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Beavercreek High School

ONE DISTRICT, ONE MISSION, ONE CREEK

BHS College Night Information

 

Logo for Beavercreek High School with an orange and black color scheme.                                                             

BHS Senior Night Information

Shared at the in-person meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2026

 

Meet your Counselor: 

  • Alexis Howell: A-Cor
  • Chris Downing: Cos-Hh
  • Lisa Hoelle: Hi-Mg
  • Susan Laws: Mh-Sc
  • Robyn Duley: Sd-Z
  • Lindsay Sullivan: Special Services Counselor

Unofficial Transcripts: 

  • All seniors received unofficial transcripts on Monday, September 14th in their AVP class
    • If they do not have an AVP, they were sent to the first class they attend
    • If they are not here due to CCP, they were mailed home.

GPA: 

  • You can get your GPA both weighted and unweighted through Parchment
    • A link and detailed instructions were sent to all seniors on August 31st
      • If your student is struggling with this, please have them reach out to their counselor

Class Size: 570 students

Senior Year Focus:

  • Go on College Visits- you can take up to three visits. See handbook for more information
  • Narrow down your college choices
  • Grades count even in the senior year. Stay focused
  • Meet with College Reps that are coming to BHS
  • Ask your teachers to be your recommender
  • Start applying to colleges by using Common App or using the University or College Website

Consider These Items When Picking a College:

  • Academic program
  • Location (urban, suburban, rural)
  • Size of the school (small, medium, or large)
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Housing accommodations
  • Dining provisions
  • Health/Counseling services
  • Safety
  • Job Placement for graduates
  • Actual cost of attendance (tuition, room/board, etc)
  • Diversity – SB1 in Ohio may have changed past programs

How Do Colleges Evaluate Students?

  • Grades
  • Rigor of class- AP, Honors, CCP
  • ACT/SAT Tests (Test optional next slide)
  • Leadership, Volunteer work, Work
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Essay
  • Recommendations
  • College Admissions Guide

Crafting Standout College Essays:

  • The personal statement is the student's interview on paper. It is a 650-word opportunity to showcase personality, resilience, and intellectual curiosity.
  • Essay Best Practices
    • Focus on Growth: The best essays highlight a moment of personal development or a shift in perspective.
    • Be Authentic: Use a natural voice. Admission officers can tell when an essay is overly edited by adults.
    • Supplemental Essays: Many colleges require additional shorter essays asking 'Why Us?' These require specific research about the institution's programs and professors.

Test-Optional for Admissions:

  • Each University decides if they are test-optional. 12 of the 13 public Ohio Universities are test-optional. OSU is NOT test optional.
  • Test-optional may not be allowed for specific programs (Education, Nursing, Engineering). Students could be admitted into the university but not the major without test scores. Some honors and scholarship programs require test scores. Do your homework before you apply to a test-optional school.
  • You decide whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you submit them, they'll be reviewed.
  • If you do not submit scores… test-optional schools will simply make each of your other application components (such as GPA, courses, extracurriculars, etc.) more important to make up for the lack of test scores.
  • In Common APP each school will have you select if you are sending scores.

Types of Admissions:

  • Early Decision
    • If student is accepted, they must WD all other Applications and attend.
    • BINDING
  • Early Action
    • Admissions, Scholarship and Honors program deadlines
    • NON BINDING
    • $$
  • Regular Decision
    • Admission to University but most will not award scholarship money.
    • NON BINDING
  • Rolling
    • No deadline. May help you with staggering APPS. Scholarships may or may not be awarded
    • NON BINDING

Common App VS University Website:

  • If you are applying to three or more schools that use the Common App = Use Common App
  • If you are only applying to one or two schools, it may be better to use the online application.
  • Regional schools may offer a scholarship if you use their website application.
  • Visit theCommon App website
    • Start early…Make sure you allow enough time to complete
    • Set up account-do NOT use school email. Write down password
    • Add a college to open FERPA
    • Under the Education tab, add Beavercreek High School as your secondary school. Add Counselor
  • Common App- FERPA waiver
  1. Add a school
  2. Go to the recommenders and FERPA
  3. You will see “I authorize,””I waive,” “I understand” – It is recommended that you waive your rights
  4. Type your name for Signature

Transcripts:

