Success Planning Guide - 12th Grade | Silver Spring

Empowering students with language-based learning differences

Academics

12th Grade College Counseling

Color Coding: Student Responsibilities, Events, Student and Family Steps

Complete the College Deadlines form. This information is crucial for Mrs. Carpenter to send in your materials on time to the colleges you apply to.
Give Mrs. Carpenter 2 weeks notice before your first deadline (email her).
Inform your teachers of your deadlines for letters of recommendation. They need plenty of notice since they write many letters.
Attend the information sessions given by visiting colleges. Ask questions and demonstrate your interest. The college representatives at these sessions are responsible for advocating for you as their colleges determine who to admit. You want to make sure they’ll remember you.
Complete your applications and keep track of your deadlines. This is your process, so take ownership and demonstrate your independence.
Continue to concentrate on your classes and activities. Colleges will place particular emphasis on your 1st quarter grades.
Attend the Financial Aid Information Session. This workshop provides priceless information about completing the FAFSA and obtaining aid from other sources.
Complete the FAFSA. The form opens on October 1st. You should submit it at the same time as your 1st application deadline.

Continue to concentrate on your classes. Mrs. Carpenter will send an updated transcript to all of the colleges you applied to at the end of the 2nd quarter. Colleges want to be sure you’re continuing to dedicate yourself to your school work and that you haven’t succumbed to “senior slump.”
Communicate with Mrs. Carpenter about your college acceptances. She’s available to help you consider your options and determine which college will be the right fit.
Mrs. Carpenter is also available to help you compare the award letters you receive from different colleges.
Re-visit the colleges you’ve been accepted to. Try imagining yourself spending the next four years on each campus.

Keep your grades up. Your college acceptances are contingent upon how well you do in your classes.
By May 1, make a final decision about which college you’ll attend in the fall.
To help seniors prepare for college, seniors will wrap up their regular high school classes at the end of April. Then, for the first two weeks in May, seniors will have 2 weeks of independent assignments to complete at home to simulate the college experience. During this time, teachers are available for office hours, and students are welcome to come to school for help or just to work, just as they do in college.
During the last two weeks in May, seniors will take their final exams and present final projects. In the past, seniors have consistently told us how valuable it has been to model the college experience at the end of the senior year.
Attend the Young Alumni Panel Presentation where you will hear from several young Siena alumni as they share their perspectives on how to successfully transition to college.
Graduation is typically the second Tuesday in June.

Register with Disability Support Services at your college. You will need to provide DSS with a copy of your psychoeducational testing.
After registering, you will need to meet with a representative from DSS to discuss what accommodations you feel you need and why. This meeting usually takes place during your orientation period. It's important to schedule this meeting well in advance since spots tend to fill up.
During this meeting, ask DSS about priority registration for classes and consider taking a reduced course load (3 instead of 4 classes) the first semester. DSS should help you create a balanced load so that you are not overwhelmed during your first semester.
Collect materials from your google drive and download them onto your home computer. That way you’ll have access to all of your Siena tools and strategies when you begin college in the Fall.