1. “I wish I had looked at more schools. I didn’t realize how many options there were until I heard my classmates talking about where they were going.” 2. “I wish I had taken high school a little more seriously so I had more options when it came time to apply.” 3. “I wish I had taken the SAT before I was a senior. Now I don’t know where I can get in.” 4. “I wish I had started the applications over summer. It was so hard to get them all done, keep up with my tough classes and attend the senior activities.” 5. “I wish my parents had figured out how we are going to pay for this before I got in. I am worried that I might not be able to go.”

 1. Develop your college list  2. Take the SAT or ACT  3. Make up any D or F grades  4. Maintain involvement in extracurriculars  5. Keep your grades up!

 A list of “good fit” colleges  How?  Determine what factors are most important to you  Use your resources ▪ Advisory ▪ Naviance (Supermatch) ▪ Big Future ▪ College Rep Visits ▪ College Fairs  Research broadly – explore out-of-state and private options in addition to UC/CSU

 College Fair October DHS – 6:30 pm  Know your numbers  HS GPA  CSU/UC GPA  SAT/ACT scores  Eligibility Index (for CSUs – need SAT/ACT)  Have a resume  Have an elevator speech ready (“Tell me about yourself”)

 US News Rankings  “Brand Name”  I’ll just go to Las Po…  My boyfriend/girlfriend is going to…  Make sure they have your major! You want a balanced list of colleges that you would be happy to attend, that offer your field of study!

 Most money will come from the institutions themselves  Schools may subtract outside scholarship $ from the financial aid package they offer you  If app takes 30 mins. or less, do it  High GPA is best way to get the most grant aid  Money is given on a first come first serve basis  Fill out FAFSA as close to Jan. 1 as possible  Do taxes early next year  Some schools will meet 100% of demonstrated need. Others much less.  Make sure to use the Net Price Calculators to determine what your cost might be.

Sample College Cost Estimator with Financial Aid

 SAT or ACT?  Essay?  When? JUNIOR YEAR!!!  March – SAT (or April ACT)  May – SAT Subject Tests (if needed)  June – retake SAT or ACT  October – retake SAT/ACT if studied over summer

 Only 10 th and 11 th grades included (and summers)  D/F’s made up by 12 th replaced by higher grade  Only (P), (H), AP, and college grades  +’s and –’s don’t matter  Max of 4 honors points per year (for each semester of (H), AP, or CL)  Google “CSU GPA calculator”

PASSION & LEADERSHIP!  Be interesting…have interests!  Stick with it  Add depth

 Work on your college list!  Listen to reps, visit colleges and fairs  Take the SAT or ACT (study for SAT/ACT if necessary  Make up D/F grades  Explore your interests – get an internship, a volunteer job, take a class, informational interviews, job shadowing. Do at least two interesting things.