Junior Parent Meeting January 24, 2018

Amy N. Piazzon MA Shrine High School College Counselor 8th year at SHS Mother of 3 (4 if you count my husband) Counselor and Assistant Director of Admissions- Hillsdale College Director of Admissions- St. Scholastica Academy International Boarding School 7 years as Primary and Institutional Sales Specialist for Upjohn/Pharmacia Corporation 8 years –Director of Sales Annabelle Noel Designs

What I Can Do Help your child plan for life beyond Shrine HS Provide individualized assistance with the college application/scholarship process Proof read application/scholarship essays Identify and remind students of pertinent deadlines Help identify potential scholarships Utilize all my resources within the world of collegiate counseling to advocate for your child Nurture, support, and love your child during a challenging phase of life

What I Can’t Do Get your cherub into the college of his/her dreams Write application/scholarship essays Actually force a student to make the aforementioned deadlines Procure a full tuition scholarship for your child or locate the mythical pot of gold necessary to pay for college Guarantee that this will be an easy process

Junior Job Shadow Initiative April 18, 2018 Pilot initiated and advocated by Jennifer Reaume Represents the culmination of Naviance research. 3 assessments, exploration of daily tasks, educational requirements, salary, job qualifications In November each Junior was interviewed to determine top three career choices February- matching of each Junior with an area professional

Junior Job Shadow (cont.) Goals Observe a specific career of interest Real world lessons on workplace decorum, professionalism, dress codes Possibly refine college search process Build business contacts and potential mentors

Naviance College and Career Planning Software Letters of recommendation requests must be submitted electronically through Naviance AFTER having been requested in person. All transcript requests are submitted and processed via Naviance. For the class of 2019, transcript fees will be included in Graduation fees.

Standardized Testing …. ACT vs SAT Both are standardized admissions tests accepted universally and interchangeably by colleges and universities Standardized testing is only one factor in a holistic review of student’s application. Students in MI public schools receive a free SAT as a part of the MME testing. More than 900 colleges are now Test Optional Test on both platforms and retest only on the test that best showcases their talent.

ACT/SAT cont. Many theories on ACT/SAT preparation Many ways to spend your money on preparation Free customized test prep available at Khan Academy List of Shrine approved ACT/SAT tutors/programs on the Counseling page of the Shrineschools.com website. Some students take ACT/SAT and receive score they “need” for a specific school on the first try. Other students can take the tests up to 12 times and never get the score they “need” for their dream school. Scores are not the only factor in an admissions decision, but often are limiting factors in scholarship consideration

Multiple smaller sections, but main scoring divisions are critical reading and math with an optional writing section. Scoring ranges from 200-800 for a max score of 1600 in the critical reading and mathematics sections. SAT is the qualifying exam for the Michigan Competitive Award. Qualifying score is a 1200

Comprised of 4 subsections and an optional writing section English, Math, Science, and Reading Composite score is an average of the subsections Composite score does NOT include the Writing score High score is 36 in each section

2017/18 Standardized Test Fees ACT+ Writing- $62.50 ACT No Writing-$46.00 SAT+ Writing-$60.00 SAT No Writing $46.00 Both ACT and SAT offer fee waivers for students who meet NACAC requirements

SAT/ACT continued Students can send their ACT or SAT scores to 4 schools free of charge when registering Post test, charge is $13 per score/per school Because most universities only accept scores directly from ACT or the College Board, students are responsible for sending ACT/SAT scores to their universities

Dates for 2018 Test Date Registration Date February 10, 2018 January 12, 2018 April 14, 2018 March 9, 2018 June 9, 2018 May 4, 2018 July 14, 2018 June 15, 2018 September 8, 2018 August 3, 2018 October 27, 2018 September 21, 2018 December 8, 2018 November 2, 2018 Shrine is a test site for the June and September tests. We do not register students for these tests. Initial registration takes approximately 30 minutes.

Test Dates Test Date Registration Date March 10, 2018 February 9, 2018 May 5, 2018 April 6, 2018 June 2, 2017 May 3, 2018 August 25, 2018 October 6, 2018 November 3, 2018 December 1, 2018 *Shrine is a SAT test site for the March and October dates.

Admissions Criteria Test scores get all the attention, but #1 criteria for most schools is GPA, followed by rigor, academic trend, and extra curricular involvement (leadership) Being denied at a selective school doesn’t mean that the student didn’t meet the criteria, but they might not have been competitive in the applicant pool which changes every year.

