1. GRAND BLANC HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR PARENT COLLEGE NIGHT
WELCOME
GRAND BLANC HIGH SCHOOL
JUNIOR PARENT COLLEGE NIGHT
March 17, 2015
Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight! I am Mary Gardner, counselor for 10th-12th grades, last name O-Z. I am joined by fellow counselor Mrs. Phyllis Mol and and between the two of us, we will help you and your student make it through these last hurdles before graduation. The first thing I will tell you is that as quickly as you think the last three years have flown by, the next one will go even quicker! Savor the moments, don’t sweat the small stuff, and don’t EVER be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help. That’s what were here for. We will be addressing a lot of topics tonight covering many aspects of the senior year including scholarships but before we start, we have a brief presentation from Larry Nelson from the American Legion.

2. Topics to be covered… What are the options after high school?
How do you choose a college?
What are important factors considered by college admissions?
Are you interested in playing college sports?
What are the steps in the college application process?
How will you pay for college?
Thank you Larry!
Some of the other topics that we will be covering tonight include…

3. Post High School Options
Associate Degree (2-year college)
Bachelor’s Degree (4-year college)
Vocational Training/Trade School
Apprenticeship
Employment
Military
Students have many options to choose from as their high school career draws to a close.
We encourage all students to attend college for either an associates or a bachelors degree but ultimately that decision is a personal decision.
Entering college immediately after high school may not be the best choice for everyone.
Students can also decide to enter a trade school program which often leads to professional certification
find an apprenticeship with a journeyman in one of the skilled trades (we have been told there is a desperate need for skilled trades workers), go directly into the workforce, or joining the military.
While every one of these options is a good choice, for our purposes here tonight, we will focus on the college track.

4. Education and Earnings
As I mentioned earlier, we encourage every student to investigate and consider a college program and this chart further explains why.
By earning their high school diploma, they are already in a position to earn more annually than those students who don’t finish high school.
For every level of education attained thereafter, the overall earning potential increases.

5. Career Resource Center
Educational Development Plan (EDP)
Research careers and colleges
Military
Day-on-the-job opportunities
Volunteer opportunities
Job openings
Summer programs
Contact Stephanie Garey:
In addition to their counselor, one of the first places a student can go to get additional information on careers and colleges is the CRC.
Located right beside the counseling office, the CRC is an excellent resource for students to refine their Educational Development Plan, research different careers or colleges, investigate a summer program, or sign up for a day on the job.
The Career Resource Center is also our main point of contact for military recruiters, as well as organizing and coordinating the volunteer program and providing students with information on local job openings.
On the wall in the hallway between counseling office and the CRC is a bulletin board with updated information on job openings and volunteer opportunities.
Students are encouraged to drop in any time if they have questions or want to find out more information on any of these topics.
Stephanie Garey runs our Career Resource Center and her contact information is listed above.

6. Things to consider when choosing a college…
Admission Requirements
Location (distance and setting)
Cost
Academic programs
Size of enrollment
Public vs. Private
You know your son or daughter is going to attend college and you may in fact already be making plans for that soon-to-be spare bedroom but before they start the application process, there are a few things to consider.
We encourage students to develop a list of their top 5-8 schools to fully research. As they are looking to create that list, the following factors should always be taken into consideration:
Admiss. Requ. – Can they get in? College websites and Google will soon be your favorite sites to visit as your student looks to find information. What will your dream school require? Some may have specific ACT scores or foreign language requirements. Know what they are looking for before you apply
How far away from home is this school? Do you want to be able to come home on weekends or even duirng the week if needed. Or are you ok with coming home for the holidays and again at spring break or in May?
What is the cost of the school and is it worth walking away 4 year later with a mountain of debt? While scholarships and financial aide will help considerably, more and more students are making the choice to start close by and save money
Do they have the academic program or major your student is interested in? This is a very important question and you shouldn’t assume that they do.
Size of the school. There are schools were you need to take a bus from one end of campus to the other or there are colleges considerable smaller than the high school you attend. Where will you be most comfortable?
Private schools tend to be smaller and and more expensive but they often tend to be the most generous with scholarships.

