DESCRIPTION OF GUIDANCE COUNSELING AND OBJECTIVES BY CLASS

We hope that the following information will be beneficial to you in understanding

what your student should expect to experience in the area of counseling each year.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

All sophomores will meet with a guidance counselor at least once in a group setting and once individually. The emphasis will be on setting goals and completing a course schedule plan consistent with those goals. Sophomores will also be introduced to DISCOVER, the online college and career guidance tool we presently use.

All sophomores are encouraged to take the PLAN Test that is usually given at Covenant Christian High School in October of the sophomore year. The PLAN Test is produced by the same organization that produces the ACT (American College Testing) assessment, which is used by most Midwest colleges and universities as an entrance examination. It is especially important that students who expect to attend college take the PLAN, since it is predictive of the ACT scores and provides them with valuable experience in taking a test that is similar to the ACT. PLAN also furnishes the students with information to help them better understand their academic weaknesses and strengths. They then have more than a year to work on their deficiencies before they take the ACT.

JUNIOR YEAR

Juniors will meet with the guidance counselor in a group setting and individually. The counselor will aid students to make career decisions with the aid of the DISCOVER program.

Juniors are encouraged to take three tests:

1. The PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). The PSAT/NMSQT relates to the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test - another college entrance exam) in the same way that the PLAN Test (taken in the sophomore year) relates to the ACT: it offers students an opportunity to practice for the SAT. It is also a qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. Other scholarship sources also require the PSAT/NMSQT scores to determine eligibility. The PSAT/NMSQT is administered at Covenant Christian High School on a Saturday in October.

2. The ACT (American College Testing) assessment is used by most Midwestern colleges as a college entrance examination. It is also used to determine eligibility for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship. The ACT is now offered at Covenant in March free of charge as part of the Michigan Merit Exam, which is the test that qualifies a student for the Michigan Promise Grant ($4,000). When taken as a part of the Michigan Merit Exam there is no charge for the test. However, if the student has qualified for the Michigan Promise Grant but still wants to try to raise his/her ACT they must register well ahead of time, pay the standard fee, and take the test at a designated site. Registration packets are available at Covenant, but it is preferable to register online on the ACT website: www.act.org. A list of Michigan colleges with their 4-digit ACT code numbers can be found at http://www.actstudent.org/scores/scodes.html. Although we will gladly assist them with the paperwork, it is the student's responsibility to fill out the form, enclose a check, and mail the packet, or register and pay online.

Click here for test dates, application deadlines, and application fees for the school year.

Students may also elect to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), however most schools in Michigan prefer the ACT. If a student elects to take the SAT, they should do so in addition to taking the ACT rather than in place of the ACT. The Michigan Competitive Scholarship awards are based on the ACT score, as is the Michigan Promise Grant.

Juniors are encouraged to visit a college they are considering. Our policy for college visits follows:

POLICY FOR COLLEGE VISITS:

All college visits must be approved in advance by a guidance counselor.
Seniors should plan no more than two college visits on a school day, to be completed before April 1.
Juniors should plan no more than one college visit on a school day, to be completed before May 1.
A College Visit Permission form must be obtained from the counselor and returned with a parent signature at least five days prior to the visit.
The student must also have the teachers of all the classes that will be missed initial their form.
Students will not be allowed to visit a college during the week before exams.
Students are encouraged to make use of scheduled off-days, such as Records Day and in-service days, for college visits.

SENIOR YEAR

Seniors will also meet with the guidance counselor, in a group setting and individually. We will meet with the seniors early in the year to make sure that they are informed regarding requirements necessary for them to accomplish their goals.

Seniors are also encouraged to visit colleges they are considering. Our policy for this is stated above "SENIOR YEAR".

If a student did not take the ACT during the junior year he/she may take the test in October or in December. Seniors who take the ACT in October or December will be eligible to qualify for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship. See the ACT section under JUNIOR YEAR (# 2, above) for a link to dates, deadlines, and fees.

