Junior Year College
and Career Planning
West Forsyth High School
Finding the right
college for you…

Look for a MATCH between you and
colleges

Decide what you want out of the college
experience

Do your research and explore options

In the end, it’s you, not the school you
choose, that will make the biggest
difference
How do you get started?

Do your research—visit college websites (some
listed in handout) and college handbooks

Talk to college representatives at West during
lunch or before/after school

VISIT college campuses (Spring Break or
teacher workdays are great times). If you
can’t visit, at least visit online or
www.campustours.com
What are your chances of
admission? Colleges will
consider your:

Transcript


Rigor of courses, grades, GPA, rank
Academic course selection.
What does West Forsyth
offer and what did the student choose to take?
Senior Year Schedule
 Test Scores SAT/ACT/CPT/AP You are responsible

for submitting
Extracurricular activities
 Essays
 Recommendations/Interviews

Beyond Admissions
 Course
selection and rigor is not just
about getting in to college.
 Students taking the most rigorous
classes have a much higher likelihood of
a successful college career.
Admissions
 Most
public colleges take a more
quantitative approach, while most
private colleges are more holistic in their
application review. For example, private
schools, in addition to grades and
scores, will consider extracurricular
activities, special talents, institutional
priorities, etc.
Different Schools Fit
Different Students:
Examine Your Priorities
Location
 School Size
 Diversity of Student
Activities and
Academic Offerings
 Cost of Attendance
 Class Size

Which colleges should I
apply to?

What do you want to study?

The career interest inventory on CFNC
can help you answer these questions.
Your counselors will help you with this.

Make sure colleges offer your major.

Knowing what you want to major in can make
the college search easier, but you do not need
to pick a major before you start college.
00400380.jpg
More competitive
college admissions
Why? More students. More applications. Majority of
students chasing the minority of schools.
UNC Chapel Hill- 30,000+ applied
7,847 admitted (36%)
3,960 enrolled (54%)
Average GPA 4.53 (weighted).
Average SAT (CR 610-710;
Math 590-690)
00439575.jpg
College Admissions
NC State- Applied 27,000+ Accepted 10,137
Avg. GPA 4.37. SAT Critical Read and Math 1140-1300
ACT 24-29
Excellent resource for admissions criteria for all public colleges:
www.collegeportraits.com and
Handout-Freshman Profiles for UNC Universities

Rather than “the one” perfect school, look for
several good matches
Keep in mind:
 “More
than three quarters of students
are accepted by their first-choice
college.”
--Higher Education Research Institute
Schedule a visit:
go online to
obtain campus
tour info.
A summer visit is
better than no
visit
Campus Visits

Good questions to ask:










What do students like most about the college? Like
least?
Retention rate for freshmen
Graduation rate
Most popular major and why?
Housing (what do the residence halls look like?)
Safety
Ask yourself: “Can I see myself here?”
Availability of classes
What kind of student does well here?
Read the student newspaper/visit a class
Counselors are available

We strongly
encourage you to
meet with your
counselor if you
need help with
college and career
planning. Visit
guidance to make an
appointment.
Testing
 You
need to have SAT or ACT test
scores if you plan to go to a four year
college directly after high school.
Register online at
www.collegeboard.com or
www.actstudent.org Be sure to identify 4
schools you want scores to be sent for free
at the time of registration.
Things to consider as you make
your testing plans
 All
juniors will take the ACT at West on
Tuesday,March 4 (no charge)
 The
SAT will be offered at West on
Saturday, March 8. Fee waivers
available if you qualify for free/reduced
price lunch; otherwise $50
If you want to do well on the
ACT/SAT, preparation is KEY

Free practice tests on CFNC

Practice test questions on ACT and College
Board websites

Obtain your personalized study plan for SAT
through your PSAT score report (access code
on your score report)
Upcoming SAT
Test Dates 2013-2014
January 25 (Registration Deadline: December 27)
 March 8 (Registration Deadline: February 7)
 May 3 (Registration Deadline: April 4)
 June 7 (Registration Deadline: May 9)

