The Nuts & Bolts of the College Application Process Gwenly Carrel College Counselor St. Vincent de Paul High School

COLLEGE APPLICATION OVERVIEW COMMUNITY COLLEGE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES (CSU) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UC) PRIVATE/INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES AND PUBLIC OUT-OF-STATE

COMMUNITY COLLEGE Must be HS graduate or 18 years old No SAT or ACT required Apply early in the Spring Semester Associate Degrees and Vocational Certificates Transfer Acceptance Guarantee Program (TAG)

REQUIREMENTS FOR 4-YEAR COLLEGES A.2 years History/Social Science B.4 years English C.3 years Math (4 recommended) D.2 years Lab Science (3 recommended) E.2 years LOTE (3 recommended) F.1 year Visual & Performing Arts G.1 year College Prep Elective

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) 23 campuses Campuses impacted in all majors: Fullerton, Long Beach, San Diego, San Jose and Cal Poly SLO Non-impacted campus may have impacted majors Local service campus: Sonoma State

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY Admission based on “a-g” courses, gpa, test scores – reading & math only No personal statement or letters of rec Apply Oct. 1 – Nov. Cal Poly SLO – early decision option, must declare major, uses 9-12 gpa

CSU Eligibility Formulas Using SAT scores: GPA x SAT CR + Math total Using ACT scores: GPA x x ACT Composite Score must be 2900 or above for eligibility w/SAT, 694 with/ACT Automatic eligibility if GPA is 3.0 and above.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Nine campuses Admission based on comprehensive review of: - 10 th -11 th GPA weighted - a-g courses and rigor of curriculum - SAT or ACT score with writing - Personal statement, extracurriculars - No letters of rec - Subject Tests no longer required

SUBJECT TESTS A few schools require SAT subject tests – check the requirements UC no longer requires subject tests, but some campuses may recommend them for certain majors – check at this site: hman/requirements/examination-requirement/SAT- subject-tests/index.html

UC Subject Test Recommendations

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Application available Aug. 1; submit Nov. Transcripts not sent at time of application – unless requested Final transcript sent to campus where student will enroll

INDEPENDENT/PRIVATE COLLEGES Admission policies and deadlines vary Admission criteria varies, so check. Most: - Require SAT or ACT - May require subject tests - Require personal statement, letters of rec, transcripts, mid-year reports Common Application – used by 456 schools

OUT-OF-STATE PUBLIC COLLEGES Check each school’s admissions requirements, and deadlines May require personal statements and/or letters of rec Consider Western Undergraduate Exchange Apply through campus website, few on Common App

Early Decision vs Early Action Early decision - binding. -Can apply to only one college Early Decision -If accepted by the first-choice college early, all other applications must be withdrawn. Early action - not binding. -May apply early action to other colleges. -Have until May 1 to make a decision. Single-choice early action - Similar to early action, but cannot apply early (either early action or early decision) to any other college. -Can apply to other colleges regular decision, but can reply May 1

SAT, ACT, AP Scores Send directly from College Board and ACT to ALL individual colleges, public and private. UC – send to one campus and it will be sent to all CSU Mentor – use the code 3594 to send to all October test scores can be used for Early admissions. October and November (and even, December) test scores can be used for regular admissions. Exceptions by college.

What are my chances?

CSU Admit Rates – Fall 2015 admitted average GPA average SAT Chico 71% San Diego 34% Cal Poly SLO 31% Sonoma 80% ACT

UC Admit Rates – Fall 2015 Berkeley17% Davis38% Irvine39% UCLA17% Merced65% Riverside56% San Diego34% Santa Barbara33% Santa Cruz51%

UC Admit Averages – Fall 2015 Campus SAT ACT GPA Berkeley UCLA San Diego Davis Santa Barbara Irvine Santa Cruz Riverside Merced

PRIVATE SCHOOLS ADMISSION RATES admitted average GPA average SAT Stanford 5.0 % % CR 29% MATH 21% WRIT USD 52% USF 60%

OUT-OF-STATE PUBLIC COLLEGES ADMISSION RATES admitted average gpa average SAT U of Oregon 73% CR Math CU Boulder 84% CR Math U of Arizona 78% CR Math

The College “List” Include a “range” of schools- reach, possible, and probable Selection of probable schools is as important as first choice schools! Apply broadly!

Before Beginning the Application Get copy of transcript and use to enter classes Activities resume – make a list of most significant awards, volunteer work, jobs and extra-curricular activities. Make note of time involved in activity. BE SPECIFIC and detailed. Set up account that will be checked! Credit card for application fee SVHS CEEB code for apps:

APPLICATION WORKSHOPS A-F Tuesday, Sept. 29 G-K Thursday, Oct. 1 L-S Friday, Oct. 2 T-Z Tuesday, Oct. 6 IN THE COMPUTER LAB, DURING TUTORIAL PERIOD !

WHAT IS NAVIANCE? Web-based program for students to access comprehensive information about colleges, meaningful data, plan and manage the application process A communication tool - important information alerts - college visit list and sign-ups - scholarship lists - order transcripts - request letters of recommendation from counselors and teachers

HOW TO ACCESS NAVIANCE Students registered using individual address. Can reset password if needed. Login link is on SVHS Website - Naviance

Letters of Recommendation Teacher and Counselor information forms available on Naviance Teachers and counselors need at least 4 weeks notice. Winter break does not count! Jan. 1 st forms need to be in counselor/teacher hands before Thanksgiving break!

Financial Aid Financial aid workshop will be held in November. Date TBA. FAFSA – Free application for Federal Student Aid now available Oct. 1, file before March 2. CSS Profile – many private universities require this profile. Find it online at the College Board. Fee charged.

Admissions Decisions Admission decisions begin to arrive in March and continue through first week of April. Waitlists More college visits…

Final Process May 1 st – Statement of Intent to Register Housing Contracts- Send in as early as you can! Order final transcripts in June to be sent after final exams. Make arrangements for senior AP scores to be sent to admitted college also.

SOME LAST WORDS… There is a place for you to pursue your goals after high school. Students will need parents’ guidance and support, but they need to be responsible for driving the process. Stay connected and informed throughout the process with the resources SVHS.

CONTACTS Gwenly Carrel College Counselor x137 Kathy Atkinson Head Counselor x141 Claudia Thompson Resource Specialist x114

QUESTIONS?