1. RHS Guidance Department Sophomore College Planning Night

2. RHS Guidance Department  Mr. Don Green, School Counselor  Ms. Lindsay Richard, School Counselor  Mrs. Laurie Rotondo, Lead School Counselor  Mr. Raheel Saleem, School Counselor  Mrs. Janet Quick, Guidance Secretary

3. Alphabet Breakdown Class of 2015 Mr. Saleem: A-G Ms. Richard: H-Le Mr. Green: Li – Z *The breakdown will be adjusted slightly as Mrs. Rotondo will have students from the Class of 2015 again. A letter with the breakdown will be sent in early July with your final report cards.

4. Agenda  College Selection Factors  Family Connection  Admission Factors  Standardized Testing  End of Year Reminders  Question & Answer Session

5. College Selection Factors  Size of Campus: Large, Medium, or Small  Public or Private Institution  Location: Distance from Home Urban, Suburban, or Rural  Quality & Selection of Programs  Quality of Faculty  Resident or Commuter  Diversity of Student Body

6. College Selection Factors  Athletics: Div. I, II, III Club or Intramural  Cost: Tuition: In-State vs. Out of State Financial Aid  Support Services: Career Services, Special Services: Tutoring, Counseling Specialist, Learning Disability Specialist, etc.  Special Programs: Study Abroad, Internship Opportunities, Graduate Programs, etc.

7. College Search Process  Where do we begin? Communication  What is the student looking for?  What are the parent expectations?  Who is financially responsible for tuition? Initial Research:  Websites and View books-College Board & Family Connection Test Drive :  Visitations- fall, spring, and summer open house, tours and sit in on a class

8. Family Connection  College Search Database specific to RHS  Each student received a password during course selection. Forgotten Passwords: See your counselors  Link to Family Connection can be found on the RHS Website

16. Impt. Factors for the Admission Committee  What are colleges looking for? Types of Courses (Create a 2-year plan Jr. & Sr. Year) Grade Point Average Standardized Tests: (SAT/ACT; SATII) SAT: Math, Critical Reading, & Writing Time: 3 hours & 45 minutes long Score: 200 – 800 for each section ACT: English, Math, Reading, Science Reasoning, Writing (optional) **Always register to take WITH Writing** Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes Score: 1 – 36 for each section, then an overall composite score of 1 – 36 SATII: Subject tests to measure one’s skills in a particular subject: English, Math, Science, History, and Languages

17. \ SAT or ACT? SAT  No Science Section  No Trigonometry section  Vocabulary emphasized  Non multiple-choice questions included  Guessing penalty  No English Grammar  Math accts. For 50% of score ACT  Science Reasoning Section  Math section includes trigonometry  Vocabulary less important  Entirely multiple choice  No guessing penalty  English Grammar tested  Math accounts for 25% of score

18. SAT or ACT? SAT  Questions go from easy to hard in most sections  Report scores only from the test dates you choose ACT  Easy and hard questions mixed within sections  Report Scores only from the test dates you choose

19. Math Levels & Standardized Testing Sophomores taking Algebra II or a higher math level this year can take the official SATs or ACTs in June of sophomore year and/or fall of junior year. Sophomores taking Algebra II next year should wait to take the SATs or ACTs until the spring time of junior year. Typically, sophomores taking Algebra II next year will take the February ACT and March SAT.

20. Standardized Testing Calendar  PSAT: Saturday, October 19, 2013  Practice ACT: Saturday, November 16, 2013  Practice 1/2 SAT 1/2 ACT: February 1, 2014  Official SAT: 2013 – 2014 Dates announced in July Spring of Junior Year (Tentative Dates Based Upon Previous Year Dates):  January 25, 2014  March 8, 2014  May 3, 2014  June 7, 2014 Fall of Senior Year: October, November & December

21. Standardized Testing Calendar  Official ACT: Junior Year (dates confirmed):  September 21, 2013  October 26, 2013  December 14, 2013  February 8, 2014  April 12, 2014  June 14, 2014 Fall of Senior Year: September, October & December

22. Create a Test Taking Schedule  October: PSATs  Pending Math Level: December: ACT January: SAT February: ACT March: HSPA’s & SAT April: ACT May: AP Exams; Subject Tests, SAT June: SAT, ACT, Subject Tests

23. SAT II (Subject Tests) & AP Exams  SAT IIs are subject based tests. Students can take this test at any grade level.  SAT IIs should be taken when the course is completed and fresh in your mind. We suggest May and/or June  AP examinations are for college credit only, typically not for college admissions

24. Score Choice  Score Choice gives you the option to choose which scores (by test date for the SAT and by individual test for SAT Subject Tests™) you send to colleges — in accordance with an institution's stated score-use practice.  If you decide not to use Score Choice, all of your scores will be sent to your recipients. Students should still feel comfortable sending all scores, since most colleges consider a student’s best score.

25. Impt. Factors for the Admission Committee Essay Interviews (not all require)  Sample Questions on Guidance Website Demonstrated Interest Level Extracurricular/Work experiences Honors/Awards Letters of Recommendation (More Information and Forms Distributed at Junior College Planning Night in January)

26. Athletes  NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse Application: https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/ https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/ Can be submitted at the beginning of Junior Year Send SAT or ACT to NCAA Clearinghouse directly Send Official Transcript to NCAA Clearinghouse  Athletic Scholarships: Div. I or Div. II only  Athletic Resume and Questionnaires  Student Athletes Ask Yourself: “If I can not compete, would this still be the right school for me?”

27. Sophomore/Junior Year Calendar Summer  Visit Colleges  Research Colleges Fall  Take the PSAT’s in October at RHS  Pay attention to when college representatives will be visiting RHS in the fall. Each junior/senior can attend 6 information sessions.  Attend Open Houses at Colleges

28. Sophomore/Junior Year Calendar Winter  Attend Junior College Planning Night  Attend Financial Aid Night  Register for the SAT and/or ACT Spring  Take at least 1 SAT and 1 ACT  If you take an AP class, take the subject test in that content area in May or June  Ask Teachers to write letters of recommendations  Submit Brag Sheets to the Guidance Office

29. Helpful Reminders  Keep your grades up! Everything counts!  Change your email addresses to a family account  Become Familiar with Family Connection  My Space/Face Book Accounts: College Admission Offices do look at your accounts  “Best Fit” not “Best School”: Finding the best fit requires visiting and researching  How many?: 2 or 3 reach, 4 or 5 target, 3 or 4 probable  Stay Organized  Explore Various Options for Colleges Within Our Area

30. Fall National College Fairs  Sunday, November 10, 2013: Philadelphia National College Fair at PA Convention Center from 11am – 3pm  Thursday, November 14, 2013: NJ National College Fair at Atlantic City Convention Center from 9am-12pm & 6-9pm

31. Questions?