College Information Night for Parents of Juniors Ms. Brandi Cooper Mrs. Amber Gilsdorf Ms. Ann Raffay January 11, 2012 Our January Agenda Tuesday, January 10th – Pass back PSAT results – CollegeSmiths re: SAT & ACT Monday, January, 23rd: – What happens junior year – Junior Timeline – Conducting your college search Tuesday, January, 24th: – Types of applications – Campus visits – Mock interviews Other Junior Guidance about College 1. November: 2. - Licking County Financial Aid Night at C-TEC (Jan. 25 6:30 PM) - Personality Assessment - Exploration of Naviance - College searching January: 3. April: - Licking County College Fair at GHS (April 25 6:00 PM) Post-secondary Planning (help is available!) Students should take advantage of the opportunities to help them in their college search process provided to them by the counselors: ● Personality Profile – “Do What You Are” ● Naviance college search ● CollegeBoard college searching ● Guidance on how to strengthen your academic profile ● College advising meetings with your counselor ● NCAA Eligibility Course Registration Presentation Night Make sure to have your parents attend the Future Seniors Course Registration Presentation Night on Wednesday, February 15 at 8:15 PM in the theatre. - 7:00 P.M. – Tips on Selective Schools Admission in the GHS Library – open to all grade levels Find out about appropriate choices for senior scheduling! The SAT and the ACT Students should take both the SAT and ACT in the spring of junior year Re-take either the SAT or ACT to improve scores following a review. All testing is recommended to be completed by the end of junior year. Research colleges of interest and determine which test they prefer (usually colleges will take either) Pay special attention to if colleges require the “writing” portion of the ACT. Guidance strongly recommends taking the writing portion as some colleges require it! The SAT is offered at GHS March 10th and June 2nd; The ACT is offered at GHS April 14th Registration Register for tests online & record your username and password For students requesting accommodations, please see your counselor for additional registration information. – Collegeboard www.collegeboard.com/student – ACT www.actstudent.org – Test-optional schools www.fairtest.org/optional.htm Inside the SAT How do colleges get my scores? How is the test scored? How do I get more • You can choose 4 schools to receive • 200-800 points per section for information about thea total of What is the test structure? your scores for free when you register for 2400 SAT? possible the test. Reading • Critical • 2-12• points for the essay You can gocan to log-in the GHS • Otherwise, you to your • Mathematics Guidance & Counseling • CollegeBoard ¼ points subtracted for wrong account to every send scores answer individually colleges part of your websitetofor more as information: • Writing http://www.granvilleschools.org/domain/75 application. • Strategy tip! Educated guesses only…if you don’t know it – leave it blank. SAT Subject Tests Only more selective colleges and highly academic programs require the SAT subject tests. Take these tests right after you have completed the class that focused on the subject in which you are being tested Each subject test lasts approximately one hour, so students can sign up for up to three tests on one test date. Use Compass Prep to view which schools require subject tests & how many. You can also access Subject Test information from your specific school’s admissions website. http://www.compassprep.com/subject_about.shtml Inside the ACT What the testget structure? How dois colleges my scores? How is the test scored? • English • You canI choose 4 schools to receive How do get more information • 1-36 for each section your scores for free about the ACT? when you • Reading register for the test. • 2-12 points for the writing • You can go to the GHS Guidance & • Mathematics •• Otherwise, can Counseling forlog-in moreto your Guessing website is you encouraged! • Science ACT accountReasoning to send scores information: •individually Strategy tip! ACT: as A Classroom http://www.granvilleschools.org/domain/75 to colleges • Writing (optional…but part of your Test application. recommended) FAQs on Testing Do colleges need both SAT and ACT scores? Do I need the ACT with writing? Which scores are better to send to colleges? Should I send them now, or wait? How important are grades as compared to test scores? What if English is not my first language? (TOEFL) The College Focus in on finding a good match Compare your performance and interests with the colleges’ profiles Communication between parents and their student is important – Parents are key in helping the student through the process, but they should not take over the process The College Refer to the College Handbook (page 12 & 13)—downloadable on the website It takes research! Research and college visits are vital to finding a good fit Enjoy the process! Finding your match: Using the colleges’ profiles Location Class sizes Size of student body Graduation Rate Student Activities Majors offered Selectivity Majors offered Residence Life Facilities Reputation Male/Female Ratio Study Abroad Greek Life Cost GPA Ask yourself… Who am I? What are my interests? What do I want from my college experience? What would I like to do at the end of 4 years? What college will meet my needs? Selecting Your Colleges Narrowing down your choices: – Start with the most important criteria for you (2-3 criteria) – Reflect on additional criteria and use college visits to help narrow the list down from there When it comes time to apply…we recommend applying to five colleges. – 1 “safety” school – 3 “possibility” schools – 1 “reach” school Colleges and Selectivity Acceptance rates from 2011 School % Accepted # of Applications Harvard 7.2% Received Stanford 7.97% Harvard 7.23% 30,489 Yale 8.56% Stanford 7.31% 32,022 Princeton 10.6% Yale Columbia 7.53% 