1. Senior Class Meeting 9/8/2011

2.  College Admissions Night  Two College Fairs  Two College Campus Visits  Financial Aid Night  Your Plan for College Trainings to assist you in: Finding colleges that fit you best Researching colleges Completing interest surveys to see what jobs you might like…….and more! Go back and visit this site if you haven’t been back to visit in awhile. There is a lot here! If you need help with this site and logging back in don’t hesitate to ask us!

6. We have worked hard to help you to determine what colleges are a good fit for you. A good-fit college is one that you will thrive at and where you will be challenged in ways that you never dreamed of. In short, it is a school that you will be happy at and where you will excel. A good-fit college is also one that you will likely be accepted to: the college has decided you are a “good-fit” for it. But you might also want to consider at least one reach school as a part of your list. What is a reach school?

7.  A “reach” school is one where the average GPA/entrance test scores are above your own and/or  There are so many students applying to the college for a relatively small amount of slots. (As an example at Boston College there were about 33,000 applicants for the 2,250 freshmen slots last year)  BUT we encourage all students to apply to the school of their dreams. Go for it! If you don’t apply you will never know!

8.  A safety school is one where there is an excellent chance that you will be accepted to their freshmen class.  Typically the school may be “less competitive” or one that accepts students with lower GPAs than your own.  It is important that you have at least one safety school on your college list. It should be one that you would like to attend because it could be one that is most affordable and where you might receive the most merit money.

9.  An ideal college list will include: 1) At least one reach school 2) Three to four good match colleges 3) One to two safety colleges  Your list does not have to match this perfectly but it is a good guide.  It is also an excellent idea to include both public (UMASS; state; community colleges) and private colleges on your college list.

10. Mary Superstar Mary is ranked 3 rd in her class. Her GPA is a 3.89. She has taken three AP classes. She has SAT scores of 700 math, 680 critical reading, and 670 writing. She is president of the student council and a SWCL all-star in track. She wants to study something in the sciences. A good college list for Mary could look like this: 1) REACH HARVARD 2) GOOD MATCH CLARK UCONN FAIRFIELD WHEATON UMASS (Honors Program) 3) SAFETYBRIDGEWATER STATE (Honors Program, new science building and opportunity to work at Woods Hole)

11. Johnny Begood Johnny is ranked 15 th in a senior class of 123 students. His GPA is a 3.2. His SATs are 550 critical reading; 500 math; and 470 writing. He is the first kid in his family to go to college and he has worked 16 hours a week at McDonalds for a year. He went to the state competition in DECA. He wants to major in Business Mgt. Reach SchoolBABSON Good MatchUMASS Dartmouth University of Hartford MEREDITH (NC) IONA (New York) SafetyNICHOLS QCC transfer program

12. Tanya Terrific Tanya is ranked 57 th in her class of 123 students. She has a 2.4 GPA and hasn’t taken the SATs. She isn’t sure what she wants to study in college but she wants to go to college and stay in Massachusetts Reach WORCESTER STATE Good MatchNICHOLS ANNA MARIA LASELL PINE MANOR SafetyQCC Tanya must take the SATs to be eligible for acceptance to all of the above schools except QCC. If Tanya takes the SATs and and gets a combined Verbal and Math score (not Writing) of 1000 she would meet the sliding scale for Worcester State and would have a shot at being admitted.

13.  Narrowing down your college lists  Completing and revising your college essay  Visiting colleges and attending Open Houses  Asking two teachers for recommendations  Taking challenging courses in your senior year  Taking October SATs  Researching the requirements of the colleges that you are considering applying to  Asking your counselor for help!

17.  Our new Guidance intern  Tomorrow is the last day for regular SAT sign ups on College Board  College Fair Friday, September 23 rd  Financial Aid Night in November  College Goal Sunday- end of January  Fastweb for a national database of scholarships  Questions?