PHS College & Career Corner

With October 15th rapidly approaching, it is a reminder that many colleges will have their first Early Action or Early Decision (binding) deadline within the next few weeks. Sometimes, colleges will accept additional documents after that deadline date, such as a letter of recommendation, an SAT score, or your STARS transcript. However, the date listed can also serve as a firm stop date for receiving materials and anything complete will move to the next round of review (often regular decision).

How will you know what is due and when? CHECK THE COLLEGE'S WEBSITE. A quick search for "steps to apply" or "application checklist" and the college's name should take you to the correct page (hint, make sure it is on the actual college's website). The Common App is great, but it is just that - the application. Prior to applying and afterwards, students will engage with the college through their website, emails, and school-specific portals. Questions? See Ms. Allen or stop by one of the I/E Help Sessions!

GOOD TO KNOW

• The Class of 2027 is attending our college & career visits and gaining access to valuable information before they even start to think about the application process. Kudos to you - check out the list below for the upcoming visits!
• The PSATS occur on Wednesday morning. While they are truly a practice for the practice SAT, they can serve as the qualifier into the National Merit Scholarship Program for juniors. Rest up and do your best!
• The Delaware County Technical Schools (DCTS) will have a representative visiting our freshmen seminar classes in November. She will also hold a presentation for students not enrolled in the course later in the month. Now is the perfect time to start exploring programs and careers that our freshmen, sophomores, and juniors (medical careers, especially!) might be interested in for the future.
• Check out scholarships, visits, and more as your read on!

All students are welcome to attend these visits, but must register in advance using the instructions below. Please note that ALL visits start and end within a single block, so you must check in with your teacher prior to attending the meeting.

• Details and registration links can be found under the College Visits tab in Naviance (you must be logged in): https://student.naviance.com/colleges/visits. You must register at least an hour prior to the scheduled visit.
  
• Visits will be held in the College and Career Center in the counseling office or Lecture Room A.Please view the location when registering.
  
• You will receive an email prior to the scheduled visit that will confirm your registration. Please show that to your teacher AND make a Minga pass to come to the visit! Attendance is documented.
• SENIORS - if you plan to apply to a school or have already applied, ATTEND THE VISIT. The representatives will be looking for you!!!

Thank you to Rory Sullivan from the College Funding Coach and Fran McKeown from PHEAA, Paula Lehrberger from Harcum College and Amy Miller-Spavlik from Penn State Brandywine for providing such helpful information about Financial Aid and the FAFSA on Sept 30th and Oct 8th, respectively, at our virtual and in-person events!

The FAFSA is open and required for students to access federal student aid. Many colleges use this to determine their own institutional aid as well. Need assistance? FAFSA Tip Sheet or the live chat in the application can be extremely informative!

But what about those other forms? What's the CSS Profile and who requires it? Check out this post from Going Merry to help you understand the two forms and how to complete them: The Ultimate Guide to Completing the CSS Profile - Going Merry. Additionally, the College Funding Coach is holding a Zoom on Oct 16th to help families learn more about Decoding the CSS Profile. Register here: TuitionCents 2025: Decoding the CSS Profile.

Finally, all colleges are required to have a Net Price Calculator. Get a sense of what the school might cost you prior to even applying! For some of the most selective institutions (many of whom are committed to meeting full demonstrated need), the MyinTuition calculator has proven to be an accurate, simplified tool to help calculate costs. If you are thinking about applying Early Decision ANYWHERE, complete one of these two calculators and then schedule a meeting with the colleges financial aid office to check the accurate of the estimate provided to you. Understand the financial commitment you are making!

Information about the counselors and links to schedule appointments with your counselors: Counseling Department Schoology Courses or scan the codes below!

Registration for College & Career Visits: Naviance (under student account only)

College Application Instructions and Information: PHS Class of 2026: Guide to the College Application Process or in the 12th grade counseling schoology course (tons of great information including links to videos and forms)

Penncrest Weekly Updates and College & Career Corner Newsletters: Archived PHS College & Career Corner Newsletters

Job Postings: PHS Job Opportunities

Cassandra Allen - College & Career Counselor

Email: callen@rtmsd.org

Click here to schedule an appointment with Ms. Allen