Welcome to Junior Parent Night! 2012

 Build a list of colleges that reflect a good match  The College Finder, Third Edition By Steven R. Antonoff, Ph.D. Junior Year College Planning Focus

PLEASE WELCOME OUR PANEL OF SENIORS

 Compare this year to your junior year, what are the main differences?  What is the hardest thing about junior year?  What kind of colleges are you thinking about?  What piece of advice can you give the juniors about how to succeed in school?  What kind of curfew do you have? How are you instructed by your parents when you go to parties and drive at night?  Do you ever get in a study group to prepare for exams? Do you use tutorial as a resource?  What is your CBSL project? How did you choose what you wanted to focus on?  SAT / ACT test prep. What did you do to prepare for the SAT and ACT’s? What would you recommend?

Importance of Junior Year  For some colleges, this is the last look in terms of GPA  Important to have good study habits, time management, and commitment to being a student  Make good use of resources (teachers, TUTORIALS) !  Strength of junior and senior year schedule (advanced math, 3 or 4 years of language)  Colleges want to see students challenge the curriculum

My Meeting Process  I meet with every student for an initial meeting  We use Naviance to search college interests  I will continue to meet throughout the year to review PSAT’s (December), discuss their sequence for testing (SAT’s / ACT’s) and analyze SAT / ACT scores, and continue to help juniors make a list of colleges to research and visit.  Use Naviance to search colleges, college visits to CN, majors, admissions, and scholarships  My Contact Info: (707) x 125 Counseling Office – Room #21 Teach 6 th Period

The Junior Year Social Scene  Curfews- It is important to have boundaries and establish the responsibility that carries over into the senior year.  Keep the Communication Open. Introduce yourself to other parents and families. Know locations and who is supervising your teen and know where they are going.  Parties, Drinking, Drugs, and Driving: Being responsible to understand the big-picture. Don’t just think about the present.

ACT vs. SAT  Every college takes either ACT or SAT.  YOU must register for taking the ACT and SAT tests online.  From the results of PSAT and PLAN, we will be able to tell which one is a better test option.  Test Option – Start with Spring SAT / ACT  Subject Tests – SAT II’s – (UC’s advised) -2 for admittance. Can be two of your choice.  A good SAT / ACT (700’s / 31) can be a deal maker for a highly selective school.  There are a variety of test-prep opportunities: Team Test Prep, Ahead of the Class, Elite Test Prep, Princeton Review, Kaplan… Find out what works for you and ask for recommendations.

Cal State System  CSU mentor website for applying to CSU’s  Course Requirements (see sheet). Advanced Math and third year of a foreign language will look good at any selective Cal State school  No D’s in any college prep classes (except in first semester foreign language or math classes).  3.0+ GPA list – Long Beach (3.4), Chico (3.3), San Diego State (3.7), San Marcos (3.0), Pomona (3.2), Fullerton (3.0), San Jose State (3.1, Cal Poly SLO (3.8+)  SAT or 22+ ACT for above 3.0 list of colleges

UC SYSTEM  UC Course Requirements (see sheet). All recommend 4 years of math and 4 years of foreign language.  Big range of admission, Cal, UCLA, UCSD are highly selective (10-15% admit rate) with 4.0 and better for GPA with 2000 or 28 at least on the tests needed.  UCSB, UC Davis, and Irvine need at least a 3.8 GPA with solid test scores (1700+, 26+).  Santa Cruz (3.6), Riverside (3.6), and Merced ( ) are considerably less.  Personal Statement-Pick one thing to focus on and expand on that. The Admission Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Give them a sense of who you are and what sets you apart from the other applicants.  Visit Naviance for profile and admissions information  UC website – universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions

Private and Catholic Schools  Schools such as Santa Clara, USC, LMU, Gonzaga ned a GPA with SAT (1700), ACT (25).  Other schools need less: St. mary’s (3.5), USF (3.5), Portland (3.5), Dominican (2.5+), and Notre Dame de Namur (2.5+).  These schools look at all 4 years and extra curricular activities.  These schools also require letters of recommendation. Ask junior / senior level teachers who know you to write letters for you  Out of state schools such as OSU and UNR need a 2.7, U of Oregon, ASU require a 3.0, and Colorado, Texas, and Florida need a 3.5.

Highly Selective Schools  Highly Selective Schools look at all 4 years of curriculum. They require students to exhaust the curriculum to the best of their ability. (Honors and AP Courses).  All applicants of Highly Selective Schools have 4.0+ GPA’s, and great test scores ( ).  How do you separate yourself from other candidates? You must have a talent or something other than school and test scores. (Athlete, musician, writer, ASB leader, Service, etc).  Personal Statement or essay is very important. Students must grab the reader’s attention. Essay can make a huge difference in selection.

Community College and SRJC  Community Colleges offer transfer, certificate - occupational programs.  Community Colleges are a great value and great option to transfer (60 credits/two years) general education classes to a four year college.  Spring of senior year – SRJC representatives administer placement tests.

Visiting Colleges to Gather Information  To arrange a college visit, telephone or the various admission offices. Do this at least two weeks in advance. Tours are offered and preview weekends are posted on college websites.  Take a tour  Attend an information session, meet with a member of the admissions team  Ask a faculty member about their department / major  Stay overnight on campus, check out the surrounding city, public transportation  Speak with a coach and give him/her your vital statistics

Student Athletes  You must register with both NCAA and NAIA Clearinghouse junior year  ADD both NAIA and NCAA to your College list on NAVIANCE

JUNIOR PARENT QUESTIONNAIRE I serve as your child’s advocate in the college admissions process. I will do my best to get to know your child by gathering information from their teachers, coaches, and from our individual meetings. However, I realize that no one knows your child as well as you do! It is for this reason that I ask you to take some time to complete this questionnaire and return it to me. Your insights are important in helping me craft letters of recommendation and in speaking persuasively with admissions representatives on your child’s behalf. Parents please RETURN this completed questionnaire to my counseling office (room #21 attention Ms.FULLER) by the last day of school!

Thank you for attending! For any further questions, please contact directly: Beverly Fuller (707) x 125 Counseling Office – Room #21