College Planning Night Aurora High School Fall 2017

AHS Graduation Requirements English-4 credits Mathematics-4 credits Science-3 credits Social Studies-3 credits Physical Education-.5 credit (one year) Health-.5 credit (one semester) Personal Finance- .5 credit (one semester) Electives-including one year of fine arts 21 TOTAL CREDITS

Additional Curriculum for College Preparation Global Language-at least 2 credits in the same language (3 or more credits for selective colleges) Additional credits in core subjects and areas of interest Ex. A student interested in math may graduate with 5-6 math credits.

Junior Year Checklist Focus on maintaining/improving GPA Visit colleges Maintain involvement in your school and community Create a testing plan (ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests) Schedule senior year courses that demonstrate rigor Register through NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA Eligibility Centers for future college athletes

In other words… Shop Visit Test

Finding the Right Fit… Location/environment Academic major Internships and co-ops, research opportunities, honors programs, career placement Activities of interest Affordable for you and your family A place that will both challenge and support you A place you will graduate from

A Solid College List… Is in the single digits Has at least 2-3 “likely” schools No more than a third are “reach” schools Every school meets student’s priorities Every school will make student happy Accounts for family financial situation Includes parent input If you do a good job “shopping”, then you will have a great list and less stress.

Naviance Web-based resource that supports student career and college planning Used by the guidance staff to communicate with students and parents Used to process all transcripts and recommendation letters

Naviance How do I register? STUDENTS= All students have registered at school with the help of Career Specialist, Ann Marn PARENTS= Each junior parent received a passcode in the mail with the College Planning Night invitation Use your code to create a personal account Students can show parents how to navigate

Naviance: Super Match Do Super Match!!!!!

Ohio College Websites Public Colleges http://www.opuac.org/ Private Colleges http://www.ohioprivatecolleges.com/ Hold up samples of the books!

Other College Search Resources College Websites Books/Reference Manuals College Fairs Admissions Representatives Magazines Buzz…..

Campus Visit Checklist-Formal Schedule a campus tour Meet with an admissions counselor Meet with a professor in the department in which you are interested Attend a class Ask questions Students should ask the questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Campus Visit Checklist-Informal Have lunch on campus Take a walk and talk with current students Grab a copy of the student newspaper Talk with a student or counselor in the career center Attend an event on campus

Make a Testing Plan ACT SAT All colleges accept either SAT or ACT Some colleges may SUPER score Have your test results mailed for free by selecting this option when you register for each test Take both tests then choose your best test in which to focus for a retest (or use practice test scores to decide which test is best for you) Selective colleges may require/recommend SAT Subject Tests ACT at AHS-February 27, 2017

Sample Testing Plan

Test Prep Resources ACT website College Board website Local private tutors Private companies Huntington Princeton Review Kaplan Practice books Refer to handout. Don’t read.

College Admissions Activity

What do colleges look for? Difficulty of curriculum GPA ACT/SAT scores

What do colleges look for? (cont.) Recommendation letters Extracurricular activities Essays Interviews Auditions/Portfolios Once you have a final college list and see you need a teacher rec letter, ask a teacher in the fall of senior year.

How will you find the college that’s the right fit for you?

Kent State University SAT 950-1160 ACT 21-25 Average GPA 3.4 Demonstrate OU website.

Naviance Scattergram

Social Networking Sites and College Admissions

The Role of Social Media in College Admissions (Kaplan Test Prep, 2016) 35% of colleges surveyed report that they have visited an applicant's social media page. Of those surveyed, nearly 42% say that what they found had a negative impact on the student’s admission. Summarize by stating to clean up sites.

Parent’s Role in College Planning Promote independence--coach, don’t quarterback Encourage your child Make it their college visit Proofread essay and application Complete FAFSA and other financial documents Anticipate a wild ride!

Is it too early to…??? College Exploration and Research Visiting Colleges ACT and SAT (Junior Year) Admissions meetings at AHS (Senior Year) College Applications (Oct.-Dec. Senior Year)

Financial Aid Opportunities Scholarships (91-99% of scholarship money is given by the government and colleges through the application process) Complete College Application Complete FAFSA Grants Loans Work Study Tip: Try using the Net Price Calculators on college websites.

Financial Aid Forms Financial Aid Night Fall of Senior Year FAFSA Required by all colleges Can be filed online CSS/Financial Aid Profile Required by some colleges, mostly private Used to help colleges award nonfederal student aid funds Institutional Forms (required by some colleges) Financial Aid Night Fall of Senior Year

Don’t eliminate any college because of costs Don’t eliminate any college because of costs. (at least, not until Spring of your senior year after you receive your financial aid packages)

Resources for Scholarship Information College financial aid office Church or religious groups Parents’ employers Fraternal/professional organizations Reference books Local scholarships (March of Senior Year) Internet searches fastweb.com scholarships.com

AHS Guidance Department 330-954-2023 Mr. John Calcei, Counselor (A-G) jcalcei@aurora-schools.org Mrs. April Nenadal, Counselor (H-O) anenadal@aurora-schools.org Mrs. Chris Miley, Counselor (P-Z) cmiley@aurora-schools.org Mrs. Sharron Weingart, Guidance Secretary sweingart@aurora-schools.org Mrs. Jennifer Hilty, Guidance Secretary jhilty@aurora-schools.org