PSTA College Information Night September 17, Susan Howe Counselor Karine Turdjian Counselor Clark Magnet High School

Agenda  Paying for College  Estimated College Cost Comparison  Senior Timeline  UC vs CSU vs Private  College Entrance Exams – SAT/ACT  College Application Process  CSU Mentor, UCOP, Private  What Can Students Do?  What major/career should I choose  Annual GUSD College-Career Fair  Senior Assembly for students on Oct. 7, per. 3 2

Paying for College We will cover:  Financial Aid  Federal  State  Scholarships  Grants  Student Loans 3

Paying for College Financial Aid F ree A pplication for F ederal S tudent A id FAFSA November 5, 2015Financial Aid Workshop at Clark (tentatively) January 1, 2016Filing period opens for FAFSA March 2, 2016Deadline for FAFSA to be eligible for Cal Grant State - Cal Grant October 7, 2015Ask your student for Parent Authorization for Cal Grant GPA Verification letter December, 2015 Students’ GPA will be electronically submitted by Clark counselors unless you tell us not to March 2, 2016Deadline for Cal Grant application 4

Paying for College Scholarships and Grants  “Free” money, does not need to be paid back  Offered by: Federal, state and city governments, community organizations, private companies, unions, non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, parents’ employer  Look out for scams  Never pay money to apply for a scholarship  Various criteria  Religion, ethnicity, community service, gender and much more  Financial need   Check the Clark website often for new scholarship listings 5

Paying for College Student Loans  Things to consider  Interest rate, APR  Fixed vs. variable  Co-signer  Fees  Enrollment Requirements  Payments, during school or after graduation  Shop around for loans, i.e. from schools vs. banks 6

Estimated College Cost Comparison Estimated Average Annual Costs  In state residents  $25,858 – 4-year public college or university  $61,298 – 4-year private college or university  Out of state residents  $48,858 – 4-year public college or university  $61,298 – 4-year private college or university Check out this website: 7

Senior Timeline On Clark Magnet Website  Please refer to this on a regular basis  – Counselor’s Corner 8

UC vs CSU vs Private University of California UC’S  10 campuses  Research based  Larger classes  Extremely competitive  Minimum GPA to apply is 3.0 for CA residents  SAT/ACT scores vary from campus to campus 9

UC vs CSU vs Private California State Universities CSU’S  23 campuses  Applied Learning  Smaller classes  Less competitive  Minimum GPA to apply to CSULA and CSUN is 2.0 for Glendale residents who have resided in CA for a minimum of one year  With 3.0 GPA and above, admission to CSULA and CSUN is assured with any SAT/ACT score (except impacted majors)  Other CSU’s may require higher GPA’s and higher SAT’s 10

UC vs CSU vs Private Privates  More expensive  Applied and research based  Smaller classes  Minimum GPA to apply is 3.0  Early Decision/Early Action admission varies from campus to campus  Early Action – Non binding  Early Decision – Binding (commitment) 11

College Entrance Exams  Must be taken by December of senior year.  Juniors should plan to take the SAT/ACT the spring of their Jr. year  SAT  SAT II Subject Test (optional, depends on school & major)  ACT with Writing  Don’t forget to ask the College Board to send your SAT scores to the colleges of your choice. Note: Colleges will accept scores up through December even though applications have been submitted earlier Note: It is not necessary to take both the SAT and ACT 12

College Entrance Exams  SAT vs ACT SAT Math English Writing Colleges usually don’t count the writing. Stronger focus on vocabulary. ACT Math English Science Tends to be more straightforward. Is more of a “big picture” exam…total score vs. individual sections

College Application Process UC’s CSU (Cal States) August 1, 2015Application Opens November 1-30, 2015 Application Submission Period for Fall 2015 March 15-30, 2016Notification of Fall 2015 Admission Decisions May 1, 2016 Deadline to submit the Statement of Intent to Register July 1, 2016Final Transcripts due at campus admissions office 14

Do not include any letters of recommendations, copies of awards, transcripts or samples of your creative work with your application. They will not be reviewed or returned to you. If took college courses during your high school career, list the courses in the appropriate subject area/term. Make sure to submit an official transcript for your college courses by July 1 st, College Application Process 15

