College Day 2011: The annual college fair presentation by the Clay High Guidance Department will be held October 5^th. The students will meet in the auditorium from 12:00 -1:00. There will be over 60 colleges represented and over 600 juniors and seniors will be in attendance. This will be an excellent chance for students to engage one on one with college counselors.

Parents of Sophomores: A letter will be sent to Sophomore parents in October to invite tenth grade students to take the PLAN Test/Pre-ACT in November. Our district goal for this year is for all sophomores to take this test. The PLAN is recommended for college-bound students as it provides experience, and information on how to improve scores on the ACT when juniors take them during their second semester.

Parents of Seniors:

Most likely there are many questions about your son’s or daughter’s college plans for next year. Applications to colleges, the scholarship search/application, the financial aid application/FAFSA, and the final selection of colleges are all part of an overwhelming list of considerations and tasks. With that in mind, the Clay Guidance Department hopes that the following information will assist you. A list of special guidance events, dates, and times is provided for your future reference. You may want to save this list so that you may attend any or all of the events as they relate to your needs.

October 19, 2011 “Toward Fall of 2012” – seminar for seniors during the day

October 19, 2011, 7:00 p.m. - “Toward Fall of 2012”- evening seminar for parents of seniors. We will meet in the Clay Library. Parents of juniors are welcome to attend.

December 2011 – Financial Aid Night: Parents of seniors are invited to a session on financial aid as you plan for college in the fall of 2012. Information on, how to fill out and file the FAFSA/Free Application for Financial Student aid, scholarship information, and alternatives for financing a college education will be presented. Although this is for senior parents, all parents are welcome. The date will be announced in the near future.

ACT: Seniors who intend to apply to college must take the ACT college test unless they plan to attend Owens Community College and not major in a health-related field of study. Test fee is $34; the ACT plus Writing is $49.50; late registration is an additional $21. Note that most colleges and universities have required or recommended the ACT Writing Test, so it is best to be prepared. The dates for the ACT are as follows:

Although the ACT is the recommended test for college entrance in the Midwestern United States, a few students may wish to also take the SAT. The Ivy League Schools as well as military academies accept the ACT, yet students applying to those schools may wish to also send SAT scores. Since the SAT has a writing component the test fee for the SAT is $49. The remaining dates for the SAT are as follows:

Applying to College: Seniors may apply to their selected colleges and universities at any time (Please check deadlines for the school of your choice). We ask that the student bring his/her application (or formal transcript request if they have registered online), to their guidance counselor with a check made out to the college for the application fee. The counselor will send the student’s transcript, the school profile, and other requested information to the college. If the student applies online, he/she must complete the online application first before asking the counselor to send the transcript, etc. Otherwise, pieces of the application, or transcript can be lost at the admissions office.

College Visitation: If your son/daughter has not chosen a college yet, he or she should be planning visitations to college campuses now. This is a good time for parents and their high school seniors to take some weekend trips in order to take a quick yet thorough look at the college choices. Clay High School allows students to take Academic Days, whereby the student is excused for college visits. Before they attend, the student must complete the teal colored Academic Day Form (obtained in the Guidance Office), which will require verification of the visit on college stationary. Students are granted a maximum of 3 academic days.

NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER: Any junior or senior planning on playing college athletics at a NCAA Division I or Division II school should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. The site for registration is www.eligibiltycenter.org. You should contact Mrs. Birr in the Guidance Office for more information.

You are welcome to call any of the counselors to obtain information. Our direct number is 419-697-3434. If you call after school hours, you may leave a voice mail on the following extensions.