Single Application that serves 700+ colleges and universities “Common” portion of the application is submitted to all selected schools, but each university typically has specific “Member Questions”-typically an essay. Therefore answers in the common portion must be “generic”. Member Questions essay should be highly specific to selected university. Letters of recommendation must also be “generic” because they are submitted to each selected school.

Coalition Application The newest application platform. 130 Schools now accept the Coalition Application. Both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University accept the Coalition Application. Members of the Coalition include public universities that have affordable tuition along with need-based financial aid for in-state residents, and private colleges and universities that provide sufficient financial aid to meet the full, demonstrated financial need of every domestic student they admit. Coalition schools graduate at least 70 percent of their students within six years, with many having much higher graduation rates.

All Ivy League Schools are represented Select public universities who meet 70% of demonstrated need are included Is a direct threat to the Common Application Students can create a “locker” of information to be reviewed by college officials.

Applications continued Coalition, Common Application, or Direct to the University….all applications are completed on line. Universities that offer multiple applications do NOT have a preference. Students should utilize the platform that meets the needs of the majority of their applications.

How many applications are enough/too many? Juniors are encouraged to consider a wide range of schools. There are 3500 colleges/universities in the US There is no “best school” but there are schools which are the best match for specific criteria for each student. The question isn’t to how many schools can I be admitted? 5 applications is a great target number. Some will apply to 1 (not advisable) and others will apply to 15 ( also not advisable). My record is 25. I promise to help every student apply to as many colleges as s/he needs to feel comfortable.

Things to consider when contemplating whether or not to apply Average application fee is $50 Why spend the time and money applying to a “safety” school in which you have no real interest in attending? It can be very difficult differentiating between 10 colleges…especially as the student gets closer to the May 1st deadline.

Early Action/Early Decision/Rolling Admissions Early Decision (ED) is a binding contract. Students who definitively know that they would attend a specific university if accepted can apply ED by November 1st and have a decision before Christmas. Early Action: if a student applies by a set date, usually November 1st or 15th, a decision is typically rendered before Christmas. Rolling Admission: College admits students continuously until the class is full. The typical timeframe for rolling admissions is 8-12 weeks for an admission decision.

Academic Resume Was due on January 16th Will be sent to Job Shadow Mentor Resumes were “built” in Naviance, but students can use any format they prefer. Helps students organize activities, classes, honors, etc. which fundamentally prepares them to complete the “easy” portion of application. Necessary to provide to teachers who are writing letters of recommendation Is a dynamic document that will constantly evolve Is not typically included in the application

Baseline Interviews Transcript Review Opportunity for Mrs. Piazzon to know each student beyond the numbers Review of transcript, trends, goals Discussion of academic resume, academic letters of recommendation, potential schools and application time line Multiple appointments before June are encouraged

Academic Letters of Recommendation 1 academic letter is required Many selective schools will accept 2 academic recommendations. All letters are sent via Naviance to Mrs. Piazzon who submits them. This preserves the integrity of the letter. Too many letters of recommendation annoy Admissions Counselors. Fantastically handy to have on file for short dated scholarship opportunities.

Academic Letters of Rec. cont. Students should solicit them in May to be completed and returned to Mrs. Piazzon before school starts in August. Many universities will ask for a counselor evaluation.

College Admissions Visits to Shrine College Admissions Representatives will schedule visits to Shrine in September and October Students must sign up 1 day in advance through Naviance to be excused from class Students encouraged to meet visiting representative as this is typically the primary reader for his/her application

As of October of 2016, parents could file the FAFSA on prior, prior tax year records. The CSS Profile has also moved to prior, prior tax year. We are watching the evolution of Financial Aid this year. Preliminary reporting suggests the process is easier and more timely. I typically sponsor two Financial Aid programs in the Fall.

Approximate 16 month Timeline January- Resume due, continue researching schools, refining “best fit criteria” Feb- Schedule Baseline interview March- Schedule campus visits, contemplate who will write the letter of recommendation (LOR) April-Job Shadow, continue refining college list Late May-Request LOR, provide updated resume June- Standardized testing retake June-August-visit schools of interest, work on CA essay August 1-start applications Sept and October-attend Admission Counselor visits to Shrine and possibly visit campus October-file the FAFSA, attend Financial Aid evenings November 1- Early Action Deadline, applications should be filed by now November-April-Receive admissions decisions February-receive FA package February-late April-deliberate about the best fit, narrow choices and notify schools May 1st –National College Decision Day May 23rd Graduation

This is a process, not a nightmare May 23, 2019 Graduation (to be confirmed) Together we will reach the finish line Appointment Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 8-3 Tuesdays and Fridays reserved for processing and emergencies. piazzon@shrineschools.com 248 549-2925 x 2552