2. Welcome to College Planning Evening for Juniors and Parents Farmington High School School Counseling Department

3. College Planning Evening for Juniors and Parents 1. Overview of Program 2. Breakout Sessions  How to Choose a College (Bandroom)  Admissions Requirements/Criteria and College Resources  (Auditorium)  College Interview/Visitation (Chorus Room)  Each group will rotate every ½ hour Session 123 BlueBandroomAuditoriumChorus YellowAuditoriumChorusBand GreenChorusBandroomAuditorium

4. How Colleges Select Students… They consider the following:  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

5. 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

6. Selectivity of Admission REACH- To be admitted at this school may be possible, but it is not a definite occurrence. TARGET- The majority of previously admitted freshman had scores, grades, and other activities slightly better or equal to your own. QUALITY SAFETY- Admission at this college is highly likely and probable due to the strength of your application.

7. Early Decision Early decision plans allow you to apply early (usually in November) and get an admissions decision from the college well in advance of the usual notification date. But there is a catch. Early decision plans are binding, meaning if you apply as an early decision candidate, you agree to attend the college if it accepts you and offers an adequate financial aid package. Although you can apply to only one college for early decision, you may apply to other colleges through the regular admissions process. If you're accepted by your first-choice college early, you must withdraw all other applications. Usually, colleges insist on a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1. (www.collegeboard.com)

8. Early Action Early action plans are similar to early decision plans in that you can learn early in the admission cycle (usually in January or February) whether a college has accepted you. But unlike early decision, most early action plans are not binding, meaning you do not have to commit to a college to which you've applied for early action. Under these plans, you may apply to other colleges. Usually, you can let the college know of your decision in the late spring or whenever you've decided. (www.collegeboard.com)

9. NCAA Freshman-Eligibility Standards To participate in athletics at the Division I or Division II level athletes must be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse To Be Certified By The Clearinghouse, You Must: Graduate from High School In a core curriculum of at least 14 to 16 academic courses which were successfully completed during grades 9-12. Core Units Required for NCAA Certification Division IDivision II English Core4 years3 years Math Core*3 years2 years Science Core**2 years2 years Social Studies Core2 years2 years From English, Math or Science1 years2 years Additional Core (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign language, Philosophy, Non-doctrinal Religion)4 years3 years Total Core Units Required1614 *Division I requires 3 years of Math and Division II requires 2 years of math, including at least 1 year of Algebra I or higher **Division I & Division II require 1 lab science Other Important Information Division I: GPA sliding scale is between 2.0-3.5 and a SAT range of 400-1010 Division II: GPA is at least 2.0 and a minimum SAT score of 820 For more information: www.ncaaclearinghouse.net or Toll-Free # 877-262-1492www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

10. Researching Post-Secondary Programs Objective Guides The College Board Handbook Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges Subjective Guides Fiske Guide to Colleges The Insider’s Guide to Colleges U.S News Best Colleges Institutional Materials (Course Catalogs, Pamphlets, etc.)  National College Fair at the Hartford Expo April 11, 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. & 6:30-8:30 April 12, 9:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m.  Career/Vocational Fair at Farmington High School March 13, 2012 from 9:00-10:30 a.m.  Website, Video, etc.

11. Researching Colleges Cont. What Makes a Good College? 1. Fact Finding 2. Reflection 3. Assessment 4. Action What are the important factors about this college? What are your impressions? Could this be a good match for me? What are the next steps?

12. 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 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 (username-farmington password hschool) www.careercruising.com www.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/  Naviance http://connection.naviance.com/farmingtonhshttp://connection.naviance.com/farmingtonhs CAREER WEB SITES  Do What You Are http://connection.naviance.com/farmingtonhshttp://connection.naviance.com/farmingtonhs  US Bureau of Labor http://www.bls.gov/http://www.bls.gov/  Career Key www.careerkey.orgwww.careerkey.org

13. What college is right for me? Where? How big? Will I be admitted?

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

15. Location (Urban, Suburban, Rural) Distance Academic Rigor Size Extra-curricular (i.e. athletics) Field of Study/Major Financial Aid Student Should Consider

16. What is the best match for you? “College is not a prize to be won, but a match to be made.” Let’s get started…..

17. Naviance: Family Connection College Search and Applications www.fpsct.org USERNAME: PIN# PASSWORD: PINfps SuperMatch College Search

18. vs. SAT = reasoning test Type of Test ACT = content-based test Critical Reading: 2, 25-min sections and 1, 20- min section; Math: 2, 25-min sections and 1, 20-min section; Writing: 1, 25-min essay, 1, 25- min section, and 1, 10-min section Test Format English: 1, 45-min section; Math: 1, 60-min section; Reading: 1, 35-min section; Science: 1, 35- min section; Writing: 1, 30-min essay (optional) questions can be phrased in ways that make them difficult to decipherTest Style questions may be long but are usually less difficult to decipher, more straighforward Math, Critical Reading, and Writing scores will each range between a 200-800; total SAT score ranges between 600-2400 Scoring English, Math, Reading, and Science scores will each range between 1-36. Composite ACT score is the average of your scores on the four sections; ranges between 1-36 yes – you lose ¼ of a point for incorrect answers (except on the grid-in math questions) Penalty for Wrong Answers?no – you do not lose points for incorrect answers yes – you can choose which set(s) of SAT scores to submit to collegesScore Choice? yes – you can choose which set(s) of ACT scores to submit to colleges questions increase in difficulty level as you move through that question type in a section (except reading passage questions, which progress chronologically through the passage) Difficulty Levels difficulty level of the questions is random arithmetic, data analysis, algebra I and II, functions, geometry; formulas are provided in the test booklet Math Levelsarithmetic, algebra I and II, functions, geometry, trigonometry; no formulas are provided Accepted by all colleges and universities College PreferenceAccepted by all colleges and universities

