We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves. – Thomas Merton

 What are YOUR skills and abilities?  Find a career where you can use those skills and abilities.  What type of training do you need to make that happen?  Is it a Certificate, Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, or beyond? Post High School What do you want to be when you grow up?

 Vocational Training  Armed Forces  Community College  University  Work Force Choices After RHS

 Approx. 99% of incoming freshman report they plan on attending college  93% of students attend a 2 or 4 year college after graduation – (68% - 4 year and 25% - 2 year)  6% plan to enter the military, career/vocational schools, employment, or delay admission to college College Bound Students

GPA/Academic Performance ACT/SAT Course Selection – rigor in areas of strength Essays Recommendations Extracurricular - sports, clubs, volunteer work, etc.

 school/pages/7357/college-planning-resources school/pages/7357/college-planning-resources  MI College’s GPA and ACT acceptance score tiers Where will your ACT/GPA take you?

 4 credits in Language Arts  4 credits in Math (including Algebra 2)  3 credits in Social Studies  3 credits in Science  2 credits in Modern World Language  1 credit in Health and PE OR Wellness 1 and Wellness 2  1 credit in Visual, Performing, Applied Arts *NCAA student/athletes – speak with counselor RHS Graduation Requirements

CONSIDER COLLEGE CHARACTERISTICS What are you looking for in a college? College Night at a Rochester Community School in October each year. College reps visit the Rochester High counseling office in the Fall and early Winter. Sign up in the counseling office or on our webpage.

 College/Post High Education is an investment of time and money. It has the potential to increase people’s earning power.  Examine college characteristics carefully.  Does the college have your academic program of interest? Go to their website and explore!  Besides the program, what else does the college offer? CONSIDER COLLEGE CHARACTERISTICS

 More areas of specialized study  More courses in each area  More extracurricular activities  Larger libraries  More lab/computer facilities “The college experience” SIZE: Large schools may offer….

 More personal atmosphere  Small classes: teacher knows your name, knows when you’re absent…..  More discussion and fewer lectures  More availability to connect with their students SIZE: Small colleges may offer….

Other Important Considerations  Location (type of community)  Size of school  Costs: scholarship and financial aid  Public verses Private  Campus activities/Athletic Programs  Academic reputation  Support Services – Academic and Career Services, Disabilities Office

 Compile information from several resources:  Careercruising.com -  Collegeboard.org  Catalogs (mailings)  College RHS (Fall) This rep reads the applications first  College Night Adams for 2015)  Campus Visits – call admissions office directly to schedule a tour  Counselors and teachers  Parents, students, and alumni  Professionals in the field – job shadowing LIST, COMPARE, AND VISIT COLLEGES

 Meet with an admission counselor  Verify admission requirements – Likelihood of getting accepted  Determine actual college costs  Ask about financial aid opportunities  Take a campus tour  Investigate your academic program(s) of interest  Attend a class if available  Talk with students and faculty Checklist for a Campus Visit

 Narrow your choices – school and program  Review college admissions requirements  Know application fees (free/reduced lunch) and deadlines, scholarship requirements and deadlines  Submit application Fall of senior year  Application for admissions – apply online - standard practice  High school transcript – Parchment  ACT/SAT test results – send scores (4) when registering or send later for a fee, “bubbling” date - TBD  Recommendation letters can be uploaded in applications. At times, mailed directly to the college by the recommender or student. APPLY FOR ADMISSION AND OBSERVE DEADLINES

 How it works  PARCHMENT sends transcripts to receiving institutions when your high school approves the order and uploads the transcript records to PARCHMENT. This usually takes from one to three business days. PARCHMENT will notify the student, via , as soon as the school has made the student's records available to PARCHMENT. PARCHMENT sends electronic transcripts immediately.  Parchment: THE OVERALL PROCESS

 Continue college and career research – visit colleges, spend time on career cruising  Ask for letter(s) of recommendation (make resume or complete senior questionnaire) - Ask for a paper copy and for recommender to save it for possible uploading directly to the application.  Summer  Begin looking at applications on the college’s website  Get started on application and application essays Preparation

