College Counseling
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).
Naviance
Naviance is a fully integrated platform students can use to learn about themselves, careers, and colleges. Through assessments and interest inventories, students can create connections between their strengths and interests to possible majors and future careers.
Freshmen were introduced to Naviance in our small group meetings. They can begin exploring Naviance and recording their activities in the Resume. They were given a temporary password to use to log on to Naviance and to create their own password. We will notify students who have not yet completed this task.
Mark Your Calendar for Late Start Class-Level Advisories & Parent Nights
All grade levels met with the Counselors and/or College Advisors during a late start in the fall for mandatory advisory sessions. Freshmen and Sophomores have one additional advisory meeting in January, and Juniors have two advisories – one in January and one in February. These sessions are critical as we will discuss course options for next year, the process for course registration, as well as focus on college-related topics for juniors. Please plan ahead to avoid conflicts, as these sessions are mandatory.
Revolution Prep Webinars
Our partners at Revolution Prep are offering several free webinars in October. See attached flyer for more information.
- October 8 - From Traditional to Transformative: The Future Landscape of College Majors
- October 15 - Navigating the Ongoing Evolution of Admissions Testing
- October 29 - The Future of Applying to College: Impacts of Technology
Financial Aid for College – FAFSA & CSS Profile
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is typically available on October 1, however, due to major changes last year in the FAFSA, it will not be available until December 1.
Any family that would like to get a jumpstart on the FAFSA can start by obtaining FSA ID’s for the student and parent. The FSA ID will be required to complete the FAFSA. FSA ID’s can be created here: Log In | Federal Student Aid
How to Skip Income-related Questions on UC and CSU Applications; Fee Waivers for College Applications
Both the University of California and the California State University applications have questions that ask students to enter family income and family size. These questions are for the sole purpose of determining if a student is eligible for a fee waiver for the application; they are not questions related to financial aid, nor are they an application for financial aid. The income question is NOT REQUIRED for the UC application, so that question can be skipped if you are not hoping for an application fee waiver.