College

SCOIR is HHCA's college exploration and college application management tool. All upper school students and parents should have an account (especially rising juniors and up).

If you have never logged in to SCOIR, request an invitation to join.

YouScience in SCOIR - Here are instructions for completing the YouScience Aptitude and Interest Assessment in SCOIR. Do this before your Rising Junior or Rising Senior Meeting with Mrs. Robinson.

Link to the presentation here.

Click here for the Teen Life Guide to College Admissions 2022.

Click here for HHCA's College Guidance Network Library

Junior Spring - College Prep Top 10 List - Begin here!

College Applications Checklist:

• Step-by-step guide for college applications for fall of senior year
• College Application Tracker
• College Essay Guy's College Application Hub
  • College Applications and Admissions Timeline
• Shemassian Consulting's The Ideal College Application Timeline

Common App:

• Click here to create a Common App account / log in
• SCOIR Guide to the Common App
• Common Application Guide for First Time Students
• Take a look at three sample Common Application packages for fictional students:
  • Sample Common App #1 - Maya Carter
  • Sample Common App #2 - JT Morris
  • Sample Common App #3 - Zac Romero
     

College Essay - see separate tab for info and resources

College Resume - see separate tab for info and resources

College Activities List:

• Clubs on Campus - Here is a list and description of most clubs on campus, but keep in mind it's a working document in progress.
• Community Service Form - 18 hours are required by HHCA this year. And, it's always a great idea to serve your community and/or your family. Track your service hours using this form, and turn it in to the HHCA front office for official credit that may add up to a Mayor's Volunteer Service Award, which is an excellent resume boost.
• Activities List Tips
  • Activities List Examples
• 30 Competitions for High School Students - Check these out for a challenge in your area of interest, as well as a resume booster!

Letters of Recommendation:

• Requesting letters of recommendation (SCOIR guide)
• How to ask for a letter of recommendation (College Essay Guy guide)

NCAA Eligibility Center

The 2022-23 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete is now available for download! The guide is designed to assist you with understanding the NCAA, NCAA Eligibility Center registration and academic requirements, and how you can help your student-athletes work toward their collegiate dreams.

Webinar: Understanding Initial Eligibility Standards for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (1/08/22)

NCAA Newsletter Fall 2021

7 Tips to Prepare for the Athletic Recruitment Process

College Essay:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• The College Essay Guy's How to Write a College Essay: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide
  • 12 Personal Statement Examples
  • College Essay Tips
• 5 Tips to trim your essay (if>650 word limit!) from Kim Lifton of WOW Writing Workshops:
  1. Use adverbs selectively (that’s our favorite pun!). Circle or highlight all adverbs. Take them out. These include “very” and many “ly” words, such as really, extremely, completely, and absolutely.
  2. Look for a single word or short phrase followed by a comma. These include because of this, in fact, first, last, hopefully, to be frank, quite frankly and in conclusion. Highlight the words or phrases, then read the sentences without them. Take out the ones that do not enhance your story.
  3. Delete helping verbs. Example: Replace “is going to be attending” with “will attend.”
  4. Delete to be verbs. Rather than saying “I am a voracious reader,” try “I read voraciously.”
  5. Turn some nouns into verbs: “I concluded” is better than “I came to the conclusion.”
• Supplemental Essay Guides from The College Essay Guy - See if the college you're looking for is covered here!
• Example Essays - If you'd like to read some example essays, ask Mrs. Robinson.

Explore these college resources and ideas:

• SCOIR:
  - Explore colleges with the Discover tab - Add preferences, such as academic focus, distance/location, size, test scores, etc.
  - View scattergrams - View admissions probability by SAT/ACT

• CollegeData.com - Estimate your admissions chances and more!

• College Search by GPA - View admissions probability by GPA
  • More about College Admissions Requirements and GPA

• US Department of Education's College Scorecard - Search and compare colleges: their fields of study, costs, admissions, results, and more.
   
• ROI: Which colleges are the best investment?
  • What is the Financial Value of my Degree?
  • Which College Programs Give Students the Best Bang for the Buck?
  • Ranking 4500 Colleges by ROI (2022) (by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce)

• Meet the college representatives who visit HHCA. See the schedule in SCOIR.

• Attend college fairs:
  - NACAC Virtual College Fairs
  - Beaufort County College Fair at USCB (annually in September/October)

• SC Colleges Info Sheets 2021-22

• Take a tour of college campuses you're interested in (schedule a small group tour ahead of time on the college website)

• Questions to ask College Admissions Representatives

• Academic Common Market - explore the possibility of in-state tuition for out-of-state colleges for certain majors HERE.
   
