1. College Road Trip Junior-Senior-Parent College Info Night Martin’s Mill High School

2. College Road Trip WELCOME Activity Please complete the following tasks: 1.Sign in and update information 2.Stop Light Post-it Activity: a)Students use pink (girls) or blue (boys) post-it to indicate your level of confidence on the questions. b)Parents use any other color post-it to indicate your level of confidence on the questions. 3.Enjoy snacks, meet & greet Your date here WELCOME 2

3. 5 Things to Take on your Road Trip 1.Timeline – What to do now, next 2.College Prep 1.ACT/SAT 2.GPA/Rank 3.Document high school accomplishments 3.Application Process 1.ApplyTexas 2.CommonApp 4.Paying for College 1.FAFSA 2.Scholarships 5.Resources Your date here College Bound 3

4. What to do now? What’s next? Handout: “Family Action Plan: 12 th /11 th Grade” Planning for College booklet – pgs. 2-3 Create an account with BigFuture.com and utilize resources 5 Things You Need to Know About College Admission (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-college-admission) (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-college-admission) Narrow down colleges – compare, find the right fit https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ Attend College Fairs Nov. 5 – Fall Patriot Preview Day @ UTTyler 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m Nov. 8 – Smith County College Fair – Harvey Hall, 6:00 p.m. Nov. 10 – TVCC Day for Seniors Meet with me! GOOGLE!!! TIMELINE 4

5. College Prep College Entrance Exams – TSI – March 24 th, March 31 st at MMHS ($30) – SAT – ACT Understanding your high school transcript (updated every semester for juniors and seniors, and again at the end of the 3 rd 9 weeks for final senior ranking) – GPA – Rank – Quartile Difference between “Official” & “Unofficial” 26 State Credits needed for graduation

6. What do colleges consider?  Academic Record  Difficulty of Course Load  SAT Scores  Letters of Recommendation  College Essay  Extra-Curricular Activities  Personal Interview  Neatness of the College Application  Community Service  Special Talents  Demonstrated Interest

7. Admission Criteria Objective Grades Types of Courses Standardized Test Scores Subjective Application Essay Recommendations Activities Special Talent Interview Objective: admission is based on academic history Subjective: admission is based on personal characteristics

8. WEBSITES CAREER WEB SITES See links on Mrs. Gandy’s school webpage  US Bureau of Labor http://www.bls.gov/http://www.bls.gov/  Career Key www.careerkey.orgwww.careerkey.org COLLEGE ADMISSION WEB SITES  Alphabetical list of all Universities in the U.S. www.utexas.edu/world/univ/statewww.utexas.edu/world/univ/state  Career Cruising www.careercruising.comwww.careercruising.com  Peterson’s Onlinewww.petersons.comwww.petersons.com  Common Applicationwww.commonapp.orgwww.commonapp.org  College Boardwww.collegeboard.comwww.collegeboard.com  ACT http://www.actstudent.org/http://www.actstudent.org/ FINANCIAL AID WEB SITES  Financial Aid Information Pagewww.finaid.comwww.finaid.com  Fast Webwww.fastweb.comwww.fastweb.com  U.S. Dept. of Educationnces.ed.gov/ipeds/coolnces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool  CT Dept. of Higher Edwww.ctdhe.orgwww.ctdhe.org  NCAA Clearinghousewww.ncaaclearinghouse.net/www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/  FAFSAwww.fafsa.ed.govwww.fafsa.ed.gov  CSS Profilehttps://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsphttps://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp

9. What college is right for me? Where? What size school fits me? Will I be admitted?

10. Admissions Counselors Consider Student Record/Transcript Strength of Schedule Scores (SAT/ACT/Optional?) Activities Resume Essays Recommendations

11. What Students Should Consider… Location (Urban, Suburban, Rural) Distance Academic Rigor Size Extra-curricular (i.e. athletics, clubs, organizations) Field of Study/Major Financial Aid

12. Finding the perfect college match: http://www.collegeconfidential.co m/college_search/ Create a free account, take surveys, and explore college options. Compare colleges. Find your perfect college match!

13. ACT vs. SAT: Which should I take? Both are accepted at all US colleges ACT measures: English (75 items, 45 minutes) Mathematics (60 items, 60 minutes) Reading (40 items, 35 minutes) Science (40 items, 35 minutes) SAT measures: Reading (52 items, 65 minutes) Writing & Language (44 items, 35 minutes) Math (58 items, 80 minutes) The Essay (optional) (1 task, 50 minutes) Test Fees: ACT = $83.50 – $99.50 (with writing) SAT = $78.00 - $107.50 (based on location) Both tests’ scores are based on the number of correct answers without penalties for incorrect answers

14. SAT www.CollegeBoard.org Test Dates & Registration Information www.CollegeBoard.org

15. ACT www.actstudent.org

16. Application Process Check individual college or university application requirements www.applytexas.org www.Commonapp.org Know specific deadlines and requirements for admissions for the specific schools you want to attend – Application – Financial aid

17. $$$ for College FAFSA - https://fafsa.ed.gov/https://fafsa.ed.gov/ – Useful youtube videos: https://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13ePGYIVf9 – A rep from TVCC can come to MM – possible date/time??? Scholarships – See my website – (demo) – GOOGLE!!! – Check school e-mail religiously – Sign up for Remind: Text 81010 to: Seniors -- @b29ha Juniors -- @3hk8dd – Don’t wait – start applying now!!!

18. Resources Handouts Mrs. Gandy’s webpage www.martinsmillisd.net www.bigfuture.com www.collegeboard.org www.actstudent.org www.applytexas.org www.commonapp.org www.fafsa.ed.gov Websites of colleges you’re interested in

19. Final Thoughts What questions do you have? How can I best help you or your child?