Chattahoochee High School

Senior Parent Night 2018-2019

Counseling Department

Elizabeth Chilson A-Deo

Curtisa Johnson Der-Hei*Department Chair

Navina Vemuri Hen-McD

Deborah Blount McG-Sa

Tammy Jones Sc-Z

We also have other support staff in our counseling office who are instrumental in

helping all students.

Stay Connected!Find us on Facebook and like our official page!

https://www.facebook.com/chattcougar

Follow us on Twitter @HoochHappenings

Counseling Blog: www.hoochcounselors.blogspot.com

Please join the Class of 2019 Remind app remind.com/join/3g76ak

As always, you can locate information on the school website: www.chattcougar.com.

We also recommend parents check Home Access Center everyday.

Graduation RequirementsClass of 2019

English 4 credits

Mathematics 4 credits

Science 4 credits

Social Studies 3 credits

Health/Personal Fitness 0.5 credit (each)

World Language/Fine Arts/Career Tech 3 credits

Electives 4 credits

23 total credits

Semester-Long Class= 0.5 Credits; Year-Long Class= 1.0 Credit

World Language is not a graduation requirement, but 2 or 3 years of World Language credits may be required for college admission

Four Year Plan

What are Colleges looking for?Every college admissions process is different

THERE IS “NO ONE SIZE FITS All” ADMISSIONS PROCESS

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)’s State of College Admission (p. 26), many colleges consider these 3 main factors :

• GPA/grades in Academic CoursesMore than 80% of all Colleges and Universities rated grades in Academic Courses as “considerably important.”

• SAT and/or ACT Test ScoresOver 50% of Colleges gave the highest rating [as being the most important] to admission test scores.

• Rigor of Courses64% of Colleges rated strength of curriculum as “considerably important.”

http://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/NACAC/2014SoCA_nxtbk/

• College application essays• Letters of recommendations• Extracurricular activities• Leadership roles• Resumes, interviews, portfolios• Demonstrated interest• SAT subject tests

Some Colleges Use a

Holistic Approach

College Grade Point Average

• The GPA used for college admission is calculated by the postsecondary institution, NOT by the high school or Fulton County

• Most use this scale and most only include academic/core courses: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, F = 0.0

• Contact colleges to find how they recalculate GPAs or visit their websites

Senior Year• What students should do…

• Narrow down the list of schools to which they will apply

• Should have taken at least one SAT or ACT test (if applicable)

• Begin working on their applications

• There is still time…• Don’t panic…just get started! • Research colleges – schedule visits to potential

colleges, do research on the colleges’ websites, talk to alumni, etc.

• Sign up for the next standardized test, if desired• Search for scholarships

Chattahoochee College Visits

• Students can register for college visits online at https://bit.ly/2GTXsOP

• They will show their confirmation email to the teacher whose class they’ll be missing

• Students can register for a maximum of 7 college visits per school year

• Students should research the colleges prior to the visits and come prepared with questions for the representative

• College visit dates are posted on the counseling website

SAT/ACT• To register and view upcoming test dates for the SAT visit

www.collegeboard.org

• To register and view upcoming test dates for the ACT visit www.actstudent.org

• Test Prep information for the SAT/ACT can be found at: https://bit.ly/2PgXGCQ

• Standardized Tests • Students must request scores directly through the testing

agencies: www.Collegeboard.com and www.ACT.org• Chattahoochee does not have access to test scores and cannot

send them to colleges

College and SAT/ACT Fee Waivers

In the Counseling Office we have NACAC and SAT/ACT Fee Waivers.

Students can also apply for the fee waiver through the Common Application.

Eligibility Requirements:

➢ Must be enrolled in or eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).➢ Annual family income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food

and Nutrition Service. (Free and Reduced Lunch)➢ You are enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income

families (e.g., Federal TRIO programs such as Upward Bound).➢ Your family receives public assistance.➢ You live in federally subsidized public housing or a foster home, or are homeless.➢ You are a ward of the state or an orphan.

If you meet these qualifications then please see Mrs. Cochran in the Counseling Office.

College-Bound Student AthletesIf you are you planning on participating in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or II institution, you must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse.

Prospective student athletes should:• Access the registration materials by visiting their website

at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net • Submit the Parent Release Form to Karen Lange –

LangeK@fultonschools.org - in the Main Office prior to requesting your transcript through Parchment.

• When taking the SAT/ACT, enter 9999 for scores to be sent to NCAA Clearinghouse.

• Review the NCAA requirements as they might differ from graduation requirements!

Scholarship Information• Counseling Department Website • College & Career Center• Employer Scholarships• Professional and/or religious

organizations, banks, and insurance companies

• Financial Aid office at each individual college

• Financial Aid Night is scheduled for Monday, October 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium – You will learn about FAFSA, HOPE, HOPE Grant, and Zell Miller Scholarship.

• Online Search Engines:www.scholarship.comwww.fastweb.comwww.gacollege411.com

Chattahoochee High School’s

New College Application Process

Chattahoochee High School has gone from Paper to Electronic with Google Classroom

Every student has a Google classroom account which can be accessed through their FCS Launchpad. We use this platform to manage a portion of the college process that is required of all counselors. In order to access our individual classrooms students need to have their Counselor’s Google Classroom code.