• Two-Year Technical Colleges in SC - explore the technical colleges of SC and their 10 most popular programs--nursing and health science, IT, accounting, business administration, culinary arts, and more!
   
• Military Service Academies - USNA, USMA, USAFA, USCGA, USMMA - See Mrs. Robinson for more information about the process for applying to these colleges! (Starting sophomore spring is ideal.)
   
• ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) Info - Train to serve as a military officer and pay for college at the same time.
  • NAVY/MARINE CORPS ROTC:
    • Navy/Marine Corps ROTC Main Website
    • Find colleges with Navy/Marine Corps ROTC (by state)
    • Navy ROTC at The Citadel
    • - Contacts page here
    • Navy ROTC at University of South Carolina
    • - For questions regarding how to join UofSC Navy ROTC or Scholarships email the recruiting officer at navyrotc@mailbox.sc.edu or call 888-248-7026.
  • ARMY ROTC:
    • Army ROTC Main Website
    • Find colleges with Army ROTC (by state)
  • AIR FORCE ROTC:
    • Air Force ROTC Main Website
    • Find colleges with Air Force ROTC
       
• More College Exploration Websites:
  • College Raptor
  • Niche
  • College Express

The College Resume:

Click here to access the AXS Companion to the 2022-23 Common Application. This guide will walk you through each section of the Common App.

Here is another very useful Common App step-by-step walk through.

• Clubs on Campus - Here is a list and description of most clubs on campus, but keep in mind it's a working document in progress.
• Community Service Form - 18 hours are required by HHCA this year. And, it's always a great idea to serve your community and/or your family. Track your service hours using this form, and turn it in to the HHCA front office for official credit that may add up to a Mayor's Volunteer Service Award, which is an excellent resume boost.
• 30 Competitions for High School Students - Check these out for a challenge in your area of interest, as well as a resume booster!

Click here for competitions in areas ranging from art to STEM.

HHCA Dual Enrollment Overview Presentation (2022-23)

HHCA Student and Parent Dual Enrollment Agreement - Must be renewed each year. Sign and turn in the last page to Mrs. Robinson by current deadline.

USCB:

• USCB Dual Enrollment Presentation (2022-23)

• USCB Dual Enrollment Steps (Summer/Fall 2023)

• USCB Dual Enrollment Online Application (fee waiver code: USCBDE)

• USCB Course Schedules (Click Course Schedule > USC Beaufort > subject area)

• HHCA Student and Parent Dual Enrollment Agreement - Must be renewed each year. Sign and turn in the last page to Mrs. Robinson by current deadline.

TCL:

• TCL Dual Enrollment Presentation (2022-23)
• HHCA Student and Parent Dual Enrollment Agreement - Must be renewed each year. Sign and turn in the last page to Mrs. Robinson by current deadline.
• TCL Dual Enrollment Online Application - Apply online, then complete steps 1 & 3, including the four forms listed in step 3. Mrs. Robinson will send your transcript (step 2) once you apply online and turn in ALL forms to her by the current deadline. The forms are:
  • Dual Enrollment Agreement (Must be renewed each year!)
  • Residency Verification
  • FERPA
  • Registration form
• TCL Course Search Tool
  • SUMMER 2023 (1st Sheet Tab = Arts, Sciences; 2nd Sheet Tab = Business, Tech, Industrial)
  • FALL 2023 (1st Sheet Tab = Arts, Sciences; 2nd Sheet Tab = Business, Tech, Industrial)
    (Note the order of course locations: Online options, Beaufort, New River, Culinary Institute)
     

Grand Canyon University:  Online only

• HHCA Student and Parent Dual Enrollment Agreement - Must be renewed each year. Sign and turn in the last page to Mrs. Robinson by current deadline.
• Grand Canyon Dual Enrollment Courses offered online
• 3.0 UWGPA (See transcript on SCOIR My Drive)
• Approval from high school guidance counselor
• Application process begins 2-4 weeks in advance of the course start date
• Set up a time with Mrs. Robinson to discuss, confirm and receive instruction packet
• 7-week courses begin every Monday
• $210 per 4-credit course ($52.50 per credits)
• $105 digital course materials fee
• Additional textbook fees may apply

Will your Dual Enrollment course credits transfer? Check here for SC Colleges. Check the specific college's website if out of state (search "transfer course equivalency").

Will your AP score count? Search "AP Credit" on the specific college's website. Here is Clemson's AP Credit info, as an example.

Connect AP to Majors and Careers

AP/Dual Enrollment Comparison

HHCA Scholarship Database - Find local, state and national scholarships, as well as links to various scholarship databases here.

