Junior Class Meeting Class of 2017

Before Applying to College Choosing General Career Goals- Two year or four year school, liberal arts or technical school, etc. Researching potential schools-  Use Family Connection to research and compare prospective schools  Attend local college fairs  Sign up for college visits in guidance using Family Connection  Plan to visit and tour college campuses

Admissions Terminology Early Decision This is an option used by a few colleges and universities that allows students to apply early in the fall of their senior year and have a decision as early as December. This option should be used only by students who are absolutely certain of their first choice school, because the decision is binding. If the college offers you admission as an early decision applicant, you must agree to attend that school. The pool of applicants for this option is frequently very strong, and therefore students whose SAT or ACT scores and GPA are not extremely high may want to wait for the regular admission date

Admissions Terminology Early Action Increasingly, colleges are offering this option as a means of getting commitments early in the year for their freshman class. Students are not required to accept the offers of admission under this system, but they are given a short deadline by which they must notify the school of their decision to accept the offer or decline. This can be helpful for students who are pretty sure of their top choice, or for those who just want certainty early in the senior year as to the school they will attend.

Admissions Terminology Regular Admission Regular decision is what it sounds like – the standard method of applying to US universities and colleges. Most schools set a college application deadline on or around January 1, and you could receive a college acceptance letter around the middle of April. Rolling Admission Schools that use this process have a committee of admissions officers who read each candidate’s application and make a decision as soon as a group of applications has accumulated – perhaps as often as once a week. They then notify the applicants of their decision without waiting for a set date later in the year.

Sample Deadline Dates  University of Maryland-November 1  James Madison University-January 15  Virginia Tech-January 15  Salisbury University-February 1  Towson University-February 1  West Virginia University-Rolling admission ( These are regular decision dates- early decision or early action can be up to one month earlier)

What can Naviance/Family Connection do for you?  Colleges College Super Match Search Engine Scholarship Searches College Visit Sign-ups Organize Colleges you are applying to  Careers Personality Inventory-based on the Myers- Briggs Assessment Career Interest Profiler Explore Careers and Clusters

Getting Started with Naviance 1. Go to the Family Connection website: Log on using your User Id and Password User ID – 8-digit Student ID number Password – 8-digit Student ID number

Oakdale HS Family Connection Welcome Page

Navigating the College Tab: “SuperMatch College Search” 1. Under the “Colleges” tab, click on SuperMatch College Search. **SuperMatch is a college search engine. You input specific criteria that you are looking for in a school, and SuperMatch produces a list of schools that fit your criteria**

Navigating the College Tab: “SuperMatch College Search”

Navigating the College Tab: Signing up for College Visits 1. Under the “Colleges” Tab, click on “view all upcoming college visits.”

Navigating the College Tab: Signing up for College Visits Click on “sign up”Click “sign me up”

Navigating the College Tab: “Colleges I’m Thinking About” 1. Click on the “Colleges” tab 2. Click on the “Colleges I’m thinking about” link just below the “Colleges” heading

Navigating the College Tab: “Colleges I’m Thinking About” 3. To start- click on the “Add Colleges to this list” link as shown in the picture below 4. On the college look-up page, click on the “lookup” link located in the last column on the right. Click on that link. YOU MUST CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ACCESS THE COLLEGE LIST.

Navigating the College Tab: “Colleges I’m Thinking About” 5. You should now see the “College Picker” Type the name of the college from your list in the top text box called, “Search by Name” just under the “Search Options” heading. ○ Note: You will go to the U.S. colleges as a default, even though the “country browse” box states “Afghanistan.” 6. Click the “Add Colleges” button at the bottom of the page once you have created your list. This must be done or the college(s) won’t be added to the list. 7. You will then be taken back to the “Colleges I’m Thinking About” page.

Navigating the College Tab: “Colleges I’m Thinking About” 8. Click on the name of a college you have on your list to view more detailed information about that college. Each college should include:  general information: enrollment, school type, campus surroundings  admissions criteria: SAT scores, GPA, high school academic subjects required  Financial Aid: cost of tuition, average amounts of financial aid given for entering freshman  majors and degrees: list of majors and level of education needed to obtain a degree in each major  student life: living and meal arrangements, housing descriptions, activities **Most colleges include a “video campus tour”…be sure to check those out!!**

Senior Information Survey  Provides Counselors and Teachers with valuable information to assist in writing a letter of recommendation that is an accurate reflection of your history and abilities.  Will be Under “My Planner” and “Tasks Assigned to Me”

Letters of Recommendation  Most colleges will request one or two letters of recommendation.  The majority of letters will be sent electronically –make sure you know your recommenders address.  Request letters from teachers you have had over the last three years.  Remember to ask them politely if they are willing to write you a letter.  Make sure you make them aware of your application deadlines.

Applying to College/Requesting Transcripts/Sending Scores  Students will apply online either via Common Application or the School- Specific online application.  Students will list colleges they are applying to and request transcripts in Family Connection.  Request SAT, ACT and AP scores from testing centers (ex. Collegeboard) to be sent to colleges.

Navigating the About Me Tab The “About Me” tab allows you to access other important inventories and surveys. Click on “profile” to view your GPA, class rank and to update your address!

If you are having any difficulty using any of the Naviance features, please make an appointment to see your counselor!