This guide is meant to help you navigate your post-high school planning, college search and application process, financial aid, and graduation review. You will find topics throughout with links to more information. We are here to help!

Senior Meetings will be held between September 23rd and November 1st. We will discuss your post-high school plans and review your high school transcript for graduation. You will be notified of your meeting date and time via your cssdapps email. Please regularly CHECK YOUR EMAIL!

Counselor Alpha Breakdown by Last Name:

Mrs. Sorbello - A through D

Mrs. Bergamo - E through La

Mrs. Wallace - Lb through Rh

Mr. Wales - Ri through Z

For your planning purposes, refer to this timeline throughout your Senior year

1. CHECK DEADLINES - make sure to submit your application before the college's deadline

*If you are applying to any SUNY college, you can apply for FREE from October 21st-November 3rd. Click HERE for more information on SUNY's Free Application Weeks!

2. DECIDE which application to use

• if applying to OCC or CCC apply using the free application from their website
• if applying to a combination of SUNY and private colleges, please use the Common App
• if applying to SUNY colleges only, please use the SUNY Application

3. APPLY!

4. COMPLETE and SUBMIT the PVM Transcript Request Form (link below) after you've submitted your college application. This notifies your Counselor to send out your transcript. Fill out one form for each college you apply to.

WHEN IN DOUBT, PLEASE SEE YOUR COUNSELOR OR GO TO THE CAREER CENTER FOR HELP!

• Ask your teacher in person to request a letter of recommendation.
• Be prepared to offer the teacher a resume or list of activities or use this form.
• Do not delay - ASK NOW and give teachers ample time to complete letters.

Your teachers were instructed to send a copy of their letter of recommendation to the Counseling Office. For some college applications, your School Counselor will submit your teacher's letter of recommendation.

If you are using the Common App, you will add your teacher's name and email in the Recommenders and FERPA section of the application. This will generate an email to your teacher to upload your letter or recommendation to the Common App.

For more detailed instruction on how to invite teachers, counselors, and other recommenders to your Common App, please read #4 in the Common App Guide For First-Year Students.

If you took the SAT and/or ACT and you want to have your scores sent to the colleges you are applying to, read on.

SAT - contact the College Board

ACT - contact the ACT

Remember...

• you can have scores sent for free when you request to as part of the registration process for the SAT and ACT
• many college are test-optional; check the application requirements for each college you are applying to for more information
• if you have not yet taken the SAT and/or ACT and you need to for the college you are applying to, please click here for information specific to testing at PVM. SEE YOUR COUNSELOR WITH ANY QUESTIONS!

PVM School Code: 331295

PVM Test Center Code for SAT: 33312

PVM Test Center Code for ACT: 215910

Colleges require you to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to receive federal aid money to help with the cost of college.

Students interested in attending a college in New York State should also complete the TAP Application for state aid money.

FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid

HESC - Higher Education Services Corporation (NYS Financial Aid - TAP)

FinAid - Guide to Financial Aid

Each college has their own financial aid webpage - check them out for more information.

When do I apply for financial aid?

• Submit your FAFSA in December 2024

How do I apply for financial aid?

• Use the links above to complete the FAFSA and TAP applications

Scholarship information can be found HERE on our PVM webpage. Our PVM 2024-25 Scholarship List will be up and running soon and it will be updated frequently. Please make it a habit to check the link weekly for new scholarships.

If you are an athlete considering participating in your sport at a Division I or Division II college, you will need to register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Center.

If you are interested in competing at the Division III level, you do not need to register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Center.

Talk with your School Counselor about your plans to play sports in college. There are high school course and grade requirements you must meet prior to graduation.

Eligible students who complete at least 6 credit hours with a 3.0 cumulative GPA in their Syracuse University coursework and who maintain a high school GPA of 3.7 (on a 4.0 unweighted scale) or 4.7 (on a 5.0 weighted scale) are guaranteed admission to the College of Arts and Sciences. Students applying to other colleges within Syracuse University will not be guaranteed admission but will receive full consideration for those programs and may still be eligible for Guaranteed Orange. They are also eligible to receive a $20,000 annual tuition scholarship.

More Information can be found on SU's website.

If you plan to enter the workforce after graduation or if you want to do some career exploration, here are some resources to check out:

PVM Career Center Calendar

Xello for Career Exploration and a Resume Builder

PVM Career Cluster Information

Career Outlook

Military Careers

Local Job Postings

Have you considered a job in the skilled trades?

• a tradesman, skilled tradesman, or tradie refer to a skilled worker who specializes in a particular occupation that requires work experience, on-the-job training, and often formal vocational education.

Here are the links to the local trade unions:

Ironworkers

Plumbers/Pipefitters/Refrigeration HVAC

Electricians

Carpenters

Painters

Sheet Metal Workers

You can find the most up-to-date contact information for local recruiters in our Career Center.

AIR FORCE

AIR NATIONAL GUARD

ARMY

MARINES

NATIONAL GUARD