Welcome to College Prep

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Goal

We want students to love their choice and be on the right track to their life long goals. This page is designed to help students gain access to all college related resources anytime and anywhere. We want to provide the proper information and most up to date information. As we gather more information we will try our best to have it accessible here as well. Anything not found here with will be available in the guidance office. Any questions can be asked in the guidance office with Ms. Masser.

Kaitlyn Masser

College Advisor

Please visit me in the Guidance Office on Mon, Wed, or Fri for any College help.

College Choices

Make a List

Create a list of about 5-10 colleges. Meet with Mrs. Carper or Ms. Masser to talk about your schools. Plan to visit as many of these colleges as possible.
Below is a select few colleges we recommend checking out. Clicking the name of the college will take you to the main webpage of that college.

More Options

In the below drop down are many more options for colleges in Pennsylvania.

  • STATE-OWNED
    • Commonwealth University
      •     Bloomsburg Campus
      •     Lock Haven Campus
      •     Mansfield Campus
    • Cheyney Univ. of PA
    • East Stroudsburg Univ. of PA
    • Indiana Univ. of PA
    • Kutztown Univ. of PA
    • Millersville Univ. of PA
    • Pennsylvania Western Univ.
      •     California Campus
      •     Clarion Campus
      •     Edinboro Campus
    • Shippensburg Univ. of PA
    • Slippery Rock Univ. of PA
    • West Chester Univ. of PA
    • STATE-RELATED
    • Lincoln University
    • Temple University
    • Univ. of Pittsburgh (Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, Titusville)
    • Penn State University
    • (Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Brandywine, DuBois, Erie, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango, University Park, Wilkes-Barre, Worthington-Scranton, York)
    • Penn College of Technology
  • COMMUNITY COLLEGES
    • CC of Allegheny County
    • CC of Beaver County
    • Bucks County CC
    • Butler County CC
    • Delaware County CC
    • Harrisburg Area CC
    • Lehigh Carbon CC
    • Luzerne County CC
    • Montgomery County CC
    • Northampton County Area CC
    • Pennsylvania Highlands CC
    • CC of Philadelphia
    • Reading Area CC
    • Westmoreland County CC
  • OTHER TWO-YEAR
    • Harcum College
    • Johnson College
    • Lackawanna College
    • Lancaster General Col. of Nursing/Health Sci.
    • Lehigh Valley College
    • Manor College
    • McCann School of Bus/Tech
    • New Castle School of Trades
    • Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
    • Pitt. Inst. Mortuary Science
    • Penn. Institute of Technology
    • South Hills School of Business/Tech
    • Thaddeus Stevens Col. of Tech
    • Triangle Tech
    • Valley Forge Mil. Acad/Col.
  • PRIVATE FOUR-YEAR
    • Albright College
    • Allegheny College
    • Alvernia University
    • The American College
    • Arcadia University
    • Art Institute of Pittsburgh
    • Baptist Bible Col. & Seminary
    • Bryn Athyn College
    • Bryn Mawr College
    • Bucknell University
    • Cabrini College
    • Carlow University
    • Carnegie Mellon University
    • Cedar Crest College
    • Central Pennsylvania College
    • Chatham University
    • Chestnut Hill College
    • Curtis Institute of Music
    • Delaware Valley College
    • DeSales University
    • Dickinson College
    • Drexel University
    • Duquesne University
    • Eastern University
    • Elizabethtown College
    • Franklin & Marshall College
    • Gannon University
    • Geneva College
    • Gettysburg College
    • Gratz College
    • Grove City College
    • Gwynedd-Mercy College
    • Harrisburg Univ of Sci/Techn.
    • Haverford College
    • Holy Family University
    • Hussian School of Art
    • Immaculata University
    • Juniata College
  • Private Four Year Continued
    • Keystone College
    • King’s College
    • Lafayette College
    • La Roche College
    • Lancaster Bible College
    • LaSalle University
    • Lebanon Valley College
    • Lehigh University
    • Lycoming College
    • Marywood University
    • Mercyhurst College
    • Messiah College
    • Misericordia University
    • Moore Col. of Art and Design
    • Moravian College
    • Mount Aloysius College
    • Muhlenberg College Neumann University
    • Peirce College
    • Penn Col. of Art and Design
    • Philadelphia Biblical Univ.
    • Philadelphia University
    • Point Park University
    • Robert Morris University
    • Rosemont College
    • Saint Francis University
    • Saint Joseph’s University
    • Saint Vincent College
    • Seton Hill University
    • Susquehanna University
    • Swarthmore College
    • Thiel College
    • Thomas Jefferson University
    • University of Pennsylvania
    • University of Scranton
    • University of the Arts
    • Ursinus College
    • Valley Forge Christian College
    • Villanova University
    • Washington & Jefferson Col.
    • Waynesburg University
    • Westminster College
    • Widener University
    • Wilkes University
    • Wilson College
    • York College of PA

