Counseling Department
College Application Process

Contents

• B-CC Parent Handbook
• Who to See - Counselor or Career Center
• Planning Tips and Resources
• Financial Planning and Aid
• Testing Information (SAT, PSAT, ACT, TOEFL)
• Deadlines for Transcript Requests
• College Fairs
• Determining the Best College for You
• College Search Links
• College Acceptance Rules of Thumb
• B-CC's TCCi  (college visits at B-CC, college acceptance data, etc.)
• Processing Your College Application
• Forms
• Applying to College On-Line
• College Tracks - B-CC college mentoring

B-CC Parent Handbook

The B-CC High School Parent Handbook provides information on school organization, policy, and points of contact. It can be viewed/downloaded from: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/bcchs/aboutbcc/policies/student.handbook.html

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Who to See - Counselor or Career Center

Which information do I get from my Guidance Counselor and which from the Career Center? There is a great deal of shared information between the Counseling Center and the Career Center. You may get help from either place.

See Your Counselor for

• Personal counseling sessions
  
• Scheduling of classes
  
• Mediation between students, parents, and teachers
  
• College application procedures
  
• Career advising and counseling
  
• College advising and counseling
  
• Alternatives to college
  
• Edison High School of Technology information
  
• Night school or summer school information and registration
  
• Special counseling referrals
  
• Crisis resolution
  

The Career Center focuses on

• College searches and information
  
• Career searches and information
  
• Financial aid and scholarship information
  
• College recruiters
  
• Testing information (SAT, PSAT, ACT, TOEFL)
  
• GED information

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Planning Tips and Resources

• Getting Started: Career/College Planning Guide for Ninth Grade Students can be downloaded in PDF format from: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/publishingservices/PDF/GetStart.pdf.
  
• Getting Ready: Career/College Planning Guide for 11th Grade Students can be downloaded in PDF format from: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/publishingservices/PDF/GetReady.pdf

The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) offers a month-by-month timetable to help high school seniors and parents get organized for choosing a college and finding financial aid options. The calendar is available on the commission's web site at: http://www.mhec.state.md.us/backtoschool.htm
or by calling 410-260-4500.

U.S. Department of Education has an extensive site for Preparing for College. It has links to directories of colleges and universities, interactive services and information about career planning, college selection, and college funding, etc. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/thinkcollege/highschool/

The PTSA's Guidance Advisory Committee offers programs and information sessions related to the college application process to parents and students throughout the school year. These include a college financial aid series, a Practice SAT, College Admissions Night, and others. See the Guidance Advisory Committee webpage.

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Financial Planning and Aid

There are numerous resources on financing a college education published both Government and private corporations. See College Financial Planning and Aids for sources, scholarship links, etc..

The U.S. Department of Education prepared two booklets on financing a college education:

• Funding Your Education, 2004-2005
  Funding Your Education, an introductory publication for students that provides general information about the U.S. Department of Education's federal student financial aid programs and how to apply for them. http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/FYE/index.html



• The Student Guide 2004-2005
  The Student Guide is a comprehensive resource on student financial aid that describes grants, loans, and work-study as well as other forms of student financial aid available through the Department's Student Financial Assistance office. Updated each award year, The Student Guide tells you about the programs and how to apply for them. See http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html

The Maryland Higher Education Commission has a comprehensive site that describes the state's extensive array of financial aid programs: grants, scholarships and awards for students who want to further their education beyond high school.

• Visit the site at http://www.mhec.state.md.us/SSA/introduction.htm
  
• Download the Student Guide to Higher Education and Financial Aid in Maryland from http://www.mhec.state.md.us/StuGuide/guide04.pdf In addition to information about colleges in Maryland, it provides useful information about scholarships in the state of Maryland.

MCPS Financial Aid Workshops
MCPS offers free financial aid workshops. The workshops are helpd at MCPS highschools. See http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/careercenter/financialworkshops.htm for the most current list.

