requires a Counselor Recommendation in order to be completely submitted. Please come see me if you have filled out a CommonApp and I haven't contacted you yet.
• Other schools: As with everything else mentioned above, every school outside of these forms will be different. Almost all will request an SSR. Make sure you completely read through your application confirmation page. They may give you links to forms for you to print out and bring to your Counselor. Read all of your application requirements FULLY!!

Supplementals
Supplemental material will be asked of you from some schools. All SUNY apps are finished when the supplemental applications are complete. For most SUNY schools, the supplemental is your essay and senior courseload. For schools that focus on art, architectural or graphic design, you may be asked to complete and submit a portfolio.  Pay close attention to what is asked of you after you press the SUBMIT button!!

As always, come chat with me if you have any questions!

-Ms. Miller 

Naviance

Hello McKee Seniors!

Ms. Miller here! I wanted to send you all some info on using Naviance (http://connection.naviance.com/ralph) to help you with your college search and application process. I want to encourage you to sign back into your Family Connection account. This site has been updated with new information, including details from last year’s graduating class that may be helpful to you in your college and career planning. Seriously, this site is awesome and really useful if you haven't made your final decisions yet on where to apply.

If you have forgotten your account password, there is a link on the Family Connection main page that you can click to reset your account. That link is in the box labeled “Sign In for Returning Users.” If you have forgotten the e-mail address you used to register, or need further assistance, let me know.

ALSO, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!
IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO COLLEGES USING *THE COMMON APP*, YOU MUST LOGIN TO YOUR FAMILY CONNECTION!!

Family Connection simplifies the process the counseling department and teachers follow to send Secondary School Reports, Mid-Year Reports, and recommendation letters to Common Application member colleges. You can help make sure your forms and recommendations are delivered promptly by entering your CommonApp.org user name and password on Family Connection.

*We cannot send anything electronically to Common App until you follow these steps:*
- Sign into Family Connection.
- Click My Colleges in the About College area of the navigation bar.
- As you complete the privacy waiver, enter your CommonApp.org user name and password. If you've already completed the privacy waiver, scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your CommonApp.org user name and password in the space provided.
- Click the Submit button.

After doing this, you can request Counselor and teacher recommendations through Naviance (though I recommend you personally ask everyone you want recs from, also.).

Over the next week, you'll probably receive a bunch of Naviance emails from me with information on surveys, colleges, scholarships, and other info. Don't put me in your spam folder, please!

Email me back if you have any questions or need more info about ANYTHING. Or come see me in my office, Room 307, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays (all day), and Fridays (until 12).

-Ms. Miller

Senior Reminders

SENIOR REMINDERS:

1.      The next available SAT test is on December 1^st. The deadline to register is November 1^st. The late registration deadline is November 16^th.

2.      The following SAT is on January 26^th. The deadline to register is on December 28^th. The late registration deadline is January 11^th. (Most of your applications will need to be in by then!)

3.      McKee’s High School code (CEEB Code): 335375. You will need this when registering for the SAT.

4.      Fee waivers are still available for the SAT!! If you qualify for free lunch, you are automatically eligible for a waiver; if not, please bring in your tax information to see if you qualify. See Ms. Jensen in the Guidance office (room 307) for more information. *Fee waivers cannot be used for late registration.*

5.      Your must send score reports to your colleges! You can send scores to FOUR colleges for FREE, and the rest are an additional $11.00. A few tips to save you money:

a.       The CUNY UAPC (University Application Processing Center) code is 2950. This sends your scores to all CUNY schools.

b.      We are able to send SAT scores free from McKee to a select *few* SUNY schools, and all CUNY schools.

c.       Use your free spots to send scores to your top schools right away. Your college choices will notice that you sent your score in as soon as you could.

d.      Keep your www.collegeboard.com login information handy. You need this if you have to register to take the test over; you need it if you have to send your scores to more schools after registration; you need it to log in and get personalized information about your test scores.

6.      The next available ACT test date is on December 8^th. The deadline to register is on November 2^nd. The late registration deadline is November 16^th. Some information on the ACT test:

a.       The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. It has up to 5 components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test.

b.      All four-year colleges and universities in the US accept either the SAT or the ACT, most will also accept a combination of both scores.

7.      Student athletes who will play a sport in college: Send your scores to the NCAA Eligibility Center by entering the code 9999. Also, you must complete the NCAA Eligibility Center form at www.eligibilitycenter.org. You cannot receive any sports scholarships without registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

College info

College application deadlines are fast approaching. Please be aware of the following dates. Students, start getting your applications together! Parents/guardians, support your children in this process. Make sure they're getting everything done on time!

CUNY Freshman General Admission :       February 1

            Macaulay Honors Program : December 1 @ 6:00pm

The City College Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture :                             January 1

SUNY Freshman General Admission : December 1

            Early Action : November 15

Private Colleges General Admission : December – January

SUNY and Private Colleges will each have their own different deadlines. However, it is incredibly important for you to get your application in EARLY – there are many items that you need to put together on your own and that the school needs to put together for you. Don’t wait until the last minute to get everything together!!

STUDENTS: Please update your Naviance account – if you have not made one, see Ms. Starkey for your registration code ASAP. Use Naviance to let us know what schools you have applied to.

*IMPORTANT*

Since we are a Naviance school, your Common App automatically links up with your Naviance account. That means this is the *only* way for us to electronically submit your transcript and other information. Updating your Naviance information will also help us to match you to appropriate schools and scholarships if you're having trouble searching!!