Senior Year Grads Info
Welcome Senior Class of 2021
A note from your Senior Advisor Mrs. Prewitt
Dear Senior Parent,
If your student is considering attending college after high school (two year, four year, vocational program), please be ready to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), available October 1 for the 2021-2022 Academic Year at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa .
The FAFSA is your best chance to access financial help you may be eligible for in order for your student to attend a college, university, or vocational program. Unless you know your student is entering the workforce directly out of high school, please plan on completing a FAFSA for access to grants, loans, and some institutional scholarships.
Before you complete the FAFSA, you and your student will each need an FSA ID to provide your signature electronically.
After you and your student have each completed this task, please have your student complete the google form in my Class of 2021 Google Classroom (Class Code o6135ut). Even if you aren't going to complete the FAFSA, please still have your student complete the google form here:
On October 1 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, we will have a virtual parent night called Paying For College: What You Need to Know. More information to come soon!
As always, please email or call me with questions.
Lisa Prewitt
School Counselor
Class of 2021
509-565-3275
Dear Senior Parents & Guardians for the Class of 2021
Senior Year is here, can you even believe it! Almost eighteen years have flown by, and it is time to prepare your student to enter the next phase of life as an adult!
I have had the pleasure of being your student’s school counselor for the last three years. They are a great group of resilient young people who are living their senior year in a totally different way than we ever could have imagined. Please know how appreciative I am for each and every one of you for your kindness and patience during this chaotic start to the year.
I am in the process of scheduling a Senior Parent Night for the end of this month. The Senior Parent Night will be virtual and will include information about senior year, graduation, college, scholarships, and financial aid.
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For students interested in attending a Four Year University:
For today, I just wanted to let you know that the registration deadline for the September 26th administration of the SAT is tonight. Please have your student START HERE to register and please remember that if they took the PSAT in the past, they already have a log in. If your student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, you may qualify for a waiver, please email me for that code. I only have a few to start the year so let me know as soon as you can.
You may wonder, does my student need to take the SAT or ACT for admission to a four year university this year? No, but maybe… Most four year schools that previously required these tests for admission have waived this requirement for the Class of 2021 due to COVID-19. However, check with the schools your student will be applying to.
If you aren’t sure if you should sign up to take the SAT or ACT, please reach out to me OR check with the schools your student is interested in attending. Please also remember that the SAT and ACT scores can be beneficial for some scholarships.
As always, please reach out with any questions and look for more emails in the future from me!
Lisa Prewitt
MLHS School Counselor
Class of 2021
Parent's Guide to College Applications
College application deadlines are quickly approaching. Here are some helpful tips to help your student with their college applications:
1. If your student qualified for a SAT or ACT fee waiver they will most likely also qualify for an application fee waiver. Contact an admissions representative from the College or University your student wants to apply and ask for a fee waiver.
2. Find out the application deadlines for the colleges and universities that your student is interested in applying.
3. In general, schools will look at the following factors: high school courses, grade point average (GPA), class ranking, test scores (SAT/ACT), personal essays, extracurricular activities, other personal or special skills, and letters of recommendation. Every college weighs these factors differently and some school's may not require all of them. Your best bet is to read the college/university material and try to get a feel for a particular school's philosophy.
4. If the college/university requires official transcripts have your student make a request with Mrs. Kim Zappone in the counseling center.
5. Encourage your student to get multiple letters of recommendation from teachers (at least one from a core area i.e. Math or English), coaches, and community members. People who know your student the best, can write well, and can speak to their abilities, achievements and growth. There are letter of recommendation forms available in the counseling center that students can give teachers to help write letters. Allow at least two weeks for people to complete letters of recommendation.
6. Not all schools require an essay, but if they do help your student to use it to their advantage. Encourage them to write an essay that will help them shine through to the admissions board. Have them speak to how their presence on that school's campus will make a difference. Offer to edit and review their essay or help them find someone who can give constructive feedback.
7. Make sure that your student makes copies of paper applications, or prints a copy of an online application to keep for their records. They may also want to update schools of any subsequent events such as new SAT or ACT scores, and if they receive any awards or achievements.
College application deadlines are quickly approaching. Here are some helpful tips to help your student with their college applications:
1. If your student qualified for a SAT or ACT fee waiver they will most likely also qualify for an application fee waiver. Contact an admissions representative from the College or University your student wants to apply and ask for a fee waiver.
2. Find out the application deadlines for the colleges and universities that your student is interested in applying.
3. In general, schools will look at the following factors: high school courses, grade point average (GPA), class ranking, test scores (SAT/ACT), personal essays, extracurricular activities, other personal or special skills, and letters of recommendation. Every college weighs these factors differently and some school's may not require all of them. Your best bet is to read the college/university material and try to get a feel for a particular school's philosophy.
4. If the college/university requires official transcripts have your student make a request with Mrs. Kim Zappone in the counseling center.
5. Encourage your student to get multiple letters of recommendation from teachers (at least one from a core area i.e. Math or English), coaches, and community members. People who know your student the best, can write well, and can speak to their abilities, achievements and growth. There are letter of recommendation forms available in the counseling center that students can give teachers to help write letters. Allow at least two weeks for people to complete letters of recommendation.
6. Not all schools require an essay, but if they do help your student to use it to their advantage. Encourage them to write an essay that will help them shine through to the admissions board. Have them speak to how their presence on that school's campus will make a difference. Offer to edit and review their essay or help them find someone who can give constructive feedback.
7. Make sure that your student makes copies of paper applications, or prints a copy of an online application to keep for their records. They may also want to update schools of any subsequent events such as new SAT or ACT scores, and if they receive any awards or achievements.
