Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Financial Aid Night!!



We hope you can come to the Financial Aid Night which is hosted by the Counseling Office on Monday, October 1, 2018 at 6:30pm in the Auditorium. A representative from the Georgia Student Finance Commission will be on hand to explain the FAFSA, HOPE, HOPE Grant, and Zell Miller Scholarship.  She will also be able to answer any questions you might have about the process for obtaining aid.

Here is what will be discussed that night:
Georgia Student Finance Commission Presentation - GSFC Presentation

This powerpoint is additional information pertaining to scholarships and the CSS profile:
Dream Big Powerpoint - CHS Financial Aid Night Power Point

We look forward to seeing you then! 

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Requesting Counselor Recommendations



It's the time of year again when you are needing to start the process of applying to college.  The counseling team hosted a senior parent night on August 30.  We will host students for an information session on September 6 during the beginning of all lunch periods.  It is important that you attend a session to get the steps for you to work through this process with ease.  In the event you cannot make it on Thursday, here is a link to the presentation: Senior Information Presentation

Also, if you have not yet joined the Counselor Remind App - you should do so.  We send out quick announcements occasionally and we know you want to be in the loop.  Here is the link for that:  Class of 2019 - Join Remind

We have changed the process to request a counselor recommendation.  We have attempted to streamline this process and hopefully make it easy for you to do from home, rather than having to come into our office for each step.  Counselors are using Google Classroom for information purposes.  You must join YOUR counselor's Google Classroom link, not any other counselor or it will be declined.

**  Teacher recommendations are requested directly from the teacher.  The process to obtain a teacher recommendation does not go through the counseling office.

Keep in mind MANY colleges do not need a counselor recommendation.  This process only applies to students who DO need a counselor recommendation or school report completed.  If your college does not ask for one, then you do not need to follow this process.  However, if you do need a counselor recommendation or a school report here are the steps to request one.

Step 1:
Go to your FCS Launchpad account.  FCS Launchpad Site

Step 2: 
Click on the Google Classroom icon.

Step 3:
Click "Join Class" at the top right.

Step 4:
It will ask for your class code.  This is where you make sure you are joining YOUR counselor's "classroom".   You must go through your Launchpad account using your Fulton County email.

Mrs. Chilson - Last Names (A - Deo) - 9ydwhy2
Mrs. Johnson - Last Names (Der - Hei) - tyt7exh
Ms. Vemuri - Last Names (Hen - McD) - bmzt5uo
Ms. Blount - Last Names (McG - Sa) - zewqr6
Mrs. Jones - Last Names (Sc - Z) - nfgdcz4

Step 5:
Once you are logged into your counselor's Google Classroom, it will detail steps to upload a student profile, complete a Google Doc Form for requesting recommendations, and explain the process for requesting a transcript.  If the student profile is not complete, we cannot write your recommendation.  Make sure you follow through on all the steps provided.

Step 6:
Make sure you entered your counselor's email address into the application.  This is how the counselor gets the link to submit your recommendation.  We do not get links from students, it comes from the organization directly.  We fill it out and submit electronically.  Google Classroom describes how to handle the paper copy recommendations.

Lastly, all counselors require 10 school days to submit recommendations.  Please adhere to those deadlines.  Here are some of the important dates, this is not an exhaustive list of college deadlines - only some of the more popular deadlines:

•October 15th deadline – students must submit requests no later than September 27th
•November 1st deadline – students must submit requests no later than October 18th
•December 1st deadline – students must submit requests no later than November 9th
•January 1st deadline – students must submit requests no later than December 7th

Keep positive thoughts as you go through this process.  You have done the hard work, all you can do at this point is follow through on your plan, including having a back up option.