How to get to College! 101 Presented by South County Cal-SOAP Live Oak Advisors Arron Thomas Jackson Daley Sobrato Advisors Dulce Cintora Ted Thomas

Commonly Asked Questions  My parents say I have to go but I don’t know why?!?  Am I even eligible?  My parents didn’t go to college and they don’t know how to help me!  Should I just go to the Community College?  I heard that college is crowded, and students can’t get classes! That can’t be true…right?

Earning Power (Average salaries based on Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008 ) 8/11/ High School Graduate: $32,136 Associate’s Degree (AA): $38,348 Bachelor’s Degree (BA/BS): $60,472 Advanced Degree (MA, MD, JD): $81,172

Success is all about your MINDSET! What kind of student do you want to be? I want A’s and B’s! I’m happy with my C’s! … yea, I’m just gonna do what I can to graduate…

It’s also about the requirements! 5 Areas that you NEED to pay attention too! ► A-G requirements ► Course Rigor ► Grade Point Average ► Test Scores ► Personal Statement (IF YOU DO ALLTHIS WELL, YOU WILL GET IN!)

8/11/ Types of Colleges 4-year university  California public universities ► UC system – 10 campuses – top 10% of students ► CSU system – 23 campuses – top 50% of students  Out-of-state public universities ► Out-of-state tuition is higher than in-state (Oregon University, Arizona State, etc.)  Private universities in all states ► tuition is the same for all students whether in or out-of-state ► Santa Clara, Stanford, USC, Harvard, Columbia, etc. Community College – 2 year degree  Gavilan, DeAnza, San Jose City, etc. – 108 campuses – all students are eligible  Students can complete 2 years at community college, then transfer to a 4-year university (must fulfill transfer requirements)

Private School Applications (commonapp.org)

University of California (universityofcalifornia.edu)

California State Universities (csumentor.edu)

California Community College (cccapply.org)

A-G Requirements A: History (2 years) B: English (4 years) C: Math (3 years req./4 recomm.) D: Science (2 yrs. req. 3-4 recomm) E: Foreign Language (2 req. 3-4 recomm.) F: Visual/Performing Arts (1 year) G: College Prep Elective (1 year)

GPA/Test Scores GPA What is a “good” GPA? Will the University consider all my High School Courses? AP vs CP??? Community College/CSU/UC /Private School? Test Scores What is a “good” score? Do I need to take SAT prep classes to do well? What’s on the test? Which test should I take? How many times should I take the test/s?

Course Rigor What is Course Rigor? How do I add rigor to my courses? -Keep in mind, the Universities want to accept students that have challenged themselves throughout High School! ‘They’ would rather you take an AP and get a ‘B’ than take a CP and get an ‘A!’

Community Service/Volunteer Work Seriously…. Why do I need to do this?  The purpose of Community Service is to provide the student an opportunity to gain experiences

Personal Statement ► What is it for? ► How do I write a “good” personal statement? ► What are “they” looking for? -It’s all about rainbows!

IDEAL STUDENT GPATEST SCORESA-G REQUIRMENTS # AND PERFORMANCIE IN AP COURSES ELC (TOP 9%) RIGOR OF 12 GRADE COURSES ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO SCHOOL OPPERTUNITES OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES OUTSTANDING WORK IN FIELD RELATED PROJECT RECENT ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT TALENTS, ACOMPLISHMENTS OR TALENTS SPECIAL PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN ABILITY TO OVERCOMEHS LOCATION

Additional Criteria ► Extracurricular activities -Sports, community service, and clubs ► Recommendations from teachers -Ask for a letter from two or three teachers that know you well ► Essays -A chance for the student to paint a more detailed picture -Write, revise, and get friends/family/teachers to edit them 8/11/

► Questions…???