19. Test Date Registration Deadline Junior Year SATMarch 9, 2013February 8, 2013 SAT & Subject TestMay 4, 2013April 5, 2013 SAT & Subject Test June 1, 2013May 2, 2013 Senior Year October 2013September 2013 November 2013October 2013 December 2013November 2013 Always the first Saturday of the Month. Plan accordingly! SAT www.CollegeBoard.org

20. Test Date Registration Deadline Junior Year ACTFebruary 9, 2013January 11, 2013 April 13, 2013March 8, 2013 June 8, 2013May 3, 2013 Senior Year September 2013Summer 2013 October 2013September 2013 December 2013November 2013 ACT www.actstudent.org

21. Sample Test Taking Plans Students in Precalculus or Advanced Math March – SAT May – SAT II’s (subject tests) or ACT June – SAT or ACT Students in Alg./Geo. or Integrated Math May – SAT or ACT June – SAT or ACT October – SAT or ACT (last date for Nov. deadlines) ** Test dates are also available in Nov. and Dec., but these results will not be available prior to most colleges Early Decision/Action deadlines. **Each student should discuss their personalized plan with their individual counselor. **Keep track of registration IDs because you will need them to access your scores.

22. SAT preparation classes: Farmington Continuing Education www.fpsct.org/fce SAT Preparation: Math Review SAT Preparation: Critical Reading Review Ivy Bound (860-224-6688 or www.ivybound.net)www.ivybound.net Kaplan (1-800-KAPTEST, 860-236-6851 or www.kaptest.com)www.kaptest.com Princeton Review (800-2Review, 203-226-2662, or ww.princetonreview.com) ww.princetonreview.com Revolution Prep (1-877-REV-PREP or www.revolutionprep.com) www.revolutionprep.com Farmington High School Juniors & Seniors Test Preparation

23. THE COLLEGE SEARCH PROCESS Junior College Planning Night TIMELINE December ‘12 September October November December ‘13 June February March January ‘13 April May July August Junior Lessons (3) Junior Meetings VISIT COLLEGES SAT/ACT APPLY STUDENTS CONSIDER Location/Distance Size Extra-curricular (i.e. athletics) Field of Study/Major COLLEGES CONSIDER Student Record/Transcript Strength of Schedule Scores (SAT/ACT/Optional?) SCHOOL COUNSELOR PROSPECT LIST (10-30 SCHOOLS) FINAL LIST (6-12 SCHOOLS) NAVIANCE http://connection.naviance.com/farmingtonhs VISIT COLLEGES!

24. If it is recommended, consider it required.

25. Be Prepared Dress neatly. Take the interview seriously. Get to know the college. Visit websites, college review books, catalogs, etc. Be prepared to talk about yourself and to ask questions about the school. Practice interviewing…with anyone.

26. Be Yourself Make a positive first impression. Give firm handshakes, make eye contact and introduce yourself clearly. Elaborate…give more details than your application can display. Be proud of your accomplishments. Do not be afraid to discuss a weakness. Pay attention to the questions.

27. Be Appreciative At the end, thank them for their time and ask for a business card. Remember the interviewer’s name. Make some notes for yourself. Send a thank you note. Your file has been created.

28. Sample Questions To Ask: What is the strongest program on campus? What is the most popular department/course on campus? How many classes are taught by graduate assistants? Given my proposed major, will I be able to study abroad? How accessible are faculty? What is the most important aspect of a student’s application? What improvements are being made on campus?

29. Sample Questions To Answer: What magazines and/or newspapers do you read? Which of your activities has given you the most satisfaction? Tell me about Farmington High School. Have you considered a major? Is there a weakness in your application? What is something about you, that colleges would not find on your application? If your friend was asked to describe you, what would he/she say?

30. Our Final Recommendations: Please don’t choose your top choice school for your 1 st interview. If unable to interview, meet with the college representatives when they visit Farmington High School or college fairs. Prepare for each college meeting as if it was a formal interview.

31. Tips on visiting college campuses

32. This is how you proceed… Make appointments two weeks in advance, if possible Tour first Go while school is in session Students-take notice Buy a notebook and/or a camera No more than two a day

33. What to expect Information session and tour consist of….. Eat in the café if possible…. See a FRESHMAN dorm See the music/athletic facilities if applicable… Look for anything else that will be important to you

34. Remember…You’re the Consumer Don’t be Shy!!!!!!!!!!! For Students : Food Weekends Popular activities Largest class Scheduling Advisors Where else did you apply Getting home For Info session: Infirmary Dorm rules Living off campus (town/gown) Scheduling Career center Advising system Weekend activities Classes that close Cross Application Pool Need-Blind?

35. Finally……. Parents…. Students……. Safe vs. Reach