Frequently Asked
Questions for Parents
Q: Are Senior year courses and grades
important?
A:
Yes. Colleges request senior
year courses as part of the college application process. Senior year courses show that a student is
continuing to prepare seriously for college.
As for grades, first marking period and /or mid-year grades are often
required and used in the admissions process.
All colleges require a final transcript before the student can enroll.
Q: To how many schools should a student apply?
A:
The suggested number would be 5 to 7.
This is not, however, an absolute range. It is most important that a student have a balance with the
schools being considered. A possible
scenario would be to have one “reach” school, a larger number of realistic
schools, and one “safety” school.
Q: What is meant by rolling admissions, early
action, and early decision?
A:
Schools with rolling admissions make decisions as the applications are
received and notify the students usually within six to eight weeks. Early action schools have an established
deadline that is prior to the fixed deadline.
For students who are able to submit all of the required material by the
deadline, the college will make a non-binding decision well ahead of the
regular notification date of April 1.
Some colleges offer early decision for students who are able to make a
commitment to attend the college is accepted.
The complete application is submitted early in the fall (usually
November 1) and both the student and parents sign a pledge that the student
will attend that school is admitted.
This is a binding arrangement and should not be taken lightly. A student may apply to only one early
decision school.
Q: What is the Common Application (Common App)?
A: The
Common Application affords students the opportunity to complete one application
that can be used to apply to approximately 130 member colleges. Member schools are listed online and with
the application. The colleges have
agreed to make no distinction between their application and the Common App. Students are encouraged to make use of this
time saving tool. The applications are
available at www.commonapp.org or in
the Guidance Office.
Q: What does the high school send with the
college application?
A:
The high school transcript is sent with each application we
process. It includes final grades from
grades 9, 10, & 11, grade point average and class rank, courses in
progress, SAT & ACT scores that we have on record, attendance, school
activities, and a school profile. We
also send teacher recommendations that we have on file at the time an
application is processed, as well as any required counselor recommendation.
Q: How do I apply for financial aid?
A:
Families apply for financial aid by completing at least one form, the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is mailed home to all
students who take the SAT as a junior.
Families may also be required to complete the PROFILE and/or the schools
own forms to be eligible for aid consideration. The PROFILE is available online and in the Guidance Office in
early fall. Always be sure to check
with each college about their specific requirements, as well as other types of
aid that may be available. Please be
aware that colleges have specific deadlines for filing financial aid forms.
Q: Is it better to do a paper application
instead of an online application?
A:
Colleges that use both types of applications do not differentiate
between the two. Many schools are
encouraging the use of online applications and some will even waive the application
fee for using this method. Remember
that regardless of the type of application used, students still must send an
official transcript and any additional materials/forms listed in the website
instructions.
Q: When does the student have to make a final
decision?
A:
Other than early decision applicants, the universal reply date for
accepting an offer to admission and paying the deposit is May 1. Colleges may suggest paying the deposit
earlier or imply that a response is needed before May 1. If this happens or you have any questions about
the terms of the acceptance, contact the office of admissions immediately and
ask for an extension until May 1.
Q: How do I send “official” SAT scores to a
college?
A:
While we send SAT scores that we have on file with each application,
“official” scores can only be sent from the College Board. This can be done at the time a student
registers for the SAT I and/or II, by phone, or by sending in an Additional
Report Request Form that is available in the Guidance Office. Students must be aware of the requirements
of specific schools. It is important to
note that Penn State is one of those schools that will ONLY accept scores sent
directly from the College Board.
HANDY DANDY INFORMATION SHEET
FOR
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
School Address
Wissahickon High
School
521 Houston Road
Ambler, Pa 19002
High School CEEB Code
390065
Guidance Office Phone Numbers
Main
- 215-619-8112 Mrs. Susan Lawver
ext. 2714 Mrs. Deneen Glennon ext.
2712
Fax – 215-619-8174
Counselor’s Phone Numbers and Email addresses
Ms. Maria Salvucci ext. 2710 msalvucci@wsd.k12.pa.us
Mrs. Rachel Reavy ext. 2713 rreavy@wsd.12.pa.us
Ms. Diana Jones ext. 2711 djones@wsd.k12.pa.us
Ms. Judy Giuliano ext. 2709 jgiuliano@wsd.k12.pa.us
Ms. Angie Ganser ext. 2709 aganser@wsd.k12.pa.us
.
APPLICATION
COVER SHEET
This form must be completed for each application, paper or online, and turned in to your counselor, Mrs. Lawver (A-H) or Mrs. Glennon (I- Z) in the guidance office in order to have your application processed.
Student Name __________________________ Date _________________
Major (This information must be provided) __________________________________
College/University _____________________________________________________
Address of College/University _______________________________________
(This information must be provided)
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Check all that are appropriate.
q
Paper Form q
Common App q
College Specific
q
Please send the following information to the above
college/university:
q Official Transcript
q Counselor recommendation (if required by college)
q Teacher recommendation – Letter only
q Teacher recommendation – College form & letter
q Other (Please specify) _________________________________________
*It is the student’s responsibility to be sure teacher recommendations and or college forms are on file in the guidance office. Recommendations not on file at time of processing will not be sent.
I have attached:
q Application
q Application Fee
q Counselor/School Form
q $1.00 Processing Fee
q Pre-Addressed Envelope (from application package)
** The processing fee includes
mailing costs. DO NOT put postage on
your envelopes