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Guide for Seniors

Online Senior Exit Survey

 

 Financial Aid $$$

Students and their families have the primary responsibility to pay for post-secondary education expenses.  Financial aid includes grants, scholarships, work study, and loans.

Key steps to maximize your student financial aid:

  1. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov starting October 1-March 2. The FAFSA is the universal application for most financial aid for higher education.  The federal government, states, and colleges use the results to determine how much financial aid you may qualify for.
  2. California Dream Act: AB540 (undocumented) students complete the free, secure online California Dream Act application at www.caldreamact.org between October 1 – March 2.
  3. Cal Grants: Fillmore High School will electronically submit all verified students GPA’s by March. Make sure you list a California school on the 1st line of school choices on the FAFSA application.
  4. Middle Class Scholarship (MCS): The CA Student Aid Commission offers the MCS to UC or CSU undergraduate students with family incomes up to $150,000. To be eligible, students must complete the FAFSA or CA Dream Act application.
  5. Make sure to open a WebGrants4Students Account to track your Cal Grant. Visit www.webgrants4students.org 1 week after you have submitted your FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application.
  6. Talk to your family about paying for college. Make sure to complete the FAFSA/California Dream Act; it doesn’t hurt and can only help.

 

Please Note:  Financial Aid and/or scholarship deadlines vary from college to college.  Make sure you check your college web sites to verify this information.

Make sure you apply for financial aid before you are accepted to a college.  Otherwise, you may miss out on grants, scholarships, and other free money. 

Many colleges award financial aid to students on a “first come, first served” basis. The sooner you submit your application, the better chance of receiving aid. 

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How to Apply to College

  1.       APPLICATION and ESSAY

All UCs – Personal statements required

www.UniversityofCalifornia.edu/admissions

ALL CSUs – No personal statements required

www.CSUMentor.edu

Common Application – A single application that is used by many different colleges.  Check to see if your colleges utilize this application.  Essays are required for most schools.  Require counselor letters of recommendation.

www.CommonApp.org

Individual Colleges – Many schools utilize their own application or may require supplements if utilizing the Common Application.  Verify the required materials by checking each school’s web site. 

 

Early Action and Decision Applications – Some schools offer special application conditions.

Early Decision – If admitted, the student MUST attend that school.  Students must be sure about this choice because this commitment is binding. 

Early Action – If admitted, the student can still continue applying to other colleges; they do not have to commit until the final decisions.

 

Essays – Most colleges require a personal statement/essay.  The essay prompts vary from school to school.  The intent is for the school to learn more about “YOU”.

 TIP – Stick to the topic and make it personal.

 

  1.    Activities Resume

Extracurricular Activities and Community Service: Include details of any extracurricular activities and community service.  Activities should be listed in order of importance to you.                                                        

 

Honors and Awards: List any awards (academic, sports, etc.) and any organization officer positions you have held.  Make sure you provide a brief description of the organization and do not abbreviate the name. 

 

Summer/Work Experience: Summer/work experience includes jobs and internships (paid and volunteer).  Briefly describe your job responsibilities.

 

  1. Transcripts

Official or unofficial transcripts must be requested in person by student to Yolanda Ibarra in the front office.  Know what type of transcript you school is asking for.  There may be a 3 day turnaround time.  Plan accordingly.

 

  1. SAT and ACT Scores

FHS does not send your scores to colleges.  You are responsible for going online to ACT.org or SAT.org and having an official copy of your scores sent directly to your schools.  Most schools will accept either test and will routinely use your highest scores  (If you have taken the test multiple times) for your application. 

                                             Essentials:

FHS School Code: 050935

Counseling Department

Ronda Reyes-Deutsch (Last Name A–L) 805.524.6108     

[email protected]

Dena Wyand (Last Name M-Z)      805.524.6107

[email protected]

Amalia Granados (Intervention)    805.524.8495

[email protected]

 

College and Career Center

Susie Orozco     805.524.6143

           [email protected]

Marisol Luna (Early Academic Outreach Counselor)

805.524.6143 [email protected]

 

Yolanda Ibarra (Registrar) 805.524.6104

[email protected]

 

UC/CSU – If applying to more than one UC campus, you can have your

SAT/ACT scores sent to just one UC location and all of the other UC campuses will receive them.  For CSUs, use the California State University Mentor Code for all campuses to receive SAT scores.  ACT scores can be sent to one CSU campus and then you must use ACT Scores Manager on CSU Mentor to allow other campuses to access the scores. 

 

  1. Additional Considerations

Some schools require or offer interviews. 

Portfolios/Auditions may be required for visual and performing art majors.  Check the school for submission instructions.

 

  1. Teacher Recommendations

Generally, schools require 1-2 teacher recommendations.  Make sure you ask your teachers for a recommendation letter in person.  This shows respect and appreciation for their personal efforts on your behalf.  Allow 2-3 weeks for recommendations to be complete. Note that CSUs and UCs do NOT require nor will they accept any letters of recommendation.

 

  1. Application Submitted

UC/CSU applications are due by November 30th

All other application deadlines vary from school to school.  Make sure you follow all of the requirements for you specific schools. 

 

Admission notifications are sent by March 1.

The national day for declaring your college of attendance is May 1st. 

 

TODAY’S DREAMS; TOMORROW’S REALITY

Community College – The four closest community colleges

Ventura College

Oxnard College

Moorpark College

College of the Canyon

 

Students should meet with Susie Orozco to begin the process.  Representatives from the colleges will be here throughout the year to help with this process.  Read the bulletin daily to see when this will be.

  1.      Apply for Admission
  2.      Apply for Financial Aid (Submit FAFSA/Dream Act)
  3.      Assessment and Orientation - Take English and Math Assessments
  4.      Register for Classes