Senior Parent Presentation

Debbie Cogan College Counselor, St. Thomas High School

Tonight’s Topics       What Seniors Should Be Doing Now -Schedule Remaining SAT/ACT tests -Visit Colleges -Narrow down your list of schools Overview of the College Process Submission of -Applications -Transcripts -Recommendations Evaluation Process Decision Plans Financial Aid/Scholarships

TESTING  SAT-register online at www.collegeboard.com

Test Date Register By Oct. 6 Sept. 21 (late registration) Nov. 3 Dec. 1 Oct. 4 Nov. 1

 ACT-register online at www.act.org

Test Date Oct. 27 Dec. 8 Register By Sept. 21 Nov. 2  THEA (if needed) - register online at www.thea.nesinc.com

NCAA Eligibility for College Bound Athletes

www.eligibilitycenter.org

Register on website Send SAT/ACT scores-9999 Send high school transcript

State of Texas Uniform Admission Policy  Texas law requires applicants to four year public institutions to meet college readiness standards through…  Completion of RHSP or DAP OR  SAT/ACT benchmarks  ACT-18 Eng, 21 Reading, 22 Math, 24 Science or  SAT-1500 out of 2400 (500 each)

College Selection Process  It is a joint process among parent(s), student, and counselor…main emphasis is on the

STUDENT!!!

 It is important to make a decision independent of peers/friends.

 College is a match-making process.

Choosing A College         Size of school Location Distance from home Activities/Athletics Public/Private Coed/Single Sex Entrance Requirements Facilities         Honors program Reputation Faculty/Class size Majors available Support services Cost Diversity Campus personality

How Do Colleges Choose?

Admission officers review student files and make selections based on the standards and needs of the individual college. They look for students who are:   Varied in terms of demographics & diversity Outstanding based on academics & scores    Special Admits (legacy, athletes, special talent) Previously underrepresented students “Good” kids

How Colleges Evaluate… Factors with the most weight: 1. Curriculum 2. Grades/GPA 3. SAT/ACT Scores

How Colleges Evaluate…  Leadership  Activities: Sports, Clubs, Community Service, Part-time Jobs, Summer Opportunities  Essays  Recommendations (teacher & counselor) when required  Interview when required

The College List  A final college list will contain approximately 3 to 6 schools.

 Each college can be classified as Reach, Probable, or Likely.

 The list will contain colleges from EACH classification.

 Each college on the list is a college the student would happily attend.

Completing the Application for Admission  Apply on-line whenever possible Common Application www.commonapp.org

-Apply Texas www.applytexas.org

-Institution Specific Application www.collegeXYX.edu

Completing the Application for Scholarships  Once you have completed the application for admission, you may then submit the application for scholarships.

 For some schools, one application does both. For others it is a separate application (check each school).

 On ApplyTexas, there is a separate application for scholarships. Be sure to complete it!

Decision Plans  Early Decision: admit, deny, defer o o Apply by Nov. 1 or Nov. 15 Decision by mid Dec.

o Binding if admitted  Early Action: o admit, deny, defer Same as above, but non binding

Decision Plans  Regular Decision: admit, deny, WL o Deadline depends on school o o As early as Dec. 1 Decision in Spring  Rolling Admission: admit, deny, or Evaluate and respond continuously

College Acceptance Deadline  Student must notify the ONE college that he chooses to attend by

MAY 1

st  Submit ONE choice.

deposit to school of  Notify the others schools that he won’t be accepting their offers.

Other things to consider…  Housing – Submit your housing deposit as soon as possible. o fills quickly at some schools o may or may not be refundable  Waitlists o unpredictable o make other arrangements o no guarantees

Flagship Campus Updates

University of Texas

Auto Admit:

top 8%

This does NOT guarantee you in to highly selective programs.

 business: top 2%  nursing: top 4%  kinesiology: top 5%  communication: top 6%  engineering: top 2-9%

UT Continued

 “Expanded” resume is recommended or upload your own  All test scores must be received by Dec 1 st

Dec SAT accepted if sent directly to UT

 Non Auto Admits: Spring Notification  Questions- Houston Admissions Center in Greenway Plaza 713-500-3517

Alternate Admission to UT

Coordinated Admission Program (CAP)  Denied admission to UT-Austin  Offered admission to another UT campus, chosen by UT  If student successfully

*

completes freshman year at alternate campus, he may enroll at UT-Austin as a sophomore.

*3.2 GPA and 30 credit hours

TEXAS A&M

 Auto Admit: Top 10%  Rolling admission for non auto admit from late Oct.

– Mid March  Dec. 1 deadline for scholarship consideration  Complete essays A, B &

C

*

A&M Continued Alternative Admission Plans

 A&M Galveston  Transfer from another school  Articulation agreement with a community college  Blinn Team*  Summer Gateway* *by invitation only Houston Admissions Office-713-454-1990

FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS

Financial Aid  STEP ONE: FAFSA  Fill out the

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

in January of the senior year ( www.fafsa.ed.gov

)  Parents & Students must have a PIN for the FAFSA ( www.pin.ed.gov

)

Financial Aid (Continued)  The federal government will determine your eligibility to pay and will send you a

Student Aid Report (SAR)

Expected Family Contribution (EFC) showing your  The EFC will be forwarded to colleges who will then determine a financial aid package

Financial Aid (Continued)  Some colleges and universities will also require that you complete the more detailed

CSS Profile.

(Rice and SMU in Texas)

https://profileonline.collegeboard.

com

Financial Aid (Continued)  Financial Aid is distributed in the following three forms: • • Grants Loans • Work Study

EFC

is the same regardless of the cost of the college, but the packages received will vary from college to college.

Types of Federal Loans  Stafford: low, fixed rate & grace period after school before repay  Subsidized-need based; no interest accrues until 6 months after graduation  Unsubsidized-non need based; interest accrues during school  Perkins: for the neediest families  Parent Plus: higher rate, can cover entire cost of education. Previous loans preferred  Private Loans: vary greatly

Financial Aid (Continued) College

X

 Cost of attendance is $15,000  EFC = $20,000  Not eligible for financial aid College

Y

 Cost of attendance is $40,000  EFC = $20,000  A financial aid package will be determined by college

Scholarships  Scholarships are competitive and are usually awarded based on academic merit, athletic ability, and for special talent.

 The majority of scholarship money will come directly from the colleges to which you apply.

 Outside scholarships are available through community organizations, clubs, and employers.

Timeframe 

FAFSA

becomes available on

Jan.1

(can apply for PIN before).



CSS Profile

through College Board is available

October 1.

 Each college has its own deadline for submission.

 Try to get everything in by the Priority Date, which can be as early as Feb, but is typically in Marc h.

Notification of Aid  Your

SAR (Student Aid Report)

from each college will typically arrive in April.

 Analyze and compare offers from each school.

 Decide which offer, and which parts of the offer, you will accept by May 1.

 Note that you may only have a couple of weeks in April to make this very important decision.

QUESTIONS???

 Post questions relating to “All Things Senior” to: http://www.todaysmeet.com/RPSeniors  The post will remain open for one week for you to ask questions and view answers.

 An FAQ page will be posted in the Counselors’ Corner on the RPHS website.