3. Michelle Remington, HS Principal Donna Allen, College and Careers teacher Marian Kashou, HS Counseling Assistant Malini De Silva, 9-10 Counselor Jim Barekman, 11-12 Counselor Sue Delap, New Counselor for 2008-09

5. “No matter what the nationality or gender of the student, no matter what the location of the university, no matter what the student wants to study, college is a match to be made, not a trophy to be won.”

6. 72% of ACS 2007 graduates went to US universities 15% went to Canadian universities 6% went to the United Kingdom 7% went elsewhere Each country has a different process with different deadlines!

7. Get organized! (Senior Reference Sheet) Check mail in the Counseling Office Workspace K-12 (computer program) Resources available in the Counseling Office College and Careers class Talk with college representatives that visit Internet Campus Visits

8. Small vs. mid-size vs. large vs. extra large Urban vs. suburban vs. small town vs. rural Specialty (business, art, engineering co-op) Coed vs. single sex

9. Ranking Teaching quality Class size Strength of specific majors

10. Diversity of student body Housing availability Campus “culture” Safety Location Relatives nearby

11. Be up front about how much you are willing to spend! Residency issues Need based financial aid FAFSA must be filed after Jan. 1 st next year CSS Profile Merit based financial aid Aid for citizens/residents vs. non-citizens /non-residents

12. You will be asked by your counselor to categorize your final choices as: Reach - most students with a similar profile not admitted Target (50-50) - half or more of the students with a similar profile are admitted Likely (safety) - most students with a similar profile are admitted Actual # of apps. will vary from student to student. The average for ACS seniors this year was 5 apps. (with a range of 0 to 10). The counselor will work with each student to help him or her create a balanced list.

13. 3. Are you interesting? a) Essay b) Extra-curriculars 4. Recommendations 5. All college requirements are met 1. Grades and courses 2. Test Scores

14. Importance Very Some Little None Grades in College Prep Courses 741665 Admissions Tests592966 All Grades543584 Essay233521 Recommendations17432615 Interview9302933 Extra-Curriculars8393518 SAT Subject Tests, IB, AP scores 7253336 NACAC Survey, 2005

15. Admitted if: SAT 1000 and GPA 3.5 SAT 1100 and GPA 3.2 SAT 1200 and GPA 3.0 GPAs are usually recalculated.

16. SAT: www.collegeboard.comwww.collegeboard.com ACT: www.actstudent.orgwww.actstudent.org TOEFL: www.ets.orgwww.ets.org

17. SAT Reasoning (May 3, June 7) or SAT Subject Tests for some colleges (same dates as above -- cannot be on the same date as SAT Reasoning) Dates for next fall are not published, but will be offered in October, November and December. ACS test preparation options in March / April

18. ACT has four sections which are: English, math, reading, science. ACT with Writing (April 12 in Dubai) or ACT without Writing (June 14 in ??) ACT will be offered Oct. 25 and Dec. 13 (Which one includes writing is not yet published)

19. For students whose first language is not English. Generally a good idea if Verbal part of SAT is lower than 500. It is expensive ($170 or so) and often is not needed even if students are initially told they “must” take it. After application summary is submitted, it is a good idea to check this requirement. Offered locally at regular intervals.

20. Workspace K-12: Each student has a personal login. They can add you or you can have your own personal login. Scattergrams show odds of acceptance. Prospective colleges can be added or deleted. Can track application process.

21. Complete the application properly Write a great essay Show commitment to an activity Recommendation considerations Show interest in the university Don’t procrastinate Process applications promptly

22. Not required by all schools. Discuss selection of teachers with your counselor. In general, choose academic, core subject teachers from junior or senior year (but always be sure to read instructions to see what the college requests). Some sort of thank you note to teacher is appreciated!

23. About 50% admit over 75% of their applicants. Only about 10% admit less than half of their applicants.

24. Rolling Decisions Early Decision Early Action Regular Decision April 1 st notification

25. Website: www.ucas.com www.ucas.com Students register “through a school” and link to our ACS account. Buzzword: sandvipers Personal statement required. IB predicteds can be provided. Everything is done online… nothing is sent!

26. 1. Online Common Application (usually requires supplements) Clearinghouse Systems (UCAS, Texas, California, Ontario) 2. Downloadable Paper Applications Most have this…best to complete online. Middle Eastern Universities

27. Citizenship Residency Requirements Financial Certification Forms Bank Letters of Statements Visas

28. Acceptance Conditional Acceptance Deferred Denial

29. Feb./March Select courses for next year. March/April SAT/ACT review as needed April/May Junior meetings 1 on 1 with Mr. Barekman May More detailed info. about applying to specific countries June/July Visit colleges in person (or online!) Ongoing: Access Workspace K-12 scattergrams and complete College Search (if applying to U.S. colleges). Senior Reference Sheet filled out as much as possible. Senior Personal Data Sheet (do on computer so you can edit)

30. August 27 Senior College Night Sept. Individual meetings with counselor (Senior Personal Data Sheet due) Sept. 18 Teachers who will write recs. have been confirmed and transcripts double checked. Sept. 18 Parent Perspective (optional) completed Sept./Oct. College essays in English classes Oct./Nov./Dec. Take standardized tests (if needed) Oct. 1 All ACS forms due (Secondary School Report, Teacher Recommendations, Mid-Year)

31. Oct. 15 Early action / early decision applications should be completed; some UCAS deadlines are at this point. Oct. 15 Application summary due along with all university forms such as Secondary School report, teacher recommendations, mid-year reports, etc. Any changes after this point require parent okay. Nov. 9 All teacher recommendations should be finished. Nov. 13 All U.S. applications with a deadline before January 15 th should be completed and submitted. This ideally includes UCAS and Ontario universities.

32. The selectivity level of the college your child attends is not a report card on the quality of your parenting. Don’t believe everything you hear from well-meaning friends about college admission. Be there to guide and assist, but let your child be responsible for the process. If you are unsure, please ask us for help!

33. Know your deadlines and meet them! Remember that it is the rare student for whom there is “one perfect college.” Communicate with your parents and your counselor; there is no question too silly to ask! Take charge of the process! #1 recommendation from this year’s seniors: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! (take College and Careers 2; get all your college research and extended essay done over the summer)