11% 26,003 Brown Princeton 8.8% 11% 26,247 Brown Penn 9.34% 17% 30,135 Georgetown 19% Columbia 9.84% 25,427 Duke 22% Duke 14% 30,000 Gathered from 14.26% Naviance, 2012 U. of Penn. 26,941 Vanderbilt 17.95% 21,811 Georgetown 19.78% 18,616 Though acceptance rates are low for these highly selective schools, we encourage all students that match the school’s academic profile and feel that the school is a “best fit” for them to apply. Types of Applications Early Decision - apply early, commit to your first choice institution, Binding--15% greater chance of admission vs. the Regular deadline (NACAC Admissions Trends Survey, 2010) Ex: Miami, Kenyon, Wooster, Oberlin Early Action- apply early, find out early, not binding Ex: Miami, Ohio Wesleyan Priority - apply early, find out a little bit earlier, not binding, usually due to scholarship eligibility or special programs Ex: Ohio State Rolling- decisions made throughout the admissions cycle Ex: Kent State, Toledo, Ohio State Regular- apply by a specified date, applications considered after that date Ex: Miami Top Factors in Admission Decisions Admission offices identify high school curriculum, test scores, and grades as the top factors In order of importance: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Grades in college preparatory classes (98%) Strength of curriculum (92.7%) Admission test scores/ACT & SAT (89.8%) Overall grade point average (89.5%) Application essay Recommendations Demonstrated Interest NACAC Admissions Trends Survey To have the strongest application possible, you should: Get involved in our community Get involved in school Explore your talents and what excites you Consider the opportunities available during the summer Find a few things (not 10) to focus on and to develop more Get to know your teachers and your counselor Schedule a family meeting (or two) “Tip” Factors Colleges have de-emphasized their assessment of a student’s rank in class (16% ranked “considerable” importance in 2010, down from 42% in 2005) Essay as a factor in admission has grown in importance…26.4% of colleges report that student’s essays have considerable importance Demonstrated interest has grown as a “tip” factor The fewer students a school accepts, the more likely it is to place emphasis on “tip” factors in the admissions process NACAC Admissions Trends Survey College Visit- In Depth Investigation Visiting is the most important way to learn about colleges Go when school is in session Plan trips during vacations- spring break Set up the appt 2-3 wks in advance, through the phone or website Standard Visit - Tour and Presentation Virtual Tours available on some college websites and CollegeWeekLive Experience as much as possible through additional meetings and seeing the town Remember your Resources! 1. Your School Counselor! 2. The GHS Guidance Office research resources: • GHS Guidance & Counseling Website • GHS College Handbook (downloadable on website) • New books and resources available for check-out in Guidance 3. Family & friends – especially those who have gone through the process. 4. Online research tools – Naviance, CollegeBoard, college sites, & other search websites. Naviance: College Searching Conduct a college search Research college profiles View college acceptance data from previous GHS students (without names) Personalize a list of schools you have interest in and keep track of deadlines Access Naviance via the GHS Guidance & Counseling Website Important tool for the actual college application process, i.e. sending of online transcripts Remember these steps! 1. Begin putting together your college list. 2. Visit colleges. 3. Take both the SAT & ACT in the spring. 4. Talk with your parents about college options. 5. Schedule a meeting with your counselor. 6. Stay organized & enjoy the process! Junior Year Timeline Winter Review PSAT score report and utilize on-line service provided by CollegeBoard. Access the GHS guidance website to find presentations and resources. Register for ACT and SAT/SAT subject tests. GHS counselors recommend taking both the SAT and ACT at least once your junior year, and choose one of the tests to re-take. If taking SAT Subject Tests, consult with your counselor about the appropriate ones to take. Develop your long list of colleges to investigate, and plan college visits especially during spring break and over the summer. Junior Year Timeline Spring Organize college mailings and materials into folders or a file system. Consider organizing materials by “high interest” schools, “maybe” schools, and “reach” schools. Counselors and English teachers work with students on college interviewing skills as needed. Talk with your parents to plan a realistic schedule of when to visit schools of interest. Plan visits during spring break, and schedule interviews if necessary. Junior Year Timeline Attend the Licking County College Fair on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ Granville High School from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Located in the GHS Gym. Consider a “summer at college” experience or other summer work opportunities (you can find these through Naviance & in guidance). May During a time when your English 11 class is in the library, you will have a 5 minute meeting with your counselor to check in on your college list. Consider requesting letters of recommendation from teachers & counselors if you plan to work on applications throughout the summer. Students should schedule a college planning meeting with your counselor…this is a 50 minute meeting to go over your college process in-depth (this can be junior or beginning of senior year) Save the Date! February 15, 2012 @ 7:00 P.M. – Tips on Selective Schools Admission in the GHS Library – open to all grade levels Questions? * Sign-up for email announcements to get information about College Representative Visits in Guidance and the College Application Summer Workshop (August 2012)