Senior Year Timeline

• Plan to take/retake SAT and/or ACT.
  Be aware of all deadlines (see "ACT & SAT Testing Schedule" for a complete listing of test dates and registration deadlines.) Also, be aware of Promise Scholarship requirements and application deadline. All seniors will be taken to the computer lab to apply for the Promise Scholarship in early February.
• Visit or revisit schools to which you are considering applying.
  Know your application deadlines and admission requirements. Investigate if Early Action or Early Decision is an option. Visit the college/university website for this information. Also, schedule andprepare yourself for an official college visit. Make sure you do the following during your visit:
  • talk with an admission counselor
  • take an official tour of the campus
  • sit in on a class, in the program of your interest and/or speak with a faculty member in your department of interest
  • eat lunch in the dining hall
  • spend a night in the residence hall
• Request letters of recommendation.
  Chances are you are going to need atleast three different letters of recommendation. Please request these early. Give your teachers, counselors, and principal at least two weeks to prepare a letter for you. They want to do a quality letter but need the time to do so. Also, please give them all the necessary information they need. Tell them where the letter is going, if this is for admission or a scholarship; and give them information about you, such as the information you put on your Senior Index sheet. You may also consider doing a resume of your activities, community service, awards & honors, and work experience. If you are uncertain how to create your resume, see Mrs. Niggemyer for assistance.
• Attend the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce College Fair.
  CCHS will take the entire Senior class to the College Fair scheduled for Monday, October 5 from 8:30 AM to 12:30PM at Wheeling Jesuit University.
• Attend the CCHS College Planning Night in November.
  This event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10 from 6:30 to 8:30. Vital information on the college planning process will be discussed at this program. An invitation will be sent home. You are strongly encouraged to attend this event with your parents.
• Apply for your and your parent's PIN numbers.
  To prepare for the on line financial aid application process , you and your parent must have PIN numbers. These numbers serve as your signatures when you apply on line for financial aid. You should begin this process in November, so you have your PIN numbers well before January 1. NOTE: Parents, if you already have a pin number you aquired to file the FAFSA for an older child, you do not need another one. However, each child in a household needs his/her own pin number.
• Registration for second semester college courses.
  Representatives from West Virginia Northern Community College and Wheeling Jesuit University will come to CCHS and register seniors for second semester classes. This will take place in November/December. Those students planning to take second semester college courses at WVNCC and/or WJU must register with the college/university. At this point, the college courses may be listed on your CCHS schedule, but you are not officially scheduled in the college courses until you complete the registration with them when they come to CCHS to do this in November/December.
• Complete all applications for admission by December 1.
  Paper applications should be turned in to the College Placement Office. We will mail your application along with your transcript of grades and test scores. If you apply on line please let the College Placement Office know so that we may forward your transcripts. A lot of colleges and universities prefer that you apply on line. Some will even waive the application fee for doing so.
• Attend CCHS Financial Aid Workshops.
  The Financial Aid process will begin in January. CCHS will host a financial aid workshop on Wednesday, January 6 at 6:00pm and a FAFSA-on-the-web Workshop on Wednesday, February 3 at 6:00pm. These workshops will assist you and your parents in filing your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It is very important that you attend at least one of these workshops, if not both, with your parent(s).
• Listen closely to daily announcements.
  College/University representatives visit CCHS from September through November. For a complete listing of visits see the college/university representative visit schedule. Students should take advantage of these opportunities to speak one on one with the Admissions Representatives. Also, all Scholarship information that arrives in the College Placement Office is announced several times and students are asked to stop in the CPO for details and applications. This is our main form of communication with you as a class. All announcements are read a minimum of three times both in the a.m. and p.m. In addition, copies of all announcements are kept in a binder in the office. " Not hearing announcements" is never an acceptable excuse for not getting the necessary information from the CPO.
• Visit the College Placement Office atleast once a week.
  Check in with Mrs. Niggemyer or Mr. McCullough weekly for updates on College/University visits , scholarship information, and information on other community service, volunteer, and/or leadership opportunities. Also, if you have not heard announcements for a couple days, check the "announcement binder" to find out what you missed,.
• Complete NCAA Clearinghouse Forms.
  If you plan to play Division I or Division II sports in college, you need to register with the NCAA clearinghouse. You can come to the CPO for the paper registration forms or you can register on line at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. If you register on line, you must download two transcripts release forms and turn them in to the CPO. One form is a release for your current transcripts and the other is a release for your final transcripts.