Seniors interested in attending a 4-Year College after leaving West Stokes should take some time in planning for their future academic career. Below please find an overview of considerations that should be addressed. The designated dates for any events described below will be announced on either the Guidance Department page OR the Senior Class Homepage.
MAKING APPLICATION: In order to attend a 4-year college, students will be required to submit applications for admission. The application process can vary dramatically from school to school and so it is in your child’s best interest to learn early on the specific procedure for each intended school. Further, the application deadlines will also vary, and so learning these dates will ensure that students submit applications in time for consideration. Families should be prepared to pay application fees for most schools. Some schools will also require original essays with applications. Students should spend time on preparing these essays carefully as these can make the difference in obtaining a favorable response. Students can research potential colleges, and make application to many of them online at cfnc.org. Colleges will also require an official transcript with the application; students may request this from the Guidance Office or have it sent electronically through cfnc.org.
SAT: All students intending to apply to a 4-year college are required by schools to take the SAT or the ACT. Students must register ahead of time, and should be prepared to pay for each SAT attempted. It is in your student’s best interest to take the SAT multiple times as many schools will take the best score from each individual section of the SAT when making admissions decisions. It is also in your student’s interest to obtain preparation materials and attend workshops on the SAT as it is a test that can be mastered if a student chooses to prepare for it. Scholarships from individual schools can be earned by students in many cases based on performance on the SAT. The testing dates for this year and more information about the SAT can be obtained online at collegeboard.org
ACT: This test is being used increasingly by North Carolina schools and can be accepted in place of the SAT by colleges throughout the U.S. The ACT is comprised of 4 sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) plus an optional Writing section. Students register online for this test. Students may take both the ACT and SAT, allowing colleges to use the score that is relatively higher. Practice test booklets for both the ACT and the SAT are available in the Guidance Office. For more information, go to actstudent.org .
SCHOLARSHIPS: Money for school can be obtained from a variety of sources. West Stokes offers several scholarships, as do the State of North Carolina, individual colleges, and private foundations. The qualification criteria vary dramatically, and may not be based solely on academic success or financial need. Speak to a Guidance Counselor about scholarships and application strategies early in the year. See a partial list of scholarships on the Guidance Department Page of the WSHS website.
FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a program that may benefit your child when it comes to financing college. All students are encouraged to fill out this application in January or early February. Grants and loans for college can be obtained by students, depending on the financial situation of the family. The FAFSA will require information from parents’ IRS Income Tax Return. Some family situations may allow students to obtain a college education solely through grants, while others may qualify for a combination of grants and loans. Please do not overlook this important resource. Students and parents can go to the FAFSA website early to obtain a PIN number so that they will be able to fill out the form online when the time comes in January. Direct difficult FAFSA questions to Ms Bowen. For more information, go to fafsa.ed.gov .
“COLLEGE APPLICATION WEEK”: Typically, a week in November is a time designated by CFNC to encourage students to work on completing college applications. During this week, some of the private schools in N.C. waive their application fee to cooperate with CFNC's goal of motivating students to complete their applications. This week is not a deadline for applying to college, but is rather a reminder that students should be sending in applications if they have not yet done so.
FAFSA DAY: This event is usually held on the 2nd Saturday in February, and financial aid professionals are on hand to help fill out the FAFSA. The Guidance Department will advertise this opportunity when the exact date has been established.
FEE WAIVERS: Students who are on free or reduced lunch may obtain a fee waiver from the Guidance Office to register to take SAT for free (two times), ACT for free (twice), and any Advanced Placement Exams for free. Once a student has registered for the SAT using a fee waiver, that student may then obtain a fee waiver for most college application fees. This must be done before the student applies to a college; a college application fee is non-refundable.
REFERENCE LETTERS: In many cases, students will need Teacher Reference Letters to support college and/or scholarship applications. Students are advised strongly to plan for this eventuality by knowing due dates for letters. Further, students should provide to willing teachers at least 1 week’s advance notice to prepare reference letters. Be sure to ask politely for your reference letters, and be willing to provide transcripts, Senior Activity Sheet, and any other supporting documents teachers may need to craft a strong letter.
