Fall College Information Night for Juniors Presented by the Briar Woods High School Guidance Department, Fall 2012

Fall College Information Night for Juniors This presentation is online: Follow the Guidance drop-down link, “Presentations” Counselors are presenting similar information to juniors through English classes Every junior will be ed/have access to an “electronic index”

US News and World Report, $9.95 “7 Secrets to Getting Into College” 1. Get an early start 2. Challenge yourself responsibly 3. Don’t apply too broadly 4. There’s room for error, but with a forthright explanation 5. Don’t just be a joiner 6. Work the wait list 7. Be true to yourself

Fall College Information Night for Juniors A great college planning goal for juniors: Begin your senior year knowing where you want to apply to college!

Fall College Information Night for Juniors What are colleges looking for? What should I be doing right now?

What are Colleges Looking For?

“The College Admissions Funnel” example: Christopher Newport, 2012 Freshman class = 1,150 Inquiry Pool (PSAT, Search pieces, campus visit, college fairs, HS visits) “Tens of Thousands” “Tens of Thousands” Thousands of applications 7,492 7,492 Accepted students 4,514 4,514

What are colleges looking for? “There is no secret to getting in... Stop looking for a gimmick. Tune out the hype. Study hard. Take the toughest curriculum that you can. The heart of the application is – and has always been – One’s academic preparation.” -- UVA Magazine

National Association of College Admission Counseling, 2010 Summary Percent of all colleges rating specific factors in the college admissions decision as being of “considerable importance”

Factors Considered for College Acceptance Standardized Admissions Tests Class Rank Teacher Recommendations Extracurricular Activities Grades in College Prep Courses Strength of Curriculum Student’s Demonstrated Interest Grades in All Courses Essay or writing sample Counselor Recommendation

Factors of “Considerable Importance” The Top Three: 1. Grades in College Prep Courses, 83% 2. Strength of Curriculum, 66 % 3. Standardized Admissions Tests, 59 %

Factors of “Considerable Importance” 1. Grades in College Prep Courses, 83% 2. Strength of Curriculum, 66 % 3. Standardized Admissions Tests, 59 % 4. Grades in All Courses, 46% 5. Essay or writing sample, 27 % 6. Student’s Demonstrated Interest, 23% (six years ago: 7%) 7. Class Rank, 22% 8. Teacher Recommendation, 19% 9. Counselor Recommendation, 19% 10. Extracurricular Activities, 7% (however…)

What should I be doing now?

Fall College Information Night for Juniors A great college planning goal for juniors: Begin your senior year knowing where you want to apply to college!

What Should I be Doing Now? 1. Stay on track using checklists & calendars 2. Concentrate on your academics 3. Plan & prepare for the admissions tests 4. Participate in extracurricular activities 5. Research colleges & narrow your list 6. Behave appropriately online

What Should I be Doing Now? 1. Stay on track using checklists & calendars 2. Concentrate on your academics 3. Plan & prepare for the admissions tests 4. Participate in extracurricular activities 5. Research colleges & narrow your list 6. Behave appropriately online >>>>>>> ACTIONS

Stay on Track Using Checklists & Calendars Use the a monthly checklist Use the resources available on CollegeBoard.com ACTION: Print-out a monthly checklist – BWHS website or CollegeBoard.com ACTION: create a CollegeBoard.com account and look around the site

Concentrate on Your Academics Take the most challenging classes you can reasonably handle. Work Hard! You can’t “make up for” poor academics ACTION: Review your study habits! ACTION: Set goals for the grades you plan to earn this year

Plan & Prepare for the Admissions Tests SAT Reasoning Test (“aptitude” - predicts success the freshman year in college) – Critical Reading – Math – Writing ACT (achievement test) – English – Math – Science – Optional Writing section

Plan & Prepare for the Admissions Tests SAT Subject Tests – Usually used for placement purposes only – Not used for admissions – Subject test requirements vary among colleges

SAT Dates October 6 November 3 December 1 January 26 March 9 (Reasoning test only) – BWHS May 4 June 1

ACT Dates September 8 October 27 December 8 - BWHS February 9 April 13 June 8

Plan & Prepare for the Admissions Tests Hard copy registrations materials are available in the Career Center, or Register for the SAT at Register for the ACT at Register early! See the BWHS Guidance website for details

Preparing for the Tests Long-term v. Short-term preparation Get free “released” practice tests for the SAT & ACT in the Career Center – Don’t just take it… have a “dress rehearsal” Free online CollegeBoard SAT course through LCPS BWHS SAT course

Free SAT Prep at CollegeBoard.Com Official SAT Question of the Day SAT Skills Insight My SAT Study Plan SAT Essay strategies Math and Writing reviews

SAT/ACT Prep – Private Sources Books & Manuals – look for materials created by the testing companies themselves Private courses (PTSO)

Preparing for the Tests ACTION: Register for the SAT and/or ACT exams ACTION: Register for the SAT Online Prep Course through the BWHS website

SAT or ACT? 1. Do research to determine which is test is the best test for you, then take one of them, or… 2. Go ahead and take one of them, then after you get your score, consider taking the other, or… 3. Just take both the SAT and the ACT!

