The College Admissions Process
Welcome Mr. Matt Middleton,
Associate Director of Admissions
The College of New Jersey
Decision
Factors
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Size of school
Location
Distance from home
Activities/Athletics
Public/Private
Entrance requirements
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Entrance difficulty
Reputation of School
Majors available
Cost
Campus personality
How Many Schools To Apply To
•No “right” number
•“Diversify” your applications
•“Safe” schools
•“Match” schools
•“Reach” schools
•Be sure to adhere to deadlines
•When requesting transcripts allow at least 10
working days before the due date
Benefits to Going on a Campus
Tour or Interview
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Indicates your level of interest
Allows you to get beyond the statistics
Puts a “face” onto the college
Gives the college an opportunity to get to
know you on a more personal level
“Top 10 Questions” to Ask on a
College Visit
1.
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3.
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5.
Average GPA/Class
Rank?
Average SAT scores?
Other tests required?
Cost of
attendance/average
financial aid package
(grants, loans, work
study)?
Average class size for
major
6.
Number of years housing
is guaranteed
7. % of students who return
after 1 year? Graduate in
4 years (6 years)?
8. Do professors teach
freshmen/undergrads?
Adjunct or full-time
9. Campus social life
10. Career placement
services available?
How Colleges Evaluate Candidates:
• Course selection (difficulty, extended languages, extended math & science,
honors & AP courses)
• Grades/GPA
• Rank in Class
• Sat scores
– Take the SAT in the spring of your junior year and the fall of your senior
year- www.collegeboard.com
– Check schools for SAT Subject Test requirements
– Review for the SAT or take an SAT prep course. Scores will improve with
practice (BTHS offers an evening SAT Prep Course three times during the
year at a great rate!) Link on the HS Counseling webpage
• ACT scores
– Accepted by virtually every college in the US in place of SAT
– Tests what you have learned, not your aptitude
– www.act.org
Evaluation Continued
• SAT Subject Tests
– Required by some colleges: math, science, etc.
• Leadership Positions
• Activities
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Sports
Clubs & High School activities
Community/church activities
Volunteer community service activities
Part-time jobs
Evaluation Continued
• Essay
• Recommendations
– ask for letters of recommendation from two or three
teachers early in the fall
– Supply a résumé
– remember to thank them and let them know where you
have been accepted
• Interview (if offered by the college)
• Your preparation and planning
Hearing From the Colleges
• Regular Decision (April 1)
• Rolling Admission (reviewed as received)
• Early Decision (early application &
commitment)
• Early Action (early application & no
commitment)
Financial Aid Sources
• Three types of financial awards:
1. Scholarships and Grants
2. Loans
3. Work-study
• Primary Source of Financial Aid is the Federal
Government- over $150 billion dollars in grants and
scholarships available
• New Jersey is also an excellent source for scholarships and
loans- www.hesaa.org
How To Minimize College Debt
• Total College Debt over 1 Trillion Dollars
• Average Student Debt around $30,000
Mark Kantrowicz, a financial aid expert who
has been interviewed on NPR and in US
News, recommends the following tips for
minimizing student debt:
Minimizing Student Debt
1. Save before going to college
2. Apply for scholarships
3. Apply for federal loans before applying for private
loans- they’re cheaper
4. Think hard about your major- if your starting
salary after graduation will not match what you
borrowed, consider a less expensive college
5. Double major in a more lucrative field
6. Pay interest on loans while you’re in school
FAFSA
Get started on applying for
financial aid by:
• Going to www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Student and parent/ guardian apply for a pin
number
• Download the 2013-14 FAFSA on the web
worksheet
Where To Go From Here
www.burltwpsch.org
Go to schools – click on the High School then click on Guidance
On the guidance page, scroll down to find the following
• Testing Information- PSAT, SAT, ACT, and ASVAB
• Financial Aid Information- links to sites that will explain how to pay for
college, the types of scholarships that are available, scholarship search
engines, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• College Information- complete a college search, find out what college may
be the right match for you, check out college rankings and take virtual
campus tours
• Review the BTHS Scholarship Bulletin that we publish monthly
• Take a look at a sample 4 year program of studies to make sure you are on
the right path.
Seniors Need to Complete
By December 2012
• Complete applications on the schools to which you
plan to apply
• Check to see if the schools you are applying to
accept the Common Application
www.commonapp.org
• Take the SAT or ACT by December
• Take the SAT Subject Test if required by college
• Check the Scholarship Bulletin regularly and apply
for any scholarships that you are eligible for
• Register for a scholarship search on a web engine
such as Fastweb www.fastweb.com
Students who wish to compete in
College Athletics (Division I or II)
• Register with NCAA Eligibility Center
(www.eligibilitycenter.org)
• The eligibility center is responsible for certifying all
college-bound student-athletes wanting to compete
in NCAA college athletics. This is done in two
ways:
•Academic Certification & Amateur Certification
•Do you meet the eligibility requirements
•Have you kept your amateur status?
JUNIORS – Things to Do
• Take the PSAT in October (October 20th at BTHS)
Register in the Counseling Office- $20 fee
• Take the SAT or ACT one or two times between
December and June
• Use Naviance, other websites and college guidebooks to
begin college search
• Check the Scholarship and Open House information
• Complete the FAFSA4caster at www.fafsa.ed.gov to get an
estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid
• Register for a scholarship search on a web engine such as
Fastweb (www.fastweb.com)
• Meet with your Counselor often
SOPHOMORES & FRESHMEN
Things to do
• Take a challenging curriculum
and
excel in your coursework
• Begin to familiarize yourself with colleges,
careers and scholarship opportunities through the
various websites
• Consider taking the PSAT on October 20th
• Complete the FAFSA4caster at www.fafsa.ed.gov
to get an estimate of your eligibility for federal
student aid
• Meet with your Counselor often
UPCOMING EVENTS
• October 20th – PSAT @ BTHS – 8:00 AM
• November 4th-National College Fair in
Philadelphia
• December 1st - SAT and SAT Subject Test at
BTHS
• January – FAFSA Workshop at BTHSDate TBD
Are You – Or Would You Like to
be an NJ STAR?
Students in the top 15% of their class at the
beginning of Senior year may qualify you as
an NJ STAR!!
• Qualifies you to attend BCC tuition-free for
up to 5 semesters. Program is dependent on
state funding
• Go to www.hesaa.org, click on the
Students/Parents link, then click on the
Scholarship link