Senior Update: October

In a little over a week, your senior year will be approximately ¼ of the way over.  It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes, but October is an exciting time for the college admissions process.  The past few weeks have provided us with several opportunities to celebrate individual and team successes, and I’m confident the next seven months will continue to provide us with opportunities to celebrate even more teams and individuals.  However, in order for these latter celebrations to take place, we must put in hard work, time, and effort.  Here are some steps you need to take during the month of October.

Shawnee State Guest Speaker: Jimmy from Shawnee State will be here during 4^th period on Tuesday, October 7^th.  He will give a brief admissions presentation.  It is free to apply online anytime at Shawnee, but the last opportunity to take the ACT for scholarship purposes at Shawnee is the December ACT.  If Shawnee is any possibility, please make sure you send an official ACT score their way.  They adhere stringently to their deadlines.

Mountwest Community and Technical College: Megan from MCTC will be here on Monday, October 20^th during 4^th period.  Mountwest is a great option if you want to save some cash, get your feet wet with college, transfer to a larger school down the road, or would like to earn a 2-year degree and head out into the workforce.  Megan will share some exciting new programs that Mountwest offers in addition to information about admissions, financial aid, and partnerships.

Report Cards: The first nine weeks ends on Friday, October 10, 2014.  You can expect your report card the following week.  It is very important to evaluate your performance for the first nine weeks and set goals for how you expect or want to perform the remainder of the year. 

Applications: Many of you need to begin completing applications for prospective colleges.  Both the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University use the Common Application.  This application is awesome, but it does take a substantial commitment of time to complete.  I have been staying at least one evening every week to assist students with applications and scholarships.  If you would like assistance, see me any time during the day. 

Wendy’s High School Heisman: The Wendy’s High School Heisman is due next Friday, October 10^th.  Due to technical issues, they have changed the deadline for the application.  The application should take you approximately ½ hour to complete.  Any student with a 3.0 GPA or higher who has participated in athletics is eligible to apply for this award. 

Coca-Cola Scholarship: The Coca-Cola Scholarship is due at the end of October.  It is a lengthy application, but truly worth the effort.  The initial application should take you between ½ hour and one hour to complete.  If you are selected as a semi-finalist, you will fill out another application in December/January.  Winners at that point go to Atlanta in the spring for an interview session.

Morehead Honors Scholarship: The Morehead State University Honors Scholarship is also available now.  They are searching for well-rounded students, so they are not necessarily looking for the highest GPA and highest test scores, but someone who can enrich their campus in some way.  I would love to help you apply for this awesome opportunity.

Remind Updates: I like to use Remind to send out info to seniors and their families.  If you have not yet signed up for the updates, download the Remind app on your phone and enter the class code @dbhscl.  I won’t spam your phone, but it is nice to remind you of ACT deadlines, scholarship deadlines, and guest speakers.

College Visits: I am in the process of scheduling more college visits.  If you have any preference or need to see a specific school, please let me know as soon as possible.  Also, if you are a member of a fall/winter sport and you could provide dates for tournaments, practices, or games that would help the planning process tremendously.  You also have three college days that you may use throughout the year.  To use a college day, see Colleen for the excuse.  Have the admissions office sign the paper and bring it back the next day.

Deadlines: Colleges must adhere stringently to the deadlines they have set.  With that being said, make sure that you are sticking closely to the deadlines of the colleges you are considering.  To be considered for the Morrill Scholarship at Ohio State, you must have your application submitted by November 1^st.  While that may feel a long way off, your completed application includes multiple essays, teacher recommendations and counselor recommendations, so it’s an involved process.  Be respectful of others and their time, and provide them with a nice window to complete their role in the process.  Deadlines for Morehead and Cincinnati follow closely behind with a December 1 deadline.

Meet MSU Night: Morehead State is offering a Meet MSU night in Ashland on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at Fannin Automotive on Route 60.  On this evening, students will have an opportunity to meet with admissions, financial aid, professors, and current students.  You will also be able to apply for free at this time only—a savings of $30!  The event is casual and you may drop in any time between four and eight.  A $500 gift certificate to the bookstore will also be handed out as a door prize.

Open Houses: Make an effort to attend at least one open house this fall.  These are a great opportunity to see what campus life on the weekend looks like in addition to networking opportunities with current professors and students in your selected field.  Several dates are posted outside of my office, and most registrations are online.  Open houses often include free perks like football tickets, free applications, or free meals.  They are definitely worth giving up a few hours on your Saturday!