SAT Score Choice & ACT Score Selection Policy Students have the option of which SAT scores (by date, not by sub-scores) they send to various colleges. For the SAT Subject Tests, students may determine which subjects are sent – even for subjects taken on the same date

Participate in Extracurricular Activities Participate in the extracurricular activities that are meaningful to you – not what you think others want to see. Extracurriculars include activities inside and outside of school! Community activities are important too! Don’t be tempted to spread yourself too thin. Be a leader! ACTION: If you don’t participate in an activity, sign- up for one. Consider a leadership position.

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List There are well over 6,500 post-secondary institutions Over 2,500 of them are 4-year colleges and universities How do you determine where to apply???

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List College search programs – CollegeBoard – Family Connection  LocationSize  PriceActivities  MajorsSports  SettingSelectivity

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List CollegeBoard: – Home website – My Road – Big Future – My College Quickstart

What’s next? Use the access code on your report to log in to My College QuickStart, a personalized college and career planning kit. There you can: Search for colleges Get a personalized SAT study plan Take a personality test to find majors and careers that fit you Next Steps

My College QuickStart

My Online Score Report Projected SAT® score ranges State percentiles You can filter questions Questions and answer explanations

My College QuickStart My SAT Study Plan™ Personalized skills to improve SAT practice questions An official SAT practice test

My College QuickStart My Personality Personality test Description of your type Tips for success Majors and careers that might be a good fit for you

My College QuickStart My College Matches Starter list of colleges Criteria to customize search Ability to save searches

My College QuickStart My Majors & Career Matches Major you chose Related majors Related careers

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List Family Connection – College searches – Personality type inventories – Career interest inventories – Resume builders – Colleges where our students have been accepted/where our students are attending – Scattergrams – GPA’s and SAT scores of our graduates who are attending specific colleges

After Sign in 42 Bulletins and Important Messages from the Guidance Office Updates from your Guidance Office Click on Career Tab Let’s get started

43 Career Exploration Page Career Assessments

44 Career Key, a middle school career assessment tool Career Assessment for Middle School

45 About Me Page Learning Styles Assessment Tool

Colleges Page You can use these links to do a college search

College Lookup 47 You can us use college lookup to locate colleges

48 You can look up colleges by name, alpha or state College Lookup

49 College Profile This is the college information page Link to the college website

Prospective Colleges Click here to add colleges to your prospective college list

About Me – Resume and Surveys You can click links here to fill out important surveys, tell us your Game Plan and begin to create your resume

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List Mail from colleges Books/magazines Internet resources, college websites Family, friends, teachers, counselors

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List College visits to BWHS The BWHS Career Center College Fairs – LCPS College Fair, every September – Diversity In Education College Fair, March 2012

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List College Visits: – Classes – Students – Campus – Dorms – Dining Halls – Surrounding Neighborhoods – Extracurricular Activities – Take notes!!!

Research Colleges & Narrow Your List ACTION: Complete an online college search using CollegeBoard or FamilyConnection ACTION: Schedule a visit on your family’s calendar ACTION: Contact a college or two about tours and programs (Remember, stick to the monthly checklist!)

Behave Appropriately Online Appropriate address Facebook, Youtube, forums, etc. If you wouldn’t put it on a resume, job application, or college application – don’t post it online! ACTION: If you need to clean anything up, do it now

What Should I be Doing Now? 1. Stay on track using checklists & calendars 2. Concentrate on your academics 3. Plan & prepare for the admissions tests 4. Participate in extracurricular activities 5. Research colleges & narrow your list 6. Behave appropriately online

What Should I be Doing Now? – Actions you can take immediately Print-out a monthly checklist Create a CollegeBoard.com account Establish goals for your grades Register for the SAT and/or ACT Register for the SAT Online Prep Course Sign-up for an extracurricular activity Complete a college search Schedule a college visit Contact a college about a tour Clean-up your online presence

What’s Next? This Year “Life After High School” classroom presentations Every junior will be ed an “e-index” Scheduling & post-secondary student/counselor conferences in the Spring Diversity in Education College Fair, March

What’s Next? Senior Year Fall College Information Night for Seniors Classroom presentations in early Fall Individual student/counselor conferences in the Fall Financial Aid Night in December (but you are welcome to attend this year too!)

Fall College Information Night for Juniors A great college planning goal for juniors: Begin your senior year knowing where you want to apply to college!

Fall College Information Night for Juniors Use the checklist Seems like a lot to do? Remember, you have (almost) a year! HAVE FUN!