College and Career Readiness News

My name is Veronica Harris and I am the College Career Readiness Advisor. My role is to guide your students in planning for life after high school. Whether it includes, college, career, or military, I am here to help guide your students in taking the next steps.

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This is a live newsletter, so feel free to come back here as often as you need to see updated information!

Please check out the rest of the newsletter for information

Seniors, it is hard to believe we are just a few short months away from you all walking the stage! There are a few things you can do in the next few days to ensure you are on target.

1. Complete your financial aid application

2. Submit your financial aid verification to SchooLinks (it's a graduation requirement!)

• If your application is complete (you submitted your portion and your parent/guardian submitted theirs), your SchooLinks status should be marked as Complete.
• If your status is marked as "In Progress" or "Filed & Waiting" in SchooLinks, the graduation requirement is not satisfied.
• If you are opting out of completing FAFSA/TASFA, please follow these opt-out instructions to update your status in SchooLinks.
• The state priority deadline for completing the FAFSA/TASFA application was January 15; however, you can STILL complete the FAFSA or TASFA application. Please complete this task as soon as possible.

Helpful Links:

FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov

TASFA: https://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa.cfm

Submit FAFSA/TASFA Confirmation in SchooLinks: FAFSA Upload Instructions | TASFA Upload Instructions

3. Research and apply for at least two scholarships Look in SchooLinks (College/Scholarship Matching), Big Future, Student Scholarships.org, GoingMerry.com your schools' scholarship portals, etc.

4. Submit any scholarships you've been awarded into SchooLinks Click here for instructions

5. Make sure you can log in to your portals Check your email and make sure you have the URL, user name and password to log in to ALL of your college portals. Bookmark these items in a folder in your Chrome browser.

6. Complete your "Senior Year End Activity" and "Set Up Personal Account for Alumni Access" tasks in SchooLinks. The Senior Year End Activity lets us know what your post-high school pans are. For those who are intending to attend a 2-year, 4-year or trade school program, it also lets us know where to send your final transcript. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT BOTH ACTIVITIES ARE COMPLETE BY MAY 15TH!

We are almost at the finish line. Let's finish strong!

The presentation, slides and FAQ sheet are posted here. Click "Class of 2026" to see the dropdown menu of resources available.

Hey Seniors! We want to celebrate YOU and all the amazing things you’ve accomplished this year. Whether you’ve earned a scholarship, enlisted in the military, been accepted to a school, landed a job in the career of your choice after high school, or achieved any other big milestone, we’d love to hear about it!

Please fill out this form to share your exciting news. Your achievements might be featured on the CCR social media pages and/or in school announcements to inspire and celebrate our community.

If you have a school-appropriate photo to go along with your story, feel free to upload it here too!

Have some major news? Don’t keep it to yourself—let’s celebrate together!

1. Create an account with ApplyTexas and/or CommonApp. Make sure you link your CommonApp with your SchooLinks account.

2. Apply to a 2 or 4 year college! Use www.applytexas.org OR www.commonapp.org

3. Request transcripts through SchooLinks. Transcripts will only be processed and sent to your schools when they are requested in SchooLinks. If you need some guidance on how to do this, watch this video.

4. Request Letters of Recommendation in SchooLinks. Instructions can be found in the attached graphic.

5. Apply for scholarships! Scholarships will be posted in this newsletter so check back often! Please pay attention to your schools' priority scholarship deadlines.

• As you begin receiving scholarships and offer letters from your schools, please report this information in SchooLinks, even if you do not intend on accepting the scholarship/offer. This information will be tracked throughout the year. It's a good practice to report the scholarships as they come in so you do not forget about any that you have received.
• Please make sure you input this information. Watch this video for instructions on how to do so.
• Other great platforms to help you search for scholarships are GoingMerry, RaiseMe, Bold.org, Fastweb, and Scholly. You should never pay for a scholarship... If asked to pay, it might be a scam.

6. Finalize your college plans. Narrow your list, choose a college, find a roommate, secure living arrangements, register for and attend orientation, and register for TSI testing if needed.

7. Report your acceptances in SchooLinks by changing your application status from "Completed" to "Accepted" in SchooLinks.

8. Explore career options!

9. ASK ME QUESTIONS! 😄

SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS: As you get scholarships (even if you won't be using them) please upload them in SchooLinks. (Step-by-Step instructions found below). Each offer will be found in the graduation program so please be sure you turn in all offers even if you will not be accepting it.

TRANSCRIPTS:

OFFICIAL transcripts must be requested in order to make all of your college applications complete. To request an official transcript you can go to SchooLinks - see instructions below.

UNOFFICIAL transcripts can be used for some scholarships or for yourself. If this is what you're needing - you can find it under portfolio in skyward.

