1. College Choices, Tips, and Application Advice

2. Where to Start?
What advice would you have for a friend who has no clue where they want to go to college and is freaking out!?!?

3. Flipping the College Decision- Making Paradigm
Kevin Fleming Video:
1. Career Direction First
2. Identify College Major or Training Program
3. Last Pick Colleges
Video: First 1 min and 30 secs.

4. Career Direction
If you already have a solid career direction, then great, but if not here are some questions to consider:
1. What interests me?
2. What am I good at?
3. Could I get paid doing it?
4. Does the world need it?
It’s okay if your career direction changes over time and it is almost impossible to be 100% sure until you try it. You may have more than one career in mind and that works too.
Online Resources to Explore Careers:
California Colleges - start your college apps through this website to save time!
CA Career Zone
Franklin’s Website – Career Reflection Worksheet and Informational Interview Guideline

5. College Majors & Training Programs
Use your career direction to research various college majors and/or training programs that will help you reach your goal.
Those same career exploration websites can be used to help identify the education needed and related major(s) or training program(s) that could help you reach your career goal.
Ask yourself and do research to see if the selected college major or training program will help you get a job right away if needed.
Often there are many paths up the mountain and there may be multiple college majors or training programs that can help you reach the same career goal.
You don’t have to be a Biology major or even a science major to go to medical school.
There is no required pre-law specific major.
I was an EMT, Environmental and Public Health major, and then a LT in the Public Health Service prior to going to grad school to become a school counselor. There are many paths.

6. College or Training Program Selection
Find a college or training program that has what you want to study
UC Berkeley does not have an undergraduate nursing program, so if that is your goal then best to consider other schools.
How much will it cost ($$$) and will cost be a big factor for you and your family?
What matters to your family and will you have their support?
How much does going to a popular and selective college matter to you?
How close or far from home would you like to live?
Would you prefer a small, medium, or large college? Do you want small classes where you get to know the professor or would being with hundreds of students be fine for you?

7. College Application List
Research the acceptance rate, average GPA, and test scores of accepted applicants to the colleges you are interested in.
Does your college list include some colleges that you are almost positive that you would get into and would be happy with?
Tip: If you only apply to the most competitive colleges, then there is a real risk that you may not get in anywhere even if you have high grades, test scores, and strong extracurricular involvement.
Share a little about my experience with the Coast Guard academy and how one door closed, but three more opened. Also, the risk to only applying to all competitive Ucs and/Private schools.

8. Apply Through California Colleges!
Log-on to the California Colleges website (like in Advocacy) to apply to California State Colleges, California Community Colleges, and Financial Aid Application.
All of your high school classes will be transferred to your college application if you do this and it will save a lot of time and reduce errors!

9. Community College Benefits of Community College
Cost: First two years of tuition is free and after that is about $1,300 a year
Great way to prepare to transfer to a four-year school. Often higher acceptance rate for transfer students.
Career and Certificate Training Programs.
EMT, Firefighter, Nursing, Vet Tech, Auto Mechanic, Real Estate, Flight School, Film, Theatre, Fashion, and many more
Ask about specialized programs like Honors, Puente, Umoja, and more.
Great Education!
Fresh start – once 60 credits completed or about two years, then colleges will no longer look at high school GPA or test scores.
Minimum GPA required for Community College
Graduate High School, but higher level English and Math with good grades will provide more options.
Tip: Attend the community college workshops offered in the career center after winter break to get help applying and registering for classes!
Complete the FAFSA or Cal Dream Application ASAP after October 1st, 2019

10. California State Schools
Does anybody have a guess how many California State colleges there are?
Benefits include:
Cost: More affordable than UCs and Private schools.
Tuition for classes is around $7,000 a year and total cost to live in the dorms is about $25,000 a year without financial aid.
About 80% of students at CSUs qualify for some type of financial aid.
Ask about Educational Opportunity Program, especially if you qualify for free or reduced lunch or fee waiver of any kind.
More locations and more college majors to choose from, including many have honors programs you can apply for.
Great education!
Application Window: October – November 30, 2019
Minimum Requirements:
GPA 2.0, but only with very high test scores and some majors/colleges have higher requirements.
Complete all A-G class requirements, usually means a C or higher and complete at least Math 3.
Take the SAT and/or ACT (essay not required)
Tip: Attend CSU application workshops offered in the career center in October and November to get help applying!
Complete the FAFSA or Cal Dream Application ASAP after October 1st, 2019
A: 23

11. University of California Schools
Does anybody have a guess how many UC colleges there are?
Benefits include:
Cost: More affordable than most private schools.
Tuition for classes is around $14,000 a year and total cost to live in the dorms is about $35,000 a year without financial aid.
About 70% of students at UCs qualify for some type of financial aid.
More research opportunities and many have great graduate programs.
Great education!
Application Window: August – November 30, 2019 (Can only submit application after November 1st)
Minimum Requirements:
GPA 3.0, but only with very high test scores and some majors/colleges have higher requirements.
Complete all A-G class requirements, usually means a C or higher and complete at least Math 3.
Take the SAT and/or ACT (essay required)
Personal Insight Questions – mini essays
Tip: Attend UC application workshops offered in the career center in October and November to get help applying!
Complete the FAFSA or Cal Dream Application ASAP after October 1st, 2019
A: 10 total, but only 9 that offer undergraduate majors (UCSF)

12. Private Schools
There are many private schools throughout California and the United States and their requirements vary.
Cost varies, but often is more expensive; however many have smaller class sizes and other benefits.
For example, UOP costs about $49,000 in tuition or about $69,000 in total costs to live on campus without financial aid.
Test and GPA requirements vary, but taking the SAT and/or ACT with the Essay will maximize the number of colleges you can apply to.
Pay attention to the application deadlines as they vary and may be earlier than the state schools, especially if applying for early action.
Most use the Common Application, so it is one application for most of your private schools.
Pro Tip: Reach out to your counselor proactively if you are considering applying to a private school as recommendation letters are often required as well as a transcript permission form. Submit completed recommendation requests at least 2 weeks before any due date.

13. Financial Aid and Scholarships
Cost can be a big barrier to higher education, but here are a few tips:
Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA) through California Colleges or Cal Dream App ASAP starting October 1, 2019 as all colleges use this information to determine if you qualify for free money like scholarships and grants as well as loans. Most money for college comes directly from this.
Research scholarships early and use our website to start looking at scholarships you might be able to apply for over the summer of junior year or senior year:
The Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation opens every year sometime after winter break and gives some of our students the best chance of qualifying for a scholarship as it is only for Elk Grove Unified students.

14. College Application Workshops
The counseling department will host many before and after school college application workshops that you should sign-up for to get direct help on the computer with college applications!
Listen to WildCat TV, check the website, and sign-up with Ms. Larsen in the Career Center!
We know the college process can be exciting and stressful, but we are here to help!

15. Final Words
Everyone in here I can tell is a future leader in some way, shape, or form!
You all have gifts, talents, and skills that are going to help positively shape the world.
One thing to remember is that you do not need the college, but the college needs you.
There are many paths up the mountain and you make the biggest difference in what you get out of college, not where you are going to school.
I will be just as excited for you if you go to Stanford, UC Davis, Sac State, or CRC!
“Deepest Fear” quote adapted from Marianne Williamson and said by the character Timo Cruz in the film Coach Carter.
I will be just as excited if you go to CRC, Sac State, or UC Davis!