College Night Presentation for Juniors and their Parents

Agenda Preparing for a College Search Scholarships Next Steps for Juniors Myths and Facts about College Admissions College “Q & A”

Preparing for a College Search

Types of Colleges Four year Type Description Admission Requirements Degrees offered: Bachelors and beyond Provides: A well-rounded college experience that includes an academic area of study. SAT or ACT GPA Class rank Essay Extracurricular activities Letters of recommendation Transcripts

Types of Colleges Two year Type Description Admission Requirements Degrees offered: Associates Provides: A way to ease into college / take general college classes for credit. Typically have agreements with four year colleges to transfer credits. Open-door admission policy

Choosing Your College Priorities What is important to you? Location Academics Size Campus Appeal Social Life 10 Step Campus Culture Quiz Total Cost – Including aid Net Price Calculators

About College Admission Tests ACT Consists of four tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science Writing component is optional-Recommend you take this section the first time you take the ACT. Top composite score is 36 Will have an in-school test in April SAT Consists of Evidenced Based Reading and Writing and Math, Essay portion is optional Each section is scored on a scale of 200-800, highest score possible is 1600 Essay is scored separately Khan Academy SAT Subject Tests Hour-long, content-based tests that allow you to showcase achievement in specific subject areas where you excel Only a handful of colleges require SAT Subject Tests Test Preparation Prep Class/Books/Websites/Khan Academy/Apps

What Information do College Admissions Officers Review? Grades / Overall GPA Strength of high school course selections ACT or SAT Test Score (some schools are test-optional) Essay Teacher and counselor recommendations Class rank (NDA provides decile ranking) Student’s demonstrated interest Personal accomplishments Personality characteristics Courses in progress senior year

Collecting College Information – Where to go https://connection.naviance.com/family-connection/auth/login/?hsid=nda-toledo – Naviance (there is an app for iPhones as well!) Cappex.com - College search made simple nacacnet.org - National Association for College Admission Counseling. Offers national college fair information and articles about the college process collegeboard.com - Information about the SAT actstudent.org - Information about the ACT test bigfuture.org – comprehensive college planning website

Scholarships

Merit Scholarship Tips Merit scholarships are where the money is. There is more than $11 billion in merit scholarships available to students from colleges. Not just for “A” students. Many awards emphasize leadership or school involvement. The average merit scholarship is $5,000/yr. Many awards can be renewed year after year.

Scholarship Resources Fastweb.com - Private scholarships fafsa.ed.gov - Free Application for Federal Student Aid Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s website about paying for college MeritAid.com - $11 billion in merit scholarships Cappex.com - Scholarship matching finaid.org - Free student resource for learning about all types of financial aid

Next Steps

Next Steps for Juniors In School Stay focused on academics Do not lighten your academic load for senior year Meet with your college counselor Stay involved in school activities

Next Steps for Juniors Standardized Testing Prepare for tests (Khan Academy/Prep Class) Register for ACT and/or SAT tests Register for SAT Subject Tests if needed Register for AP and/or IB tests as appropriate

Next Steps for Juniors College Exploration Explore colleges on the Web – Utilize Naviance!! Visit college campuses Meet with college representatives when they come to NDA Attend college fairs – Lourdes Fair will be the first Tuesday in October Familiarize yourself with the Common Application. www.commonapp.org Begin working on the application and essay Register with the NCAA ( www.eligibilitycenter.org ) if wanting to play DI/DII athletics

Our High School’s Timeline Take the ACT/SAT at least once this school year Attend individual meeting with Mrs. Meier next semester Work on essay over the summer Retake ACT/SAT if necessary Take SAT Subject Tests if necessary August - Student Brag Sheet and Parent Brag Sheet Visits, visits, visits! Attend FAFSA presentation in the Fall Complete FAFSA Complete CSS Profile if necessary Applications will be due in Mid-October

Myths and Facts “I’m not going to get into college” Fact: About 70% of colleges accept an average of 70% of their applicants “If I haven’t heard of the school, it must not be any good” Fact: There are countless schools that will offer you a great education. Don’t make your decision based on prestige or name recognition. Make your decision based on the best fit for you.

Myths and Facts “Take the easiest courses your school offers in order to maximize your GPA” Fact: Colleges know the most difficult classes NDA offers and they factor that in when reviewing your application “No college will take the time to look at your Facebook page” Fact: Admissions officers can and do look at social-networking profiles, so make sure you aren’t putting anything out there that you wouldn’t want them to see.

Myths and Facts “Be Modest” Fact: Admissions officers won’t read between the lines. They have to read between 75 and 100 applications a day, so make it easy for them. Give them the facts and don’t be afraid to brag. “By the time you get to applying to college, the hard work is done” Fact: You have 5 pages to represent 17 years of your life. Every word needs to count, and essays must be written and rewritten many times. Don’t underestimate the time it will take to make sure your application is the best it can be.

Mrs. Meier ameier@nda.org 419-724-1007 Q&A with NDA Parents Mrs. Meier ameier@nda.org 419-724-1007