The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators sponsors and maintains this free, comprehensive, independent and objective guide to sources of financial aid. See http://www.finaid.org.

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Testing Information (SAT, PSAT, ACT, AP, TOEFL)

Two college entrance exams are used for admission, placement and scholarships: the ACT (American College Test) and the SAT I and II (Scholastic Assessment Test). It is recommended that college-bound students check requirements of individual colleges to determine the tests necessary for admission. Other exams are for college credit or to demonstrate proficiency in English. See Testing Information for more information on the types of testing administered to prospective college students.

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Determining the Best College for You

Choosing colleges to which you will apply requires careful consideration. Things to think about are location, size of the college, environment, admissions requirements, programs offered, cost to attend, housing,, and activities available on campus. During the 11th grade you should sign up in the Career Center to search for colleges that match your wants, needs, and qualifications. The following will be helpful to you:

The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) prepared the Student Guide To Higher Education and Financial Aid In Maryland. The guide provides information about the more than 50 colleges and universities in Maryland. If you know what you want to study, it will help you select a campus that offers that major. It has useful information about scholarships and tell you which private career schools can provide the training, as well as offer advice on picking the right school. The 116-page booklet can be viewed/downloaded from http://www.mhec.state.md.us/StuGuide/guide03.pdf

College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service
The College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service provides information about college entrance requirements and other educational services. See http://www.collegeboard.org/

U.S. News and World Report Education Site
This site offers information on schools, the financial aid application process, and other tools for choosing the right college, preparing an application, etc. See http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/eduhome.htm

One of the most daunting tasks for high school students and their families can be searching for the "right" college. Students, you need to know your "Weighted" Grade Point Average (WGPA) and your SAT scores. Your counselor can tell you your weighted and unweighted cumulative GPA.

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College Search Links

Public Colleges and Universities - United States

Private Colleges and Universities - United States

Colleges Around the World , a listing of colleges by country

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Community and Technical Colleges

U.S. Two-Year Colleges Links to over 1,000 two year colleges

Top 25 Colleges for Hispanics

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life provides information for Jewish students about college campuses across the United States

Special Education Programs at Colleges and Universities

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College Acceptance Rules of Thumb

Do colleges take heavy consideration of students' involvement in extracurricular activities? A general rule of thumb is that extracurricular activities count about 25% of the admissions decision.

In discussions with several admissions counselors, deans and directors the decision is usually based on:

• 50% high school program and GPA/WGPA (which translates into your range of class position)
  
  
• 25% SAT scores (these may be weighted more at the most competitive and highly competitive institutions)
  
  
• 25% Personal Qualities-as reflected in the extracurricular activities to which you have given significant amounts of time. Colleges like to know what quality of contributions you have given to the activity. They also like to know if you exhibited leadership skills in the organization. Depth of involvement in activities is preferred, rather than a breadth of activities. Your sports and activities show what kind of broad interest you have as well as the time management skills you possess.

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B-CC's TCCi

The B-CC TCCi provides information on colleges, collage visit schedules, historical acceptance trends, and information about the schools.

Come to the Counseling Department to obtain the password to enter the site. This site is for all BCC student to see how their fellow students fared over the last 8 years did getting into colleges.

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Processing Your College Application

Submit Transcript Requests 1-month before they are due.

