ACT TESTING INFORMATION
January 2012:
• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available. File the FAFSA as soon as possible at fafsa.ed.gov.
• The registration deadline for the Feb. ACT® test date is Jan. 13. After that students may register, with a late fee, until Jan. 20.
February 2012:
• The ACT will be administered Feb. 11.
March 2012:
• Register for the April 14 ACT test by March 9 to avoid paying a late fee. Students can register for this test date until March 23 and pay the late fee.
Gathering FAFSA documents
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now posted online. It’s important to complete the form and submit it as soon as possible, as some financial aid is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Here are some of the items you will need:
• Social Security number and parents’ Social Security numbers if a dependent.
• Driver’s license number, if you have one.
• 2011 federal tax information for student and parents if providing parent information. If students have not filed taxes, they can still submit your FAFSA by estimating family income.
• Records of untaxed income, such as Social Security benefits, welfare benefits, and veteran’s benefits for students and parents.
• A full list of the needed items is at fafsa.ed.gov.
Juniors — Jump-start your college planning
It’s time to spring into action for students in the last half of their junior year. It’s important to be prepared for what’s to come.
Here are some things you can do:
• Start or continue to take challenging classes. When registering for senior year, don’t just sign up for easy courses. Challenging classes improve chances for college admission and better prepare students for college-level courses.
• Begin to make a preliminary list of colleges to investigate further. The Internet is an excellent tool to start a search. Students can also check with their school’s counseling office.
• Fill out a college comparison list here to help decide which school might be the best fit.
• Make plans to visit colleges this spring when classes are in session. There are a lot of important factors to consider during a visit. ACT has a list of them at www.actstudent.org/college/visit.html.
• Create an academic resume that includes academic history, extracurricular involvement and unique accomplishments.
• Register for the ACT. It’s best to take it during the spring of this year. If not, plan to take it in the summer or fall.
• Investigate scholarship opportunities by asking a high school counselor or calling the financial aid office at colleges students are interested in attending. Financial aid sources vary — the federal government, the college or university itself, even a parent’s employer — may all offer some form of financial assistance.
Finish strong, seniors
Once a student has a college offer in hand, he or she may get the urge to coast through the rest of the school year. However, it’s important to finish strong.
Colleges, especially selective universities, have been known to withdraw offers of admission to students who drop college prep classes or begin earning uncharacteristically low grades. If students’ grades have slumped, but not too far, colleges might send a warning letter and add certain stipulations to your admission, such as requiring a certain grade point average during the first year of college.
Taking an extended breather during your senior year can also make the freshman year in college more difficult because students aren’t conditioned for the level of workload. So have fun in these coming months, but don’t give up on college preparation.
Online activity can hurt when applying to college or jobs
A recent article in USA Today says the number of college admissions officials using Facebook to learn more about an applicant has quadrupled in the past year. The story cites a survey where a number of college admission officials reported finding information posted by perspective students online that hurt the student’s chances of getting accepted.
It’s important to remember that the Internet is a public place and many times what is put online can be accessed by anyone. Every word and every picture posted is a reflection of the person posting, so make sure it’s a positive one.
How scores are reported
When a student takes the ACT, three reports are prepared: The student report, the high school report and a report for colleges and scholarship agencies.
The student score report is mailed to the address provided on the registration. Student score reports are also available online three to eight weeks after taking the test. If a student took the Writing Test, his or her score reports will be released only after all scores are available, usually within five to eight weeks after the test date. Once students have received the report, check out the valuable personalized college and career planning information it contains.
If a student authorizes it when registering, the high school will also receive a report. High school counselors can use the information to help plan appropriate coursework supporting goals. Some schools include the test score on the official transcript. The high school report contains scores and college and career planning information.
When a student registers for the ACT, he or she can choose four colleges or scholarship agencies to have the scores sent to for free. Students can also select two more for an additional fee. This report includes the same information found on the student and high school reports, high school grades and performance predictions for specific college programs and courses.
There is no way to speed up the scoring of your test or reporting of scores. For more information about the ACT and score reporting, visit www.actstudent.org/scores.
Students should plan ahead to make sure little things won’t distract from doing their best on test day. Double check the location of the admission ticket and take it to the testing site. Also, make sure the type of calculator is allowed, that it has fresh batteries and that it works. And finally, don’t forget to bring a photo ID.
Obviously, unexpected events do happen. Read testing information from ACT well ahead of time and visit www.actstudent.org/testprep/tips/testday.html to get familiar with test-day procedures and what is allowed in the testing room.
Test date reminder
The next national ACT test date is Feb. 11. The regular registration deadline is Jan. 13, and the late registration deadline is Jan. 20. The ACT test will also be offered on April 14 and June 9. Online registration and test date information is available at actstudent.org.
ACT offers an optional Writing Test in addition to the multiple-choice achievement test. Go to actstudent.org/writing to find out about the Writing Test, including a list of the colleges that require or recommend it.