1. Cornerstone Charter Academy-CFA College Planning Meeting Thurs., Dec. 10th, 2015 6:00PM HOW TO PLAN, APPLY, AND PAY FOR COLLEGE

2. Welcome parents I am Leigh Bell, school counselor for the high school I help all students navigate high school curriculum, college admissions, financial aid, and scholarships I have been the senior counselor for 15 years now and been in education for 19 years, starting by teaching high school Biology. New to Cornerstone and so happy to be a part of the team!

3. TONIGHT’S TOPICS Extracurricular Activities & Community Service through high school Course selection & grades and how that impacts college admissions ACT/SAT tests and preparation Thinking about colleges Paying for college Advice from parent of current college student & Associate Professor at High Point University: Dr. Dinene Crater General Q&A

4. Extracurricular Activities & Community Service Both play a big role in competitive college admissions & competitive scholarship success Students can keep track of their volunteer work & extracurricular activities beginning in 9 th grade on their own student data sheet. See Jane Doe sample data sheet in your folder. Always give your data sheet to a recommender and include with scholarship applications Be specific about “what” you did within your community service, hours devoted, leadership positions held Colleges and scholarships want to see long-term service to fewer activities rather than the chronic “joiner” who is in too many activities/clubs and has very little tangible leadership or service hours within each activity

5. How to COMPETE FOR THOSE BIG scholarships A student who can demonstrate initiation of a community service project or event shows a level of commitment, leadership, maturity, and achievement much higher than merely participating in a project initiated by someone else. Try to start earlier than the senior year if possible to garner BIG scholarship consideration since the senior year is so hectic. Example: A graduate in my former county initiated, planned, and carried out a 5K race in their town to benefit a children’s summer camp that she had worked at as a camp counselor. She worked with town officials to conduct planning, got t-shirts donated, etc.

6. Course Selection & Grades Have students select a curriculum that is right for their ability and work ethic Students NEED a challenging curriculum if they are college bound Sometimes making a B in an AP class looks better than straight A’s in standard/Honors CP classes. See what the college(s) think… If a student is in standard/CP level classes, try integrating one or two Honors courses first; then if there’s success there, try an AP class or two. Admission to the most competitive colleges requires a few to several AP courses (3-7); depends on the high school’s curriculum.

7. ACT test- 2 or 4 year colleges Curriculum based test- English, Math, Reading, Writing, and Science sections Score range is 1-36 for each section If you take the ACT test, colleges require that you take the ACT + Writing for admissions This test is appropriate for students who have completed Math III or higher, taken no later than the junior year. Cost is $56.50 per test administration Fee waivers applicable for free or reduced lunch status

8. ACT test- more details At this time, all juniors in the state of North Carolina take the ACT + Writing in March each year for free. Student scores on this test are applicable towards college admissions applications during their senior year. Each time a student registers to test, they will be given the opportunity to send their scores from each test to up to 4 colleges for free.

9. PSAT TEST- a preliminary version of the SAT Good practice for students in prep for a future SAT test should they want to take it for college admissions Taking the PSAT as a junior can qualify students with a high enough score for the National Merit Scholarship competition As stated earlier, colleges put great emphasis on test scores, therefore, any practice a student can do is in their best interest. Learn more about the PSAT at: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10 https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10

10. SAT test- 2 or 4 year colleges Aptitude based test- Critical Reading, Math, & Writing sections- NEW SAT DEBUTS MARCH 2016 Score range 200-800 for each section; Total Score ranges from 400 to 1600. Cost is $43 without essay & $54.50 with essay per test administration Fee waivers applicable for free or reduced lunch. Students can take at the end of Math III, no later than end of junior year If a student wants to compete for Early Action admissions deadlines in fall of their senior year AND/OR competitive scholarships that have early deadlines, I would highly suggest they take the SAT in May or June of their junior year!

11. What Is A Good ACT or SAT Score? It all depends on which colleges you are interested in applying to! –(Avg. score ranges based on College Board 2015 publication) Duke University 1360-1550 ( SAT CR + M only)/ 31-34 (ACT) Wake Forest is test optional (applicants must have personal interview) UNC-Chapel Hill 1200-1400/ 26-31 ASU-1050-1220/ 24-28 UNCC- 1000-1170/ 21-25 ECU- 960-1170/ 20-23 WCU- 940-1120/ 20-24 Lenoir-Rhyne- 890-1090/ 19-23 High Point- 980-1170/ 21-26 NC Central- 800-950/ 17-19 Winston-Salem State- 820-950/ 17-19

12. Minimum admissions standards to UNC system institutions Appalachian State East Carolina Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State North Carolina A&T StateNorth Carolina Central NC School of the ArtsNorth Carolina State UNC-AshevilleUNC-Chapel Hill UNC-CharlotteUNC-Greensboro UNC-PembrokeUNC-Wilmington Western CarolinaWinston-Salem State THEN…. YOU MUST MEET THESE MINIMUM ADMISSIONS STANDARDS: 1) 2.5 WEIGHTED CUMULATIVE GPA AND… 2A) 800 SAT SCORE (CRITICAL READING & MATH ONLY) OR 2B) 17 ACT COMPOSITE SCORE-+

13. Going to College Highly recommend students creating an account and regularly using www.cfnc.orgwww.cfnc.org Their motto is “Plan, Apply, and Pay for College” –Plan: materials on their website allow students to align their high school curriculum to their college & career goals –Apply: students can apply online to most any 2-year/4-year NC college using CFNC & send their HS transcript –Pay: students can search for NC based scholarships only available through CFNC; parents can set up 529 savings accounts for their children through CFNC and also get parent/student loans through CFNC.

