1. GRADUATION AND COLLEGE PLANNING!

2. AGENDA Graduation Requirements Associate in Arts vs. Associate in Science College Admissions Requirements College Planning SAT/ACT Information Scholarships Financial Aid CFNC

3. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS (Please reference the provided handout) Students must meet the following requirements: Minimum of 27 credits 4 English Credits- English I H, English II H, English III, and English IV H English III=successful completion of ENG 111, ENG 112, and ENG 231 4 Math Credits- Math I, Math II H, Math III H, PreCalc H 3 Science Credits- Biology H, Chemistry H, Earth and Environmental Science H 4 Social Studies Credits- Civics/Economics H, US History I H, US History II H, World History World History=successful completion of HIS 111 and HIS 112 2 Foreign Language Credits- SPA 111 and SPA 112 or NCVPS foreign language 1 Health/PE Credit- PED 110 9 Elective credits (will receive through college courses)

4. ASSOCIATE DEGREE OPTIONS TWO OPTIONS: Associate in Arts AA  BA or AA  BS Associate in Science AS  BS or AS  BA Minimum 61 credits required for both degrees Main difference is the variety of elective courses senior year: The Associate in Arts degree allows for a variety of elective courses (CJC, DRA, etc.) The Associate in Science degree limits students to only MATH, SCIENCE, and/or COMPUTER SCIENCE courses Spring meetings with Mrs. Antonides and Ms. Dianetti to discuss senior year courses. Parents welcome and encouraged to attend!

5. WHAT COURSES SHOULD I TAKE SENIOR YEAR? I recommend contacting some four-year colleges that you are interested in attending and speaking with a college admissions representative or program chairperson. You can ask them what courses they recommend for your senior year. You should have the following information in front of you prior to contacting the college:  High School Transcript  College Transcript  Courses you are currently taking  Name of the program you are interested in pursuing (e.g., Nursing, Electric Engineering, Business Administration, Psychology) Ms. Dianetti will provide an assignment in January for Junior Seminar specifically designed to help you with this task

6. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS University of North Carolina Public Colleges and Universities: (Appalachian, East Carolina, Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, NC A&T, NC Central, NC State, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Pembroke, UNC Wilmington, UNC School of the Arts, Western Carolina, Winston-Salem) Minimum GPA= 2.5 weighted Minimum SAT Score = 800 (Critical Reading + Math) Minimum ACT Composite Score =17 Private and out-of-state colleges and universities will vary in their requirements from school to school, so it is up to you to contact each school’s Admissions Office and request this information (can usually be found on the college’s website).

7. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS, CONTINUED What is considered a good GPA, SAT, and ACT score? GPA= 3.5 weighted SAT = 1000-1100 (Critical Reading +Math) ACT= 22-24 Composite The more competitive schools, the more competitive your GPA and SAT/ACT scores need to be. Do your research JUNIOR YEAR. Look at the college websites (usually under the admissions page) for the following key words: Incoming freshmen profile, class profile, Middle 50%, Mean/Average. http://admissions.unc.edu/apply/class-profile-2/ This will give you an idea of where you are and where you need to be in comparison to the students who attend those schools.

8. COLLEGE PLANNING Complete College Planning Sheets (Students, please complete the provided handout) I recommend that you keep your options OPEN- apply to a variety of schools: in-state, out-of-state, public, and private. DO NOT focus on tuition (at least not yet). Private schools tend to look more expensive. However, they also have larger endowments, due to private investors and partnerships. Therefore, they typically offer more scholarships. You could end up paying less for a private school than an in-state public (UNC) school. You will not know your financial aid packages until second semester of senior year. At that point, you will have already applied to schools. I encourage you to not limit your college options before receiving your financial aid packages.

