Junior Workshop

Presented by the Guidance Department

How have we prepared for today?

• Freshman Seminars – Calculating GPA ’ s – Transcript Review • Sophomore Seminars – Career Exploration – Career Interest Inventory

Junior Seminar Objectives

• Introduce the college process • Factors to consider in choosing a college • Required Guidance Forms and Resources • How to register for Standardized Testing • Practice using Naviance • Developing a well balanced list of reach, realistic and safety schools • How to find the best fit for you!

Some Questions for You

• How many of you think you want to go right on to college when you graduate?

• How many of you will be the first child in your family to apply to college?

• Why do people go to college?

• What are your fears or concerns, if any, regarding the college search process?

• Have you started to do anything yet about considering colleges?

Factors to Consider in choosing a college

Location Distance From Home Admission Selectivity Size Major Housing Financial Aid Student Diversity Campus Culture

This is a

very individualized

process and it is important to remember that there is a college for everyone!

•

Types of Colleges

Liberal Arts Colleges :

4 years, broad core requirements •

Specialized Colleges and Universities

engineering, etc.

:

business, art, •

Religiously-affiliated Colleges and Universities :

religious ties, and usually a religion class required to graduate •

Single Sex Colleges

: all female or all male •

Military Academies

Academy, the Air Force Academy, as well as other military focused colleges. : West Point (Army), the U.S. Naval •

Private vs. Public Colleges and Universities:

both in state and out of state Differences

Developing a well balanced list

•

Reach

- GPA/Test score averages fall above your own range. All Ivy League and “ Ivy Like ” schools in the most competitive category are considered reaches for all students!

•

Realistic

- 50/50 chance of getting in. GPA/Test score averages fall within your own range •

Safety

- Likely that you will get in. GPA/Test score averages fall below your own range **Remember that you should visit every school on your list, and should be happy to attend every school on it!

Visits count!

Tips on the College Visit

• Now is the time! February or April vacation • Research colleges before going and then take notes on your tours • Limit yourself to 2 visits a day maximum • Go on formal tours and info sessions • Call the college ahead of time or register on their websites for tour times

Admission Terminology

4 Types of Admission Plans: • Early Action

response – Nonbinding, early

• Early Decision

response – Binding, early

• Regular Decision • Rolling Admission

Standardized Tests

• ACT with Writing – Measures academic achievement in the areas of English, mathematics, reading and science. Focuses on "core-curriculum" content.

– Dates: • February 9 th , 2013 •

April 13 th , 2013 (at Westwood High School)

• June 8th, 2013 • SAT – Measures critical reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills. Focuses on testing critical thinking skills.

– Dates: • March 9 th , 2013 •

May 4th, 2013 (at Westwood High School)

• June 1 st , 2013 • Subject Tests – Subject Tests may be required by the more selective schools. See your counselor for more information.

– The ACT may take the place of a subject test. Please refer to individual college websites for this information.

Testing Strategies

• Retake your best test in the fall!

• Prepare for these tests, but know they don’t outweigh the importance of your grades!

Resources and Information about College

• Guidance Counselor • Guidance Website • College Websites • Campus visits • College guidebooks • Barron ’ s Guide (September 2013) • College Board ( www.collegeboard.com

) • Naviance ( http://connection.naviance.com/westwood )

Guidance Forms



Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ)*

- To be completed on Naviance 

Activities Resume

- Check your WHS gmail. Mrs. Higgins will email it to you and once you complete it, upload it to googledocs and share it with your counselor.



Parent Information Form * All of this due by March 1 st , 2013

Application Process

• Common Application – online application that includes almost 500 colleges and universities.

– Commonapp.org

• School Specific Application – some schools will not be included on the Common Application, therefore you must fill out their own application.

Letter of Recommendation

•

You must ask 1 teacher if they will write you a letter of recommendation for next year. See the purple form in your folder

•

Choose wisely! - Academic subject area teachers only - Someone who knows you and your work well - Someone you had a positive relationship with!

•

Colleges prefer an 11 th grade teacher over a 10 th grade teacher.

•

Be sure to ask by the deadline: June 1 st .

** Few schools asks for two letters from teachers. If you have done research and you see that your school requires two letters from a teacher, show proof to your guidance counselor, and THEN ask a 2 nd teacher.

Other Material Included in your Folder

• Transcript • GPA Graph • Junior Time Line • Factors to Consider • Practice SAT • Teacher Rec. form

What

’

s Next?

• College Planning Night Feb. 6th 7-9pm • Attend two more junior seminars • Introduction to Naviance – Completing a college search – Developing a well balanced list

Parting Advice from Seniors

A happy statistic: Over 51% of last year’s seniors got into their top choice school, and 25% got into their second choice school…