Junior Guide to College (What to Focus on This Year) Class of 2019

Wendy Nelson Help parents and students navigate the college search process Started mykidscollegechoice.com in 2012 Launched meritscholarshiplist.com in 2016 to help families search for merit scholarships offered directly by colleges

Junior Year Focus - Topics College Prep Activities How to Find & Track Potential Schools Parent’s Role College Cost

Congratulations! You are in a great position for college applications and scholarships Colleges want students like you Continue to build upon your momentum Grades ACT/SAT Test Scores Leadership

College Prep Activities for Junior Year PSAT and ACT/SAT Tests College list College visits Teacher & mentor relationships High-quality extra-curricular activities

How to Find Schools College Fairs College Search Websites Collegedata.com Bigfuture.collegeboard.org Nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ Admission Rep Visits to OHS College fairs at local community colleges in the fall – regional schools; for national variety of schools, there’s a very large college fair at Navy Pier in Chicago in September College search websites allow you to enter criteria and then they spit back a list of schools to consider. Criteria ranges from location, to size, to majors offered, to selectivity of admissions and more. Take advantage of all the admissions reps who come to OHS to talk about their schools.

Track Your College List on a College Search Spreadsheet

Parents – You Play a Key Role Every kid is different Motivation Organization Schedule college visits Provide guidelines

How Much Will College Cost? STICKER PRICES Community College Tuition & fees - $3,500 or less per year No room & board IL State School Tuition & fees – Ave $10,000 - $17,000+ Room & board – Ave $9,000 - $13,000 Out-of-State Public College Tuition & fees – Ave $15,000 - $30,000+ Private Colleges Tuition & fees – Ave $24,000 - $40,000 + Room & board – Ave $9,000 - $14,000

How Much Will College Really Cost? Don’t focus on the “sticker price” Find your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) FAFSA4caster or collegeboard.org Net Price Calculators Need-Based Aid Based on your EFC vs cost of college Not guaranteed Not always “free” money Determine how you will pay your EFC Savings Cash Flow Merit Scholarships – thousands up to full ride

Where will we find the best deals? Community colleges offering full-tuition awards Non-flagship IL state schools (ISU, EIU, WIU, SIU, etc) Public schools in other states offering deals (Midwest Student Exchange Program) Colleges offering large merit scholarships Colleges that are generous with need-based aid Local community colleges offer full tuition to top students There’s a handout with a list of schools in IL and surrounding states that offer full-tuition and full-ride scholarships. These are worth looking into. IL does not participate in a true reciprocity program with any other states. Midwest Student Exchange Program offers discounted OOS tuition. Use net price calculators and college search websites like collegedata.com to find schools that are generous with need-based aid

Out-of-State vs. In-State Example 1 University of Wisconsin - Madison University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign $34,783 Tuition & Fees $10,842 Room & Board $45,625 Total Price Per Year $15,868 Tuition & Fees (base) $11,308 Room & Board $26,938 Total Price Per Year

Out-of-State vs. In-State Example 2 University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (with Midwest Student Exchange Program) Western Illinois University About $11,459 Tuition & Fees $7,290 Room & Board $18,749 Total Price Per Year About $11,560 Tuition & Fees $10,230 Room & Board $21,790 Total Price Per Year

Great Merit Scholarship Examples St. Ambrose University, IA $29,736 Tuition $20,000/yr automatic scholarship for 28+ ACT and 3.8 unweighted GPA North Central College, IL $37,569 Tuition Between $18,000 - $22,000/yr scholarship based on ACT and GPA Valparaiso University, IN $37,550 Tuition Between $17,000 - $26,000/yr scholarship based on ACT and GPA

Great Merit Scholarship Examples Northern Illinois University $12,273 Tuition & Fees 33 ACT and 3.75 GPA qualifies for consideration for full-ride scholarship $7,000/yr scholarship for sliding scale of ACT/GPA combinations (i.e. 24 ACT & 4.0 GPA, 26 ACT & 3.9 GPA, 28 ACT & 3.75 GPA, 30 ACT & 3.65 GPA) Western Illinois University $11,560 Tuition & Fees $10,000/yr scholarship for 30 ACT and 3.0 GPA Can compete for full ride President’s Scholarship with a 30 ACT Illinois State University $14,062 Tuition & Fees Up to $11,000/yr scholarship for 30 ACT and 3.5 GPA

Questions?