9. COLLEGE PLANNING TIMELINE Junior Year October- PSAT *required and provided by ECHS (Will review results and register for a CollegeBoard account in January with Ms. Dianetti) March- ACT *required and provided by ECHS (Will review results in April with Ms. Dianetti and register for an ACT account on own) May- SAT (registration on own) June- SAT and/or ACT (registration on own) Summer- Schedule campus visits and interviews Senior Year September- Most college applications open by September 1 st (deadline dates vary by school- BE AWARE OF DEADLINES!) September- Retake ACT if needed October- Retake SAT if needed October- Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA) November- All applications should be in by Thanksgiving break (unless extenuating circumstances)

10. EARLY ACTION VS. EARLY DECISION Both applications are typically due either by Oct. 15 th or Nov. 1 st Receive admissions decisions by January Cannot re-apply Regular Decision if denied Early Action or Early Decision Early Action: Non-binding application Can apply to several schools Early Action Early Decision: Bin D ing application Only apply to ONE school Early Decision (110% confident you’re going if accepted) If accepted, you are bound to attend. Otherwise, it will be considered a breach of contract and there is usually a monetary penalty.

11. Two Sections: Critical Reading Mathematics Optional Writing Section (Not required for UNC schools) Recommend taking first test in May or June of junior year (registration on own) Four Sections: English Mathematics Reading Science Optional Writing Section (Not required for UNC schools) First test will be taken during the week of Feb. 27 th (at ECHS) SAT AND ACT INFORMATION SAT: www.collegeboard.org www.collegeboard.org ACT: www.actstudent.org www.actstudent.org Fee waivers are available for students who receive free/reduced lunch- Must See Ms. Dianetti

12. PREPARING FOR THE SAT AND ACT Each website offers FREE online test preparation materials: SAT: www.collegeboard.orgwww.collegeboard.org ACT: www.actstudent.orgwww.actstudent.org Test preparation books available: RCCC Learning Resource Center (LRC)- FREE for students to use and make copies (cannot write in them) Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc. to purchase your own Test preparation courses: Look online (Google) for workshops/courses in your area (e.g., Princeton Review)

13. SCHOLARSHIPS START LOOKING NOW! Ms. Dianetti’s website- several scholarship website links (e.g., FastWeb, CFNC) Individual college websites (e.g., UNC- Morehead-Cain and Robertson, UNCC-Levine) Scholly: Scholarship Search App for smart phones. Only $0.99! https://www.myscholly.comhttps://www.myscholly.com PLAN AHEAD! Create a list of the scholarships for senior year to which you wish to apply List the name of the scholarship, requirements, deadline dates, etc. to help organize yourself PROVIDE MS. DIANETTI WITH COPIES OF LETTERS OR FORWARD EMAILS AWARDING SCHOLARSHIP MONEY. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE MONEY USED (JUST AWARDED).

14. FINANCIAL AID FAFSA= FREE APPLICATION for FEDERAL STUDENT AID All Students Complete FAFSA (for both financial aid AND scholarship purposes) Online Applications open October 1 st (of SENIOR year) Must have tax information from previous year to complete the FAFSA Both student and parent will have separate ID and sections to complete Recommend completing by October 31 st FAFSA Nights- Cabarrus County Schools hosts 2 nights for students and parents- highly recommend juniors/junior parents attend January 26 th presentation FAFSA Day- In October- several locations have financial officers available to help complete the FAFSA Undocumented Students- Complete paper FAFSA CFNC Financial Aid Representative: Timeka Ruffin truffin@cfi.orgtruffin@cfi.org

15. CFNC: COLLEGE FOUNDATION OF NORTH CAROLINA www.cfnc.org Excellent resource for both students and parents Information for Public and Private Colleges and Universities in North Carolina College Planning Tools Nation-wide college search tool (to begin in February 2016) College Applications and Transcript Manager Scholarship Information Financial Aid Information and Financial Planning Tools Webinars and Videos

16. QUESTIONS? Comments? Concerns? Ms. Dianetti’s Student Services website is a great tool and wealth of information for both students and parents. I encourage you to use it as a resource during your college planning process. Visit http://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/Domain/2717 under the CKECHS website. http://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/Domain/2717