JUNIOR/PARENT PRESENTATION “PREPARE AT RBC”

 GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT  Mark DeVoe –Director  Mindy Fellingham-Counselor  Pat Hendricks-Counselor  Kelly O’Keeffe –Howlett-Counselor  Ted Jarmusz-Counselor  Mary Ellin Sweeney-Learning Consultant  Debbie Hemschoot- Registrar  Tina Schwartz-Guidance Secretary

 Academic Record  Difficulty of Course Load  SAT Scores/ACT Scores  Letters of Recommendation  College Essay  Extra-Curricular Activities  Personal Interview  Neatness of the College Application  Community Service  Special Talents  Demonstrated Interest

REACH- To be admitted at this school may be possible, but it is not a definite occurrence. TARGET- The majority of previously admitted freshman had scores, grades, and other activities slightly better or equal to your own. QUALITY SAFETY- Admission at this college is highly likely and probable due to the strength of your application.

 Early decision plans allow you to apply early (usually in November) and get an admissions decision from the college well in advance of the usual notification date. But there is a catch. Early decision plans are BINDING meaning if you apply as an early decision candidate, you agree to attend the college if you are accepted.  Although you can apply to only one college for early decision, you may apply to other colleges through the regular admissions process. If you're accepted by your first-choice college early, you must withdraw all other applications. Usually, colleges insist on a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1.  Early decision sometimes prevents you from knowing your financial aid package ahead of time. (

 Early action plans are similar to early decision plans in that you can learn early in the admission cycle (usually in January or February) whether a college has accepted you. But unlike early decision, most early action plans are not binding, meaning you do not have to commit to a college to which you've applied for early action. Under these plans, you may apply to other colleges. Usually, you can let the college know of your decision in the late spring or whenever you've decided. (

 If you wish to build in more time when weighing all of your college choice options, you may apply using our Regular Decision plan. If you want the flexibility of a traditional, non binding process, this is the plan for you. 

 While many colleges and universities in the United States employ a rolling admission policy, very few of the most selective colleges use it. With rolling admission, students have a large window of time during which they can apply to a college or university. The application process typically opens up in the early fall, and it may continue right through the summer.most selective colleges  Unlike a regular admission process with a firm application deadline, rolling admission applicants are often notified of their acceptance or rejection within a few weeks of applying. A college with rolling admission typically accepts applications for as long as spaces are available.

Software NAVIANCE-FAMILY CONNECTION Objective Guides Rugg’s College Handbook The College Board Handbook Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges Subjective Guides Fiske Guide to Colleges The Insider’s Guide to Colleges U.S News Best Colleges Institutional Materials College Fair at Brookdale Community College

1. Fact Finding 2. Reflection 3. Assessment 4. Action What are the important factors about this college? What majors and programs? What are your impressions? Could this be a good match for me? What are the next steps?

FINANCIAL AID WEB SITES  Financial Aid Information Pagewww.finaid.comwww.finaid.com  Fast Webwww.fastweb.comwww.fastweb.com  U.S. Dept. of Educationnces.ed.gov/ipeds/coolnces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool  NJ Dept. of Higher Edwww.nj.govwww.nj.gov  NCAA Clearinghousewww.ncaaclearinghouse.net/  FAFSAwww.fafsa.ed.govwww.fafsa.ed.gov  CSS Profilehttps://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsphttps://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp COLLEGE WEB SITES  Alphabetical list of all Universities in the U.S.  Peterson’s Onlinewww.petersons.comwww.petersons.com  Common Applicationwww.commonapp.orgwww.commonapp.org  College Boardwww.collegeboard.comwww.collegeboard.com  ACT  SAT/ACT Optional Schoolswww.fairtest.org Naviance CAREER WEB SITES  Do What You Are  US Bureau of Labor  Career Key

KAHN Academy SAT Question of the Day SAT Prep Test Bank ACT Test Prep The Admissions App All My Colleges College Score Matcher College Search College Match Ivy League Admissions College Essay Techniques

Where? How big? What will I major in? Will I be admitted?

Student Record/Transcript Strength of Schedule Scores (SAT/ACT/Optional) Activities Resume Essays Recommendations Interview (recommended) Admissions Counselors Consider

Location (Urban, Suburban, Rural) Distance Academic Rigor Size Extra-curricular (i.e. athletics) Field of Study/Major Financial Aid Student Should Consider

“College is not a prize to be won, but a match to be made.” Let’s get started…..

 Naviance can help students find valuable information about colleges and careers.  To log on please go to: olic - Enter your username ( and password) olic

 College Search: This feature will help you find colleges that match your preferences, size, location, campus climate, athletics and more.  College Lookup: This tool will provide detailed information about each college, some features include web tours, average GPA and SAT scores and more.  Scattergrams: This feature will create a graph to show the GPA and SAT combination of applicants to a college from Red Bank Catholic.  Colleges I’m Thinking About: This tool will allow you to make a working list of schools that interests you. It can be modified at any time.

