College Counseling
Paying for College / Financial Aid
By now, most senior families should have completed the FAFSA and/or the CSS Profile, even if they think they will not qualify for financial aid. If a family has not yet applied, check the website of the colleges and universities to determine if there is still time to apply.
This document helps families learn how to read their financial aid award offers Sallie Mae decoding-financial-aid.pdf. It’s helpful to understand the terminology and to realize that financial aid offers do not have to follow a particular format. Some are much easier to understand than others.
Senior Parents: Will You Have Two Students in College Next Year?
Due to the FAFSA changes, colleges will no longer consider the number of students in a family that are attending college at the same time. Families in this situation should contact the financial aid offices for BOTH students (the student currently attending college and the current SFHS senior) and ask them to re-evaluate their financial aid offers (once offers are available).
If you feel it’s necessary to appeal the financial aid offer, have the student call or submit the scholarship/financial aid appeal, as it’s important for the college to know that the student is invested in the process and wants to attend their college.
Summer College Essay Writing Workshop
June 9 – 13, 8:00am to 10:00am
During the Summer College Essay Writing Workshop, students will commit to drafting, editing, and finalizing their personal statement/Common Application main essay, in addition to selecting at least two supplemental essay topics to finish. With full engagement to the tasks of the week, all students will end the workshop with a plan in place to tackle any remaining writing tasks with support from their peers and from the workshop instructor.
Three March College Planning Workshops for All Grade Levels
All students are welcome to join the SFHS College Advisors and some guest presenters to learn more about the following topics. All presentations/workshops will be held in the Counseling & College Center at lunchtime. Students should bring their lunch with them.
Seniors: Read your Email and Check College Portals!
The vast majority of colleges have set up a school-specific portal for applicants to utilize. Seniors must check their college portals often, as well as check email often, as colleges will use these two methods of communication to let students know important information.
College Advising Workshops in March
Open to all grade levels
College Advisors and special guests will present three workshops throughout the month of March. All workshops will be held at lunchtime in the Counseling & College Center:
- March 4: Pathways to Nursing
- March 11: Fun with Numbers: Calculating your GPA and College GPAs
- March 25: Pathways to Business
College Planning Meetings for Juniors
Ms. Austin and Ms. Lee will be meeting with juniors from February through May for their one-on-one College Planning Meetings. Juniors should check their email for a google calendar invite and respond promptly, especially if the meeting needs to be rescheduled for any reason.
Affording College Webinar
January 29, 2025 at 5:00pm
Revolution Prep is hosting a webinar focused on paying for college and financial aid. Register here.
Scott Wallace-Juedes, the Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid at NYU (and former Director of Financial Aid at Yale), will share actionable insights on navigating financial aid for college. Families will learn about the latest FAFSA and CSS profile updates, scholarships, grants, and strategies to make college affordable.
Class Level Parent Nights & Junior Parent College Night – Wednesday, January 22
Parents of Freshmen and Sophomores are invited to join us for in-person parent night presentations. We will discuss course availability, prerequisites, and the course registration process. We will also cover course pathways, honors and AP courses, and college information.
College Planning Meetings for Juniors
This semester, every student in the Class of 2026 will be scheduled for an initial College Planning Meeting with their College Advisor. College Advisor assignments are as follows:
- Students with last names A – K : Ms. Debbie Austin
- Students with last names L – Z : Ms. Naomi Lee
Ms. Austin and Ms. Lee will communicate with their students via email to set up individual College Planning Meetings.
January and February Advisories
All grade levels (except Seniors) have at least one mandatory advisory session in January and Juniors also have an additional advisory session in February. All advisory sessions are held from 8:00 – 9:00am in the Dining Hall. Dates are listed below. Attendance will be taken.
- Freshman Advisory – Wednesday, January 15
- Sophomore Advisory – Tuesday, January 21
- Junior Advisory – Thursday, January 23
- Junior Advisory – Wednesday, February 26
Apply for Financial Aid for College
The FAFSA is open! Each student plus at least one parent/contributor must have a StudentAid.gov Account to file the FAFSA. Students and parent/s should check the financial aid deadlines for each college to which they are applying, and determine which documents must be submitted. Most colleges require the FAFSA, and some require an additional application such as the CSS Profile.
Wishing You a Blessed Christmas
The Counseling & College Center will be closed from December 21 through January 5. We all wish you the very best as you celebrate the holidays with your family and friends.
Last Call for Letters of Recommendation
By now, Vanellopes should have invited their College Advisor (Ms. Austin or Ms. Lee) and their teacher recommender/s (if applicable) to their Common Application. They should have also submitted their Letter of Recommendation packet and Parent Brag Sheet. If a senior has not yet completed these tasks, she should see her College Advisor as soon as possible, since most letters of recommendation will need to be submitted prior to the upcoming Christmas break.
Scholarship Bulletins
Mrs. Rivera emails a Scholarship Bulletin to the senior class approximately every month. The bulletin includes many local and regional scholarships. Seniors need to be checking their email regularly for communication from Mrs. Rivera and their College Advisors.
Paying for College/Financial Aid Workshop
Thanks to the junior and senior parents who joined us for the webinar on Friday, October 11. The webinar covered changes to the FAFSA, how the financial aid process works, types of aid available, CCS Profile, the pros and cons of applying early for financial aid, how colleges receive the information and how they determine the financial aid award. If you were unable to participate, you can view the webinar recording here.
Applying for Financial Aid – FAFSA and CSS Profile
Senior parents should continue to check the website of every college to which their daughter has applied/ is applying to. Even though the FAFSA will not be available until December 1, some colleges still want other financial aid forms/documents submitted early, especially if your daughter has applied to a school through their Early Action or Early Decision program. Check colleges that require the CSS Profile application here: CSS Profile Participating Institutions and Programs.
Is Something Missing? (It’s Probably Not)
If seniors receive an email from a college stating that something is missing, please see your College Advisor so we can help you resolve this issue. Colleges are uploading thousands of documents daily and they often get behind in updating portals. It can take up to two weeks for a college to download your materials and update your portal. Very rarely is anything missing! Almost always when we call the college, your documents are there and have not yet been processed. Please don’t panic if you receive an email or portal notification saying that something is missing.
Seniors – Set up and Check College Portals!
Now that many seniors have submitted at least a few college applications, they can expect colleges to notify them acknowledging that the college received the application. Most colleges will be emailing directions on how to set up the college’s portal, which will be specific to each college and will be the student’s communication center with that college. Please get in the habit of checking each of your college portals weekly throughout your college process.
UC and CSU Application Deadlines
Seniors who are applying to any University of California or California State University campuses should do so by December 2. This is the final deadline for the UC application and should be considered a final deadline for the CSU application (although a few CSU campuses will remain open after December 2).