Transcript Navigating the College Process

Navigating the
College Process
Junior Planning Night
February 11, 2015
6:30 – 7:30
Meet the School Counseling Team

Julie Robertson – Director of Guidance –
[email protected]

David Gleba – A-Ca – [email protected]

Elizabeth Viens – Ce-E - [email protected]
 Carley
Vesneski - Full Year Substitute [email protected]

Ana Napolitano – F-H – [email protected]

Geoffrey Davis – I-Mas - [email protected]

Jessica Wallace – Mat-Pl – [email protected]

Sherry Russman – Po-Ss – [email protected]

Lee Ann Miller – St-Z - [email protected]
Agenda

Importance of Junior Year - Handout

Preparing for Life After High School

College Entrance Exams - Handout

College Representatives at SHS, College Fairs, and College
Visits

Summer and Senior Year

Applying to College at SHS - Handout

Paying for College

Programs Held by School Counseling Department

Where do SHS Students Attend?

Questions
Importance of Junior Year

Fall – Tasks Completed
 Taken
the PSAT and received scores
Practice
questions in My College QuickStart
 Check
number of credits completed towards
graduation
 Get
to know your teachers and school counselors
You
 Have
will be asking for letters of recommendation
an honest conversation with your parents
about cost of college and realistic expectations and
goals
Importance of Junior Year

Spring – Tasks to Complete
 Review
senior year courses with your counselor
 Use
Naviance to build a list of colleges in which
you are interested
 Make
sure you are using an appropriate email
address
 Continue
improving your grades
 Take
ACT and/or SAT
 Visit
college campuses
 Start
to think about who you would want to write
your letter(s) of recommendation
Preparing for Life After High School

What do I know About Myself?
 Learning
style (Naviance)
 Personality
 Career
(“Do What You Are” in Naviance)
Interest Inventory (Naviance)
 Course
background (quality/rigor of academic
courses)
 Extra-curricular
activities to support major
interest
 Financial
resources
Preparing for Life After High School


College Options
4
Year colleges
2
Year colleges
Post-graduate Options
 Certificate
 Gap
programs
year
 Military
options
 Technical
school
 Apprenticeships
 Employment
Preparing for Life After High School

What to Look for in Colleges
 Majors
 Size
offered/academic programs
of school
 Location/distance
from school
 Admissibility
 Cost
and potential debt
 Campus
life/housing
 Retention
and graduation rate
Preparing for Life After High School

What Are Colleges Looking For?

Academic Record/Transcript

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Testing – SAT, ACT, AP

Essays

Letters of Recommendation

Interviews

Demonstrated Interest in College/University

Extra-curricular Activities
 consistency
 Quality

and leadership
vs. Quantity of the experience
Honors and Awards
Preparing for Life After High School

What If I’m not a “Typical” Student?

Arts: Portfolios, Supplements, Auditions
 Key
Partner: Your teacher/instructor in that area
 Resource:

Athletics: NCAA Eligibility Center
 Key
Partner: Your Coach
 Resource:

www.portfoliotoday.net
www.NCAA.org/eligibilitycenter
Specialized Services and Instruction
 Key
Partner: Your Case Manager
 Resource:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.ht
ml
College Entrance Exams

SAT – Scholastic Assessment Test
 Designed
 Cost:

to assess skills and application of knowledge
$52.50
SAT Subject Tests
 One
hour content based tests
 Cost:
 Basic
Registration fee: $26
 Language
 All

with listening Test: $26
other subjects: $16
www.collegeboard.org
College Entrance Exams

ACT – American College Testing
 Curriculum
based test with optional writing
section

Cost:
 No
Writing: $38
 With

Writing: $54.50
www.ACTstudent.org/start
College Entrance Exams

Test Preparation
 www.collegeboard.org
My
College QuickStart
 www.kahnacademy.com
 Kaplan
Review Books
 Princeton
 Barron’s
 Best
Review Books
27th edition
preparation is to continue to do well in
school and READ
College Representatives at SHS,
College Fairs, and College Visits

College Representatives at SHS
 During
the Fall Semester, admissions officers from
many schools will be visiting SHS, organized by the
School Counseling Office
 Announcements
are made daily and sent to
students via email
 Student
MUST sign up through Naviance in advance
to attend
College Representatives at SHS,
College Fairs, and College Visits