7. College Tours Visit colleges you are considering if possible
Call the admissions office for an appointment or register online for an official tour
Talk to professors and students
Sit in on classes
Visit a dormitory
Virtual tours on college websites
Arranged absence through school
You would never consider buying a house or a car sight unseen. An investment in a college education is an equal big-ticket item.
One thing we strongly encourage students to do if at all possible is to visit the colleges in person and go on a tour.
During the week is preferable as the atmosphere on a Saturday morning may be quite different than a day when classes are in session.
Tours can be set up by calling the admissions office of the college.
All schools are happy to accommodate you and look forward to showing your what they have to offer. If you tell us in advance that your student is going on a college tour, we will arrange their absence so it does not count against them.
Tours are an excellent way for a student to get the feel of a school, talk to students (who are generally the tour guides), see classes and visit a dorm.
Some schools even offer overnight programs where students can spend the night in a dorm and attend classes with a host student.
If the college is too far away to visit, many offer virtual tours on their websites. Just be aware that any website content or print material is designed to make the school look it’s very best and may not give you the most accurate picture of campus life. You can’t taste the cafeteria food if you aren’t there in person!

8. Colleges Visit GBHS
College representatives visit GBHS in the fall and spring
Watch the daily announcements
Check the Counseling Office visitation chart weekly for dates and times at the beginning of senior year
Appointments must be made in the Counseling Office at least one day before the visit
Students miss class time for these visits and are expected to make up work. Choose your visits carefully.
Check the window in the Counseling Office for upcoming visits!
Another way for students to get information about colleges is to visit the college reps who come by our office every fall and spring.
We post a schedule every week and beyond of college rep visits and students are encouraged to stop by and get a pass.
Passes are not given on the day of the visit however and must be requested at least one day in advance.
These groups tend to be fairly small and give the students a great opportunity to ask questions about the campus.
Although the majority of the visits are in the fall, we do have some reps scheduling return visits for the next few months. Keep an eye on the front window of the counseling office where we will post the schedule.

9. Factors in the Admission Decision
According to the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), the following 3 items are of “considerable importance” when making admissions decisions:
Grades in college prep courses
Strength of curriculum
Standardized test scores
These three items were considered significantly more important than overall GPA, recommendations, and class rank
It is also important to note that because of differences in high school
grading scales, more than half of the colleges recalculate applicants’
GPA’s to standardize them.
(Source:
As we work with seniors, and senior parents, there are often a lot of questions regarding what do the colleges look for when making admission decisions and what is the most important thing to focus on. Just as every college is individual and different, so are their entrance requirements. However, according to the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, these three items tend to be the most influential factors in determining admission: grades in college prep courses (not necessarily overall GPA), strength of curriculum (did you take honors and AP classes when they were available) , and standardized test scores. It is important to note in regards to GPA that more than half of the colleges who answered the NACAC survey indicated that since every school has a different grading scale, they recalculate the GPA when they receive the transcript to standardize them. And every school may recalculate differently. Some may look at core classes only, some may look at unweighted GPA, it’s an indiviual decision for every school. The bottom line is:
Work hard all the way to the end and always do your very best. The survey I mentioned can be found on the nacac website which is listed above.

10. Admission Criteria ACT Score -Part of the required M-Step test
-All juniors took on March 3, 2015
-Test retakes are available in June, September, or October if you want to improve your score
-Include college codes so that scores can be sent directly to colleges
-Go to to register
-Fee waivers available for students who receive free/reduced lunch
-U of M-Ann Arbor and MSU require test scores to be sent
directly from ACT
Testing requirement
-4 ways to pass: 1) 21 composite on ACT 2) C- or higher in ACT prep class 3) all 1’s and 2’s on M-Step 4) successful completion of exit exams
Current juniors took the ACT on March 3 as part of the M-Step testing process and they will receive a college ready score separate from their overall testing score
Go through bullets

11. Admission Criteria GPA
Final transcripts WILL be looked at and college acceptance is not a guarantee. Finish strong!
AP and Honors classes
Take if they are appropriate and there is a passion for the subject
GPA is weighted for AP classes
Colleges look at what was taken vs what was available
GBHS has 18 AP classes to choose from as well as the option to take an AP course online
A Well-Rounded Student
Many colleges use a “holistic” application review process where many different factors are considered
Find volunteer activities and school clubs that truly interest you.

