1. College Planning Kick-Off September 21st 2017
Benjamin Laster
Director of College Placement
Seton Hall Preparatory School

2. Tonight’s Goals Set the tone! Get excited!
Express ideal roles in process
Explain program objectives
Establish college planning timeline & programming schedule
Emphasize Fall/Winter Items
Introduce Naviance Family Connection & CP Web
Lightly cover the Standardized Testing Landscape

3. Pillars Of The College Program
It is comprehensive
It is student centric
It is intensive
It is organized
It is detailed
It is predicated on fit

4. Defining Individual Roles
College Counselors role-to advise
Student role-to own
Parent role-to support

5. Expectations: Your College Counselor
Being “With You” in this process…building trust
Providing long term organization
Positioning the student effectively
Pushing student to discover & mature
Help you maximize opportunities & present school specific strategies
Advise & assist on EVERY portion of the process
Ensure balance in application list

6. The College Timeline: Introductory Search
Perform Introductory Search: Research, Programming etc.
Internal leads to External
Student criteria connects the dots
Define your search: What are your must haves?
Key criteria: Size, Geography, possible majors, school culture, campus type/location, student life
Visit!

7. College Visitation Tours & Information Sessions
General vs. Specific events
Interviews
Demonstrated Interest
Admissions Contact: Self Advocacy

8. The College Timeline: List Formulation
Dig deeper post-visitation
Attend SHP sponsored College Visits
Fill out “Colleges I am thinking about” in Naviance
Balance of List & Admissibility: Be Mindful
Preparation for introductory college meeting

9. Naviance Family Connection
What is Naviance? Who has access?
Helpful search functions of Family Connection
College Search
Colleges I’m Thinking About
Scattergrams
Communication
Materials & Tracking

10. Naviance Family Connection Notes
Naviance data is PREP sensitive
Naviance is a good “benchmark”
College Placement will always have the most specific data & insight

11. The College Timeline: Fall Programming
College Planning Kick-Off!
College Representatives Night (October 5)
Financial Aid Night (October 24)

12. The College Timeline: Winter & Beyond
Individual Meetings with College Counselor: Late December
College Information Night (February 22)
Follow up Individual Meetings in Spring & Summer as requested
Summer College Planning Assembly (students only)
Senior Year Assemblies/Seminars & Individual meetings as requested

13. Standardized Testing: The College Landscape
What do colleges want? ACT vs. SAT
What to take? Why?
Test Optional vs. Test Sensitive
SAT & ACT Timeline
SAT II

14. The College Placement Webpage
Event Itinerary/Re-caps
Forms/Documents
College Visits
College Sponsored Events

15. Questions?