College Fairs
 In
September, SHS hosts a college fair with over
120 college representatives in attendance
 Have
some questions ready for the representatives
and know what schools you would like to speak
with prior to attending
 Fill
out information cards for the schools in which
you are interested
College Representatives at SHS,
College Fairs, and College Visits

College Visits
 Visits
are the best way to get a feel for the
university
 Try
to visit when classes are in session
 To
set up a visit, check the college/university’s
website
 Take
photos so you’ll remember your trip and what
you liked/disliked
 Visit
the Financial Aid office if you have any
financial concerns
Summer and Senior Year

The College Essay
 Most
colleges will ask students to write an essay or
“personal statement”
 The
essay should be a clear indication of your ability to
think analytically and creatively, communicate your
thoughts and serve as a reflection of who you are
 Make
sure to review the essay and share drafts with a
trusted teacher, advisor or family member
 SHS
offers a College Essay Writing Workshop in the
Spring for Juniors, sponsored by a local university
admissions staff
Summer and Senior Year

Prepare Before Applying

Know the deadlines for application requirements
 Know
the different types of admission options
 Early
Decision – Binding
 Early
Action – Not Binding
 Regular
 Rolling
 Open
Admission
Admission
Admission

Review scholarship and financial aid requirements

Continue to work on your college essay!
Applying to College at SHS

Naviance
 Every
student will use Naviance during the College
Application process
 Develop
a Resume for College
Naviance
Make
has a simple resume building tool
sure you include part-time jobs,
internships, volunteer hours and
organizations, clubs, sports, community
and/or religious involvement
Applying to College at SHS

Naviance and the College Process

Naviance also allows students to search for colleges and use
scattergrams/graphs to see how they compare with former
SHS students who applied
 To
use this tool:
 Go
to College tab and Click on Colleges I’m applying
to
 www.connection.naviance.com/southington

The College Planning Guide completely outlines the process
of requesting teacher and counselor letters of
recommendation and transcripts through Naviance
Applying to College at SHS
 You
(the student) are responsible for:
 Completing
the college applications online via
the Common Application or the College
Website(s)
 Sending your test scores to each college (SAT,
ACT)
 Requesting letters of recommendation from
teacher(s) and your counselor at least 3 weeks in
advance of deadline
 Completing one transcript request form per
college 3 weeks in advance of deadline
Applying to College at SHS

We (the School Counseling Department) are
responsible for:
 Sending
your official transcript (Q1 and Q2
grades), schedule of classes, school profile, and
letters of recommendation AFTER you (the
student) submits your transcript request
form(s)
Paying For College

Net Price Calculators on each College Website


Net price calculators were mandated by the U.S. government in 2011
to provide families with a “good faith” estimate of what the Cost of
Attendance would be for students
Free Application For Student Aid - FAFSA.ed.gov (NOT “.com”)

Know priority deadlines – e.g., Connecticut is February 15

CSS Profile – www.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile

Student Loans


Student loan debt should be weighted with the same importance as
other “fit” factors when selecting a college
Scholarships

Local and Community Scholarships in Naviance

www.scholarships.com

www.fastweb.com
Programs Held by the School
Counseling Department
 College
Application Process for Seniors – September
 College
Fair - September
 Financial
 College
 Junior
 Essay
Aid Workshop – October
Basics 101 – January
Planning Night – February
Writing Workshop – May 19, 2015
What Colleges do SHS Students Attend?
In State – 66%
Out of State – 34%

Community College – 31.7%

Massachusetts – 27.9%

UCONN – 18.3%

Rhode Island – 16.3%

CCSU – 15.8%

New York – 13.6%

ECSU – 6.5%
Pennsylvania – 6.1%

SCSU – 4.3%


WCSU – 3.0%

Florida – 5.4%

Private Colleges – 16.9%

South Carolina – 4.8%
Class of 2014
Parent Do’s

Support your child by diminishing stress

Keep test scores and GPAs private

Utilize Naviance

Meet with your child’s counselor between March 1st and
the end of junior year

Visit colleges with your child

Help register for SAT/ACT

Help your child stay organized

Check out FAFSA4caster for initial financial aid
information
 www.fafsaf4caster.ed.gov
Parent Don’ts




Do not let the college process
overtake your life
Do not discuss college issues
everyday
Do not believe everything you
hear from others regarding
college admission
Do not forget that your child is
just a teenager