12. Other Things to Do… Maintain or improve grade point average
Create a list of activities and awards for college and scholarship applications
Maintain or improve grade point average
Participate in community service opportunities
Begin to formulate a personal statement (i.e. career aspirations, goals, college plans)
Investigate summer experiences/workshops
I am now going to turn it over to Mrs. Mol who will cover our other topics.

13. Senior Year Scheduling
Take a rigorous class schedule
Colleges recommend at least 3 or 4 academic credits in the senior year
Parents and students should review high school graduation requirements
Course requests for the school year are available on StudentVue for review
Schedule changes at the beginning of the school year are very difficult and done on a very limited basis

14. Advanced Placement Courses
College courses taught in high school
Application required for admission for some courses
Significantly more challenging
Requires a motivated students
Summer work required
Better preparation for college level work
Weighted grade (A=5.0, B=4.0, C=3.0)
Opportunity to earn college credit by achieving a qualifying score on AP exam given in May
Students will not be allowed to drop the course once they have made the commitment to enroll

15. Are you a potential college athlete?
NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Association
Register online in the Fall of senior year
Division I and II require 16 core high school credits
Core classes are identified online and in the Course Selection Guide
Skill Center classes do NOT count for NCAA eligibility
ACT scores must be sent directly from ACT (Use code 9999)
GPA – recalculated using core classes only

16. Are you a potential college athlete?
NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
Must meet 2 of the 3 following criteria:
GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
18 composite ACT or 860 on the SAT
Graduate within the top 50% of the class
NAIA has over 300 colleges to choose from
MUST register to play at
Not the same as NCAA
Visit the website ( or call for more information

17. College Applications
Applications for all colleges are available on the individual college website
Some instate applications are available in hard copy form in the Counseling Office but online submission is the preferred method
Early Action/Decision deadlines guarantee college response before winter break
Check carefully for “binding agreements”
Submit college applications in fall, checking each one for specific deadlines
Fee waivers are available for students who qualify
Application may require a counselor to fill out a paper portion. When completed, these forms will be returned to the student to mail.

18. College Applications COMMON APP www.commonapp.org
Allows you to fill out one application for multiple colleges
Students include the counselor on the application and counselors complete their portion online
Required for University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Kettering and several other colleges in Michigan
Check the website for a complete list

19. College Applications Parchment – www.parchment.com
- All transcripts must be sent using this online transcript service
- Directions are located at on the high school page under Guidance
- You must enter the name of each college you would like to receive a transcript
- You can also send transcripts to the NCAA from this site
- The transcript will automatically include ACT scores from the March MME testing date
- If you would like additional or more recent ACT scores sent, you will need to order them directly from the ACT website at

20. Paying for College Scholarships
Lists of available scholarships are updated regularly beginning in October in the Counseling Office
Colleges will notify you of anything your student may qualify for
Online searches (fastweb, zinch, scholarships.com)
Local scholarships (Available in February)
Parent’s employers, church, clubs, etc...
Updated scholarship books are available in the local library
Some scholarships will require that the FAFSA be completed

21. Scholarship Scams Don’t pay money to get money
If it seems to good to be true, it probably is!
Spend time, not money
Check with the Better Business Bureau if you question the validity of the scholarship program
Speak with your student’s counselor
Additional information is available on the school website

22. Financial Aid FAFSA - apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
-Free Application for Federal Student Aid
This is a FREE service. Watch for similar websites that charge you a fee to submit information for you. (
Must use 2015 tax returns
Grants, scholarships, loans, and work study based on need
January Financial Aid workshop
Info available at

23. Contact the Counseling Office if you have any questions!
Mrs. Phyllis Mol A-Ga
Mrs. Nikki Kernen Ge-N
Mrs. Mary Gardner O-Z
Mr. John Hentes CSS
Mrs. Linda McCleary
Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Tisha Briggs (MME)
Student Services Analyst
Ms. Stephanie Garey
Career Resource Center

24. Thank you for coming to Junior Parent College Night! CLASS OF 2016!!