Create a Calendar with:

– tests you’ll take and their fees, dates and registration deadlines
college application due dates
– financial aid application forms required and their deadlines (NOTE: Some aid applications may be due before college applications)
– Other materials you’ll need (recommendations, transcripts, etc.)
– Complete your FSA ID (studentaid.gov) before you fill out the FAFSA (give about 3 days for your FSA ID to be approved)

Note

         If you can’t afford application or test fees, a counselor can help you request a fee waiver.

Applying to Your Choices

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  • Try to finalize your college choices
  • Prepare Early Decision, Early Action or rolling admission applications as soon as possible.
  • Ask for counselor or teacher recommendations if you need them.
  • If you’re submitting essays, write first drafts and ask teachers and others to read them.  If you’re applying for Early Decision, finish the essays for that application now.
  • Check if the schools you are applying to are test-optional, and how to submit your test scores if they are needed.
  • Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible (preferably before the end of 2022)
  • For Early Decision admission, colleges may require test scores and applications between these dates.
  • Complete your application essays, proofread them rigorously for mistakes.
  • Counselors send transcripts to colleges.  Give counselors the proper forms at least two weeks
  • As you finish and send your applications and essays, be sure to keep copies.

How Colleges Make Decisions About Who Gets Admitted

Each college has its own set of criteria when it comes to choosing whether or not to accept a student to their institution. Some things however, all schools find important. Keep in mind that larger institutions (like Penn State), given the large number of students applying, put more weight on objective data like GPA and SAT scores. Smaller schools (like Juniata College) are able to look at a student’s profile like teacher recommendations and their essay. The materials included in your application fall into two major categories – academic and personal.

Academic

  • Transcript – includes your GPA, class rank and all the courses you have taken 9 – 12. Colleges want to see that you have challenged yourself; for example, they would rather you get a B in AP Chemistry than an A in Senior Earth Science.
  • School Profile – includes statistics like our SAT school average, the percentage of students going onto college, courses available to students, grading scale, etc. This information gives colleges a baseline of which to compare you against.
  • Test Scores – each school has its own standards when it comes to the scores they are looking for. Rarely are there hard-fast minimum test scores; look for a college’s average scores to gauge how your own scores compare.
    • Note – there are many schools that have opted to go test-optional in their admissions process. However, more competitive programs may require test scores. Merit scholarships may also consider one’s test scores. If you have any questions about whether you need test scores, ask the admissions counselors!
  • Recommendations – these give teachers, advisors, counselors, and even coaches the opportunity to brag about you to admissions officers. Be thoughtful about who you ask to write you a letter of recommendation – chose people who have seen you at your very best academically and personally.

Personal

  • Interview – the interview gives you a chance to really show your personality. Admissions representatives want to put a face and a personality to the admissions materials you sent in.
  • Experiences – Colleges want to know what you are doing outside of school too! Tell them about your after-school job, your community service experiences, and even your participation in sports, clubs and church life. These experiences will show colleges the kinds of things you could contribute to their campus community.

Early Decision. Early Action. Rolling. What Does It All Mean?

If only there were such thing as one deadline to apply to college. However, there are many application deadlines available to students. I encourage your student to work with the Guidance Office to pick the plan best for them. Generally, acceptance rates are higher for students when they apply to early deadlines.

