SENIOR JULY RECOMMENDATIONS

If youre interested in applying to Military Academies, start the application process now. United States Military Academies give full-ride scholarships in exchange for years of military service after you graduate. Association of Military Colleges & Schools of the United States: www.AMCSUS.org United States Military Academy at West Point www.usma.edu Air Force Academy http://academyadmissions.com/ The United States Merchant Marine Academy www.usmma.edu The U.S. Naval Academy http://www.usna.edu Create filing systems for electronic and paper documents you will write to and receive from colleges during the college admission and financial aid processes. It is important to keep copies of important documents that you send out and have them in a safe place, this is also true for incoming documents. Student athletes should plan to market themselves to college coaches if they are interested in playing intercollegiate sports and earning athletic scholarships. Note: If you intend to play sports at a Division I or Division II college you will need to register for eligibility. If you plan on attending a Division III school, registration is not required. NCAA Eligibility Center Online: www.eligibilitycenter.org Prepare for taking the SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Tests, and the ACT this fall if you need to improve your scores. REGISTER FOR SAT: http://sat.collegeboard.com/register REGISTER FOR SAT SUBJECT TESTS: http://sat.collegeboard.com/register REGISTER FOR ACT: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html Discuss costs of college with your parents to get an idea of what your family can afford. A good starting point for discussion is the evaluation of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Think about selecting a college major (if you havent already done so). Consider not only your interests but your skills, talents, and personality.

 Visual arts and architecture majors will be required to submit portfolios of their work. Go to websites of colleges you will apply to and review the application portfolio requirements. Get started early; creating an outstanding portfolio will take several months. (See Art Student Portfolio Preparation and / or Architecture Student Portfolio attachment if this applies to you). Clean-up any questionable personal information you and your friends have posted on internet social networking sites (i.e., Facebook.com). Many colleges and universities review information and photographs posted by student applicants (and their friends) to see the personal side of students. Also, set your social network account privacy settings so unwanted persons cannot view your information. Visit your selected colleges and conduct interviews before the end of the summer. Visiting campuses builds a foundation from which you can compare colleges and universities. (If you would like a list of questions to ask while visiting colleges, please let me know).