 Begin searching through a variety of scholarship search engines – ex- fastweb.com  Visit the counseling webpage where scholarships are updated regularly high-school/pages/6304/counseling-department high-school/pages/6304/counseling-department  Searching for scholarships is hard work that can pay off Scholarships

 Plan ahead and speak to the receiving university  Transfer credit information is online – Michigan Transfer Network:  Articulation agreements vary per schools – roughly credits (with specific classes) * If GPA and ACT are not up to par, attending a community college for one year and then transferring may be an option. Some colleges (OU) will look solely at the 24 college credits = 1 year and not request high school transcripts. Transferring Credits between community college and university

 27% of students that start a 4-year degree don’t return after their first year  50% of students start a 4-year college, but don’t graduate in 6 years  33% of students completed their 4-year degree while attending 3 or more colleges  22% of Michigan residents over 25 have a 4-year degree *Risk factors - procrastination and amount of reading

FINANCIAL AID Federal, State Aid & Scholarships *Two evening presentations in the District each year *Next presentation is on January 12 at RHS at 6.

Financing an Education  Invest in higher education – Continuing education after high school is much more important for this generation than it was for their parents’ and grandparents’ generation.  Investigate all possible resources  Parents - Summer Earnings -Savings  Financial aid:  Grants (free and reduced lunch students)  Loans  Work study  Scholarships  Apply (submit) for financial aid as early as Jan. 1 of senior year (FASFA)  Apply for the financial aid pin before Jan. 1 at Needed to electronically sign the applicationwww.pin.ed.gov

What is FAFSA?  The FAFSA is the :  F=Free  A=Application  F=Federal  S=Student  A=Aid  The FAFSA collects certain personal and financial data used to confirm and calculate the student’s eligibility.  The FAFSA applies the student for state aid as well.  You must complete a FAFSA every year. It is recommended that this is done prior to March.

FAFSA Workshop January & February 2015 FAFSA Workshops are designed for high school seniors who would like assistance filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By selecting an appointment time, students and their parent(s) will have the opportunity to fill out their FAFSA with professional assistance from Oakland University Student Financial Services staff. Students and their parent will need to bring some supporting materials, including FAFSA PIN number, each for student and parent. For a checklist of what to bring, visit oakland.edu/FAFSAworkshopchecklist. Reservations are required.

MICHIGAN MERIT EXAM (MME) March 3 rd & March 4 th

 ACT – curriculum based test directly related to what students have learned in high school courses- timed test  ACT average composite score for RHS  ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks – English 18, Math 22, Science 24 ACT/PLAN/EXPLORE

ACT plus writing  English  45 minutes & 75 questions  Math  60 minutes & 60 questions  Reading  35 minutes & 40 questions (4 passages)  Science  35 minutes & 40 questions  Writing  30 minutes & 1 prompt What does MME include?

WorkKeys: Earn certificate for MI workforce  Reading for Information: 45 minutes  measures the skill people use when they read and use written text in order to do a job. The written texts include memos, letters, directions, signs, notices, bulletins, policies, and regulations.  Applied Mathematics: 45 minutes  measures the skill people use when they apply mathematical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving techniques to work-related problems. The test questions require the examinee to set up and solve the types of problems and do the types of calculations that actually occur in the workplace. This test is designed to be taken with a calculator. What does MME include? continued…..

Michigan Portions (MEAP-like): Dates TBA  Mathematics  Science  Social Studies  English NEW TESTING! M-STEP Summative Assessments

 You may retake the ACT on a National Saturday in April, June, September and so on at a cost to you. $38.00 (no writing) $54.50 (writing)  Register online at Can I retake just the ACT to improve for college admissions? YES

 Does it help to take the ACT more than once?  ACT research shows that of the students who took the ACT more than once:  55% increased their composite score on the retest  22% had no change in their composite score on the retest  23% decreased their composite score on the retest ACT

 The best preparation - a solid high school curriculum!  Check out the counseling webpage for free online test prep.  Review PLAN results  Consider taking a preparation class   Collegeboard.com for SAT  Huntington Learning and Sylvan Learning Center ACT PREPARATION

 The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems—skills you learned in school that you'll need in college.  Check out for more informationwww.collegeboard.com SAT

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