MAKING APPLICATION: In order to attend a 4-year college, students will be required to submit applications for admission. The application process can vary dramatically from school to school and so it is in your child’s best interest to learn early on the specific procedure for each intended school. Further, the application deadlines will also vary, and so learning these dates will ensure that students submit applications in time for consideration. Families should be prepared to pay application fees for most schools. Some schools will also require original essays with applications. Students should spend time on preparing these essays carefully as these can make the difference in obtaining a favorable response. Students can research potential colleges, and make application to many of them online at cfnc.org. Colleges will also require an official transcript with the application; students may request this from the Guidance Office or have it sent electronically through cfnc.org.
SAT: All students intending to apply to a 4-year college are required by schools to take the SAT or the ACT. Students must register ahead of time, and should be prepared to pay for each SAT attempted. It is in your student’s best interest to take the SAT multiple times as many schools will take the best score from each individual section of the SAT when making admissions decisions. It is also in your student’s interest to obtain preparation materials and attend workshops on the SAT as it is a test that can be mastered if a student chooses to prepare for it. Scholarships from individual schools can be earned by students in many cases based on performance on the SAT. The testing dates for this year and more information about the SAT can be obtained online at collegeboard.org
ACT: This test is being used increasingly by North Carolina schools and can be accepted in place of the SAT by colleges throughout the U.S. The ACT is comprised of 4 sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) plus an optional Writing section. Students register online for this test. Students may take both the ACT and SAT, allowing colleges to use the score that is relatively higher. Practice test booklets for both the ACT and the SAT are available in the Guidance Office. For more information, go to actstudent.org .
SCHOLARSHIPS: Money for school can be obtained from a variety of sources. West Stokes offers several scholarships, as do the State of North Carolina, individual colleges, and private foundations. The qualification criteria vary dramatically, and may not be based solely on academic success or financial need. Speak to a Guidance Counselor about scholarships and application strategies early in the year. See a partial list of scholarships on the Guidance Department Page of the WSHS website.
FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a program that may benefit your child when it comes to financing college. All students are encouraged to fill out this application in January or early February. Grants and loans for college can be obtained by students, depending on the financial situation of the family. The FAFSA will require information from parents’ IRS Income Tax Return. Some family situations may allow students to obtain a college education solely through grants, while others may qualify for a combination of grants and loans. Please do not overlook this important resource. Students and parents can go to the FAFSA website early to obtain a PIN number so that they will be able to fill out the form online when the time comes in January. Direct difficult FAFSA questions to Ms Bowen. For more information, go to fafsa.ed.gov .
“COLLEGE APPLICATION WEEK”: Typically, a week in November is a time designated by CFNC to encourage students to work on completing college applications. During this week, some of the private schools in N.C. waive their application fee to cooperate with CFNC's goal of motivating students to complete their applications. This week is not a deadline for applying to college, but is rather a reminder that students should be sending in applications if they have not yet done so.
FAFSA DAY: This event is usually held on the 2nd Saturday in February, and financial aid professionals are on hand to help fill out the FAFSA. The Guidance Department will advertise this opportunity when the exact date has been established.
FEE WAIVERS: Students who are on free or reduced lunch may obtain a fee waiver from the Guidance Office to register to take SAT for free (two times), ACT for free (twice), and any Advanced Placement Exams for free. Once a student has registered for the SAT using a fee waiver, that student may then obtain a fee waiver for most college application fees. This must be done before the student applies to a college; a college application fee is non-refundable.
REFERENCE LETTERS: In many cases, students will need Teacher Reference Letters to support college and/or scholarship applications. Students are advised strongly to plan for this eventuality by knowing due dates for letters. Further, students should provide to willing teachers at least 1 week’s advance notice to prepare reference letters. Be sure to ask politely for your reference letters, and be willing to provide transcripts, Senior Activity Sheet, and any other supporting documents teachers may need to craft a strong letter.