Transcript Steps to College Search Success

Junior Assembly Presentation
Preparing for after high school
Agenda
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After high school
Words of Wisdom
Preparing for a College Search
Scholarships
Next Steps for Juniors
After High School
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Career/Employment
Military
Technical/Vocational
Junior/Community
Public or Private Four Year
Self-Examination
• What do I want to have? What do I want to take away from this
year? What kind of grades do I want? Why is that important? Is that
important?
• Where do I want to go? Where do I want to travel? Who do I want to
visit? Why is going to that place important to me? What will I take
away from that experience?
• What do I want to do? What kind of experiences do I want to have?
How can I leave a legacy at school and in my community? What kind
of projects am I interested in? What kind of careers would give me
the opportunity to work on projects like that? Do I need college to
find a career I love?
• Who do I want to be? How can I become the kind of person I want to
be? How can I get involved with the things I want to be involved
with? Why are those things important to me?
Words of Wisdom
If you don’t have a major,
it’s OK.
More than half of new
college students say a very
important reason for going
to college is “to find my
purpose in life.”
Discuss
• Why college? Work? Military?
• What do I want to get out of college? Work?
Millitary?
• What special talents and interests will I bring
to a new community of learners?
Career
• What career do you hope to pursue? Need
help finding a career?
www.careercruising.com
Username: lisle
Password: careers
bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
Click on “Majors and Career Search ” under
Words of Wisdom
You don’t need to go
far away.
88% of high school
students go to college in
their home state.
Words of Wisdom
Relax…
70% of colleges accept an
average of 70% of their
applicants.
Preparing for a College Search
Know Yourself
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Values
Ambitions
Achievements
Academic Strengths
Interests
Your Standout Talents
Discuss
• Share with your teachers and parents your
thoughts about your future.
• What sets you apart?
• Be ready, starting next week, to discuss the
questions on slide 3.
Types of Colleges
Type
Description
Tuition
Two year
Degrees offered: Associates Typically around
$4,000/year
Provides: A way to ease into
college / take general
college classes for credit.
Typically have agreements
with four year colleges to
transfer credits.
Admission
Requirements
Open-door
admission policy
Types of Colleges
Type
Description
Tuition
Admission
Requirements
Four year
Degrees offered:
Bachelors and beyond
State: Typically
under
$17,000/year
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Provides: A well-rounded
college experience that
includes an academic area
of study.
Private:
Typically more
than
$22,000/year
SAT or ACT
GPA
Class rank
Essay
Extracurricular
activities
• Letters of
recommendation
• Transcripts
Choosing Your
College Priorities
Discuss
What is important to you?
• Location
• Academics
• Size
• Campus Appeal
• Social Life
• Total Cost – Including aid
Good Fit
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www.collegecountdown.com
www.collegeboard.org
www.cappex.com
www.firstinthefamily.org
www.zinch.com
Many other sites to explore!
Financial Fit
• www.collegecountdown.com
• Discover the colleges your family can afford.
• May help alleviate tension between you and
your parents.
• Provides a great conversation piece and you
will have more of an idea of your families
finances.
Right College, Right Price
(The Perfect Fit)
What Is Financial Fit?
• Determining Reasonable Debt
• Assessing Your Affordability
• Learning how to Match Your Affordability
with the Net Price/Cost of Colleges
About College Admission Tests
• ACT
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Consists of four tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science
Writing component is recommended
Top composite score is 36
State ACT
vs.
National ACT
Offered during the week
On a Saturday
State pays
Individual pays
Counselor registers individual
Individual registers
Part of the PSAE in the spring
No writing
– www.actstudent.org to register for a National ACT (CEEB 142628)
• SAT
– Consists of three tests: Reading, Math, Writing
– Each test is scored on a scale of 200-800
– www.collegeboard.com to register (CEEB 142628)
What information do college
admission officers review?
•Grades / Overall GPA
•Strength of high school course selections
•Admission Test Score (www.fairtest.org)
•Essay
•Teacher and counselor recommendations
•Class rank
•Student’s demonstrated interest
•Personal accomplishments
•Personality characteristics
•Courses in progress Junior and Senior year
•Facebook/Twitter - any multimedia facet
Collecting College Information –
Where to go
•Cappex.com - College search made simple. Your first stop
to kick-start your college and scholarship search
•nacacnet.org - National Association for College
Admission Counseling. Offers national college fair information
and articles about the college process
•collegeboard.org - Information about the SAT and
college and scholarship search
•act.org - Information about the ACT test
•actstudent.org – to register for ACT
•collegecountdown.com – discover your financial fit
Scholarships
Merit Scholarship Tips
Merit scholarships are where the money is.
• There is more than $11 billion in merit scholarships
available to students from colleges
• Not just for “A” students
• Many awards emphasize leadership or school involvement
• Nearly all colleges offer merit aid scholarships
• The average merit scholarship is $5,000
• Many awards can be renewed year after year
Scholarship Resources
• Fastweb.com - Private scholarships
• fafsa.ed.gov - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
January 1 of your senior year
• Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s website
about paying for college
• MeritAid.com - $11 billion in merit scholarships
• Cappex.com - Scholarship matching
• finaid.org - Free student resource for learning about all types
of financial aid
• collegeboard.org – scholarship search
• Senior Assembly - 2014
Next Steps
Next Steps for Juniors
In School
 Stay focused on academics
 Keep a good academic load for senior year
 Meet with your school counselor
 Stay involved in school activities
 Shadow in an area that interests you
Standardized Testing
 Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests
 Register for AP tests as appropriate
College Exploration
 Explore colleges on the Web
 Visit colleges if you can
 Meet with college representatives
 Attend college fairs
 Professional email address/voicemail/etc.
Lisle High School’s Timeline
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College Night – October 29th (Registration due October 22nd)
April 23rd and 24th – PSAE
Begin applying September 1, 2014
August – Senior Assembly
Complete FAFSA – Free Application for Federal
Student Aid – January 1, 2015
• February 2015 - COD hosts the FAFSA made easy
• FAFSA Workshop - LSHS
• Final Decision – May 1, 2015
Illinois Student Assistance Corp
• Samantha Lach will be in the library twice a month
to help with college and scholarship searches, and
financial aid questions!
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October 8 and 22nd 12 – 3:00
November 12
12 – 3:00
December 10
12 – 3:00
Like Sam on Facebook –
Username: ISACCOD3
• [email protected]
• (630) 297-6866