14. Planning for College Applications Grades from 9 th grade are reflected in a student’s cumulative GPA when they apply to college If you plan to apply to one of these colleges, taking AP classes is a MUST: –Davidson, Duke, NC State, UNC-CH, Wake Forest –Other colleges that it would be helpful to take AP to improve your file: ASU, UNCC, UNC-Wilmington (these are getting more competitive) –Talk to individual colleges to see what kind of curriculum they expect to see **Take advantage of CCP classes through the local community colleges during the 11 th & 12 th grade years. A grade of “C” or better in these classes automatically transfer as college credit which translates into savings $$$$

15. Thinking about colleges…. Research which colleges meet your needs! Take into consideration: Majors offered, cost, location, size of college, student demographics, extracurricular opportunities, financial assistance available, student’s maturity level, etc. Start taking visits to colleges in the 10 th & 11 th grade years and/or attending college fairs to see if you “click” with that college. Many people change their mind after a college visit. Students can also start out at the community college first and then transfer to a four-year college

16. Paying for College If there are no college savings in place, then here are other options: –Financial Aid- FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Based on family’s finances. Application available Jan. 1 st of student’s senior year. Must re-apply each year in college. Completing the FAFSA is necessary for consideration for ALL grants & federally managed loans. –Scholarships- Merit based, leadership, diversity, and/or athletically based. Students must show talent for academics or athletics. Typically, academically based scholarships require grades at minimum GPA of 3.0 or better and essays/interviews are likely required in application process. Another good website to look for scholarships is through www.fastweb.comwww.fastweb.com –Work Study- Students can be placed on campus to work for limited hours and earn money either to help pay for college costs or earn spending money. Apply through FAFSA –BEWARE of scams- if it costs money, it’s a scam! –SAVINGS- If each family of a 9 th grader starts saving $100 a month beginning in the month of January 2016, they will have saved $4,300 by July 2019, prior to entry in college. That’s a sizable scholarship!

17. Expenses of college- Check these out… The most expensive NC college, Duke University, costs $67,654 a year to attend and live on campus. NC State University costs $22,398 a year to live on campus. UNC-Chapel Hill costs $24,320 a year to live on campus. Appalachian State costs $13,438 a year to live on campus. UNC-Greensboro costs $14,896 a year to live on campus. $4,700 of that cost is for campus housing. The NC Community College system charges $72 per credit hour. A typical course is worth 3 credit hours which would then cost $216. If you take an average course load of 15 hours (5 classes), your total tuition cost for that semester is $1,080.

18. In Review…. Get involved in community & at school Keep track of your accomplishments Start researching college options Take college entrance tests by the junior year & STUDY for them several weeks in advance! Investigate some career options using www.cfnc.orgwww.cfnc.org This is a joint effort: family members need to work together and help each other. Talk to your high school counselor and ask questions- I love questions!

19. Survival Tips and Advice from a parent who has lived it…. Dr. Dinene Crater from High Point University Mrs. Bell’s tips for 9 th grade: –1) Get on my Remind text/email group. Text Message: @leighbe to (336) 891-6696 or Email to: leighbe@mail.remind.com(336) 891-6696 –2) Stay tuned to my website for announcements –3) Focus on your grades this year –4) Think about some career options using The Career Key on www.cfnc.org and lots of college planning using https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/www.cfnc.orghttps://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

20. Inside your CFNC folder tonight…. How to Plan a Successful High School Career document 2015 College advice/info. from college officials Enrichment Opportunities for Students document Sample student data sheet Big Future handout from The College Board- “Make a College Plan in 5 Simple Steps” Packet of stapled NC four year college profiles CFNC materials

21. QUESTION & ANSWER… WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? IF YOU THINK OF QUESTIONS LATER, please email me at: lbell@cornerstonek12.org or call me at 482-3855 ext. 272 Please encourage other Cornerstone parents or students to join my email/text group(s) or tell them to look at the my website & bookmark it for all this information. Get on my Remind text/email group. Text Message: @leighbe to (336) 891-6696 or Email to: leighbe@mail.remind.com(336) 891-6696

22. THANK YOU!!!! TURN IN YOUR PURPLE ANONYMOUS SURVEY IN THE BOX ON YOUR WAY OUT! DRIVE SAFELY!