College Counseling

List of 5 items.

• Freshman Year

  • Families participate in Freshman College Counseling Meeting-Overview of Process in October
  • Parents, if your child receives accommodations or would like to receive accommodations in school or on standardized testing, please contact Ms. Taylor Dalisera, tdalisera@indiancreekschool.org
  • Document any community service hours, including volunteer opportunities from home, using the form on the Indian Creek website
  • Start a spreadsheet with resume-worthy activities.
  • Consider Indian Creek Summer Programs

• Sophomore Year

  • Sophomores participate in College Admission Representative Visits offered September-November.
  • Students and parents participate in College Admission Fairs
  • Students take PSAT at Indian Creek
  • Students receive PSAT scores online at collegeboard.com
  • Parents and students participate in a sophomore information session focused on an overview of the college search and standardized testing (ACT/SAT) in Spring
  • Specialty students (athletes, visual arts, or performing arts) should be in touch with coaches, teachers, and the College Counseling Office, May
  • Document any community service hours, including volunteer opportunities from home, using the form on Indian Creek website
  • Continue spreadsheet with resume-worthy activities and draft your high school resume
  • Explore what matters to you in preparation for your college search process. ICS College Counseling will provide questions.
  • Begin researching colleges online. Participate in virtual college fairs and digital campus tours as part of the college research process. Keep notes to share with your college counselor.
  • Research college costs and potential financial aid with the FAFSA4Caster at https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/estimate
  • Consider Indian Creek Summer Programs and other online summer enrichment experiences

• Junior Year

  • Students participate in College Admissions Representative Visits offered September-November
  • Students and parents participate in virtual College Admission Fairs
  • Students take PSAT’s at Indian Creek School
  • Continue researching colleges online. Participate in virtual college fairs and digital campus tours to create a list of colleges that appeal to you.
  • Students receive PSAT scores in their College Board account
  • Research test-optional schools using fairtest.org
  • Athletes interested in playing Division I or II sports in college should register with the NCAA clearinghouse, eligibilitycenter.org, and contact Director of College Counseling Mrs. Melson at mmelson@indiancreekschool.org
  • Juniors and parents receive Naviance instructions and login information, January
  • Families sign up through the College Board website to take SAT’s in December, March, May, or June*
  • Families sign up for the ACT at act.org to take the test in Feb, April, June, or July (if accommodations are desired please contact Ms. Dalisera)*
  • Parents attend Junior Parent night, In-depth discussion about the application process, financial aid, and scholarships offered in January (Date TBD)
  • Begin your scholarship search by starting with goingmerry.com and/or www.fastweb.com
  • Apply for scholarships that accept applications from juniors
  • Families interested in learning more about GAP year should start exploring options at https://www.gapyearassociation.org/program-search.php
  • Parents schedule an individual meeting with College Counselors Mrs. Marks or Mrs. Melson between January – April
  • Students schedule an individual meeting with College Counselors Mrs. Marks or Mrs. Melson between January – April
  • Families should visit colleges while they are in session. If a student already has an interest in a certain school sign up for their “junior day” visit*
  • Families participate in “AIMS College Fair”, usually in late April*
  • Document any community service hours, including service from home, using the form on the Indian Creek website
  • Continue to update resume with noteworthy activities, stay involved and take on leadership roles if that works for a student
  • Students ask teachers for recommendations then follow up with a completed Faculty Recommendation Request Form in May
  • Create a target college list of 15-20 schools that will be shortened in collaboration with your college counselor
  • Consider Indian Creek Summer Programs, especially the College Essay Blinc and other summer enrichment activities

• Summer between Junior and Senior Years

  • Students need to do something worthwhile. Find an internship, get a job, take classes, volunteer, or a combination of several of these activities.
  • Families should work on the college list and update Naviance with schools student is considering as well as those to which they will apply.
  • Families should plan their visits to colleges whenever ICS is not in session. Virtual tours and online search options are available.
  • Specialty students should be honing their craft, going to camps, attending workshops, or working on portfolios.
  • Start your college application spreadsheet with application deadlines in order, essay prompts, costs, statistics to assess your probability for admission, and note any merit scholarship requirements to motivate yourself.
  • Update Naviance account with colleges you are considering and/ or those to which you will apply. Double-check application deadlines match your plans.
  • Use Net Price Calculators on college websites to get an understanding of what your family will be expected to pay for college.
  • Continue to research scholarships and financial aid using goingmerry.com and www.fastweb.com.
  • Create a list of scholarships for which you will apply to include dates and requirements. Inform your college counselor.
  • If you will apply for Federal Financial Aid, create a FAFSA account and organize documents so that you can submit October 1 when it opens.
  • Draft your main college essay. Common Application and Coalition essay prompts can be found online.

• Senior Year

  • Students continue to update Naviance website with up-to-date college choices from September – December.
  • Students follow up with teachers about recommendations
  • Students research test-optional policies for colleges they are considering using FairTest.org.
  • Families sign up for October SAT/ACT (if needed).
  • Students work with College Counselors Mrs. Mark or Mrs. Melson to coordinate the application process, September – December.
  • Families must send standardized test scores themselves. Go to collegeboard.com or www.act.org and send them directly to the colleges (September - January).
  • Students participate in virtual or face-to-face meetings College Representatives offered September – November.
  • Senior Class and Parents participate in College Counseling meeting during the first week of school.
  • Participate in Financial Aid Information Session (usually in November).
  • Student and parents fill out the FAFSA (Opens October 1 annually), Free Application for Federal Student Aid at fafsa.ed.gov.
  • Parents fill out the CSS Profile for colleges that require that financial aid paperwork at collegeboard.org.
  • Families decide if early action/early decision/ or priority applications are the deadlines to work towards, often they are as early as November 1.
  • Students continue to upload applications well before deadlines. Students must put all dates and deadlines into Naviance and communicate with their college counselor regularly.
  • Students update Naviance and the College Counseling Office with acceptance, waitlist, and deny outcomes from the colleges (November – April).
  • Students update College Counseling Office with any Scholarship information received. 
  • Students make final decisions for College Matriculation, May 1, and update Naviance.
  • We all celebrate our seniors!