Students are advised to apply to colleges in which they are interested either late in the junior year or early in the senior year. This is very important since some colleges have scholarship deadlines as early as the end of December. It usually costs $20-30 to apply to a college, although some may offer free application as an incentive. A student may pick up a college application at our guidance office, directly from the college admissions office, or download one from the college's website, however; most colleges now prefer an online application. Most applications require some input from the counselor, as well as the student's high school transcript.

This is our present procedure for processing college applications ONLINE:

1. The student fills out his application, complete except for the counselor's section.

2. The student pays online for the application with a credit card

3. The student brings the counselor’s section to Mr. Haveman, Mr. Huber, or Mrs. Van Uffelen (this is usually available to download while applying.)

4. The counselor fills out the counselor’s section, prepares a copy of the student's high school transcript, and mails/faxes them to the college.

This is our present procedure for processing PAPER college applications:

1. The student fills out his application, complete except for the counselor's section.

2. The student or his parent writes a check for the application fee, made out to the college.

3. The student brings the completed application and the check to Mr. Haveman, Mr. Huber or Mrs. Van Uffelen (an envelope from home is not necessary).

4. The counselor completes the application and prepares a copy of the student's high school transcript.

5. The counselor mails the application, check, and a copy of the student's transcript to the college in a sealed envelope bearing Covenant's return address.

We will hand out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early in December. This form is used to determine eligibility for federal and state financial aid. The form should be completed and sent in after January 1, but no later than February 15. In order to complete this application the student must supply the code for the colleges they are considering. Click here for a list of the Federal School Codes required on the FAFSA form for the colleges to which our seniors most frequently apply. If a student is considering other schools, they may contact Mr. Huber or Mrs. Van Uffelen for the code. Covenant routinely hosts a financial aid night in January for seniors and their parents, which is helpful in terms of learning about various forms of financial aid. We also go through the FAFSA form itself. Information concerning the date and format of the meeting will be mailed early in December. Some schools require forms in addition to the FAFSA. Colleges usually send such forms to students from whom they have received applications. To be on the safe side you should check with the financial aid office at your college of choice.

If you send the FAFSA in on time, you should receive a report referred to as the SAR (Student Aid Report-for more information see http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/follow001.htm) by the middle of March. You should check the information in the SAR to make sure it is accurate, make any necessary corrections, and then call the financial aid office of the college you plan to attend and find out what they want you to do with the corrected SAR. Most colleges prefer that you send the corrected SAR to their financial aid office where they have the capability to transmit the changes electronically to the processor. If the SAR contains correct information, simply put it in your files. If you have "special circumstances" (other costs such as Christian school tuition , unusual medical expenses, or anything that would affect your ability to pay college costs) that you believe warrant consideration by the financial aid department in determining your award, contact the financial aid department of your college. They will usually ask you to detail these circumstances in a letter and send it to them. Some colleges, such as Calvin and Hope, will send a form to you in which you are asked to list such expenses.

In April you should receive a financial aid award letter from your college. Follow the directions in the award letter. The award letter you receive should indicate if you are eligible for a subsidized direct student loan. If this is the case, applications for the direct student loan will probably accompany your financial aid award letter. If you wish to avail yourself of this loan, complete the simple application form and send it to the financial aid office. If your college does not participate in the Direct Student Loan program, you may have to go to a bank and apply for a Guaranteed Student Loan. This is a more complicated and time-consuming process. We recommend that you apply for such loans in May, so that you have the money available when you pay the tuition, which in most schools, is required in August.

A college applicant may receive college credit by taking certain examinations. One such testing program is referred to as CLEP (College Level Examination Program). You should contact the college you plan to attend, to get information about their CLEP schedule. You should realize that you will have to pay a fee to take a CLEP test, so you should attempt CLEP tests only in subject areas in which you feel proficient.

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