We recommend Juniors take the SAT and the ACT once
in the spring of their junior year and either the ACT or
SAT again in of October senior year.
SAT vs. ACT
Register online at least six weeks before
test

More of an aptitude testtests reasoning and
verbal abilities

Achievement-measures
what student has
learned

Verbal, Math, Writing
(Required)

English, Math, Reading,
Science,Writing(optional)

Penalty for wrong
answers

No penalty for wrong
answers

$51 (Seven times a
year)

$50.50 (Six times a
year)
If you are planning on
entering the military,.
take the ASVAB. West
plans to offer it in the
spring. Read the
announcements or
check with guidance.
Extracurricular
Activities

Develop a list of all activities.

Include summer enrichment, awards
recognition.
Save list on CFNC or
personal computer

Utilize list during application,
recommendation and
scholarship process.

Your organization will
save you time later!
Enrichment
Activities

Summer Ventures in Science and Math (GPA 3.85) 4
weeks on UNC campus
Martha Guy Business Appalachian University
 Architecture Summer Program UNC Charlotte
 Wake Forest Summer Volunteer Program
 NC State Design/ Engineering Camps
 Check announcements daily

Extracurriculars: Balance is key
 Emphasize
quality instead of quantity
 Do something you are passionate about
 Through your involvement, make a
positive difference
 Enjoy your activities, but remember they
may only give you a slight edge over a
student with equal academic standing
Cost of College

NC Public College
(Tuition, room/board,
expenses)
Approx. $18,000 year

Private NC College
(Tuition,Room/Board)


Elon Univ. $40,000
Wake Forest $58,000
Forsyth Technical Community College
Approximately $2300 per year (Tuition, Fees)
Don’t rule out a community
college

34% of West’s 2013 graduating
class planned to enter a
community college

You can complete the first two
years of college and then
transfer to a four- year college
as a junior saving thousands of
dollars

Class sizes are typically smaller

Limited enrollment in some
areas, like health careers. Apply
early!
Three Main Types of
Financial Aid
Grants and Scholarships - don’t have to be
repaid. Grant aid usually comes from
government. Scholarships usually awarded
based on merit.
 Loans- Must be repaid. Most loans awarded
based on need are low-interest subsidized by
government (no interest until graduation).


Work-Study
 Expected
Family Contribution (EFC)
The EFC is calculated by considering
the family's financial strength -- their
income and assets. Other factors:
number of family members and the
number of family members in college.
Financial Aid
 Don’t
rule out colleges based on sticker
price alone
Apply in January of your senior year
Financial Aid
 Expected
Family Contribution-assumes
families will meet contribution through a
combination of savings, current income,
and borrowing
are limited funds –Submit FAFSA
application as early as possible
(February of senior year)
 There
Scholarships
West Forsyth Class of 2013
awarded $7.5 million
Scholarships
Take a multi-directional approach
Colleges You Plan to Attend
Websites
www.CFNC.org
www.fastweb.com
www.
West Forsyth
Scholarship Newsletter
Daily Announcements
Community/Work
Scholarships

Mock Interview Committee- contact Mrs. Widle in
Guidance

Park Scholarship Program “We note when the
applicant is not the one calling about his/her
application.” Be your own advocate.

Read the announcements. Read the
announcements. Read the announcements.
CFNC Activity

Goal:Learn strategies
for finding a college that
is a good match for you.

Login into CFNC.Your
username should be
your first initial, middle
initial and last name.
Use your NC Wise # as
your password.
Counselors
C. Zimmerman
czimmerm@wsfsc.k12.nc.us
B. Freidinger
Bfreidin@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
A-B
R. Downs rpdowns@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
Fs-J
T. Winchester
twinches@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
K-Mo
K. Widle
Mp-Sh
kwidle@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
F. Youngman
Fyoungman@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
C-Fr
Si-Z