Sophomore Year College Presentation

College Admissions First and foremost are your course selections and grades. For universities that only look at numbers like our 23 California State Universities (e.g. Chico, Sonoma, Cal Ploy, SF State, etc.) you need to have the right courses and grades to be admitted. Grade Point Average (Min. 2.5 to apply) Strength of Transcript (upward trend) ACT or SAT exam scores (AP & Subject exams added value) Note: (UC Minimum GPA to apply 3.0 from A-G approved courses)

UC Berkeley 2016 Profile Admit rate — Overall 17.5% Admits 14,429 Applicants 82,571 High School GPA 4.12 - 4.30 ACT Composite Score 30 – 34 SAT Critical Reading 630 – 750 SAT Mathematics 660 – 780 SAT Writing 650 - 770

UC Santa Barbara 2016 Profile Admit rate — Overall 35.9% Admits 27,648,429 Applicants 77,114 High School GPA 3.92 - 4.23 ACT Composite Score 27 – 33 SAT Critical Reading 570 – 700 SAT Mathematics 600 – 760 SAT Writing 590 - 720

Grade Point Average (GPA) Colleges determine GPA differently. UC’s use 10th and 11th grades Other colleges use all 7 semesters for regular admissions (9th – 1st semester 12th grades) Strength of course selection and curriculum determined by the courses offered at your school from the school profile and historical data shown in the grade distribution section

Standardized Test Scores What tests and when? (PPSAT) Oct. (10th grade) PSAT version Oct. (11th grade) SAT version March, May (11th grade) or Oct. Nov. (12th grade) ACT April or June (11th grade) AP May after AP classes 2 to 3 SAT Subject tests May, June just after AP test and Pre-calculus in 10th or 11th is optimal time to take them. Note: Oct. only for Chinese and other languages with Listening included

College admissions criteria continued: Extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, community service, etc.) Special talents and awards Personal qualities, demographics, special circumstances Teacher and counselor recommendations Personal statement/essays, and if required Interview, portfolios, and/or auditions

Extracurricular Activities Summer Enrichment and Opportunities to build up your extracurricular activities. Summer is a good time to take care of your service learning and community service hours. Both have haiku pages that list opportunities. You can find these links on the home page of Naviance and under the “Extras” tab on your Haiku school site.

Your PPSAT Score Report

College Readiness and Benchmarks

Skills Sets Your Strengths & Weaknesses

NMSC Selection Index

Your Right, Wrong & Omitted Answers

Math - Free Response

Legend – Key & Subscore

College Board Access Code for Your Online Score Report

Next Steps to Improve Your Skills

Khan Academy SAT Preparation

PPSAT Sophomore Year Results Read test results Look up missed questions Visit the College Board’s SAT Khan Academy and other online sites for test preparation Devise a plan to improve skills and scores using your score report results Be consistent in your efforts (e.g. 15 to 30 minutes a couple times a week) Take a test prep class over the summer or participate in a Boot Camp

Other Evaluative Measures in competitive college applicants … Academic recognition and awards Artistic, writing, and/or other talent Depth in one or more academic areas Evidence of academic passion Grasp of world events Independent academic research Intellectual curiosity Writing quality: content, style, originality, risk taking There are lots of elements here. Certainly they don’t expect you to have all of them, but if you do, it will be noted. Being “well-rounded” is no longer a ticket to Harvard. While admissions officers are looking to create a well-balanced class, they are less and less impressed by kids who are interested in many diverse areas without some clear focus. When everything else is equal, a child with a deep interest and talent in one area will get in before a well-rounded student. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that well-roundness is bad. If you are a scholar, musician, athlete, and leader, that’s great, as long as you have something extra to stand out.

Summary of Sophomore Year Work hard to get the best grades possible Visit your counselor to help you select appropriate 11th grade courses (five classes) Pathways College Counseling Class and Individual meetings with your college counselor – junior/senior Get involved in meaningful activities – clubs, sports, community service Get familiar with the ACT and SAT exams at www.CollegeBoard.org and www.ACT.org Plan meaningful summer activities Get a job and add $$ to your college savings account Apply for scholarships and enter contests

Questions?