Selecting the school that’s right for you Narrowing your college search

What is important to You? Big fish in a small pond? Little fish in a Big Pond??

Location By the Ocean In the City Rural Snow Sun

Do they have my major? What is my major? #1 major “undeclared”

Finally… the BIG question MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

Begin to narrow the search  Start with Naviance: Which college is right for ME??!!  Every Hart student is already registered on Naviance but how do I log on??  Go to hp hp  Enter Hart’s zip code  Click on Hart H.S. and enter your student ID in username and your 6 digit birth date in password

BINGO you’re in Naviance!  Use the College Supermatch to narrow your search  Location, majors, school type, size, setting, public vs. private, admission rate, graduation rate, special services, sports, Greek life, religious affiliation, GLBT friendly, “college town” ……..

SHAZAMM!  See all the colleges that fit your preferences  Continue on using the college search program, save your search.  Begin your “colleges I am interested in” list on your personal Naviance webpage

 Explore community colleges, CSU’s, UC’s, Independent colleges in California  “Undergraduate Matching Assistant”  Uses over 200 colleges  Narrows your search: size, location, sport, major, includes average GPA and SAT

 Uses over 8,000 colleges  College search narrowed by type of degree program including online degree programs, majors, location  Provides SAT prep info  Scholarship component: over 1.9 million scholarships worth 7.75 billion dollars, narrow search by school, major, state

College Resources available through Naviance  Links to CollegeView  U.S. News and World Report  College Board  Peterson’s  CollegeNET  Virtual Campus Tours

“Best” Colleges U.S. News and World Report Provides ranking lists  Best colleges  Top 20 ranked Universities  Top “Up and coming Colleges”  Top ranked Liberal Arts colleges  Best schools for “B” students  Facebook tool that allows track friends attending a specific college

Finding The Perfect “Fit” Location Location Location  Close to home  Far Far Far from home  IN STATE  OUT OF STATE  Want to be able to go home on weekends and do my laundry (OR have my mom do it)

Do they offer my major??  Veterinarian medicine  Dentistry  Pharmacist  Teaching  Undeclared…. #1 Major  Keep in Mind: Most students change their major after the first year of college!

What are my chances of success?  Graduation Rates: Are they based on students graduating in 6 years or 4 years?  Most graduation rates are based on 6 years so statistics appear better than they really are  What is the average SAT score and GPA of incoming freshman, will the school match me “academically”?

Take a Road Trip  BEST resource when visiting a school THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES!  Sit in the quad area, ask questions to students  Spend the night in the dorms  Attend a class  Talk to high school alums

Questions to ask Campus tour questions?

1) What resources are available to freshman to help them adjust?  Do you have a roommate matching service?  Do you have a mentor program?  Do you have tutoring available or other resources if a student begins to struggle academically  Do you have counseling services available for a student in crisis or under stress?  Do you have major and career exploration available?

2) Campus Safety  Do you have an escort service for students attending night classes?  Are there campus police?  What are your school’s crime statistics?

3) Questions to ask the campus tour guide  What has been your personal experience at this school?  Why did you choose this school?

More questions to ask:  What sets your college apart from others like it?  What is it like in the dorms, do all freshman have to live on campus?  What is the food like?  What are the typical class sizes for a freshman course?