  • Early Decision (ED)
    • The student commits to attending the school if admitted
    • Binding agreement, you MUST attend that college if admitted!
    • Application deadlines are typically in early to mid-November and students will hear a decision in early to mid-December
    • If admitted, the student must cancel or withdraw all other applications
    • It is possible to back out without penalty, but only with a good reason!
    • If you apply to two schools ED, your acceptances at both schools may be rescinded.
    • EDII – all the same rules apply except deadlines are in December or January and students receive notification in February
  • Early Action (EA)
    • Application deadlines are typically in early November
    • Students will hear a decision by mid-December
    • Not binding! – Students can decline their acceptance
    • Students are able to apply to more than one school under the EA deadline
    • If accepted, students do not need to make a decision until May 1
  • Rolling Admissions
    • Large window of time for students to apply
    • Applicants are often notified of their acceptance within a few weeks of applying
    • College accepts students as long as spaces are available
    • Applying early improves an applicant’s chance of being accepted
    • Applying early can increase the chance of receiving scholarships and may give an applicant first choice for housing
  • Open Admissions
    • Students are admitted without regard to conventional academic qualifications
    • Often exempt from taking appropriate high school courses and standardized tests
  • Most common at community colleges though some programs at these schools may have stricter requirements

Financial Aid

A (Honest) Note About Financial Aid

College is expensive, there’s no doubt about that. The cost of a college education is ever increasing and families are understandably growing more and more anxious about how they will pay for it all. The average price of a private college is above $50,000 and state school costs are on the rise as well, averaging close to $20,000. While we recognize the importance of the price tag in your final decision, I urge you not to consider cost as a primary factor in your college search process just yet.
 
The Financial Aid process is a lot like learning a brand-new language and many students miss out on great opportunities because they feel overwhelmed with the whole process and miss important steps. Think of Financial Aid in its most basic definition – money awarded by federal and state governments and individual schools based on an analysis of your families’ need. Need is determined by looking at total income and assets including things like: bank accounts, stocks, bonds, investments, inheritances, and trusts.
 
The first major step in the Financial Aid process is completing the FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. At the completion of this form, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) which is a summary of your potential for need-based federal student aid. The SAR will include a figure called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) which is a calculated number indicating what you will be expected to pay towards your student’s college education.  The gap between your EFC and the total cost of the school can be filled with financial aid such as grants, loans, and work study.
 
Without getting into the nitty-gritty, We will provide an overview of this information to give you a basic understanding of the process as a whole and include frequently asked questions. The absolute key to financial aid is staying on top of deadlines!

Guidelines:

  • FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid is required for anyone applying for financial aid. The site becomes live on October 1st of each year and you should aim to fill out the form as soon after that date as possible. On this form, you will indicate schools you want to receive your financial information.
  • CSS Profile – required by 19 colleges in PA and 248 colleges and scholarship organizations across the U.S. You may start filling out this form in the fall of the senior year. On this form, you will indicate schools you want to receive your financial information.
  • Some schools also require you to fill out their own institutional financial aid form which is often found in their application materials or may come to you in the mail or by email after you have submitted your application.
  • Consider applying to one of the Pennsylvania state schools (ex. Shippensburg, IUP, Slippery Rock) as a “financial aid safety”.
  • It is perfectly acceptable to call the Financial Aid Office after you receive your award letter to ask questions, get clarification, or update any financial information that may have changed.

Online Resources and Scholarship Information

CollegeBoard.org
o   Information and registration for the SAT
o   Pages on each college and university in the country
o   College search tool
o   Big Future – allows student to create a profile and save college information; think of this as a college search checklist and reminder guide
 
Net Price Calculator: Calculate an estimate what it may cost to send your child to college
o   A Net Price Calculator is required to be on every college website! If it is not clearly listed, try a quick search on the website. If you are unable to find a Net Price Calculator on a college’s website, use caution when applying there!
 
College Scorecard: View graduation rates, job placement rates, and other data to help determine quality of school
o   https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
 
PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) Resources
o   www.educationplanner.org
o   www.mysmartborrowing.org
o   State Grant application:
§  http://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/state-grant-program/index.shtml
o   Other state funding opportunities can be found on www.pheaa.org under the “Funding Opportunities” tab.

Federal Financial Aid:
o   FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
 
Scholarship Databases
– fastweb.com
– Chegg.com
– biggfutre.collegeboard.org
– scholarships.com
– finacialaidfinder.com
– cappex.com
– goingmerry.com
– niche.com
– unigo.com
– finaid.org
– petersons.com

Education Tax Credit Information:
https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/education-credits-aotc-llc
 
Raise.me: scholarship site grades 9-12.  Earn micro-scholarships for specific colleges, good grades, sports, volunteering, leadership, honors and AP courses, etc. Depending on the school, they may or may not offer scholarships, and amounts also vary.
o   https://www.raise.me/

Alumni Scholarship

Please click the link below to download the Alumni Scholarship Application. Once completed, kindly send it to Dr. Ben Sunderland at sunder@juniata.edu by April 30th, 2024.

Application