Class of 2026 Senior Newsletter

The Fall can be a very busy time indeed for Seniors! Starting in mid-September, School Counselors have been spending time working individually with all HS Seniors to get them started with planning for "what's next." In this section you will find some great resources to support your student with the college application process. These materials can also be found in their Class of 2026 Schoology Page -> Counseling Folder -> Post High School Planning.

Seniors have been in the thick of 1:1 meetings with their Counselor. If your student has not yet met with their Counselor, please be assured that this will occur. At this very important meeting, we will review status toward graduation as well as their plans for after high school. Students and parents will be receiving a copy of the Senior Checklist via email so please be sure to keep an eye out for this in your inbox! As the months ahead proceed, School Counselors will continue to be available to answer questions and support students to make sure they are meeting any upcoming application deadlines.

For those students applying early, please keep Early Decision or Early Action deadlines in mind to ensure your Transcript Request Forms are turned in twelve (12) school days prior to allow time to process letters and transcripts. Not sure what each deadline means? See below for further explanation!

Students applying to college should be working through the checklist below:

• Complete College Research and Visits
• Meet with School Counselor for Individual Planning Meeting
• Calendar invites have been sent via Outlook
• Review Information and Resources in the Class of 2026 Schoology Folder
• Complete College Testing (SAT/ACT)
• Update Resume in Naviance
• Request Letters of Recommendation through Naviance
• Complete Senior Fall Survey (click QR code/link below)
• Create College Application Accounts
• Common App most commonly used - link below
• Match Common App and Naviance Account
• Submit Applications by (or before) the deadline!
• Be mindful of individual school deadlines!
• Submit Transcript Request Forms
• One form required for EACH individual school

• Apply for Financial Aid
• Stay in Contact with Schools You Applied To

Please make sure to stay in contact with your student's School Counselor with any questions as we work through this process!

Now is the time to "BRAG" about your student! Please use this link to complete our Parent Brag Sheet - this helps counselors with letters of recommendation as well as provides information that could pertain to scholarship opportunities!

Parents of Seniors (and students) recently attended our annual College Application Night during Open House on Monday, October 6, 2025. Click to view the recording of this evening if you were not able to attend!

Each college/university has individual admission deadlines. Here is some information to choose which deadline makes the most sense for you!

Early Decision: This is an earlier admission deadline and is a BINDING CONTRACT. Students applying to a school as an Early Decision student are committing to attend this school if accepted. Once accepted, student will need to withdraw all other college applications. Student can only apply to one (1) school Early Decision.

Early Action: This is an earlier admission deadline which allows students to have the process completed and decision sent to them earlier. This is not binding and students can apply to as many colleges as they want with an Early Action status.

Regular Decision: This is the traditional deadline a school will offer.

Rolling Admission/Deadline: This admission deadline does not have a set date, applications are accepted and reviewed as they come in on a rolling basis. We strongly encourage students to complete their applications in the Fall, even if the school they are applying to has a rolling deadline.

Starting on Monday, October 20, 2025 through Monday, November 3, 2025, students can apply to up to five (5) institutions within the State University of New York (SUNY) system for free!!!

Keep in mind that you do not need to have your Transcript submitted before applying. If you have any questions about this, please see your Counselor or Mrs. Cook!

Below are the Fall SAT and ACT* test dates. Please keep in mind your college application deadlines when registering for your exams. Click the test date photo to register!

Those students who believe they are eligible for a Fee Waiver for either exam must reach out to their School Counselor. As a reminder, families must still complete the Application for Free and Reduced Lunch to see if they qualify.

(*Please also keep in mind that IHS is no longer a testing site for the ACTs.)

Join us on November 12th from 5:30PM - 8:00PM for our annual Post High School Planning Workshop! This event is open to all of our students and families grades 9-12. There will be multiple sessions to choose from and there's something for everybody! We encourage you to attend each year to explore pathways and get information on the planning process. See this link for our detailed Session schedule!

Financial Aid Night is happening during our Post High School Planning Workshop where a Financial Aid Representative from a local college is joining us to provide valuable information to families. Click this video link to view the recording from Fall 2024. Not to worry, we will be recording this year's event again if you are unable to make it, or want to join a different session being offered at the same time!

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may help students attend colleges and/or programs with financial assistance. This link will take you to the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. This website is used to complete the FAFSA as well as create an FSA ID which both student and parent need to electronically sign the FAFSA before submitting.

The College Scholarship Service or CSS profile is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid, and is required by some colleges/universities to be completed in addition to the FAFSA. This form is available now through the following link. Please check the individual college requirements to determine if this is something your student needs to complete.

Use this link to access a list of currently available scholarships!