Preparing for Your Future

College Search Visit College Campuses * #1 piece of advice from college reps * sometimes they will waive the application fee, if you apply during a visit * look for campus tour dates on the college website or contact your Armada rep for that college *open houses – colleges will have all of their programs set up within one location and you can check out all that they have to offer. Often, professors are on site to speak to.

College Search cont… Use college search sites ACT College Board U.S News College Rankings Michigan Trade/Proprietary Schools Michigan Government College Search Information

College Search cont… Programs/Degrees *Look for schools with programs you are interested in. *These can be very specific, for example direct admit programs, 5-year programs, etc. Other Factors *tuition, size, location, graduation rate, record for acceptance into graduate programs, etc. *this information can be found on the college’s website, but it might take sometime to search. *don’t be afraid to look at out-of-state schools, but be aware that you will pay higher tuition costs as an out-of-state resident.

College Acceptance GPA ACT/SAT Curriculum Extracurricular resume

GPA *Grade Point Average *includes grades from all high school coursework *weighted grades for Honors, Academy, and AP coursework *the way that colleges treat GPA is different for each school *some schools take your GPA exactly as it is listed on your transcript, some re-calculate it based only on core courses, some take out weighted grades, some use their own weighting system.

HOW DO I CALCULATE MY GPA? Each grade is given the following point values: A = 4.0C = 2.0 A- = 3.7C- = 1.7 B+ = 3.3D+ = 1.3 B = 3.0D = 1.0 B- = 2.7D- = 0.7 C+ = 2.3E = 0.0 Step 1: Take the grade you received in your classes and convert to corresponding point value. Example: CourseGradePoint Value German I AC-1.7 English 9 CompB-2.7 Biology AD1.0 Yearbook AD1.0 Algebra II AC Step 2: Add point values. In this case = 8.4 Step 3: GPA = Total Point Values8.4 = 1.68 # of classes5 HOW DO I PROJECT MY GPA? Example: Student’s current GPA = 1.68 T2 = 5 more classes Add the 5 to the 5 classes = 10 The student’s projected grades in each class: “A” (4.0), “B+” (3.3), “B-“ (2.7), “A-“ (3.7), “C” (2.0). The total grade point values will be Add this to the current 8.4 total grade point values for a total of The projected GPA will be: 24.1 = What do I have to do to raise my GPA to a 2.5? 2.5 = x = x 13.4 = x What does this mean? This means that you would have to earn grades that are worth at least 13.4 total points during T3 to raise your GPA up to a 2.5

ACT *recommended that you take more than once *colleges will use your highest score for admissions purposes *need only one score with a Plus Writing subject test; this is what you took in March of your junior year, during the school day *create on an on-line account at actstudent.org *make sure you use the same matching information or you create multiple accounts *always include our school code: *you do not have to send your scores to any colleges when you register, but you may have to pay to send them at a later date *highest score possible is a 36, our highest score to date is a 34 *accepted by all U.S. schools

ACT TEST DATES Test DateRegistration Deadline (Late Fee Required) September 21, 2013August 23, 2013August 24–September 6, 2013 October 26, 2013September 27, 2013September 28–October 11, 2013 December 14, 2013November 8, 2013November 9–22, 2013 February 8, 2014*January 10, 2014January 11–24, 2014 April 12, 2014March 7, 2014March 8–21, 2014 June 14, 2014May 9, 2014May 10–23, 2014

College Acceptance cont… Strength of Curriculum *always challenge yourself *colleges like to see AP, Honors, Advanced, etc. *some schools require that you send in a senior schedule, if you make changes after this you must send a new schedule *highly selective schools put a lot of weight on the coursework you take Extracurricular Resume *Community Service – not a requirement for graduation, but highly recommended *there is a space on your transcript where community service is listed, you are competing against students who may have had a hour community service requirement *logs are available in the counseling office and on-line. Turn this log in to Mrs. Kanachki and these hours will be added to your transcript. *Participate in clubs, organizations, sports, and community events *Colleges like to see that you will be a positive addition to their campus!