Step 1:	Have your parent/guardian fill out and sign the YELLOW Release of Records form (it’s not yellow online, but you can still use it that way if you download it from the web site). This must be completed the first time you request a transcript. You need to do this only once no matter how many transcripts you need.
Step 2:	Fill out the Secondary School Report Form (sometimes referred to as the NACAC form) or the Common Application. All schools take the NACAC form. Once you fill out the forms, the school will use that first form for subsequent college requests.
	However, some schools have their own form. While all schools, even those with their own forms, will take the NACAC form, if a school has its own, it’s probably preferable to use that school’s proprietary form for that one school.
Step 3:	Complete your self assessment form (if you have not already done so) and hand it in at the counseling office. That is used by your counselor at your college meeting and is helpful to the counselor when filling out the recommendation.
Step 4:	Make an appointment with your counselor to talk over career paths and/or colleges you might be interested in.
Step 5:	Fill out the BLUE "request for transcript" form (which is not blue online but you can still use it to submit your request.) Every transcript request needs a separate blue form package filled out. The first three transcripts are free for seniors. After that, the cost is $5 for each additional one.
Step 6:	You'll need a 9x12 envelope with the college's address filled out in the front section, and no return address (the school will stamp the school's address on the return section). The mailing needs three 39 cent stamps, which you must provide.
Step 7:	Please paper clip the following to the outside of the envelope: The "blue form" (filled out) A check or cash (cash may be put inside the envelope or given to the registrar directly; checks should be made payable to B-CC High School), and The Secondary School Request Form (sometimes referred to as the NACAC form), the Common Application, or the college’s own form. You only need one of these. And, if you already have one on file, you do not need to do another, the school will use that one.
Step 8:	Bring your addressed and stamped envelope, with the blue form, the payment, and the NACAC form or Common Application, to the Counseling office and sign it in on the clip board (and put the clip board sign-in number on the blue form). The clipboard number/sign-in number is very important because if something should get lost, this is how it is tracked down. Write it down!
Step 9:	On request, first semester grades will be sent to colleges for students who have submitted an addressed and stamped regular-size envelope (39 cents) for each college to which grades are to be sent. Please notify the registrar where your final grades should be sent and include another stamped (39 cents) regular-size envelope. Put the college address on the envelope but NOTHING in the return section. This envelope is separate from the 9x12 envelope mentioned above.
Please note:	SAT and ACT scores may not be at B-CC at the time you request your transcript. To speed up the process, students should contact the College Board or ACT themselves to have those scores sent directly to the college:           SAT: Sending Your Scores           ACT: Send Your Scores to Others The school does have IB and AP scores (if you've taken the AP test) and can send those.

New Application for the University of Maryland at College Park

• PART I is comprised of personal data and must be completed in print or online at http://www.uga.umd.edu NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 1ST for priority consideration (not early admission). PART I must include the nonrefundable application fee of $45.00 for US citizens. The fee differs for others. PICK UP THE PAPER VERSION OF PART I IN THE CAREER CENTER.
  
• PART II of your application will be available online or made available to you on paper after you have submitted PART I. For priority consideration (not early admission), PART II is due December 1. PART II will include your transcript, essay, teacher and school counselor recommendation, short answer questions and activity list. Students who complete applications by December 1st receive the best consideration for fall admission, scholarships and invitations to special programs such as University Honors and College Park Scholars. Decisions for applications received by December 1st will be mailed by February 15.
  
• The regular application date for PART I AND PART II is January 20. Decisions will be mailed on APRIL 1st to students who apply meeting this deadline.

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Forms

The School Counseling Department forms are for use in the college application process. They are available in two formats: Microsoft® Word and Adobe Acrobat® (.PDF). Download the forms, fill them out, and forward them to the Counseling Office.

Remember to note the deadlines for transcript requests! See the Registrar web page for a listing of deadline dates.

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Applying to College On-Line

The Common Application, http://www.commonapp.org/ , is the recommended form of 230 colleges and universities for admission to their undergraduate programs. Many of these institutions use the form exclusively. All give equal consideration to the Common Application and the college's own form.

Students can use Common App Online to complete forms and submit them electronically or in hardcopy. Or they can download the forms in PDF and complete them either on-screen or manually, then print and mail hardcopy.

University System of Maryland
Apply online to all Maryland State Colleges and Universities, Access ARTSYS - the transfer Articulation System, and Search for Majors

APPLY Online to over 700 colleges online through the Princeton Review

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CollegeTracks

CollegeTracks is a college mentoring program begun by B-CC parents. Volunteers in the Career Center provide help to B-CC seniors who are interested in going to college and need more support. Students, stop by the Career Center on Tuesday afternoons at 2:15 pm.

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