Honors/Advanced Placement courses will be given an extra point for a grade of C or higher. AP level courses will also receive college credit for a score of 3 or better (depending on the institution) on the AP exam. A maximum of 8 AP courses can be credited. College Application Process 16

Academic History  Additional Comments Logistics One of two additional comments boxes. In the ACADEMIC HISTORY section the limit is 550 characters In the PERSONAL STATEMENT section the limit is 550 words  Additional Comments should: Explain bad grades, grade changes, repeating a course Define Magnets, Academies, Special Programs which require an application or audition Elaborate on the school resources (Ex. Conflict of AP curriculum) Highlight grade trends (Ex. C’s to A’s over a period of time)

College Application Process UC: The Personal Statement  2 Prompts, students must address both  1,000 words or less  View as a personal interview on paper Click on the “Tips” box statement/index.html 18

UC: The Personal Statement Statement #1: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Statement #2: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are? College Application Process Additional Comments: Use this space to tell us anything else you want us to know about you and your academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in the application. Limit your response to 550 words or less. 19

UC: The Personal Statement Your personal statement should describe who you are, as your own unique individual. It is a forum for you to explain how factors outside your school environment have made you into the person that you are today. DO NOT repeat any information that has already been included in the application previously. Make sure to use “I” and “my” statements. Mandatory vs Optional Questions students can skip can often paint the biggest picture for admissions professionals. Don’t skip anything that is optional! College Application Process 20

UC: The Personal Statement Essay vs Personal Statement It’s not an essay! Bullet points are fine. This is the students interview with UC It’s never read alone Getting Started Use a word processing program to write your responses – don’t type them directly into the application. This way, you can keep track of the word count and print copies for review. College Application Process 21

UC: The Personal Statement General advice on writing a personal statement. Avoid Acronyms Quotes/Dialogue Creative Writing Story telling/scene setting Repetition Asking question Inappropriate use of humor College Application Process 22

College Application Process UC: What is ELC?  The Local Context (ELC) program is designed to recognize the academic accomplishment of students in light of their high school environment at the end of their junior year. How is ELC Determined?  ELC identifies qualified students from among the top 9% of each participating California high school using the student’s self-reported academic record.  Applicants who meet the minimum course requirements and have a GPA that meets or exceeds the benchmark GPA for their high school are ELC. 23

College Application Process Private Colleges Obtain a Green Folder from Mrs. Bondy Snack/Lunch/Enrichment/After School Most Private Colleges Use Common Application  Check for Application Submission Deadlines (vary by college)  Thoroughly complete student part of the application  Send an Invitation to your counselor to submit your school report and to 2 teachers for a letter of recommendation  These invitations should be sent no later than November 6 th, to allow adequate time for a good letter of recommendation.  Completed green folder is also due November 6 th, this includes a detailed brag sheet.  FAFSA and Cal Grant deadline is March 2 (some colleges may have their own deadline for FAFSA for scholarship purpose).  Meet all deadlines!!! 24

College Application Process Letter of Recommendation  Scholarship organizations and private colleges/universities ask for a letter of recommendation from your counselor/teachers. To better assist you with a good letter of recommendation you must:  Complete Student Information Sheet aka Brag Sheet thoroughly…not just one line; Available at (counselor’s corner)  Provide the completed Brag Sheet to your counselor/teacher no later than November 6 th, to prepare your letter of recommendation (Please write legibly or type out your information). 25

26 What Can Students Do?  Take a challenging course schedule each year and do well  Take advantage of other academic opportunities  Take initiative in pursuing their passions and interests  Get involved in activities at school and in their communities  Explore leadership opportunities at school, in activities, in the family, and in the community  Students should strive to do their best in all things  Go online and research colleges, universities and scholarships  Go online to research majors and careers  

27 College Fair  October 28, 2015 Glendale Civic Auditorium 1401 N. Verdugo Rd. Glendale, CA  5:30 - 8:30 p.m.  Free Admission  Free Parking  Financial Aid Seminars for parents available  Over 100 colleges and universities will be represented 27

Counselor’s Presentation Q & A