RHS Guidance Department Sophomore College Planning Night

RHS Guidance Department  Ms. Sharon Davis, School Counselor  Ms. Lindsay Richard, School Counselor  Mrs. Laurie Rotondo, Lead School Counselor  Mrs. JoAnne Walker, School Counselor  Mrs. Karen Lubbers, Guidance Secretary

Alphabet Breakdown Class of 2018 Mrs. Rotondo: A-Cim Ms. Davis: Cin-Kal Ms. Richard: Kam-Ru Mrs. Walker: Ry – Z

Agenda  College Selection Factors  Family Connection  Admission Factors  Standardized Testing  Coalition Application  End of Year Reminders  Question & Answer Session

College Selection Factors  Size of Campus: Large, Medium, or Small  Public or Private Institution  Location: Distance from Home Urban, Suburban, or Rural  Quality & Selection of Programs  Quality of Faculty  Resident or Commuter  Diversity of Student Body

College Selection Factors  Athletics: Div. I, II, III Club or Intramural  Cost: Tuition: In-State vs. Out of State Financial Aid  Support Services: Career Services, Special Services: Tutoring, Counseling Specialist, Learning Disability Specialist, etc.  Special Programs: Study Abroad, Internship Opportunities, Graduate Programs, etc.

College Search Process  Where do we begin? Communication  What is the student looking for?  What are the parent expectations?  Who is financially responsible for tuition? Initial Research:  Websites and View books-College Board & Family Connection Test Drive :  Visitations- fall, spring, and summer open house, tours and sit in on a class

Family Connection  College Search Database specific to RHS  Each student received a password during course selection. Forgotten Passwords: See Mrs. Lubbers  Link to Family Connection can be found on the RHS Website

Click colleges tab: College search link View all upcoming college visits

Impt. Factors for the Admission Committee  What are colleges looking for? Strength of Curriculum Grade Point Average (computed at the end of each year)  Consistency, Upward Trend Standardized Tests: (SAT/ACT; SATII) Essay Interviews (not all require)  Sample Questions on Guidance Website Demonstrated Interest Level Extracurricular/Work Experiences/Honors/Awards Letters of Recommendation

Testing Information  Students tend to take either the ACT, SAT I, or combination of both three times Create a testing plan. View all dates and plan ahead. By the end of the junior, students should have at least 2 – 3 tests completed. There is still more time to test again in the fall of senior year, if needed.  SAT/ACT: Institutions will only accept them directly from the College Board and/or ACT. Reporting: Score Choice for both.  SAT II: Highly selective schools tend to require SAT II or Subject Tests. Students taking an AP course are recommended to take the Subject Test in May of their sophomore/junior year.  AP Exams: Students can choose to send or not to send in their official score report only to the institution they are attending.  Test Optional Schools:  Test Prep: Kaplan, Princeton Review, Huntington, Private Tutors

Differences Between the NEW Redesign SAT & ACT NEW ReDesign SAT - Components: Evidenced Based Reading & Writing, Math, Essay (optional) -Time: 3 hours without essay 3 hours and 50mins. with essay -Scoring: -Composite Score: (SAT Essay is reported in three dimensions, each No penalty for wrong answers or unanswered questions ACT - Components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, & *Writing (optional) *Always register WITH Writing -Time: 2 hours & 55mins. without essay 3 hours & 35mins. with essay -Composite Score: 1 – 36 (writing domain score 2 – 12) -No Penalty for wrong answers or unanswered questions

Information on NEW Redesign SAT  Concordance Tables for NEW Redesign SAT and ACT will be released in May 2016  The first March 2016 Administration will take approximately 4 weeks for scores to be released.  A college readiness partnership between College Board and Khan Academy. Go to: Official SAT Practice site offering sample tests, interactive practice and instant feedback.

Math Levels & Standardized Testing Sophomores taking Algebra II or a higher math level this year can take the official SATs or ACTs in June of sophomore year and/or fall of junior year. Sophomores taking Algebra II next year should wait to take the SATs or ACTs until the spring time of junior year. Typically, sophomores taking Algebra II next year will take the February ACT and March SAT.