Juniors will start applying to college as early as August 2026. How can you ensure you have a quality application? Here's what the schools look for:

• Competitive weighted GPA. You can improve this by taking and succeeding in advanced classes (AP, dual credit, OnRamps). You can check your current GPA in SchooLinks; go to Student/Scores and Performance.
• Competitive rank. While FBISD is a non-ranking district, we will provide ranks to colleges for students who want them shared. Some schools, like Texas A&M and the University of Texas, have automatic admissions for students with a quality rank (it's currently top 10% for TAMU and top 5% for UT). You can improve this by improving your weighted GPA. You can check your current rank in SchooLinks; go to Student/Scores and Performance.
• Quality essays that demonstrate what makes you unique. Through the holistic review process, most schools do review applicant essays to make admissions decisions. You can review the current essay prompts here, which rarely change from year to year. Start writing yours!
• Honors, achievements and extracurricular activities. Now is the time to join that club, work on that group project for UIL or get that part-time job. Colleges want well-rounded students with a variety of interests who can also bring value to their campus.
• Prep for the SAT/ACT. Review your SAT score report from March to verify your strengths and weaknesses, and take steps to increase your scores. Sign up for the ACT and see how you perform.

It seems like it's really far off, but before you know it you'll be sending out resumes to get your first job. What should that be? If you're not sure, consider taking one or both of the following assessments in SchooLinks:

• "Would You Rather?" asks you to choose your favorite activities to get career suggestions
• "Find Your Path" provides suggested career clusters based on your personality

Both are available in the To-Do section of SchooLinks. Click here to log in with 1Link/Clever.

Many juniors prefer one or two off campus periods in their schedules that they can use for a part-time job, caring for younger siblings or just homework time. In order to earn an off campus period in the 26-27 school year (or an office aide period), juniors MUST have their CCMR point earned before Monday, June 22, 2026.

How do I earn my CCMR point? There are many ways to earn your CCMR point, but the most common are through SAT, ACT or TSI scores. Here are some scenarios:

• A student with a 480 (English) and a 530 (Math) on the SAT has earned their CCMR point.
• A student with a 40 (Reading and Writing) and a 40 (Math) on the ACT has earned their CCMR point.
• A student with a 945 (English)+5 (Essay) and a 950 (Math) on the TSI has earned their CCMR point.
• A student who has earned a 480 (English) on their SAT and a 950 (Math) on the TSI has earned their CCMR point. (The TSI will be available to juniors AFTER the March School Day SAT)

In addition to earning an off campus period, earning a CCMR point will enable students to demonstrate college readiness for university enrollment and will not have to take developmental courses before they start their college degree plans. They will also earn an honor cord to wear at EHS graduation in May 2027. Please see me in 331 or contact me via email for any questions about CCMR.

Tarleton State University:

Class of 2025, 2026, and 2027

Automatic Admission to top 50%

No SAT or ACT score needed for admission

No application fee

Top 10% will receive guaranteed scholarship; level/amount determined by the university

https://www.tarleton.edu/becomeatexan/guaranteedscholarship/

Houston Christian University

Automatic Admission for FBSID students with unweighted GPA of 3.0 and above and completion of Algebra 2 or equivalent

Will qualify for a scholarship based on GPA

If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, you are eligible to receive a fee waiver for the ACT and SAT. Please email Andrea Adams at andrea.adams@fortbendisd.gov, and she will provide you with the necessary code.

Please note that each test taker is eligible to receive a maximum of two fee waivers for each test.

If you look at admission requirements for many colleges and universities, they are no longer test optional. This means that you have to submit either SAT or ACT test scores with your application.

Most schools will accept a “Superscore”. Which will combine the best Math and Reading/Writing score from multiple tests.

TSIA (For Juniors and Seniors)

Next test date: May 23rd, 2026

Register for this test here using FBISD student credentials. Parents should not register their student.

Juniors and Seniors, please check the Scholarship Matching portal in SchooLinks often as new scholarships are constantly being added every week!

How many scholarships have you applied for?

More scholarships are available in SchooLinks (College/Scholarship Matching) or on the Student Scholarships website.

When you submit your scholarships to SchooLinks, money offered by a college will go in the College Financing area under the College icon. Third-party scholarships (Fort Bend Rotary Club, etc.) will be uploaded on the same page but under "Third Party Scholarships" on the left.

So far the class of 2026 has earned more than $7 million in scholarships! Keep up the great work.

Watch the Video HERE

My office hours for student meetings is during lunch periods and I am available to meet with parents via TEAMS in the mornings. Links to schedule a meeting can be found in this newsletter. Students, feel free to stop by the CCMR Center, located next to the library, to say hello or ask your quick questions!

Email: veronica.harris@fortbendisd.gov