THE JOURNEY CONTINUES Class #4 2/26/2013

Self-Knowledge: Do What You Are Career Cluster Career Interest Profiler Letter to Future College Roommate Why Does Self-Knowledge Matter???

What did you DISCOVER that may be relevant to your life after AHS? 1. What do you like to do? 2. What do you hate to do? 3. What subjects (academic or not) make you sit up and take notice? 4. What totally bores you? 5. What are you good (or not-so-good) at? 6. How do you learn best? 7. What possible careers pique your interest? From:

“... the ‘best’ college is the one that will challenge you appropriately, open your eyes to new ways of thinking, and help you develop and broaden your talents as you take your place in the world ahead.” Willard Dix, former admissions officer at Amherst College and counselor at University of Chicago Laboratory High School

Self-Knowledge + College Knowledge Use what you’ve learned (self-knowledge) to inform what you want and need to know about colleges (college knowledge) in order to discover your “best fit” colleges and post- secondary options.

Close your eyes and envision your ideal college. Think about walking around campus. What do you see? Now you're sitting in your favorite class. What does the classroom look like? What are you and your classmates doing? What is the professor doing or saying? Pretend it's Saturday on campus. What are you and your friends doing? Where are you spending your weekend? What's coming up that evening? While you have that picture in your mind, write down all of the details you can. Describe the college as accurately as possible. When you're finished, read through your description. Link: School Fusion College Discovery Pages Class #4School Fusion College Discovery Pages Class #4 From:

College Qualities to Consider:  Size  Academic Environment  Academic Offerings  Cost/Availability of Financial Aid  Religion  Ethnicity  Student Body Characteristics  Coeducation or Single Sex  Student Life  Activities Available (including athletics)  Big Name School or Best Fit School?  Admission Difficulty  Location From: Dr. Steven R. Antonoff, Qualities That Will Make A College Right For You

Size is one of the qualities that many students consider important as they begin to think about their future college experience. Why is size important and how might the size of a college/university impact your college experience? General Size Distinctions: Small: under 3,000 students Medium: between 3,000 and 10,000 students Large: between 10,000 and 20,000 students Largest: over 20,000

List some of the qualities (academic, social) that you think are typical of small colleges. List some of the qualities (academic, social) that you think are typical of large universities. Describe some potential benefits of small colleges. Describe some potential benefits of large universities. Describe the characteristics of a student who you think would thrive in a small college environment. Describe the characteristics of a student who you think would thrive in a large university environment. Name two colleges/universities for each size category. Small: Medium: Large: Largest: Link: School Fusion College Discovery Pages Class #4School Fusion College Discovery Pages Class #4

Which college qualities are most important to you? Why? Are there other college qualities the are important to you that we haven’t mentioned? What are they? Why are they important to you? Complete the Qualities That Will Make A College Right For You survey: link: School Fusion College Discovery Pages Class #4School Fusion College Discovery Pages Class #4

COLLEGE VISITS Consider taking a college trip during spring break or any long weekend

EXPLORE COLLEGES ON THE WEB Naviance Big Future: is an excellent resource for finding colleges, exploring careers, and learning the details about many colleges and universities. Colleges' Websites: Each college's website provides current information regarding student life, admission policies, testing requirements, scholarship and financial aid, etc. The easiest way to find a college's website is to Google the college name and/or link through Naviance or Big Future. Inside College : This website provides college lists of all kinds. Search on anything from prospective majors to most beautiful campuses to college fight songs. College Prowler : This link provides subjective reviews of colleges from the perspective of the students who attend: Unigo: This website provides information that helps students find, get in, and pay for college.

What is your College Knowledge “take away” today?