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Understanding the College Application Process & the Common App
For Parents and Students

Application Deadlines: Students are responsible for knowing their own deadlines!

Goal: For November 1 deadlines - Students should plan to submit Applications by October 20, 2024

Goal: For December 1 deadlines - Students should plan to submit Applications by October 31, 2024

ACT/SAT Scores: While many colleges are Test Optional, some programs within certain colleges still require a score. Students are responsible to know their situation. For example, many majors at the University of Cincinnati are test optional, however their nursing program requires a test score. Students must request their own score to be sent to the college. Do this early! 

 College Deadlines and Test Scores: A Cheat Sheet

 

General Resources:

College Application Process: Kings w/ Schoolinks - Powerpoint Presentation for Students & Parents

KHS College Application Process - Mrs. Volker's Google Site w/ Step by Step Instructions
- General Information
- Common Application
- Schoolinks (Initial Set up, Student Profile, Letters of Rec, Transcripts)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- FAFSA and Scholarships

Letters of Rec: Students should fill out their Profile in Schoolinks or upload a resume before requesting letters of rec!  This gives the teachers extra detail to include in their letter.

 

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Resources:

The FAFSA opens December 1, 2024 and is based on the previous year's taxes (2023 taxes for the 2025/2026 school year when filling it out in December of 2024).  Both parent and student will need to create a FSA ID to represent their respective signature. The actual FAFSA account should be created in the student's name, social security number and birth date. We recommend completing a FAFSA application by February 1st, 2025 in order to receive timely "Statement of Costs" from the colleges a student has been admitted to. 

Going Merry is a great resource for FAFSA and Scholarships.
They have a "FAFSA Made Easier" that uses common everyday questions to fill out the FAFSA.
Parents give it a try here.

 

 Click here for links to the Financial Aid 101 Presentation given by Sinclair Community College

Click here for Sinclair's short video clips on filling out the FAFSA

 

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP 101

Scholarship 101: $ can be sought from a variety of places
 
1. Students can search scholarships on the Internet. Many are sponsored by large companies and have deadlines between December 2024 and June 2025.

Helpful Sites include:
- Going Merry, Fastweb, Scholarships.com, Chegg, Studentscholarships.org and College Board
- Going Merry is highly recommended and works much like the Common App. Fill it out once and use it to apply to many scholarships.

 
2. Students can search for Local Scholarships in Naviance beginning in Jan. 2025
 
3. Students can search “Scholarship Universe” on their own university website once they’ve selected a school.
   
4. Students can talk with their college's Financial Aid office to ask about other scholarships and grants that might be relevant and helpful to them.