Monthly Focus
Senior-Parent Breakfast
The Class of 2017 will begin the new school year with breakfast on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, from 8:00 to 10:00 am in the Dining Room of the Lumen Center. Student attendance is required; parent attendance is encouraged. This comprehensive program will address the senior year and the college application process. The centerpiece of the program will be our college admission presentation featuring Sally Richmond, Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid at Washington and Lee University. In order to prepare for breakfast, we ask that you RSVP to Ms. Sawyer at vsawyer@gilman.edu.
AIMS Financial Aid Night
Please mark your calendars, this year's Financial Aid Night will be held on Thursday, September 29, at 7:00 pm at Maryvale Preparatory School located in Lutherville at 11300 Falls Road. This comprehensive financial aid program is recommended for those planning on applying for college financial aid.
Applications and Application Essays
The CCO strongly encourages seniors to start and submit a draft of their Common App essay to their college counselor before September 1. We are looking forward to reviewing essays and providing feedback.
The Common Application
By September 1, every student should have created a Common App account. There is no need to begin filling out sections of the Common App this early. Essay drafts are far more important at this point. In the Google Drive Gilman CCO Folder, you will find many helpful resources, including a document we have created called the Gilman Common App User Guide. Please use it as you complete the Common App. It will answer a great many questions that will invariably arise.
Teacher Recommendations
Back in the spring every member of the class should have approached two teachers and secured their agreement to write a letter of recommendation. During Form Meetings in September, we will explain to the seniors how they will help the teacher upload the recommendation into the Naviance system. Once that is done, teacher recs will automatically be sent to the colleges. The CCO will also provide a "School/Counselor Recommendation." Please do not arrange to have additional recommendations sent without consulting with your son's counselor. In a great many cases, not following the college's application instructions by sending unsolicited materials is unwelcome. Given that over 95% of every Gilman senior class applies to at least one school by November 1, we will ask teachers to have their recs loaded into the system by October 26.
College Admission Rep Visits to Gilman
Throughout the fall, Gilman will host over 100 college admission representatives who come to campus to meet with interested students. These visits take place at 11:30am and 2:30pm daily, and a schedule is available on Naviance, in the CCO, on the CCO website, and on the US bulletin board. These meetings are a great way for you to gather more information, ask questions, and (usually) meet the admission representative for our region, who will likely be responsible for reading your application.
Reminders Sent to Your Phone
The CCO has established an account with REMIND. If you would like occasional application and admission reminders sent directly as a text to your phone, whether senior or parent. To register, access this link.
