College Preparation Resources

About

Hello, my name is Tom Woodford and I am the College Counselor for Hilliard City Schools. I will host many college based meetings throughout the year, all students and parents are welcome to attend. One of the highlights of my job is that I get to meet with students and families to discuss the college process.

Feel free to reach out to me at any time to discuss your child’s college path.

My email is Tom_Woodford@hboe.org.

PODCAST

COLLEGE NEWS

with Tom Woodford

This podcast will focus on the different aspects of college admissions.                 

This is targeted for students/parents in        grades 9-12.

12th Grade Meeting 2023

CCP Meeting 2023

Financial Aid Presentation

*All presentations from the 2023-2024 school year

Linking” Common App to SchooLinks Video

12th Grade College Planning – 2023

College Credit Plus “Rules” meeting

 

Senior Profile video

Essay Prompts

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

 

 

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Early Decision:

requires you to commit to a college or university at the time of application that, if admitted, you will enroll.  You should apply under an Early Decision plan only if you know that you can make a well-reasoned, first-choice decision.  Upon admission the institution will require a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1.  You may apply to other colleges but may have only one Early Decision application pending at any time.  Colleges will respond to requests for financial aid at or near the time admission is offered.  If admitted, you must enroll unless the financial aid award is inadequate.

Early Action

permits you to apply to a college or university of your choice and receive a decision early in the senior year, well in advance of the normal spring response dates.   Though you will hear early regarding your admission, you are not committed to attend and you may apply to other colleges.  If you are applying for financial aid you will follow the aid application deadlines set by the institution.  You are not required to make a commitment before May 1, but you are encouraged to do so as soon as a final choice is made.

Regular Decision

is a plan in which institutions review most of their applications before notifying the majority of candidates of their admission.  In this process, colleges set a deadline for completing applications and will respond to completed applications by a specified date.  If you are applying for financial aid you will follow aid application deadlines set by the school.  You may apply to other colleges.  You will not be required to make a decision regarding enrolling before May 1.

Rolling Admission

is a term used to describe the application process in which an institution reviews applications as they are received and offers decisions to students soon after they are made.  If you are applying for financial aid you will follow aid application deadlines set by the school.  You may apply to other colleges and you will not be required to make a decision regarding enrolling before May 1.

Wait List

is a term used by institutions to describe a process in which they may initially delay offering or deny you admission, but rather extends to you the possibility of admission in the future.  Colleges offer admission to wait list candidates if insufficient numbers of regularly admitted candidates accept their offers of admission.

We will also retain the optional COVID-19 question within the Additional Information section.

ACT or SAT

How are they different?

– ACT

The ACT is considered a more “curriculum-based” test since it tests a student’s academic preparedness for college in the areas of English, Math, Reading, and Science by calling on information students have learned in their high school coursework.

– SAT

The SAT is traditionally thought of as a test that measures a student’s critical thinking skills,  testing a student’s ability to analyze and solve problems in Math and Reading.

SAT Overview

Beginning in January 2024:

  • Administrated on a digital device
  • 2 hours and 14 minutes in length
  • Reading, Writing, and Math
  • Both sections will have two modules will correspond to one exam question
  • SAT Reading will have shorter passages that more direct and concise
  • SAT Reading and Match sections will be more direct and concise
  • Students can use a graphing calculator

ACT Overview

  • 3 hr. examination
  • Heavy in grammar and reading
  • Tested on Alg., Geom., & Trig.
  • Math = 25% of score
  • School curriculum based
  • No penalty for wrong answers
  • Science reasoning section
  • English grammar section
  • Math formulas not provided
  • No penalty for wrong answers
  • Optional Writing section

TEST PREP INFORMATION

In addition to free test agency preparation (www.actstudent.org and www.sat.collegeboard.org) a
sampling of commercial test-prep agencies are listed for students and parents.

Weaver Teacher Participating at Ohio Sea Grant's Water and Wildlife Training

Hilliard City School District does not endorse any test prep service but offers information and opportunities as a service to students and their parents.

SAT/ACT Dates

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Closes Standby Deadline Photo Upload Deadline
September 9, 2023 August 4, 2023 August 18, 2023 September 1, 2023
October 22, 2023 September 22, 2023 October 6, 2023 October 20, 2023
December 9, 2023 November 3, 2023 November 17, 2023 December 1, 2023
February 10, 2024 January 5, 2024 January 19, 2024 February 2, 2024
April 13, 2024 March 8, 2024 March 22, 2024 April 5, 2024
June 8, 2024 May 3, 2024 May 17, 2024 May 31, 2024
July 13, 2024 June 7, 2024 June 21, 2024 July 5, 2024
Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Closes
August 26, 2023 July 28, 2023 August 15, 2022
October 7, 2023 September 7, 2023 September 26, 2022
November 4, 2023 October 5, 2023 October 24, 2022
December 2, 2023 November 2, 2023 November 21, 2022
March 9, 2024 February 23, 2024 February 27, 2024
May 4, 2024 April 19, 2024 April 23, 2024
June 1, 2024 May 17, 2024 May 21, 2024

October  24th, 2024 Register on MyPaymentsPlus

NCAA INFORMATION

NCAA 

Athletics

Students who want to participate as an athlete in college must register with the NCAA and/or NAIA.