  • Transcripts will NOT be sent until we can confirm your parents have completed the Transcript Release in ONEVIEW. If they did not complete this, you will be required to gain their permission for a release of records to send transcripts. This does not apply to students 18+
  • Watch your deadlines.
  • We are not processing transcripts over the weekends or when we are closed for break.
  • Transcript Deadlines:
    • We prefer a 2 week window. The minimum is 7 days before a deadline unless it falls on a weekend or holiday.
      • 11/1 deadline should be requested by 2 weeks prior (10/16)
      • 11/15 deadline should be requested 2 weeks prior (10/30)
      • 12/1 deadline should be requested 2 weeks prior (11/17)
      • 12/15 deadline should be requested 2 weeks prior (12/1)
      • 1/1 deadline should be requested by 12/16

When to Request Transcripts via Parchment: 

  • Applying to College:
    • Request a transcript in Parchment when submitting a college or university application from their website
  • Scholarships:
    • Request a transcript in Parchment when any scholarship program requests official transcripts
  • NCAA Recruiting:
    • Request a transcript in Parchment when coaches request transcripts for Division I or II schools
  • Other Verification:
    • Request a transcript in Parchment for military enlistment or job employment requirements

End of Senior Year Final Transcript: 

  • At the end of the school year, you MUST use Parchment to send your final official transcript to the college you will be attending.

Common App Exception:

  • You do NOT need to request a transcript in Parchment if you are ONLY applying using the Common Application platform.

Do you need help with transcripts or setting up Parchment?

  • See Michelle Bellomy, BHS Registrar
    • Email: michelle.bellomy@gocreek.org
    • Office Location: Room 1006 by the Clinic
      • Office hours are 7:00am – 3:30pm most days
    • Mrs. Bellomy may email you to get information or a release of information

Letters of Recommendation:

  • Ask your teachers to be recommenders BEFORE you send the request
  • Request the teacher to be your recommender through Common APP or through the University online site
  • Use the first name.last name@beavercreek.k12.oh.us if you are requesting a teacher recommendation
  • You may use “other recommenders” if your college allows that for personal references or coaches

Supporting Your Child's Journey:

The college application process can be stressful, but a healthy partnership between parents and students makes a significant difference.

Student's Role: Project Manager 
The student must be the primary owner of the process.
Their responsibilities include:		 Parent's Role: Support Team
Parents serve as advisors and facilitators.
Key ways to support include:
Writing and editing application essays Helping manage key deadlines & schedules
Filling out all application forms Organizing campus visits & logistics
Communicating directly with admission offices Handling financial aid & FAFSA forms
  Providing ongoing emotional support

 

Essential Communication Strategy: 

  • Set Clear Boundaries
    • Designate one hour a week for 'college talk' to prevent the topic from taking over family life and reduce daily stress for everyone.

Scholarships:

  • Most scholarships will come from the college or university your student applies to. To receive scholarships, they must meet each school's priority deadline. They could be merit- or need-based scholarships.
  • State Grants and Scholarships can be found on the Ohio Higher Education website, including Choose Ohio First, Governor’s Merit Scholarship, Ohio War Orphan, etc can be found on the Ohio Higher Ed website 

FAFSA….Opens October 1st:

New to the 2026-27 FAFSA:

  • Complete the FAFSA on the Federal Student Aid website
  • Students may be chosen to complete an identity verification. This must happen on a cell phone or tablet with a camera. This change is due to increased identity theft. Adults 18-29 account for 31% of all identity theft.
  • Real-time updates on accounts. In the past, users who made errors would have to wait 3 days to update. Now users can update errors immediately.
  • The SAI given to the family (Student Aid Index) is the awarded money this year. This differs from previous years.

Why do the FAFSA if we don’t qualify?

  • Many scholarships require FAFSA even if you do not receive financial aid
  • The Parent Plus loan requires a FAFSA
  • You may not qualify for grants, but you could get work-study. Many work-study jobs are higher paying and have better hours for students
  • Some state grants and scholarships require FAFSA completion

Important Links and Emails Sent:

  • A Senior letter was sent to seniors containing information about the following:
    • Creating a Brag sheet
    • Parchment
    • Common App
    • Direct applications
    • Counselor emails
    • Deadlines
    • How to contact Mrs. Bellomy
  • Additional Scholarship information, compiled by the BHS Counselors