College Search & Application

College Search

1. Family Connection/Naviance 
2. Guide Books: See Family Connection for a full list. Many of these books can be found in the College Guidance office, please reach out to your counselor  if you wish to borrow one. 
3. CollegeBoard 
4. ACT  
5. Colleges Visiting HGP:  See the list below of who is coming and for students to sign up to attend the session, the student must login to Family Connection to sign up. 
6. Visit the colleges: There is no better way to learn about the school than to see the real thing! 
7. Twitter: Follow us on Twitter for the most up-to-date information at @HGP_College.

The college application process is specific to each and every college and university.  We will work with your student starting late in junior year to prepare the applications and the materials typically needed.  We meet with your student one-on-one through senior year to ensure that no steps are missed. 

Typical Documents for a College Application:

1. The application itself: This can be college-specific or could be through the Common App or Coalition App.  
2. High School transcript 
3. Test scores: Please note, this must be sent directly from the testing site by the student 
4. Essay(s) 
5. Recommendation letter(s) 
6. Resume

Here at Ghost, we believe that part of the college search is the concept of financial fit. As we guide students through the process, we encourage you as a family to have the important "cost" conversation. 

As you navigate the financial aid process, there are some important federal definitions of aid that you should be aware of when speaking with a college/university. 

Definitions: 

• Financial Aid – any grant, scholarship, loan or paid employment offered to help a student meet his college expenses.  Often does not meet full financial need of a student 
• Cost of Attendance (COA) - complete list of costs to attend school including tuition, room & board, fees, projected books cost, and potential travel costs.
• FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid is an application filed annually by the student and  parents to determine the family's EFC. 
• Expected Family Contribution (EFC) - The amount of money the federal government determines a family can reasonably contribute to a college education annually,. 
• CSS Profile – an additional form used to see if a student may be eligible for additional institutional aid (NOT FEDERAL) used by 400+ schools. 
• Financial Need – The difference in monies when you subtract the EFC from the COA.   

• Scholarship – Merit money given based on academic/personal performance, not based upon family financial need, that does not need to be paid back. 
• Need-Based Aid – Monies awarded based on family financial need – includes loans, employment and grants. 
• Grant – Need-based money you do not need to pay back. 
• PHEAA – Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency – offers additional grant funds based on financial need and state budget allowance.  Often listed as "estimated" on a financial aid package as the colleges wait for the state to set the annual budget each summer. 
• SEOG – Student Education Opportunity Grant – Federal Grant money given to families with demonstrated financial need that meets the federal guidelines. 
• Outside Scholarships – any outside scholarship the student earns towards paying for college 

Resource Websites: 

1. General – www.finaid.org 
2. FAFSA – https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
3. CSS Profile - https://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile 
4. PHEAA - https://www.pheaa.org/ 
5. U.S, Department of Education College Scorecard - https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ 

For outside scholarship websites and local scholarships geared to our students, please login to Family Connection.  

Want to discuss your specific questions?  Please reach out to your college counselor. 

We often have financial aid evenings for parents, please check the School Calendar for a schedule.  

For the driven athlete, our approach is to find a school where the student could not only play, but also love even if they cannot play for any reason. We understand the desire to learn and the desire to play can be equally strong, and we use that to help inform our search and application process. 

The Athletic Recruitment Process in 3 Main Steps: 

• Assess athletic ability 
• Identify appropriate colleges/universities 
• Contact coaches  

Step 1 can be the hardest, but it is the most important.  We encourage you to have your son speak to his coach(es) about their opinion on the level (Division I, II or III) he could compete.  Still unsure?  Consider using an outside assessment group like RecruitU (details on Family Connection). 

Need a checklist to stay on track through the recruitment process? Login to Family Connection and download a 4-Year Checklist!  

NCAA 

"The NCAA is a membership driven organization dedicated to safeguarding student-athlete well-being and equipping them with the skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom and throughout life." - NCAA.org 

• Includes 1,800 total schools across the three divisions (Division I, Division II, and Division III)
• All students playing Division I or II must pass through the NCAA Eligibility Center.   
• The NCAA has statistics on the % of students going professional after college. 
• Recruiting Fact Sheet  

NAIA 

"The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is a governing body of small college athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics." - NAIA.org 

• Includes 248 colleges and universities and 21 conferences 
• All students playing for the NAIA must register with the eligibility center.   

Curious about the athletic recruitment process for the the sport of rowing?  Read about it here.

Want to see slides from our latest information session?  Log into Family Connection!  

We encourage you to attend one of our sessions on the athletic recruitment process, check the School Calendar.