South Carolina Scholarships - Find Life, Hope, and Palmetto Fellows info here.

Making College Attainable - Presentation on ways to pay for college developed by high school students. See the scholarship/test score chart below and on page 19 in this presentation.

12 Tips to Manage the Cost of College (Book Summary)

FINANCIAL AID/FAFSA PRESENTATION (Given at HHCA on 10/11/22 by SC Tuition Grants representatives Katie Harrison and Zachary Christian.)

FAFSA - Free application for federal student aid

• What is the FAFSA?
• EFC Estimator and another EFC Calculator
• EFC Predictor
• FAFSA Walk-through video
• FAFSA Completion Video Series by SCCANGO (from Oct 2022)
• FAFSA Toolkit - Written walk-through instructions for the FAFSA

FAFSA - 2023-24 Questions Guide

CSS Profile - Some (usually private) colleges also require the CSS Profile

Financial Award Letter Example (Use this in spring of senior year)

Financial Award Letter Analyzer (Use this in spring of senior year)

Financial Award Comparison Tool (Use this in spring of senior year)

How to Make a Budget - Make sure you can afford college and life!

College Budget Worksheet - Use this to start creating a budget for yourself.

                SAT @ HHCA: 8/26, 11/4, 12/2                                                ACT @ HHCA: 9/9, 2/10
The SAT will go digital in 2024. If this is not                     ACT Private Test Site Code: 257120
a good format for you, take it in 2023.                                        (+$15 payable on test day)
                                                                                                              

HHCA's school code (CEEB) = 411034

SAT Registration

• • SAT Prep with Khan Academy
  • More SAT Prep Resources
  • SAT Vocabulary Word List - 100 Words To Know

ACT Registration

• • ACT Prep Resources
  • ACT Science Facts You Should Know
  • Improve your ACT by 2 points in 20 minutes
  • ACT Superscore Calculator

SAT/ACT Tutors - Email Mrs. Robinson for a list

SAT/ACT FREE Test Prep from the US Army's March 2 Success Program

SAT/ACT Testing Accommodations

SAT/ACT Comparison

SAT vs. ACT Diagnostic Test - (SHORT version - 15 minutes or less)

SAT vs. ACT Diagnostic Test - (LONG version 1.5 hours)

SAT/ACT Conversion Table

What's a Good SAT score? The Definitive Guide

TESTING FAQs:

• Should I use my SAT/ACT scores?
• List of test-optional colleges
• List of colleges that allow self-reporting of test scores
• Tips for managing test anxiety

Colleges want to see that you are making the most of your time off in the summer to be productive, whether working at a job or internship, attending a summer camp, reading, helping your family, traveling, engaging in community service, etc.

Consider attending a sports or academic camp at a college you're interested in or in a career field of interest. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• AI Scholars Program 2023 - A summer online Artificial Intelligence intensive taught by MIT and Stanford grad students for elementary, middle and high school students.
   
• American Collegiate Adventures (ACA) Summer Programs
   
• 2023 TeenLife Summer Program Guide

• TeenLife Summer Program YouTube Channel

• The Best Summer Programs for High School Students

• Online Summer Program Directory

• SC Governor's School for Science and Math Summer Programs (7th - 12th grades)

• SC Governor's School for the Arts Summer Programs (7th - 12th grades)

• SC Governor's School for Agriculture Summer Programs (7th - 12th grades)

• Clemson Summer Scholars Camps (7th - 12th grades)

• Clemson Youth Learning Institute Camps (ages 8-16)

• University of South Carolina - Carolina Master Scholars Adventure Series Camps (6th - 12th grades)

• Georgia Institute of Technology Engineering Camps (9th - 12th grades)
   
• Notre Dame Summer Programs (9th - 12th grades)
   
• SCAD Summer Programs - (9th - 12th grades)

• Virginia Tech Summer Science Programs

• USNA Summer STEM Programs (rising 9-11) (also check for sports camps)

• USNA Summer Seminar (rising 12)

• USMA Summer STEM Camps (rising 7-10)

• USMA Summer Leadership Experience (rising 12)

• USAFA Summer Sports Camps (ages 8-18)

• USAFA Summer Seminar (rising 12)

• USCGA AIM Summer Programs

An unofficial transcript will be placed in students SCOIR "My Drive" twice per year (June/January), starting with the end of 9th grade. To request a copy of your official high school transcript to be sent to an organization, email Mrs. Short, our registrar, here.

Sample transcript - See where to find your rank, weighted GPA, and unweighted GPA.