NCAAwww.eligibilitycenter.org

NAIAPlayNAIA.org

  • The NCAA code is:  9999
  • The NAIA code is:  9876

NCAA

INFORMATION

 

What is a contact?

A contact occurs any time a college coach says more than hello during a face-to-face contact with a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents off the college’s campus.

What is a contact period?

During a contact period a college coach may have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, watch student-athletes compete and visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents.

What is an evaluation period?

During an evaluation period a college coach may watch college-bound student-athletes compete, visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents. However, a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college’s campus during an evaluation period.

What is a quiet period?

During a quiet period, a college coach may only have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents on the college’s campus.  A coach may not watch student-athletes compete (unless a competition occurs on the college’s campus) or visit their high schools. Coaches may write or telephone college-bound student-athletes or their parents during this time.

What is a dead period?

During a dead period, a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches may write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during a dead period.

What is the difference between an official visit and an unofficial visit?

Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by college-bound student-athletes or their parents are unofficial visits.

During an official visit the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for both the prospect and the parent or guardian, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event.

The only expenses a college-bound student-athlete may receive from a college during an unofficial visit are three tickets to a home sports event.

What is a National Letter of Intent?

A National Letter of Intent is signed by a college-bound student-athlete when the student-athlete agrees to attend a Division I or II college or university for one academic year. Participating institutions agree to provide financial aid for one academic year to the student-athlete as long as the student-athlete is admitted to the school and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules. Other forms of financial aid do not guarantee the student-athlete financial aid.

The National Letter of Intent is voluntary and not required for a student-athlete to receive financial aid or participate in sports.

Signing an National Letter of Intent ends the recruiting process since participating schools are prohibited from recruiting student-athletes who have already signed letters with other participating schools.

A student-athlete who has signed a National Letter of Intent may request a release from his or her contract with the school. If a student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent with one school but attends a different school, he or she will lose one full year of eligibility and must complete a full academic year at their new school before being eligible to compete.

What are recruiting calendars?

Recruiting calendars help promote the well-being prospective student-athletes and coaches and ensure competitive equity by defining certain time periods in which recruiting may or may not occur in a particular sport.

College Event Dates

 

Date

Event

Time

Location

August 10 12th Grade College Planning 6:30pm Darby
August 24 CCP participation meeting 6:30pm Bradley
Sept 5 College Essay Seminar 6:30pm DVD
Sept 7 Ohio University Free Application Event 4:00 – 6:30pm Hub
Sept 11 Bowling Green Free Application Event 3:00 – 5:00 Hub
Sept 14 Free College Application Event (10 colleges) 5:00-7:00 Hub
Sept 18/25 PSAT bootcamp 6:30pm Darby
Sept 19 College of Nursing College Fair 6:30pm Darby
Sept 27 FAFSA (Financial Aid) meeting 6:30pm Bradley
Oct 3 11th Grade College Planning Event 6:30pm Bradley
Oct 8 Suburban College Fair 1-3:30 Otterbein
Oct 10 College of Engineering Fair 6:30pm Bradley
Oct 17 College of Business Fair 6:30pm DVD
Nov 7 10th Grade College Planning event 6:30pm DVD

 

Date

Event

Time

Location

Nov.  9 Military Information Fair 9-11:30 am DVD Gym
Nov.  14 Understanding College Loans 6:30 pm Darby
Nov.  27 College Credit Plus Informational Meeting 6:30 pm Darby
Dec. 5 9th Grade College Planning Meeting 6:30 pm Bradley
Jan. 23 College Savings Plans – K-6 parents 6:30 pm DVD
Feb NACAC College Fair      6:30 pm Con. Center
Apr. 11 11th Grade College Application Process 6:30 pm Darby
Apr. 16 Middle School College Planning event 6:30pm Bradley
Apr. 29 College Jump Start Orientation 6:30pm DVD

Seniors only! 

All camps will be held in Room 202 at Davidson.

Date

Time

August 7 9:00 – 10:30 & 1:00 – 2:30
August 8 9:00-10:30
August10 9:00 – 10:30
August 11 9:00 – 10:30
August 14 9:00 – 10:30
August 15 9:00 – 10:30
August 17 2:00 – 10:30
August 24 3:00 – 3:30
August 31 3:00 – 4:30

Ready For Tomorrow

614.921.7000
614.921.7001
Contact Us

Superintendent:
David Stewart

Skip to content