COLLEGE PLANNING SEMINAR Class of 2019 Wednesday, November 15, 2017 Presented by the Tolland High School Counseling Staff

AGENDA PART I: College Admissions Panel PART II: The College Search Process Junior Year and Summer 2018

ADMISSIONS PANEL We welcome: Chris Dorsey–Eastern Connecticut Diane Soboski– College of the Holy Cross Samantha Plourd – Manchester CC Mary DeAngelo– Springfield College Jomaira Rincon– UCONN

Resources in Folder A variety of informational handouts are included in your folders, including: Planning Calendar for Junior-Senior Year SAT & ACT Test Dates & Registration Information Family Connection New England Regional Tuition Break Program Paying for College Tips for Parents NCAA Eligibility Program Evaluation

Winter, Junior Year Review PSAT scores (on-line in early December). Use results to determine how to best prepare for the SAT in the spring. Think carefully about course selections for senior year. Colleges expect that you will continue to challenge yourself. Register for the SAT or ACT (or both). All registrations for these tests are done on-line, and have strict deadlines. Begin to think about what type of college is best for you. Consider factors such as academic programs, size, location, activities, cost. VISIT

A Good Decision Requires Information Gather information about yourself Strengths, weaknesses, abilities, interests Gather information about colleges Admission statistics Location Size Majors/programs Financial aid Retention and graduation rate Student to faculty ratio Clubs/organizations Internship opportunities Etc.

SAT – March 2018 CONNECTICUT SAT SCHOOL DAY The test date will be Wednesday, March 21, 2018, during the school day. This SAT will NOT include the Writing component. FOR THIS TEST DATE ONLY – students will be mass registered by THS. Students will also have the opportunity to send their scores from this test date to up to four colleges at no cost.

Standardized Test Scores Tolland High does NOT include SAT or ACT scores on official transcripts. Students must have their standardized test scores sent directly from the testing agency (College Board, ACT) to the colleges they are applying to as well as other organizations as needed (NCAA, scholarships, etc.) Juniors will have the option to send their March scores to up to 4 colleges for free. THS SCHOOL CODE: 070792

KHAN ACADEMY The College Board is partnered with Khan Academy to provide free, personalized, focused practice resources for all students. Students who took the PSAT will be directed to Khan Academy when they receive their score reports. Visit the Khan Academy website at www.khanacademy.org

Students must create their own accounts for many of the sites that they will use in the college application process, including: The Common Application The College Board (SAT) The ACT (a different, but widely accepted test) Khan Academy Students must remember their own user names and passwords --- school counselors do not have access to this information, so cannot assist students who do not know how to log-in.

Spring, 2018 Begin your college search. Use search engines in Family Connection VISIT colleges – April break is a great time, as college students are in class College Fairs – Hartford, CT – 3/28/2018-3/29 – CT Convention Center Springfield, MA – 4/9/2018- Big E Complete your RESUME in Family Connection. Pursuing Division I or II athletics? Become familiar with the requirements by going to the NCAA Eligibility Center web site. Investigate requirements for SAT Subject Tests or AP tests

Summer 2018 Register for the fall SAT/ACT/SAT Subject Tests. Continue to research and visit schools. Update your resume. Begin to brainstorm and draft your college essays.

Types of College Applications In general, students will use one of three types of applications: The Common Application An Institution’s Application The Coalition for Access, Affordability & Success Application All of these are ON-LINE applications. Very, very few institutions still use paper applications.

“Prior-Prior Year” FAFSA The FAFSA now uses “prior-prior year” (PPY) tax data, which means students and parents of the Class of 2019 will use tax data from the 2017 calendar year on the FAFSA. Be sure to attend our Financial Aid Seminar next fall for more information on the financial aid process.

Admissions Terminology Early Decision- Binding if admitted Early Action – Early deadline, early notification. Not binding. Rolling Admission- Applications are read and decisions are made continuously throughout the fall, spring. Regular admission- Deadlines will vary. Response usually receive in Spring. Priority Deadline – Considers priority application in advance of regular admissions. ( ex. UCONN- Dec.1) Deferred Waitlisted

THS Counseling Web Page www.ths.tolland.k12.ct.us “Quick Links” on right – School Counseling Contains links to : Family Connection College Board (SAT) and ACT Common Application Presentations to students Updated weekly with current news & information FOR MORE on FAMILY CONNECTION SEE THE HANDOUT IN YOUR FOLDER

COUNSELOR ASSIGNMENTS Class of 2019 Student Counselor Email Last Name A-C Caitlin Foran cforan@tolland.k12.ct.us (currently Pat Micari) pmicari@tolland.k12.ct.us D-J James Shea jshea@tolland.k12.ct.us K-Rie Michelle Grady mgrady@tolland.k12.ct.us Rig-Z Lanham Miller lamiller@tolland.k12.ct.us

Working as a Team Students, Parents and Counselors all have a role to play in the college search and application process!!!! Communication is the key!