1. Senior Assembly October 9, 2014 1 Clark Magnet High School

2. National Merit  National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist  Ericka Shin  National Achievement Scholarship Semi-Finalist  Sara Abdel-Azim 2

3. National Merit  National Merit Program – Commended Students  Sara Abdel-Azim  Elizabeth Abramyan  David Agajanian  Mary Agajanian  Stepan Mouradkhanian  Maya Ramamurthy  Joshua Valerio 3

4. Agenda  Transcripts  College Application Process  College Entrance Exams  Personal Statement Guidelines for University of California  ELC  Letters of Recommendation  Financial Aid  Q & A 4

5. Handouts  Transcripts  CSU Mentor  Personal Statement Guidelines for University of California  Parent Authorization for Cal Grant GPA Verification  Federal Student Aid Programs  College Application Timeline  Eligibility for Federal Aid 5

6. Important Information Online  Senior Timeline  College Career Fair  Links to College Applications  Scholarship information  Financial Aid Workshop information  This powerpoint 6

7. College Application Process University of California (UC’s) www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply California State University www.csumentor.edu August 1, 2014Application Opens (UC’s) October 1, 2014 Application Opens (Cal States) November 1-30, 2014 Application Submission Period for Fall 2015 March 1-30, 2015 Notification of Fall 2015 Admission Decisions May 1, 2015 Deadline to submit the Statement of Intent to Register July 1, 2015 Final transcripts due for UC campuses July 15, 2015 Final transcripts due for Cal State campuses Meet all deadlines!!! 7

8. College Entrance Exams  SAT  SAT II Subject Test (optional)  ACT with Writing  CSU Code 3594 (One code for all 23 CSU Campuses)  Last chance to take exam is December of senior year (Yes, colleges will accept it even though you have already turned in your application!)  Don’t forget to ask the College Board to send your SAT scores to the colleges of your choice (If you do it when you take the test it is free. If you request is later you have to pay.) 8

9. College Application Process California State University www.csumentor.edu 9

10. California State University 10

11. California State University 11

12. California State University 12

13. UC: The Personal Statement  2 Prompts, students must address both  1,000 words total or less  View as personal interview on paper Click on the “Tips” box www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/personal- statement/index.html 13

14. Statement #1: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Statement #2: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are? The Personal Statement Additional Comments: Use this space to tell us anything else you want us to know about you and your academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in the application. Limit your response to 550 words or less. This section can be bullet points, it does not need to be in sentence format. 14

15. What is ELC?  The Local Context (ELC) program is designed to recognize the academic accomplishment of students in light of their high school environment. How is ELC Determined?  ELC identifies qualified students from among the top 9% of each participating California high school using the student’s self-reported academic record.  Applicants who meet the minimum course requirements and have a GPA that meets or exceeds the benchmark GPA for their high school are ELC. 15

16. How ELC Status is Conveyed ELC Status is Displayed: In the “Application Status” section after submission of the admission application Directions on how a student learns his or her status: See questions in application tool prior to or after submission In confirmation email after submission 16

17. College Application Process Private Colleges Obtain a Green Folder from Mrs. Bondy Snack/Lunch/Enrichment/After School Most Private Colleges Use Common Application www.commonapp.org CCheck for Application Submission Deadlines (vary by college) TThoroughly complete student part of the application SSend an Invitation to your counselor to submit your school report (sooner rather than later!!!) SSend an invitation to two teachers to submit a letter of recommendation Meet all deadlines!!! 17

18. Other Important DEADLINES November 7, 2014Green folders due to counselors November 1-30, 2014 Application Submission Period for Fall 2015 December 1, 2014Application due to USC to be considered for financial aid January 1, 2015 Filing period opens for FAFSA and Cal Grant Verification February 1, 2015FAFSA deadline for some private colleges February 13, 2015FAFSA deadline for public colleges March 2, 2015 Deadline for FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Meet all deadlines!!! 18

