Junior Parent College Information Night  Overview:  College and Career Center Services  College Preparation & Options  Naviance  College Applications  Q&A

Introductions  Counselors  A-Ek: Mrs.Tiffani Gieck  El-K: Mrs. Kathleen Orchard  L-Ra: Mr. Paul Stordahl  Re-Z: Mrs. Christina Cross  College & Career Center  Cindi Underwood

What’s Available in the College and Career Center????  SAT/PSAT/ACT Information  SAT/ACT Prep Information  College & Career Speaker Program  Naviance Guidance & Information  UC/CSU Information  Private College Information  College Essay Tips  Community College Information  Information on College Majors  Scholarships  Local Scholarship Program (February)  FAFSA & Cal Grant Information  ROP (Regional Occupation Program)  NCAA Eligibility Information  Military Information  Work Permit Application/Information

Speaker Program The College & Career Center has numerous speakers and college representatives visit throughout the school year. Some of which are as follows:  University of California  California State University  Community Colleges  Private Colleges & Universities  Representatives from all the branches of the Military  Local Business presentations regarding various careers  Technical & Vocational Schools (FIDM, UTI, Graphic Arts College, Media, etc.) Students sign-up to hear the various presentations through Naviance or in the College & Career Center.

Evening Programs Financial Aid Night January 22, :30 p.m. – Oakmont High School College Fair Fall, 2015 Fall, 2015 Time: TBD Woodcreek High School Approximately 120 Colleges Participate Military Academy Night Fall, 2015 Fall, 2015 Time/Location TBD

Junior Advising  Counselors met with junior class in November  Junior status letter will be sent home in mid January  PPT and Junior Advising Guide available on Naviance and GBHS Counseling Website  Counselors meet with juniors in classroom sessions  Naviance lab sessions: November and January  Registration Advising in February  Will conduct transcript and A-G review w/ students  Guidance in selecting courses for next year  Final Course Verification & Change Process  One week window in April to review course selections in Homelink and submit request for final adjustments

Senior Advising in September 2015  Students will receive the following:  Transcript  UC/CSU Status Report  Review of graduation and 4-year college requirements  Information on ALL post-secondary options  Detailed instructions for requesting letters of recommendation  Senior Status Letter will be sent home in the mail to parents  Small group Naviance lessons and advisement on college and scholarship search components **Parents and students will be able to download the PowerPoint and Advising Guide the day of advising

What Juniors Should Be Doing  Utilize Naviance to research post-high school options (2- year colleges, 4-year colleges, Trade/Tech Schools, Military, etc.)  Make sure they meet the academic (course) requirements for freshman admission at 4-year institutions they plan on applying to  Take or re-take SAT or ACT + writing for 4-year college entrance (  Prospective college athletes: Register with NCAA Eligibility Center now! NCAA has their own academic requirements so check with counselor if you have questions (

A-G College Prep Requirements  What are they?  Minimum subject area requirements for entrance into CSU,UC, and many private schools  Where can I find that information?  Course Catalog on the GBHS website or Naviance  How is my child advised of these requirements?  Grade level advising; registration advising; one-on- one meetings  What are the specific requirements?

A-G Requirements  A. History – 2 years  B. English – 4 years  C. Math – 3 years (at least through Alg. 2)  D. Lab Science – 2 years (1 Life and 1 Physical)  E. World Language – 2 years of the same language language  F. Visual/Performing Art – 1 year  G. College Prep Elective – 1 year  Students MUST earn C’s or higher in the above courses  *Remediation options available through Credit Recovery and/or Grade recovery

UC and CSU Schools  UC’s  9 Campuses  More rigorous admissions requirements  Student undergoes a comprehensive review in the admissions process  CSU’s  23 Campuses  Each school has a geographical region that they cater to first and foremost  Formula driven admissions utilizing GPA in A-G courses (beginning with 10 th grade) plus best SAT or ACT score. Exception is Cal Poly SLO which operates more like a UC.

UC and CSU Schools UC Comprehensive Review GPA (minimum 3.0 weighted) Strength of Curriculum Test Scores ACT w/ Writing or SAT 1 (2400) Accept highest score from one sitting SAT II Subject Tests: Not req’d but recommended for certain majors Personal Statement Extracurricular CSU GPA (minimum 2.0 weighted) Test Scores ACT or SAT 1 (1600) Super Score: Accept highest combined score from separate sittings (Math from one date, English from a different date) Exception: Cal Poly SLO *** No Letters of Recommendations considered for either!!!

Private, Independent and Out-of-State Colleges What are they really looking for?

