1. Class of 2016 Junior Year: Spring Semester

2. Goals At the conclusion of this presentation you will better understand: –the post-secondary options available to you –the process for scheduling an official college campus visit –the differences between the SAT and ACT as well as when to register for these tests (ASAP!) –factors involved in college admission decisions –what is available to you through Naviance –how to conduct a college search through Naviance

3. Post-Secondary Options 2 Year College 4 Year Colleges/Universities Technical Institutes and Professional Schools Military –Service Academies –ROTC –Enlist/Reserves

4. Collin College Associates degrees offered through a wide variety of disciplines Benefits of attending Collin College: –Lower costs for transferable coursework –Relationships with local and regional 4-year institutions for transfer Transfer scholarship opportunities –Opportunity for students to explore areas of interests

5. College Match… Things to Consider Look at Yourself: Determine your Interest and Goals Academic Career/Proposed Major Extracurricular Activities Look at your Institutional Options Size Location Cost Admissions Requirements Private vs. Public Large vs. Small Special Programs

6. Things to ask yourself How do I learn best? –In large or lecture style classes, or in small discussion/ seminar settings? What extracurricular activities have been most important to me? –Which will I want to continue in college? What have I learned about my academic interests and abilities that will influence what I might study in college?

7. Scheduling an Official College Campus Visit Visit the college or university’s admissions website to schedule an OFFICIAL campus tour. –Campus tour –Dorm tour –Classroom visitation Register online Sometimes you may need to call the admissions office

8. Who should register with the clearinghouse? A student who plans to attend an NCAA Division I or II institution and who wishes to participate in intercollegiate athletics. –This also applies to walk-on’s www.eligibilitycenter.org See your athletic coach if you are interested in pursing varsity athletics in college!

9. Standardized Exams PSAT – national merit consideration SAT SAT Subject Exams ACT AP

10. National Merit Based on Junior year PSAT Commended Students: Notified September of senior year Semifinalists: Notified September of senior year –Top ½ of 1% become semifinalist Finalists: February

11. ACT Basic Information 3 hour college entrance exam Composed of 4 tests –English usage –Mathematics –Reading –Science Reasoning –30 minute optional writing test Score range 1-36 for each area Writing test score range 2-12 DO NOT LEAVE BLANK ANSWERS! ALWAYS GUESS! www.actstudent.org Exam Date: April 18 Exam Date: June 13 Exam Date: September 12 Exam Date: October 24 ** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses

12. SAT Basic Information 3 hour and 45 minute college entrance exam Composed of 3 tests –Critical Reading –Mathematics –Writing Skills Scores range 200-800 for each area Make your best guess ONLY IF you can reasonably rule out two of the four choices. www.collegeboard.com Exam Date: **March 14 Exam Date: **May 2 Exam Date: **June 6 Exam Date: Oct TBD Exam Date: Nov TBD ** Recommend taking in the Spring – depends on current courses

13. SUPERSCORE Many colleges “superscore” –Highest reading + Highest math across all exam attempts = your Superscore –Superscoring benefits you as a student NOT ALL COLLEGES SUPERSCORE!!! –It is up to you to check your college’s websites to confirm whether or not they superscore for admissions AND scholarship purposes!!!

14. ACT and SAT Comparison ACT SAT 3 hours, 25 minutes (with writing test)L ENGTH 3 hours, 45 minutes 4 sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) Plus an optional writing test S TRUCTURE 10 sections (3 Critical Reading, 3 Math, 3 Writing) Plus and experimental section S CORING Composite of 1-36 based on average scores from the 4 test sections S CORE Total score range of 600- 2400 based on adding scores from 3 sections No penalty for wrong answersW RONG A NSWER P ENALTY ¼ point subtracted from your raw score for each wrong answer (except for math grid-ins) You decide which score is sentS ENDING S CORE H ISTORY Depends if you are enrolled in Score Choice (Some colleges require you to send all scores) C ONTENT Reading comprehension- 4 passages with 10 questions per passage R EADING Reading comprehension- Short and long passages with questions. Sentence completion Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry M ATH Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II Analysis, interpretation, evaluation, basic content, and problem solving S CIENCE Science not included Last thing (optional): 30 minutes Topic of importance to high school student E SSAY First thing 25: minutes Factored in to overall score; More abstract than ACT

15. SAT Subject Test 1 hour test that measures knowledge and skills in a particular subject and a student’s ability to apply the knowledge Scores range 200-800 Colleges may use these scores in several ways. –Admissions purposes – check specific schools’ websites –Award college course credit –Help place students in the appropriate college courses

16. Key Parts of College Admissions High school courses/ grades (G.P.A.) Quality of courses, level of difficulty, trends/consistency of grades Rigor of courses Standardized test scores Extracurricular activities/ Your resume Includes academic awards/ honors, extracurricular activities, interest, jobs, community services and hobbies Application essays and/or personal statements Recommendation from teacher Recommendation from counselor **Personal interviews **Not required by every college or university, but if offered, take advantage!

17. Selecting Senior Year Courses Choose rigor Upward trend (regarding rigor and grades) Senior year courses MATTER –Colleges receive a copy of your senior year courses –Challenging courses help maintain college readiness Drop a course after applying? You MUST notify your colleges –All parts of your application are a binding contract with the college. If you make a change without notifying them, they could rescind an admissions offer.

18. Spring 2015 Register for Spring SAT/ ACT/ SAT Subject (if needed) Start narrowing your college search –Utilize Naviance – SuperMatch College Search feature Plan college campus visits Spring College Fair When: March 26 th 6:00 – 8:00 PM Where: Lovejoy High School Main Gym Choose Senior Classes, AP, Dual Credit, etc. Plan a purposeful summer (enrichment program, volunteer work, etc)

19. Naviance connection.naviance.com/lovejoy Update Personal Information Update Resume College Search Assessments –Learning Style –Interest Inventory –Personality Assessment EMAILS!!!!

20. Junior Home Page

21. Colleges Tab

22. Naviance Scattergrams Reach – Target – Likely Schools blackout

23. Target/Likely School University of Arkansas

24. Colleges on LHS Campus

25. Careers Tab

26. About Me Tab

27. Updating Your Resume

28. Check List