Financial Aid for College Night 1/10/24 - Video link and Guest Speaker Chad Spencer from Centre College presentation. Resources from GCM's College and Career Center slides. 

GCM Fall College Night from 8/29/23 - Guest Speaker Barbara Conner from Franklin & Marshall College AUDIO(must login to Schoology with ParentVUE credentials to access) and Slides from all presenters, including NOVA Northern Virginia Community College. 

Audio Start Times for Speakers: Welcome and Counselor Intro with Cindy Blakeley - 38sec, GCM College & Career Center Resources with Gardner Humphreys - 4min11sec, Timeline for College Prep for Grades 9-11 with Jenna Mollura - 15min40sec, Working with Your Counselor as a Senior with Brooke Kirtner - 21min20sec, NOVA with Eunice Torkornoo - 32min44sec, Main Guest Speaker from Franklin & Marshall College with Ms Barbara Conner - 43min30sec. 

(OLD - GCM College Night from 8/31/22 with UVA Guest Speaker: Video Recording and Northern Virginia Community College information with Audio En Espanol (requires Schoology login) and slides En Espanol.) 

Jan. 24, 2023 GCM College-Career Q and A Zoom for Grades 9-11: see the YouTube video and the slides are here. 

Junior Focus Day, April 14, 2022: Sessions, Rooms and Agenda; College Essay Handouts - Topic Generator, Wisdom, 4 Essays. SAT-ACT Tips and Choosing SAT vs ACT;  

College Question and Answer and Updates 1/25/22: Video & Slides (for grades 9-11) - a 1-hour zoom session for students and parents asking college questions and getting updates as we head into 2nd semester and course selection for next year. https://youtu.be/yhn8_Wo0Uls. Here are the slides only.

Video and slides from GCM’s SAT/ACT/PSAT Information Night 12/15: https://youtu.be/iFYUZ63w0Ko See slides and video to learn whether these tests will be important to your plans and the role that they play in college admissions. Also see which tests to take, what your PSAT/SAT/ACT scores mean for you, plus tips for preparing. Guest speaker Josh Silverman from EDGE PREP offers testing strategy as well. NOTE: video is from the second part of program with EDGE PREP and Mr. Silverman. The first part of the presentation with Mr. Humphreys from the GCM College and Career Center is on slides that can be found here.

Changes to FAFSA from 11/29/23 PTSA Meeting. Also, GCM Financial Aid for Night with Davidson College from 10/19/21: Video Recording. Slides only: Financial Aid Resources from GCM; How College Financial Aid Works; Financial Aid Handouts: Questions Students Should Ask, Myths and Facts, Helpful Hints and Practical Ideas, College Cost Comparison Fill-In Chart.  GCM Fall College Night from 8/31 (Zoom): hear GCM staff and a guest speaker from UVA talk about the college search and application process. For all grades, students and parents. (Note: video starts about 2 minutes into a welcome by GCM Student Services Director Ms. Cindy Blakeley). SLIDES from the session: Agenda and Resources from GCM College and Career Center; Timeline and Resources for Grades 9-11; Senior Info and Working with Your Counselor. 

Junior Focus Day 2021- Session Recordings

The below sessions are from Junior Focus Day, April 12, 2021. Recordings are mostly 30 minutes with a presentation, guest speaker and student questions. Use them to dig deeper on any topic and get tips and guidance from the experts! (If a session has more than one recording, it has a discussion section that will have different/new information from the other recordings which may be helpful)

Welcome/Intro: UVA Opening Guest Speaker and Working with Your Counselor

A University of Virginia admissions representative shares her knowledge and advice on the college admissions process. Then, GCM counselors present the “Nitty Gritty of Applying to College.”

In-State College Panel: In-State Session 1, In-State Session 2, In-State Session 3

Hear reps from Virginia Tech, Radford University and James Madison University offer admissions advice and answer questions re: student life and academic programs.

Out-of-State College Panel: Out-State Session 1, Out-State Session 2, Out-State Session 3

Hear reps from Penn State, Drexel, Shepherd, and South Dakota School of Mines and Tech, answer questions re: admissions, student life and academic programs.

NOVA Community College:  NOVA: Benefits in Your Backyard 

Find out all NOVA has to offer, including degrees and career certificates, how to apply, financial aid, NVCC Honors, tech degrees, sports, clubs, arts and more! 

SAT/ACT Prep: Get Prepped  

Learn about how to prep and choose between the SAT or ACT, how to individualize your study plan with a realistic timeline, and how to use those PSAT results from grades 10-11. Also see if the tests will be important to your plans, or if you should go test optional.

College Application Essay Writing: Essay Tips

Learn how to choose your topic, create structure, and use your own voice to showcase powerful storytelling. Set yourself apart!

Winning College Apps: Create a Winning App

See how to put together the most effective application, top to bottom. Winning tips to maximize limited space, tell a complete story and use the best recommenders. 

Top 10 Tips on the Common App: Common Application Tips

Turn the application from an obstacle to an advantage. Create your account, learn the nuts and bolts, avoid mistakes in requesting letters and submitting. Find the slides here (video is missing tips 1-2 from upload glitch).

Mock Application Review: Mock Application 

Join two college admissions reps from schools with different methods to look at real applications (fake names) and decide who you, and the colleges, would admit, and who you wouldn’t, and why.

Where Can I Get $$$ for College? –  Paying for College 

College is seriously expensive – learn how to find extra dollars to afford your top schools and how people pay their way. You can do it!

Military Options and Careers - Military/Career 

Discuss services, career options and programs such as ROTC, reserves and academies.

OTHER EVENTS 2020-2021:

Slides from SAT/ACT/PSAT Info Night at GCM (Jan. 7) and watch video on YouTube. All videos from FCPS Virtual College Week: College/Career QandA from June 11, 2020 online. How to Make a Financial Aid Appeal (for Seniors/Parents) Slides from May 15,2020. Also on our YouTube channel: FINANCIAL AID NIGHT (Oct. 29): FAFSA and Aid Process, plus Resources and Tips from GCM to Lower College Cost. 

More - College Planner and Checklist to Prepare grades 9-12. with PDF Checklist Prepare for College What to Do Grades 9-12. 

YouTube: videos of many presentations are also on our channel and you don't need to be a subscriber: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrhWUrQ0AVUvXzP07J-ZoA.