Standardized Testing Calendar  PSAT: Wednesday, October 19, 2016  Practice ACT: Saturday, November 19, 2016  Practice 1/2 SAT 1/2 ACT: Saturday, February 25, 2017  Official SAT: 2016 – 2017 Dates announced in July Junior Year (Tentative Dates Based Upon Previous Year Dates):  October 1, 2016  November 5, 2016  December 30, 2016  January 28, 2017  March 11, 2017  May 6, 2017  June 3, 2017 Fall of Senior Year: October, November & December

Standardized Testing Calendar  Official ACT: Junior Year (dates confirmed):  September 10, 2016  October 22, 2016  December 10, 2016  February 11, 2017  April 8, 2017  June 10, 2017 Fall of Senior Year: September, October & December

Create a Test Taking Schedule  October: PSATs  Pending Math Level: December: ACT January: SAT February: ACT March: SAT April: PARCC ( Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College & Career) & ACT May: AP Exams; Subject Tests, SAT June: SAT, ACT, Subject Tests

SAT II (Subject Tests) & AP Exams  SAT IIs are subject based tests. Students can take this test at any grade level.  SAT IIs should be taken when the course is completed and fresh in your mind. We suggest May and/or June  AP examinations are for college credit only, typically not for college admissions

Score Choice  Score Choice gives you the option to choose which scores (by test date for the SAT and by individual test for SAT Subject Tests™) you send to colleges — in accordance with an institution's stated score-use practice.  If you decide not to use Score Choice, all of your scores will be sent to your recipients. Students should still feel comfortable sending all scores, since most colleges consider a student’s best score.

Athletes  NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse Application: Can be submitted at the beginning of Junior Year Send SAT or ACT to NCAA Clearinghouse directly Send Official Transcript to NCAA Clearinghouse  Athletic Scholarships: Div. I or Div. II only  Athletic Resume and Questionnaires  Student Athletes Ask Yourself: “If I can not compete, would this still be the right school for me?”

Coalition for Access and Affordability Application

 A consortium of public and private universities (91 to date). A platform of online tools to streamline the experience of applying to college.  All of the resources on coalition are also on Naviance. The primary reason for the creation of the application was there are some school districts that can not afford Naviance.  End of April 2016 – Students can access the Students can use its resources and house school work in a variety of medias in the virtual locker.  July Current Juniors can apply using this application

Sophomore/Junior Year Calendar Summer  Visit Colleges  Research Colleges Fall  Attend Financial Aid Night in October  Take the PSAT’s in October at RHS  Pay attention to when college representatives will be visiting RHS in the fall. Each junior/senior can attend 6 information sessions.  Attend Open Houses at Colleges

Sophomore/Junior Year Calendar Winter  Attend Junior College Planning Night  Register for the SAT and/or ACT Spring  Take at least 1 SAT and 1 ACT  If you take an AP class, take the subject test in that content area in May or June  Ask teachers to write letters of recommendations  Submit Brag Sheets to the Guidance Office (Information regarding letters of recommendation will be provided at Junior College Planning Night )

Helpful Reminders  Keep your grades up! Everything counts!  Change your addresses to a family account  Become Familiar with Family Connection  Face Book Accounts: College Admission Offices do look at your accounts  “Best Fit” not “Best School”: Finding the best fit requires visiting and researching  How many?: 2 or 3 reach, 4 or 5 target, 3 or 4 probable  Stay Organized  Explore Various Options for Colleges Within Our Area

National College Fairs  April 20 th & 21 st : NJ National College Fair at Meadowlands Expo Center April 20 th : 9am – 12:00pm & 5:00pm – 8:00pm April 21 st : 9am – 12noon Blocks 2A and 4A are PARCC Testing on April 20th. Blocks 2B and 4B are PARCC Testing on April 21st.  April 24 th : NYC National College Fair at Jacob Javits Center from 11am – 4pm  Sunday, October 30, 2016: Philadelphia National College Fair at PA Convention Center from 11am – 3pm  Tuesday, November 1, 2016: NJ National College Fair at Atlantic City Convention Center from 9am-12pm & 6-8pm

Questions?