Transcript *Official record of all coursework, grades, testing, and service throughout high school *Part of the college admission requirement *MUST BE SENT ELECTRONICALLY* *Request a transcript through PARCHMENT Choose: Armada High School

Easily get & send transcripts Request and electronically store your transcripts securely in your Parchment account and share them simply when you need to deliver them. Put your transcripts to work Compare colleges, get suggestions on where to apply and make yourself discoverable to colleges looking for students like you. Discover your chances View the colleges you're interested in, see your chances of getting in and how you compare to other applicants. ALL TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS MUST BE DONE ON PARCHMENT

College Application Process *colleges prefer on-line applications, these are available on each college website *application fees run around $15-$50 a school *some colleges offer free applications *apply to 3-4 different colleges *complete applications by Oct. 31 and you will most likely get a response by winter break *for highly selective schools you may want to apply in late September, early October

Common Application (step by step directions to register and complete application are provided) IVY League Colleges (many if not all) MI Common App Member Colleges/Universities:  ALBION COLLEGE  HILLSDALE COLLEGE  HOPE COLLEGE  KALAMAZOO COLLEGE  LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY  UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIPS FREE GRANTS FREE WORK STUDY EMPLOYMENT STUDENT LOANS PAY BACK

ALL COLLEGE - BOUND STUDENTS SHOULD COMPLETE THE FAFSA… FREE APPLICATION for FINANCIAL AID IT MUST BE COMPLETED BY MARCH 1 ST OF SENIOR YEAR

Get help paying for college Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Start or continue your FAFSA Correct your FAFSA Check the status of your FAFSA, and more...

Scholarships Private/Organizational Scholarships *these are scholarships given from various business or organizations (Pepsi, Kohls, Target, etc.) *fastweb.com *AVOID SCAMS – never pay for scholarship eligibility Local Scholarships *inquire in the counseling office about local scholarships beginning in October *many of these scholarships require essays and/or letters of recommendation. *COMMON APP – one application makes you eligible for over 10 different scholarships. This can only be completed on-line beginning in February.

Scholarships cont… College Scholarships * Merit Based – usually no application to fill out, you are automatically eligible with your application to the college. This is usually based solely on GPA and ACT. There may be an interview as part of some of the merit based scholarships. You will be invited to this if you qualify. These interviews can begin as early as November, so if you have not applied yet you won’t have the opportunity to attend the interview competition. This information can be found on each colleges financial aid/scholarship section on their website. * Local scholarships for a specific college – Colleges have hundreds of their own scholarships to give out. These can also be found in the scholarship section of their website. You may have to complete essays and/or letters of recommendation for these scholarships.

NCAA Eligibility Center The Eligibility Center certifies the academics and amateur credentials of all students who want to play sports at an NCAA Division 1 or 2 institution as freshmen. complete on-line registration fee payment test scores sent from testing agency transcript When you take the ACT, include the NCAA Eligibility code: 9999

NAIA *Register early with the NAIA Eligibility Center. It's required for any student who plans to attend an NAIA school. By registering, you also have the chance to let NAIA coaches know you're interested in playing in college. Our Connections service allows you to check out which schools offer your sport, major and size that fits your interests.NAIA Eligibility Center *If you plan on playing sports at a NAIA school, be sure to include their ACT code 9876 when you register.

Grade 12 Guidelines Keep your grades up! Many schools review final grades and may rescind an offer of admission if senior year grades slip. Take four academic courses, such as English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language, per trimester. If you are not happy with your ACT score, take it again in September or October. The sooner, the better, since most colleges and universities require a test score in order to make an admission decision. The December date is usually the last date that colleges will take a score from. Apply for admission to the three to five colleges or universities that interest you by October of your senior year. Check websites and brochures for specific application deadlines. Revisit the colleges and universities that interest you the most. Many offer day/overnight visits that enable you to stay with current students and attend class with them. Attend a financial aid workshop with your parents. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, online as soon after January 1 as possible to apply for need-based financial aid for the following academic year. When you receive admissions offers, remember to send in any required deposits. Deposits are normally refundable until May 1 of your senior year.

Armada Senior Information TOP SCHOLARS *Determined by a formula from Macomb County, which uses your ACT & GPA to calculate the number used for inclusion among Top Scholars. *If you do not include Armada’s school code ( ) when you take the ACT, we will not have all of your scores and they may not be used to calculate top scholar eligibility. *Only GPA and ACT information available by Jan. 1, will be included in the top scholar formula. *This is NOT the same number as the class rank listed on your transcript.