submitting app. college visits college admissions. testing acceptances financial aid
     

Obtaining Applications:

 
     
1. Some application forms are available in the Guidance Office files.
     
2. Most admissions offices will respond favorably to telephone requests for information and materials; many colleges have toll-free numbers to encourage such contacts.
     
3. College Nights provide good opportunities to obtain applications and other information directly from representatives.
     
4. Most colleges and universities maintain Internet websites that enable users to request, download, or print information and applications. Most institutions also offer online applications, permitting the student to apply directly through the website, including the charging of application fees to major credit cards. Official transcripts and other supporting documents, as outlined below in Submitting Applications, still are required and must be forwarded by mail. Several other helpful websites include:
     
5. Formal letters requesting information and applications require far more of a student’s thought, time, and effort, so they often are avoided in favor of easier methods. For students seeking to make a positive first impression with any college, especially with highly selective ones, formal letters make a powerful statement about students’ willingness to go the extra mile. They also give students an old fashioned opportunity to showcase their writing skills and a first chance to really stand out among peers in the applicant pool.
     
     

Submitting Applications:

 
     
1. Students should complete applications and double-check the accuracy of all application information with parents before bringing applications to the Guidance Office. Unless otherwise specified, applications need not be typed. Some admissions personnel have even voiced a preference for applications to be neatly printed in the student’s own hand (just to be sure the student, not mom or dad, did the work). NOTE: Students, please use one color ink on applications. More than one colored pen doesn't make a neat presentation.
     
2. Bring applications directly to the Guidance Office and give them to one of the Counselors (Mrs Lehnortt or Ms Monaghan) or to Mrs Sullivan. DO NOT simply leave these important items on a desk or counter and leave. All attachments, including application fee checks, should be submitted with the application so that the application and supporting materials may be mailed as a packet. This method assures that all application materials arrive intact on one desk at the intended college.
     
3. Except during periods of very heavy volume, applications usually will be mailed within one week if they are complete when submitted and need not be held to await the inclusion of other materials or attachments. Transcripts mailed with applications are official (imprinted with the school seal) and carry: SAT scores received by EYHS to date, the most recent class rank and grade point average, final course grades and credits earned since entering ninth grade, results from standardized tests administered during high school, and high school activities reported by the student in previous years. Official transcripts cannot be hand-carried or hand-delivered by students or parents to intended recipients.
     
4. Letters of recommendation should be brought to the Guidance Office if the applicant wants them to be mailed with applications. Students seeking recommendations from teachers, advisors, coaches, counselors, or administrators should give their recommenders plenty of advance notice when asking for such letters. Although many colleges do not require letters of recommendation, those that do give much consideration to letters that are thoughtful, informative, and well-written.
     
5. Personal essays or autobiographical statements are required on many college applications and are optional on others. Even when they are optional, they represent important opportunities to favorably impress an admissions committee, especially if an interview has not been possible. If you include supplemental or separate pages, be certain they are neat, clean, and legible. Such attachments should always carry the student’s name and should be labeled clearly among all of the other application components regarding the content or purpose of the extra pages.
     
6. Adhere to application deadlines and try to submit materials early whenever possible! Applications should not be brought to the Guidance Office a day or two before they are due at the college. For students applying to colleges with application deadlines, please submit all materials to the guidance office at least two weeks prior to the deadline.
     
7. A record is maintained in the Guidance Office of all transcript mailings for each student, including the name and address of the intended recipient, date the transcript was sent, and the date of acceptance (when applicable).
     
8. A stamped and pre-addressed confirmation postcard is mailed with transcripts/applications for return to Eastern High School by the addressee upon receipt of the transcript and accompanying materials.
     
9. Many colleges request mid-year grades. When colleges inform students that their mid-year grades are needed, students should notify the Guidance Office immediately so this important information can be sent as soon as it is available. After the final grades are posted for the Fall Semester, the cumulative G.P.A and Class Rank are re-calculated for each grade level. As soon as the revised mid-year G.P.A. and Class Rank are available, they are recorded as the official rank and average on student applications, transcripts, and supporting documents.
     
     

College Visitations:

  
     

When the student returns to school the following day, they should submit documentation from the college verfiying their visit. If this documentation is received one day after the college visit, it will be counted as an excused absence.

     
     

College Admissions Testing:

  
     
As students consider potential colleges, they should determine the admissions tests required by those schools. Tests should be taken at least six weeks prior to the application deadline of a school requiring the score.
     