Personality Questionnaire: This assessment will help you learnmore about your personality and careers that are matched to your strengths. Career Interest Profiler: This includes 180 questions about activities workers do as part of their jobs. Exploring Careers and Clusters: This feature will provide career overviews, information on the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in each career.

vs. SAT = reasoning test Type of Test ACT = content-based test Critical Reading: 2, 25-min sections and 1, 20-min section; Math: 2, 25-min sections and 1, 20-min section; Writing: 1, 25-min essay, 1, 25-min section, and 1, 10-min section Test Format English: 1, 45-min section; Math: 1, 60-min section; Reading: 1, 35-min section; Science: 1, 35-min section; Writing: 1, 30-min essay (optional) questions can be phrased in ways that make them difficult to decipher Test Style questions may be long but are usually less difficult to decipher, more straighforward Math, Critical Reading, and Writing scores will each range between a ; total SAT score ranges between Scoring English, Math, Reading, and Science scores will each range between Composite ACT score is the average of your scores on the four sections; ranges between 1-36 yes – you lose ¼ of a point for incorrect answers (except on the grid-in math questions) Penalty for Wrong Answers? no – you do not lose points for incorrect answers yes – you can choose which set(s) of SAT scores to submit to colleges Score Choice? yes – you can choose which set(s) of ACT scores to submit to colleges questions increase in difficulty level as you move through that question type in a section (except reading passage questions, which progress chronologically through the passage) Difficulty Levels difficulty level of the questions is random arithmetic, data analysis, algebra I and II, functions, geometry; formulas are provided in the test booklet Math Levels arithmetic, algebra I and II, functions, geometry, trigonometry; no formulas are provided Accepted by all colleges and universities College Preference Accepted by all colleges and universities

Test Date Registration Deadline Junior Year SATMarch 14, 2015February 27, 2015 SAT & Subject TestMay 2, 2015April 6, 2015 SAT & Subject Test June 6, 2015 May 8, 2015 Senior Year October 2015September 2015 November 2015October 2015 December 2015November 2015 Always the first Saturday of the Month. Plan accordingly!

Test Date Registration Deadline Junior Year ACTFebruary 7, 2015January 9, 2015 April 18, 2015March 13, 2015 June 13, 2015May 8, 2015 Senior Year September 12, 2015August 2015 October 24, 2015September 2015 December 12, 2015November 2015

THE COLLEGE SEARCH PROCESS Junior College Planning Night TIMELINE December ‘14 September October November December ‘13 June February March January ‘15 April May July August Junior Lessons (3) Junior Meetings VISIT COLLEGES SAT/ACT APPLY STUDENTS CONSIDER Location/Distance Size Extra-curricular (i.e. athletics) Field of Study/Major COLLEGES CONSIDER Student Record/Transcript Strength of Schedule Scores (SAT/ACT/Optional?) SCHOOL COUNSELOR PROSPECT LIST (10-30 SCHOOLS) FINAL LIST (6-12 SCHOOLS) NAVIANCE VISIT COLLEGES!

If it is recommended, consider it required.

 Dress neatly.  Take the interview seriously.  Get to know the college. Use Naviance to visit websites, college review books, catalogs, etc.  Be prepared to talk about yourself and to ask questions about the school.  Practice interviewing…with anyone.

 Make a positive first impression. Give firm handshakes, make eye contact and introduce yourself clearly.  Elaborate…give more details than your application can display.  Be proud of your accomplishments.  Do not be afraid to discuss a weakness.  Pay attention to the questions.  Come with prepared questions specific to college.

At the end, thank the interviewer for his/her time and ask for a business card. Remember the interviewer’s name. Make some notes for yourself. Send a thank you .

 What is the strongest program on campus?  What is the most popular department/course on campus?  How many classes are taught by graduate assistants?  Given my proposed major, will I be able to study abroad?  How accessible are faculty?  What is the most important aspect of a student’s application?  What improvements are being made on campus?  What is the size of the sophomore class?

 What magazines and/or newspapers do you read?  Which of your activities has given you the most satisfaction?  Tell me about Red Bank Catholic High School.  Have you considered a major?  Is there a weakness in your application?  What is something about you, that colleges would not find on your application?  If your friend was asked to describe you, what would he/she say?

 Please don’t choose your top choice school for your 1 st interview.  If unable to interview, meet with the college representatives when they visit Red Bank Catholic during your senior year.  Prepare for each college meeting as if it was a formal interview.

 Tour first.  Attend information session.  Go while school is in session.  Bring a notebook and/or a camera.  Eat in cafeteria if possible.  See a freshman dorm.  Visit the infirmary.  See the music/athletic facilities if possible.  Look for anything else that will be important to you.  Send to thank the school for information and tour

 Financial Aid Evening-January 6,  FAFSA – should be completed after January 1 st. Early completion is preferable-if you are applying for any loans, FAFSA has to be completed.  College Scholarship Service – CSS profile. Some schools use this service. Usually due by November 15.

 Must apply for a pin for one parent and student.  Application available January 1 st of the year student is applying.

 Look at College web-sites  Use Naviance for scholarships list.  CSS Profile-some colleges require that you subscribe this service.

athletes/future/want-play-college-sports

For Students :  Food  Weekends  Popular activities  Largest class  Scheduling  Advisors  Where else did you apply  Getting home For Info session: Infirmary Dorm rules Living off campus Scheduling Career center Advising system Weekend activities Classes that close Cross Application Pool Need-Blind?