Counselor Last Name Google Classroom Code

Elizabeth Chilson A-Deo 9ydwhy2

Curtisa Johnson Der-Hei tyt7exh

Navina Vemuri Hen-McD bmzt5uo

Deborah Blount McG-Sa zewqr6

Tammy Jones Sc-Z nfgdcz4

Make sure to join the correct counselor’s Google Classroom

Code to ensure timely processing of required documents

Counselor’s Google Classroom Code

Google Classroom

How to Apply to College Application

Application

Fee or Fee

Waiver

Transcript

SAT

scores

ACT

scores

Teacher

Rec or Form

*if required

Counselor

Rec or Form

*if required

AND/OR

College

Admissions

Office

Steps to Take

1. Collect and review application(s) details

– Look for checklists for each school – test requirements, course requirements, priority deadlines for scholarship consideration, etc.

– Start a calendar for deadlines

2. Write essays if needed and make sure to have them proofread

3. Submit application(s) online

Step 1 - Parchment

Order your Transcripts on

Parchment

Step 1: Register

▪ Go to www.parchment.com and sign up

▪ Complete the registration form. Once your account is created, skip

the “profile” section and go directly to the Dashboard at the top of

the screen to submit your transcript request. Under 18? Register

with a parent.

Step 2: Order/Request

• Click “Transcripts” and select a destination

• Indicate Chattahoochee High School when Parchment asks “What

school did you attend?”

• Submit payment (if necessary)

Step 3: Track

• Click “Transcripts”

• Click “Order History”

If College Requires Official

Transcript ONLY

Step 1: Visit www.parchment.com and create an account.

Step 2: Indicate Chattahoochee High School when

Parchment asks “What school did you attend?”

Step 3: Request your transcript be sent to your college.

***Counselors will only upload transcripts through Common Application and

Coalition Application.

NOTE: When self-reporting courses/grades to colleges, you should download/view your

transcript from Home Access Center. This is the fastest way to access your unofficial

transcript.

Step 1: Visit www.parchment.com and create an account.

Step 2: Indicate Chattahoochee High School when Parchment asks “What school

did you attend?”

Step 3: Request your transcript be sent to your college.

Step 4: Go to your Google Classroom Account – Join a class – Put in your

counselor’s Google Classroom Code.

Step 5: Click Senior Profile - Please complete this information as thoroughly as

possible. This will need to be uploaded to Google Classroom.

Step 6: Click Recommendation Request Form - Complete this form EACH time you

need a recommendation.

If College Requires Official Transcript

AND Letter of Recommendation

If a student needs to request more recommendations at a later date,

then a student only needs to repeat Step 6 within their Google

Classroom account.

• They do not need to submit a new profile. One time is enough.

• They do not need to rejoin the class. They are already members.

• They may need to request another transcript to be sent through

Parchment.

• They must fill out the Recommendation Request through the

Google Doc.

What if I Need More Recommendations?

Coalition or Common Application Students

ONLYStep 1: Create your Coalition or Common App account.

Step 2: Once you’ve started working on your applications, you must invite your School

Counselor as a recommender in order to complete your school report. We will not start

working on your recommendations until you invite us and we see that you are working on your

applications!

Step 3: Your Counselor will upload your transcript as part of your recommendation.

You can also request it to be sent through Parchment.

Step 4: Go to your Google Classroom Account – Join a class – Put in your Counselor’s

Google Classroom Code.

Step 5: Click Senior Profile - Please complete this information as thoroughly as possible.

Step 6: Click Recommendation Request Form - Complete this form EACH time you need a

recommendation.

Coalition App and Common App

➢Research which application system(s) each of your

schools uses.

(Use Coalition App or Common App for multiple schools

unless the school exclusively uses these systems)

➢Coalition App only has 7 schools that require you to

self-report your transcript grades. To avoid having to

enter this info unnecessarily, add all of your schools to

your list prior to starting your application.

College Deadlines and School Holidays

IMPORTANT: The Counseling Office requires at least 10 school days to process

Transcript/ Recommendation requests.

Reminder of popular application deadlines for colleges:

•October 15th deadline – students must submit requests no later than September 27th

•November 1st deadline – students must submit requests no later than October 18th

•December 1st deadline – students must submit requests no later than November 9th

•January 1st deadline – students must submit requests no later than December 7th

UGA and Georgia Tech have switched their Regular Admission deadlines to January 1st

***Weekends, student holidays/teacher workdays, and holiday breaks do not count as

school days. Counselors will not process or submit recommendations during those

times, so get organized now and plan ahead!

Questions Asked on MANY Applications

➢Total students in the class of 2019 = 520

➢We do not report rank, percentile, or decile to students,

parents, or colleges – only Valedictorian and Salutatorian

are reported and only after 1st semester grades are

posted

➢Your numeric average is weighted and on a 100 point

scale

➢We offer 23 Honors classes and 30 AP classes

Misc. Senior info

➢ Cumulative numeric averages for Honor Graduates are finalized at the end of

1st semester. Honor cords are purchased in the Main Office in May.

➢ Summa Cum Laude – 96.0+

➢ Magna Cum Laude – 92.0+

➢ Cum Laude – 88.0+

Numeric averages do not round up, so an 87.9999 will not earn you

Cum Laude designation at graduation or an honor cord.

➢ Preliminary HOPE GPAs should be available on your GAFutures account around mid-September. If you can’t see your preliminary HOPE GPA shortly after that, make sure your Social Security # is entered in your profile and that it is correct. GA Student Finance Commission does the official calculations of your HOPE GPA – Chattahoochee and your Counselors have nothing to do with it.

➢ If your college requires a mid-year report (their Admissions website will specify), you must go back to the Google Classroom to request your Midyear Report .

Hooch Apply to College DayWe will be hosting our 5th annual Hooch Apply to

College Day on Tuesday, September 25th from

8:30am to 2:30pm in the Media Center.

Students can come in for assistance on:

•Google Classroom help

•Submitting college applications

•Senior Profiles

•Parchment

•And more!

Questions?

You may contact your student’s Counselor with any questions or concerns.