GETTING READY FOR UNIVERSITY

YOUR GWA COUNSELORS IF YOUR LAST NAME BEGINS WITH THE LETTERS A – K YOUR COUNSELOR IS: MRS. PASCALE THOMAS IF YOUR LAST NAME BEGINS WITH THE LETTERS L - Z YOUR COUNSELOR IS: MR. KEMAL TASKIN

T ONIGHT ’ S P ROGRAM Looking at the Big Picture of University Search Process Q & A Breakout Sessions

C HOOSING A UNIVERSITY

S TUDENTS REFLECTING ON …. P ARENTS ENCOURAGING …. What are my interests? What do I want to learn? What have been my dreams and passions? What motivates and inspires me outside of the classroom? What careers most interest me and why?

S TUDENTS IDEALLY HAVE SUPPORTIVE TEAMMATES Parents & Relatives Counselors Teachers Mentors Professionals

D O YOUR RESEARCH EARLY Learn about programs, admission requirements, financial aid, etc. University websites, Internet & virtual tours College Fairs Counseling Office books & materials Campus Visits- This summer? Communicate with college students GWA Counselors

US UNIVERSITY SEARCH ENGINES

SEARCH ENGINES FOR UNIVERSITIES IN CANADA

SEARCH ENGINES FOR UNIVERSITIES IN CANADA Ontario Universities Application Center (Ontario universities common application) Post-Secondary Application Service of British Columbia (British Columbia common application) This website spotlights post secondary education in British Columbia. This site links to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC. Although it is primarily aimed at US students going to Canada it is still a comprehensive site. Remember that they look at our school as a US school! Ontario Ministry of Education- this site includes information about all levels of education in the province of Ontario.

UK UNIVERSITY SEARCH ENGINES

U NIVERSITY S EARCH E NGINES FOR EU Netherlands Sweden Germany Overall European Search sities_europe.phphttp:// sities_europe.php American Universities in Europe

T HINGS TO C ONSIDER Curriculum Cost & Financial Aid Location Weather Housing

T HINGS TO C ONSIDER Size Programs & Activities Demographics Hobbies & Interests Do I fit in?

S ELECTIVITY Less selective: Minimum requirements More selective: Above average grades, tests, recommendations & essays; challenging courses, involved in activities & service Very selective: School record of high caliber from academics to athletics to extra-curricular activities.

TESTING WHAT TESTS WILL BE NEEDED FOR UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS? IELTS/TOEFL SAT/SAT II or ACT OXFORD/CAMBRIDE admissions test SPECIFIC TESTS BASED ON PROGRAM APPLYING TO.

SATvs.ACT reasoning test Type of Testcontent-based test Critical Reading Math Writing Test Format Critical Reading Math Writing reading, vocabulary, grammar & usage, writing, and math Content Covered grammar & usage, math, reading, science reasoning, and writing (optional) tricky, questions can be phrased in ways that make them difficult to decipher Test Style straightforward, questions may be long but are usually less difficult to decipher 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. 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. with private schools and schools on the east and west coasts; however, every four- year college in the US accepts SAT scores Tends to be more popular? with public schools and schools in the Midwest and south; however, every four-year college in the US accepts ACT scores March 14, May 2, June 6, 2015 Offered when?April 18, June 13, Sept. 12, 2015 typically about four weeks before the test date Registration deadline? typically about five to six weeks before the test date More Information

C OLLEGES AND U NIVERSITIES Aren’t they the same thing?

THE APPLICATION PROCESS Student responsible for: Application and Fee Well thought out Essay Letters of rec. from your teacher (if needed) Test Scores sent Secondary School (counselor form) to counselor Sign all copies Airway bill – completely addressed Any other requirements from your university Counselor is responsible for:  Transcript  IB Predicts, if needed  School Profile  Recommendations letters in your file (teacher/counselor)TOGETHER WE mail the completed documents and you keep a copy of the waybill.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS VERY IMPORTANT GWA TRANSCRIPTS ONLY REFLECT GRADES FROM GWA If a student has not been at GWA since grade 9 it is their responsibility to get official transcripts/ grades/reports from their previous schools

GWA USES N AVIANCE EXCLUSIVELY TO MANAGE THE U NIVERSITY A PPLICATION P ROCESS. S TUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO : Complete surveys Search for Universities Update Prospective & Active Applications Request Letters of Recommendation

NAVIANCE Family Connection by Naviance Type into your web browser: You will type in a registration code, that connects you to your student

GWA NAVIANCE SIGN IN PAGE

YOUR HOME PAGE ON NAVIANCE

B ENEFITS OF N AVIANCE Students can begin to identify their interests and personalities using Naviance inventories and then explore careers that are well suited to their interests and abilities Students organize college preferences and majors and search colleges worldwide!

B ENEFITS OF N AVIANCE Students and parents can communicate with the counselor through Naviance Students in G.12 send requests for teacher recommendations to teachers Counselors can electronically send the documents to the university

G RADE 11 CHECKLIST -S PRING Keep your grades up and finish strong 2. Sign up to take SAT or ACT, consider a prep course 3. Think about your career path and possible university majors 4. Begin to develop list of universities 5. Consider summer internships 6. Talk with university admissions staff that visit GWA

S UMMER C HECKLIST Practice writing essay questions from Common App, UCAS, or other sources--- save all of your work! Visit or watch videos about prospective universities. Blogging is good

P ARENT C HECKLIST 1. Log onto Naviance and explore 2. Create conversations about university majors 3. Watch videos of universities 4. Have fun creating the list of university possibilities 5. Schedule University Planning session with Counselor

Q UESTIONS AND A NSWERS THANK YOU FOR COMING!! MRS. PASCALE THOMAS MR. KEMAL TASKIN