College Board (SAT, PSAT, AP) Updates!!!

Mrs. Mullen & Ms. Lovelace spent a day at UNCC yesterday learning all College Board wanted to teach us about the redesigned SAT, AP, and financial aid. We learned SO much information that feel you just NEED to know. A separate blog post on financial aid will be coming soon.

Info on the redesigned SAT (March 2016 & beyond) that we thought was cool:

• The essay is now optional and if you opt to take it, it'll be the last part you take on test day instead of the first. 
• If you are not sure if the college you are applying to requires the essay, ask them! The information may be on their admissions page on their website. If you're ever in doubt, just take the essay. Currently, College Board is reporting that public UNC system universities are not requiring the essay for the redesigned SAT; but, for example, Duke University is. 
• In addition to your total score, you'll now get subscores in your score report. This will let you know which areas you may need to work on for future test dates. Right now, College Board is reporting that most colleges in NC are unlikely to use subscores for admission or placement purposes. They wish to obtain more data on these subscores before they begin to require minimum subscores for things. 
• Students taking the March 2016 SAT should receive their scores in early May, and will have access to their scores online prior to receiving their scores in the mail. 
• ANYONE (students, parents, counselors, teachers, administrators) wanting info on the redesigned SAT (starting March 2016) may visit collegereadiness.collegeboard.org.
• Visit www.khanacademy.org/sat for free SAT prep help for the redesigned SAT (March 2016 & after).

Info on the PSAT/NMSQT (we are offering at HHS Oct 14th):

• The PSAT this year is aligned with the redesigned SAT (available March 2016). Visit collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice to get study materials.
• The redesigned PSAT's scores align with the redesigned SAT. Therefore, whatever you make on the PSAT will be a good indicator of what you would make on the redesigned SAT. 
• Students will have access to an itemized report (online) to show them what areas to work on improving. 
• Online scores will be available before your paper scores are available. It may take 8-9 weeks before scores are available. 
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Things for everyone to know:

• When registering for accounts, whether it's College Board, CFNC, FAFSA, or whatever, please make sure you always use the same name (preferably your formal name) and the same email address when signing in. If you can't recall your username or password, try to retrieve it or contact customer service to reset. Duplicate accounts can potentially be a problem!! 
• Note: If you need access to your CFNC account, see your counselor. We can give you your username & reset your password if need be. 
• Make sure you view your Student Report on CollegeBoard.com after you take your PSAT or SAT. It gives you so much info, such as: consolidated view of all assessment scores, projected score ranges on next assessment, percentile rankings, tallies of correct & incorrect answers, detailed explanations of current college readiness skills, steps to improve to become more college-ready, and many others.
• After you take the PSAT, you can receive personalized practice through Khan Academy via College Board. It transfers your data/scores to Kahn Academy and recommends where to focus to improve your scores. It gives you practice questions catered to your needs and gives you up to 4 additional PSATs to take to practice for free. 
• Note: This is also available to students who have not taken the PSAT.
• When registering for tests, it may ask you if you wish to supply your personal information to the STUDENT SEARCH SERVICE. If you say yes to opt in, you will receive numerous mailings from colleges and programs that may be catered to you. But more importantly, you will be connected with over 1,400 scholarship opportunities as Student Search is now paterned with five additional major scholarship programs: Hispanic Scholarship Fund, United Negro College Fund, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, and the American Indian Graduate Council.  These scholarships provide nearly $180 million in scholarships. 
• If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, or if you believe you may otherwise qualify for a fee waiver for the ACT or SAT, or any other service, please talk to your counselor. Students taking the SAT with a fee waiver will be given access to four college application fee waivers their senior year. 
• Visit collegeboard.org/waiver-colleges to view a list of colleges who accept the college application fee waiver. Most, but not all, colleges do.
• North Carolina WILL BE paying for your AP Exam fees this year! Thanks NC!! 
• College Board has created one new AP course that will be offered Fall 2016 & beyond. It is AP Computer Science. If you want to see that course taught at HHS, talk to your CTE teachers!! 

Seniors:

• If you are still studying for the SAT, you can visit this page to get free SAT prep help for the current SAT (through the January 2016 date).

We hope you found this information helpful. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help you!