Community Colleges  No admission requirements; students do need to complete English and Math assessments  Transfer agreements  UC: Transfer Agreement Guarantee (TAG) is available online at  CSU: AA-T and AS-T degree transfer options for students who earn the required 60 community college units. Students are then guaranteed transfer to a CSU and, if it is a “like” major, they complete another 60 units to earn a 4-year Bachelor’s degree  Transfer requirements – differ by major  Use for California colleges

Community Colleges Cont’d  Keep in contact with counselor at Community College and make sure they are aware of your plans  Apply online (Jan./Feb. of senior year) *English and Math assessments are required  (Sierra)  (American River)

Finding the right “fit”  Over 4,000 colleges and universities throughout the U.S.  Appeal of “name brand” schools  Keep options open  Why “fit” is so important  Do your homework!

WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange)  WUE is a reduced out of state tuition program  Reduced tuition is not automatically awarded  Check website (  Some participating schools have specific major, GPA, or other requirements  Sample participants:  Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington  Arizona State University, Portland State, Colorado State

HELP!  How do I accomplish all that?  Naviance!  Visit Colleges  Go on to college websites; virtual tours  Have students attend college representative visits on campus  Be organized! Create master list of application deadlines, letters of recommendation needed, financial aid and scholarship deadlines, etc.  Start working on applications and personal statements/essays over the summer  UC application available August 1 st (personal statement prompts available now)  CSU application available October 1st

College Ready

SuperMatch – College Search

Colleges I’m thinking about

Scattergrams – Cal Poly SLO (STUDENT VERSION)

Scattergrams - U.C. Davis (STUDENT VERSION)

Career Ready

College Applications  Seniors applying to CSU Schools:  Online application window opens October 1 st and closes November 30 th  No essays, personal statements, or letters of recommendation required  Seniors applying to UC Schools:  Online application window opens November 1 st and closes November 30 th (application available August 1 st )  Personal Statement required but not letters of recommendation * * Official transcripts ARE NOT required up front as part of the application submission! Some UC/CSU’s will contact students after applying to request mid-year transcripts. Only send transcripts if prompted to do so.

College Applications - Cont’d  Students applying to schools through Common Application and/or SENDedu:  Essays and letters of recommendation are required  Students enter contact information for those teachers and their counselor who will be recommending them. Recommenders then submit information to colleges electronically.  **Students need to communicate directly with their recommenders (counselors included) to let us know they need letters written. It’s not enough to just receive an from Common App./SENDedu  Counselors require that students complete a “personal profile” to aid in our writing of letters of recommendations (available on counseling website or Naviance)

College Applications - Cont’d  When requesting letters of recommendations, allow a minimum of two weeks prior notice (remember we don’t work over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks)  Students need to sign the FERPA acknowledgement prior to submitting recommender names  Remember that letters of recommendation are sent directly from your teacher or counselor to the colleges you are applying to (for confidentiality purposes)

College Applications - Cont’d  If college application plans change, PLEASE INFORM YOUR COUNSELOR! It often saves us a lot of time and work.  Many other colleges have separate admissions requirements, applications, deadlines, etc. Make sure your student visits the admissions website of each college to ensure all requirements have been met.  *Remember official test scores (SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject Tests, ACT) must be requested and sent from Collegeboard or ACT, respectively, to the colleges a student applies to.

Early Action vs. Early Decision  Application timeline is early for both options (usually mid- October to early November) and decisions are typically rendered by December  Early Action is non-binding (you don’t have to go if you are accepted)  Restricted Early Action is non-binding but you are restricted from applying early action or early decision to other colleges  Early Decision is binding (you are committed to going if you are accepted – you should thus never apply to more than one campus under ED)

Financial Aid  FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)  All Federal, State, and most institutional aid requires completion of the FAFSA  Some institutional aid and scholarships also require the FAFSA so fill it out regardless!  Cal Grants  FAFSA information + GPA determines eligibility  GBHS automatically submits other required information (including GPA verification) for ALL 12 th grade students – no action required!  Institutional Aid  Be sure to pay attention to individual school aid deadlines – some are embedded in the admissions application while others require a separate application  Scholarships/Grants  Naviance  Local Scholarship  Parent places of employment

Scholarship List

National Scholarship Search

SAT/ACT: Free Prep through Naviance

Helpful Websites Application Websites: University of California – California State University – Common Application – Financial Aid & Scholarship Websites: FAFSA – Cal Grant – Naviance – Financial Aid Information – FastWEB Scholarship Search – Athletic Websites: NCAA – (Division I and II) NAIA –

WACAC College Fair Reminder  Meet representatives from over 100 public and private colleges and universities private colleges and universities  Sunday, May 3 rd Time: TBD  Sacramento State University  For more information visit:

Questions?