Junior Assembly Presentation Preparing for after high school

Agenda After high school Words of Wisdom Preparing for a College Search Scholarships Next Steps for Juniors

After High School Career/Employment Military Technical/Vocational Junior/Community Public or Private Four Year

Self-Examination What do I want to have? What do I want to take away from this year? What kind of grades do I want? Why is that important? Is that important? Where do I want to go? Where do I want to travel? Who do I want to visit? Why is going to that place important to me? What will I take away from that experience? What do I want to do? What kind of experiences do I want to have? How can I leave a legacy at school and in my community? What kind of projects am I interested in? What kind of careers would give me the opportunity to work on projects like that? Do I need college to find a career I love? Who do I want to be? How can I become the kind of person I want to be? How can I get involved with the things I want to be involved with? Why are those things important to me?

Words of Wisdom If you don’t have a major, it’s OK. More than half of new college students say a very important reason for going to college is “to find my purpose in life.”

Discuss Why college? Work? Military? What do I want to get out of college? Work? Millitary? What special talents and interests will I bring to a new community of learners?

Career What career do you hope to pursue? Need help finding a career? Username: lisle Password: careers bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ Click on “Majors and Career Search ” under bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

Words of Wisdom You don’t need to go far away. 88% of high school students go to college in their home state.

Words of Wisdom Relax… 70% of colleges accept an average of 70% of their applicants.

Preparing for a College Search

Know Yourself Values Ambitions Achievements Academic Strengths Interests Your Standout Talents

Discuss Share with your teachers and parents your thoughts about your future. What sets you apart? Be ready, starting next week, to discuss the questions on slide 3.

Types of Colleges TypeDescriptionTuitionAdmission Requirements Two year Degrees offered: Associates Provides: A way to ease into college / take general college classes for credit. Typically have agreements with four year colleges to transfer credits. Typically around $4,000/year Open-door admission policy

Types of Colleges TypeDescriptionTuitionAdmission Requirements Four year Degrees offered: Bachelors and beyond Provides: A well-rounded college experience that includes an academic area of study. State: Typically under $17,000/year Private: Typically more than $22,000/year SAT or ACT GPA Class rank Essay Extracurricular activities Letters of recommendation Transcripts

Choosing Your College Priorities Discuss What is important to you? Location Academics Size Campus Appeal Social Life Total Cost – Including aid

Good Fit Many other sites to explore!

Financial Fit Discover the colleges your family can afford. May help alleviate tension between you and your parents. Provides a great conversation piece and you will have more of an idea of your families finances.

Right College, Right Price (The Perfect Fit)

What Is Financial Fit? Determining Reasonable Debt Assessing Your Affordability Learning how to Match Your Affordability with the Net Price/Cost of Colleges

About College Admission Tests ACT – Consists of four tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science – Writing component is recommended – Top composite score is 36 – State ACT vs. National ACT Offered during the weekOn a Saturday State paysIndividual pays Counselor registers individualIndividual registers Part of the PSAE in the spring No writing – to register for a National ACT (CEEB ) SAT – Consists of three tests: Reading, Math, Writing – Each test is scored on a scale of – to register (CEEB )

What information do college admission officers review? Grades / Overall GPA Strength of high school course selections Admission Test Score ( Essay Teacher and counselor recommendations Class rank Student’s demonstrated interest Personal accomplishments Personality characteristics Courses in progress Junior and Senior year Facebook/Twitter - any multimedia facet

Collecting College Information – Where to go Cappex.com - College search made simple. Your first stop to kick-start your college and scholarship search nacacnet.org - National Association for College Admission Counseling. Offers national college fair information and articles about the college process collegeboard.org - Information about the SAT and college and scholarship search act.org - Information about the ACT test actstudent.org – to register for ACT collegecountdown.com – discover your financial fit

Scholarships

Merit Scholarship Tips Merit scholarships are where the money is. There is more than $11 billion in merit scholarships available to students from colleges Not just for “A” students Many awards emphasize leadership or school involvement Nearly all colleges offer merit aid scholarships The average merit scholarship is $5,000 Many awards can be renewed year after year

Scholarship Resources Fastweb.com - Private scholarships fafsa.ed.gov - Free Application for Federal Student Aid January 1 of your senior year Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s website about paying for college MeritAid.com - $11 billion in merit scholarships Cappex.com - Scholarship matching finaid.org - Free student resource for learning about all types of financial aid collegeboard.org – scholarship search Senior Assembly

Next Steps

Next Steps for Juniors In School Stay focused on academics Keep a good academic load for senior year Meet with your school counselor Stay involved in school activities Shadow in an area that interests you Standardized Testing Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests Register for AP tests as appropriate College Exploration Explore colleges on the Web Visit colleges if you can Meet with college representatives Attend college fairs Professional address/voic /etc.

Lisle High School’s Timeline College Night – October 29 th (Registration due October 22 nd ) April 23 rd and 24 th – PSAE Begin applying September 1, 2014 August – Senior Assembly Complete FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – January 1, 2015 February COD hosts the FAFSA made easy FAFSA Workshop - LSHS Final Decision – May 1, 2015

Illinois Student Assistance Corp Samantha Lach will be in the library twice a month to help with college and scholarship searches, and financial aid questions! October 8 and 22 nd 12 – 3:00 November – 3:00 December – 3:00 Like Sam on Facebook – Username: ISACCOD3 (630)