The Ben Lippen Course Catalog has been created to assist in the selection of classes and is designed to be used in conjunction with advising from the College Counseling department. 

The Academic Handbook is a great place to reference the following: 

• Graduation requirements
• Course offerings
• Description of courses

High school academic handbook

In conjunction with the Academic Handbook, the Student Life Handbook also contains pertinent information relating to college counseling and your student's journey at Ben Lippen.

Inside, you can find insights on the following, and more: 

• Make-up/late work policy
• Dual Credit
• Grading scale
• Graduation requirements
• Community service requirements

High school Student life handbook

No matter what grade you're in, it's never too early to begin your career exploration. The College Counseling Department is here to aid you in that process. We help students not only explore their passions but provide them with the resources to make those passions a future career. 

Not only can students schedule a meeting with their college counselor to discuss their interests at any time, we can also provide different resources, such as the ones below, to help you further explore all potential career paths. 

College Board/Big Future Career Resources 

Midlands Education & Business Alliance

To drop or add a course to your existing course schedule, you must complete the following form for each new request. All schedule changes must be requested through this form. 

Drop/Add Request Form

Please note that no schedule changes will be made by phone or email.  

You will receive an email once your request has been reviewed

The financial aid process is often tedious and time-consuming so we have compiled some resources to help aid in this process. 

• General: 
  • Be prepared. Don't wait until senior year to begin the financial aid process. There are small things you can do beginning freshman year to help with this process. 
    • 9th Grade
    • 10th Grade
    • 11th Grade
    • 12th Grade

• FAFSA: 
  • Each year, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) becomes available in October for students and parents to complete. While not required, it is recommended that all families complete and submit this document in hopes of receiving federal funding. 
  • Resources: 
    • FAFSA Application
    • Filling Out the FAFSA Form
    • FAFSA Deadlines
    • FAFSA Help Center
    • Contact

• College Scholarship Service (CSS): 
  • Resources: 
    • CSS Profile
    • Participating Institutions and Programs

• Additional Resources: 
  • How to Plan and Pay for College 101

Each month, the College Counseling Department releases its College Counseling Monthly Newsletter. This newsletter is class-specific and allows both students and parents to view crucial information as they move forward throughout the academic year. 

Topics often included in the newsletter include: 

• Upcoming events
• Application process
• Scholarship opportunities
• Summer programs
• Approaching deadlines

To view the most recent College Counseling Monthly Newsletter, please visit the student drive in your SCOIR account.

You've gotten accepted to college, now you ask, how am I going to pay? It's never too early to begin the process of looking for scholarships! 

There are many different types of scholarships, including the following, and more. 

• Merit-Based Scholarships
  • These scholarships are often based on academic performance (test scores and GPA). 
• State Scholarships
  • Students residing in South Carolina can qualify for the Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, or HOPE scholarship. 
• Institutional/Endowed Scholarships
  • Each school typically has a scholarship page listed on their website. This page often lists available scholarships for both incoming and current students. Qualifications typically vary so be sure to review and see if you qualify!
• Outside Scholarships
  • These are scholarships provide by external sources and typically have a required application process. While these may seem readily available to students, note that these scholarships are selective as students across the nation are competing for the same scholarships. 

To start your scholarship search, please find a few resources listed below. 

Scholarships and Grants for SC Residents

Big Future Scholarships

Bold

Scholarships.com

Scholarships360

FastWeb

Unigo

Sallie Mae

SC Student Loan Corporation

While the outside sources listed above are great for viewing countless scholarships, you can also view our in-house scholarship database in SCOIR, located in your student/parent drive. This list provides all the necessary information in order for students to learn more and apply for some of our favorite scholarships. This list is updated throughout the school year, so make sure you routinely check back for more opportunities!

SCOIR is a network that allows our students to broaden their access of both career and college exploration. It does so with the aim of improving student outcomes. With this platform, students now have a plethora of resources at their fingertips that can be accessed at any time. While one of the primary uses of the platform will be to assist in the college search, planning, and application process for students, the career exploration tool will also be utilized. Not only will the career section of the site enable students to begin the thought process surrounding their future earlier, but it will also allow them to expand their thoughts and knowledge, keeping them updated and informed as they transition throughout their high school career. 

To access their SCOIR account, students will receive an email invitation from their college counselor. Once received, they will create a password and use their already established username (student email address) to log in. They will then have full access to their account, where they can do the following: 

• Explore Careers
• Explore Colleges/Universities
• Take Career Assessments
• Submit Recommendation Requests
• Draft their resume 
• Create their college list
• View scholarships
• And more! 

Remember that SCOIR isn't just for students! Parents will also receive an email invitation that they can use to create a parent account. Once created, parents can link their account to their students' accounts to access even more resources. You should immediately see this option on your dashboard when logging in for the first time. If you don't, you can use these instructions to proceed in doing so. 

SCOIR Login

As students progress throughout their time at Ben Lippen they should expect to take the Pre-ACT and/or PSAT in addition to the ACT and/or SAT.

Students should expect to take either the Pre-ACT or PSAT during their sophomore and/or junior years. The ACT and/or SAT is often taken beginning spring of a student's junior year and into their senior year as they apply to college(s). 

When registering for both the ACT and/or SAT, students can use the following CEEB code for Ben Lippen: 410501. 

Register for the SAT

register for the ACT

For students looking to continue pursuing athletics in college, make sure you start planning early! Both your skills, academics, and your time are all valuable assets when it comes to this process. To begin your journey, we recommend referencing the resources released by the NCAA. Their resources do a great job breaking down the process of becoming a college athlete freshman through senior year! 

A few initial resources to help begin this process are listed below. 

NCAA Athletic Resources

NCAA Guide to International Academic Standards

NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete

While many of our students are heavily involved both in the Ben Lippen and local community throughout the course of the academic year, we also encourage our students to use summer as an opportunity to get involved. 

To view our summer program database, navigate to the student/parent drive in SCOIR. This list provides all the necessary information for students to learn more and apply to many notable programs.

This list is updated throughout the school year, so make sure you routinely check back for more opportunities. 

As part of the college application process, students will often encounter a required/optional essay and/or a personal statement. The resources below can help aid in the writing process. 

Essay Writing

The Common Application is a preferred method of completing college applications. The resources below can help aid in the process of creating your account and in submitting your applications. 

The Common App

Using SCOIR with Common App

The Self-Reported Transcript & Academic Record System (STARS) is used by select colleges in order to collect needed information related to a student's academics for admission purposes. The STARS allows students to self-report their courses and grades, both past and present. Below is a list of schools that participate. 

STARS Account

Participating Schools

It is recommended that students complete some form of test prep, regardless of form, prior to taking the ACT or SAT. Students should select their preferred format of test prep after considering their learning style and should allot at least a month towards their selected format prior to sitting for the test. Consistency and dedication is crucial when it comes to test prep. Now that students are able to submit their "super-score" to colleges (for both the ACT and SAT), test prep can not only affect one set of scores, but multiple!

Below are some recommended resources that are tried and true when it comes to preparing for both the ACT and SAT. 

Online Options:

Khan Academy

Princeton Review

SAT Prep

ACT Prep

Local Options:

Attest, LLC

Karen Hartley Tutoring

Weathervane Prep