College & Career Resources

The path to college can feel overwhelming! The following activities can help you prepare each year and stay on the path to finding your perfect fit after high school!

• 9th Grade - Explore careers through the Partnership Program (9^th grade Speaker Series) and use of Schoolinks. Maintain strong grades and develop great study habits. We have Advisement almost every week with many of the lessons geared toward College and Career. 
• 10th Grade - Continue to explore careers and start to research the differences between the ACT exam and the SAT exam. Take a free practice test at any of the local test prep agencies such as Applerouth, Kaplan, C2 Education, Sylvan, and others (GSMST does not endorse any specific agency but will list the services). GSMST continues to offer College and Career lessons. The Partnership Program will have site visits for 10^th grade students to explore local industries. The Partnership Program will also get 10^th graders ready for their Junior Fellowship Experience. This is in preparation for course selection during Spring semester.
• 11th Grade - GET READY!! This is when we start the big stuff. All juniors are expected to take an ACT or SAT by December/January, to get a good benchmark score. Then focus on studying for the test and take it again, before the summer. We will begin Junior College Planning meetings at the beginning of Spring term. Those meetings are scheduled using an online scheduling tool.  There are parent workshops for the 11^th grade families, to prepare for the college application season and help everyone get on the same page for options after high school.
• 12th Grade - The college application season begins! All seniors will receive several lessons in applying to college, using the Common App, requesting recommendations, and more. GSMST Writing Center helps with the essay polishing process. We highly, highly encourage students to apply to at least one school by October 15th. Families should begin the FAFSA in October (details below) to have all documentation processed early. The Google site for seniors is packed with information and guidance!

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General Testing Information

Students take either the ACT or SAT test as part of the college application process. Almost every student that attends a college has taken the ACT or SAT. What exactly are these tests? Which one should you take? We strongly encourage students to take both tests at least once. This will give you an idea of which test showcases your abilities, and you can concentrate on increasing the score of your "best" test.

ACT

The ACT contains four sub-tests in English, Math, Reading, and Science (optional, but we recommend students take it as colleges differ on requirements). A separate ACT Writing Test is also available but very few colleges require it. Each sub-test has a high score of 36. The three sub-test scores of Math, English, and Reading are averaged together for a Composite Score. Some colleges look at the sub-tests individually; others consider the entire Composite Score. Click here to register for the ACT.

SAT

The SAT assesses your math and English skills. It also contains an optional writing portion (not needed for most colleges). Each section has a maximum of 800 points, with a high score of 1600 for the math and verbal sections. Many college websites will discuss their "freshman profile" and list the SAT scores out of 1600. Please check with your prospective college or university admissions office to see what test are required for admission. Click here to register for the SAT.

Students that receive Free or Reduced Lunch

If you are a Junior or Senior on free/reduced lunch, you qualify for a fee waiver to take the SAT or ACT.

SAT Fee Waiver

At least two weeks before the registration deadline, you will request an SAT fee waiver directly from The College Board. Information about requesting a fee waiver directly from the College Board. Click here for more information about requesting a waiver.

You must be logged into your College Board account to request the fee waiver. If you are asked to provide an email address for someone at the school (this sometimes happens), please use your counselor’s Outlook email address when you make your request:

Amy Burke (A-G): amy.burke@gcpsk12.org

Mike Weiland (H-O): mike.weiland@gcpsk12.org

Katrina Cole-Garner (P-Z): katrina.cole-garner@gcpsk12.org

You will receive an email within a week letting you know if your request was approved or denied.

If you feel that your request was incorrectly denied, please contact your counselor with your name, student ID, and grade level. We can check your eligibility and may be able to provide a code if necessary.

ACT Fee Waiver

Please email your counselor with your name, student ID, and grade level to request an ACT fee waiver. We will email you with the code and instructions. You must request at least two weeks before the deadline - requests closer to the deadline may not be honored.

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The College Board has an outstanding tool that lets you search for a college and view the AP credit policies!

Click here to access the AP Credit Policy Resource

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General Information

All seniors and their parents/guardians will need to complete the FAFSA. One of the best resources is the FAFSA customer service, as they are used to all types of questions! There are many companies that will also help you through the FAFSA, but I encourage you to follow the government's website first. It is full of useful information and tips, for every entry you need to make.

Websites to use

• FAFSA Homepage - Make sure you are on the .gov site and not another website. There are fake websites out there that charge to fill out the FAFSA. Remember that the F at the beginning of FAFSA stands for FREE. The customer service at FAFSA is wonderful and are there to help EVERYONE through the process if you have questions. On this website is the FAFSA4Caster.  This gives you the opportunity to estimate your financial aid numbers.
• GA Futures - This is where students get information about the HOPE Scholarship. It is critical to stay updated on the HOPE Scholarship requirements and changes.

GA Futures, HOPE & Zell Miller Scholarships

The HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships are available for students that meet certain academic requirements. Students that graduate with a 3.0 HOPE Calculated GPA (you can find your HOPE Calculated GPA on the GA Futures website) will receive a portion of their tuition at any college or university in the State of Georgia. Students that graduate with a 3.7 Hope Calculated GPA and an ACT Score of 26 or a combined SAT Score of 1200 will be awarded the Zell Miller Scholarship that pays 100% of a student's tuition at any public college or university in the State of Georgia. Zell Miller Scholarship recipients will be awarded a portion of their tuition at private colleges or universities in the State of Georgia.

For more information on the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship programs, please visit GA Futures.

Scholarships

Students: Please access our scholarship list on the GSMST Counseling Google site on the Senior Information page.

It is recommended students keep an eye out for scholarships, but we encourage our seniors to finish college applications first, then move forward with scholarship searches. Spend a few minutes each evening, or an hour each weekend, or more. Use different databases and create notification profiles. Students who dedicate a portion of their week to scholarship searches will have success! It just takes effort.

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It's never too early to start preparing. If you are in 9th and 10th grades, be aware of the requirements for each military academy and make sure your grades are UP.

If you are a JUNIOR, you need to be looking at the websites for each military academy. You also need to be familiar with the process of nomination. If you are thinking of applying to a military academy for college, please see your counselor to familiarize yourself with the process. The military academies begin their processes much earlier than traditional colleges.

Also, there are summer opportunities at the military academies that are VERY COMPETITIVE to attend and give you the "feel" of that particular academy. Look for those applications in the Spring.

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For college application transcripts, students MUST use SchooLinks to request transcripts, even if the college requires a hard copy. See the College Application Materials page on the Counseling Google Site (linked from the student landing page).

ALL seniors receive the END OF YEAR FINAL transcript for free.

All other transcripts are $5 per transcript. Hard copy transcripts are sealed in an envelope with a copy of the school profile and picked up by the student. Students are responsible for mailing their own transcripts.

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