Sincerely,

Your HHS School Counselors 

The Upcoming Redesigned SAT

In Junior Conferences, juniors were given a good bit of information on the SAT & ACT tests. Their handout includes:
-the testing schedules for 2015-2016
-what websites to go to to register for each test
-the costs of each test
-what to do to get a fee waiver if you believe you qualify for one
-the HHS free ACT date (March 1, 2016)
-info on the SAT changing in March
-info on some free SAT & ACT-prep books located on our website

You may have a lot of questions about the changing SAT. College Board completely redesigned the SAT & the new version will roll out on the March 5, 2016 SAT test date.

UNC-Chapel Hill has given us a list of their Redesigned SAT Frequently Asked Questions. These were very helpful in determining how they will view the new vs. the old SAT for up to fall 2017 applicants. This is a good start to determine what colleges are thinking/doing regarding the redesigned SAT. If you have specific questions about a particular school you are applying to, it's always best to talk to an Admissions Counselor at that school to be sure.

College Board has also given us counselors a FAQ page regarding the redesigned SAT. Click here to see what College Board has to say.

Click here for an informative article for the graduating class of 2017 in regards to the redesigned SAT titled, "Class of 2017 SAT Guide: New SAT or Old SAT?" Definitely check out the bottom of the article where it says "Ask A Question Below" to see what specific questions students and parents are asking and getting answered.

And as always, College Board should be a great resource for the most up-to-date info on the redesigned SAT.

Happy testing!

-HHS School Counselors

Weekly Rundown for September 28 - October 2, 2015

Can you believe we have already completed five weeks of school?! Time is flying!!

Next week there's a few important counseling-related things you need to know about...

• Junior conferences are still taking place. Students will leave with a handout for future reference.
• Apex tutorial will be Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Mrs. Mullen will be in a workshop on Tuesday. You should get your Apex progress reports on Monday morning and if you are not on target, complete 3 SMART Lunch tutorials by the end of the day Thursday. 
• Mrs. Mullen & Ms. Lovelace will be out of the office on Tuesday at a workshop.
• Wednesday is the deadline for the OMG Scholarship. Info is located in the September Senior Newsletter. 
• Friday is NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS. 
• Friday is also the last day to register late for the October ACT date. You may be charged an extra fee for registering late. If you need a fee waiver, see your counselor. 
• Saturday, October 3rd is the October SAT. Make sure you set your alarm, get lots of sleep, and get there on time!! See Mrs. Mullen for a real-life story on why NOT to take your cell phone into the building. 

Have a great weekend!! 

-Your HHS School Counselors 

Weekly Rundown for September 21-25

Monday, Sept. 21:

• Apex progress reports go out to all students taking online courses through Apex. Tutorials will be assigned for students not on target to finish their courses on time.

Tuesday, Sept. 22:

• Last day to register late for the October 3rd SAT. If you have a fee waiver, you will not have to pay a late registration fee. If you don't have a fee waiver, you will have to pay an extra fee to register late.

Thursday, Sept 24:

• Deadline to register for the PSAT. It will be held at HHS on October 14th. See Ms. England in the Counseling office to register. Students who are currently in Math II or who were in Math II in the spring 2015 semester, can take the PSAT for free. However, they still need to come to the counseling office to register. All other students must pay a $15.
• College Fair at CVCC from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Representatives from numerous colleges and universities in NC will be in attendance to give you info and answer any questions you have. Make sure you come check them out! 

Friday, Sept 25:

• Deadline for the John Hoyle Chapter of DAR scholarship. See September's Senior Newsletter for more info. 

Counselors should have finished their senior conferences this week. (There may still be a few pending.) Parents, talk to your senior about what was discussed. Seniors, make sure you review the materials given during your senior conference. 

Junior conferences are next on the counselors' to-do list. Junior parents, be on the lookout for junior conference info coming.

Quick heads up: Governor's School info is coming soon!

Also, if you are interested in the NC School of Science and Math, please see Mrs. Guill in the front office for info on an upcoming presentation. 

Make sure you are following your HHS Counselors on Facebook & Twitter for up-to-date info. We don't want you to miss anything! 

Facebook: Hickory High School Counselors

Twitter: @COUNSELINGatHHS

Have a great weekend,
Your HHS School Counselors