Most schools in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States prefer the SAT I: Reasoning Test (College Board's Scholastic Assessment Test) in evaluating a student’s potential for success in college. Many schools in the Western U.S. prefer the ACT (American College Testing) program. Some colleges require one or the other of these tests. On-line registration and registration by telephone are available for these tests. Consult the registration booklets/packets of the respective tests regarding telephone registration. Online registration may be accessed through each testing organization’s web address:

SAT-I: http://www.collegeboard.com
ACT: http://www.act.org
     
A number of schools also require the College Board's SAT: Subject Tests. Results from these tests may be used in making admissions decisions, but generally are utilized in placing accepted students at appropriate levels in the school's curriculum.
     
Information about required testing can be found in the College Handbook, individual college publications, our Guidance Department computer resources, from college admissions representatives, and through college-maintained websites.
     
Printed registration materials generally are shipped to the Guidance Office and available to students by mid-August. Online registration usually is available by mid-May for test dates during the following year. Students must include Eastern High School’s CEEB Code (395-390) in order for their scores to be reported to us and posted on their transcripts. Registration forms and fees must be mailed directly to the SAT Program; they are not collected by the school.
     
     

Acceptances:

    
     
Students should notify the Guidance Office when they have been informed of admissions decisions by the colleges to which they have applied. We share your excitement about acceptances, want to lobby for you when your application is put on hold or if a decision is deferred, and certainly want to support you if you are not admitted.
     
When a student decides which offer of admission to accept, his/her commitment to that college should be reported to the Guidance Office so the student's final transcript can be mailed in June.

     
As a courtesy to the other colleges where applications have been sent (and to the candidates who may be on waiting lists for those colleges!), students should notify each school of their intentions when a commitment has been made.
     

Financial Aid:

    
     
Financial aid for higher education generally falls into four categories:
     
  Scholarships - gift awards based on achievement or high potential in academics, athletics, the arts, or other factors that do not consider financial need;
   
  Grants - gift awards that are based primarily on student/family financial need;
   
  Loans - money loaned at a relatively low interest rate (often subsidized) that requires repayment;
   
  Work-study/Employment - payments to students for work they perform (generally on-campus) for a specific time and for specific wages.
     
Local Scholarships - the Guidance Office advertises the availability of between 90 and 100 scholarships per year. The scholarships are posted in the Guidance Office and on the Guidance website (click here to access our scholarship list). Applications for many of these scholarships also are available in the Guidance Office, where reference information is maintained to facilitate contacts with sponsors. Students also should check the availability of grants and awards associated with parents' employers, their church affiliations, organization memberships, etc. The scholarship information is given out individually in September when the counselors meet with each senior.
     
PHEAA/Federal Programs - In Pennsylvania, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the single form used to apply for both federal and state financial aid. The Guidance Office maintains a supply of the FAFSA forms, which may not be filed until January 1 of the senior year. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) usually mails a FAFSA in December to Pennsylvania seniors who took the SAT-I during eleventh grade.
     
Other financial aid forms - For their own institutional financial aid programs, some colleges require additional applications, such as PROFILE from the College Scholarship Service (CSS). The Family Financial Statement (FFS) is the equivalent form for the American College Testing Program (ACT). Because the processing of these forms requires payment of a fee, families should be certain that their schools actually require the forms before filing them. Special filing dates apply for PROFILE, which initiates a multi-stage information gathering process.
     
Each year Eastern High School hosts a Financial Aid Information Night in late Nov/early Dec. During this program, a College Financial Aid Official explains the programs, procedures, forms, changes, and concerns associated with applying for financial aid. Please check the district calendar for dates.
     
Like college-related Internet resources, financial aid information on the World Wide Web has increased dramatically. Users should be cautious, however, particularly when websites promote information for which fees are charged. The following websites are recommended as being among the most reliable, and there are no fees charged for their use or for the information obtained from them:
     
  Financial Aid Information Page (by Mark Kantrowitz) http://www.finaid.org
  PA Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) http://www.pheaa.org
  FASTWEB (Financial Aid Search through the Web) http://www.fastweb.com
  College Board’s College Scholarship Service (CSS) http://www.collegeboard.com
  US Gov’t Office of Postsecondary Education http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/
     
Your questions and concerns are very important to each of us in the Guidance Office. No questions are trivial when they involve such important matters as education that will affect the future of students and their families. Please do not hesitate to call or visit your counselor to get the answers you need. The office is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please call 252-1555 ext. 60520 to schedule an appointment, ask questions, or discuss concerns.

     
Eastern York High School Guidance Department thanks
Dr. Thomas O’Connor of South Western School District
for sharing his College Application Process Information.
     
*Eastern York School District is not responsible for contents on external sites or servers.