19. Letter of Recommendation  Scholarship organizations and private colleges/universities ask for a letter of recommendation from your counselor/teachers. To better assist you with a letter you must:  Complete Student Information Sheet aka Brag Sheet. Available at ClarkMagnet.net (counselor corner)  Provide the completed Brag Sheet to your counselor/teacher with plenty of time to prepare your letter of recommendation (that means more than 2-3 days). 19

20. Paying for College There are two types of Financial Aid  Gift Aid  Scholarships  Students should check with the institution if they need to complete a separate application  Grants – Federal (FAFSA)  Federal Pell Grants  Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant  Grants – State (FAFSA or Dream)  Cal Grants A & B  Chafee Grant  Middle Class Scholarship (MCS)  CSU – State University Grant (SUG)  CSU – Educational Opportunity Grant (EOG)  Community Colleges – Board of Governor’s Grant (BOGG)  UC – University Grant 20

21. Paying for College There are two types of Financial Aid  Self-Help Aid  Federal Work-Study (FWS)  Federal Perkins Loan  Federal Direct Loans  PLUS (parent) Loan 21

22. New: Middle Class Scholarship  State scholarship for students with family income up to $150,000 on a sliding scale  UC and Cal State specific  FAFSA and Dream applicants will be considered for eligibility  Students must file a FAFSA/DREAM Application by March 2  The MCS award will be reduced by any Federal, State, or institutionally administered grants or fee waivers received by the student  Student must maintain satisfactory academic progress

23. Paying for College Student Loans  Things to consider  Interest rate, APR  Fixed vs. variable  Co-signer  Fees  Enrollment Requirements  Payments, during school or after graduation  Shop around for loans, i.e. from schools vs. banks  Approximately 70% of students get some form of financial aid 23

24. Scholarships/Financial Aid 24 California State University 2014-15At Home On Campus Off Campus Fees $6,698 Books & Supplies 1,719 Room & Board 4,53212,08012,089 Transp. 1,3451,1691,391 Personal 1,364 TOTAL $15,658$23,030$23,261 University of California 2014-15At Home On Campus Off Campus Fees $13,300 Books & Supplies 1,500 Room & Board 4,60014,0009,300 Personal & Transp. 3,7002,4003,100 Health Ins. 1,6001,9002,000 TOTAL $24,700$33,100$29,200 Most families do not pay the “sticker price”

25. Scholarships/Financial Aid 25

26. Scholarships/Financial Aid  If you haven’t already started researching, you need to start now!!!! Get information.  Fafsa.org  Calgrant.org  Studentaid.ed.gov  Fastweb.com  Webgrants4students.org Never pay money to apply for a scholarship NOTE: Frequently visit ClarkMagnet.net “Counselor Corner” for scholarship opportunities 26 Look out for scams

27. Scholarships/Financial Aid 27 CSU Financial Aid Information: http://www.calstate.edu/SAS/sfa_index.shtml UC Financial Aid Information: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying.html FAFSA and federal PIN Information - www.fafsa.ed.govwww.fafsa.ed.gov Cal Grant and MCS Information - www.csac.ca.gov or 1-888-224-7268www.csac.ca.gov California DREAM application - https://dream.csac.ca.gov/https://dream.csac.ca.gov/ What will my monthly repayment be for student loans? http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans/standard/comparison- calculator RESOURCES

28. GCC/Community Colleges GCC  Glendale.edu  GCC rep at Clark during lunch every other Wednesday  Scholars Program – 3.25 GPA  Deadline to apply – May 1 st  4 steps to complete registration 1. January: Apply 2. February: Complete online orientation 3. March/April: Take placement tests 4. April/May: Meet your GCC counselor  June/July: Register for classes  If you have participated in the Jump Start program you MUST reapply as a high school GRADUATE. You will keep your same GCC ID#. 28

29. 29 Q & A 29