Medford High School
Guidance Department
 Our
goal today is to give students some tips
and information to get a head start in the
college application process
 Special
Guest Speaker from the English
Department
 Let’s
Get Ready Guest Speaker to discuss free
upcoming SAT prep program
CLASS OF 2014
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
112 credits minimum
 Required courses: 4 English, 3 Math, 3 Social
Studies, 3 Science, 4 Wellness, 1 Fine Art
 MCAS (English, Math, and Science)
 60 Hours of Community Service (or 15 hours
for each year enrolled at MHS)

4 YEAR COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS
4 years of English
 3-4 years of Math (through at least Algebra II)
 3-4 years of Social Studies
 3-4 years of Science (2 years of lab sciences)
 2-4 years of the same foreign language


As you can see the MHS graduation requirements
are closely aligned with most 4 year college
requirements.
THERE ARE MANY
POST HIGH SCHOOL OPTIONS
4 year colleges or universities
 2 year colleges
 2 + 2 colleges
 Technical colleges
 Military Academy
 Military Service (www.military.com)
 Post Grad Year
 Gap or Service Year
 Employment

UMASS SYSTEM & MA STATE
COLLEGES
UMass Amherst
 UMass Boston
 UMass Dartmouth
 Umass Lowell

Bridgewater State
 Fitchburg State
 Framingham State
 Salem State
 Westfield State
 Worcester State
 Mass Art
 Mass College of Liberal
Arts (MCLA)
 Mass Maritime Academy

MASSACHUSETTS STATE SCHOOLS
MINIMUM ADMISSION STANDARDS/ SLIDING
SCALE
UMass System
GPA
 2.51-2.99
 2.41-2.50
 2.31-2.40
 2.21-2.30
 2.11-2.20
 2.00-2.10
SAT / ACT
950/ 20
990/ 21
1030/22
1070/23
1110/24
1150/25
State Colleges
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GPA
2.51-2.99
2.41-2.50
2.31-2.40
2.21-2.30
2.11-2.20
2.00-2.10
SAT / ACT
920 / 19
960 / 20
1000 / 21
1040 / 22
1080 / 23
1120 / 24
This is simply the sliding scale. However, with college admissions getting more
competitive every year, most of public 4 year school in the Massachusetts system are
looking for around a 3.0 GPA and around a 1000-1100 combined SAT (math & verbal).
Umass Amherst rarely takes a student with a GPA below a 3.5 (regardless of SAT scores).
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The price is right
 Students often take the same courses as they would at
a 4 year college
 Do not require SAT/ACT
 Do not require letters of recommendation
 Students are able to transfer to 4 year colleges after 1
or 2 years
 Some community colleges have agreements with the
state colleges (MassTransfer Program)
 No housing on campus

COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN MASSACHUSETTS
Berkshire CC
 Bristol CC
 Bunker Hill
 Cape Cod CC
 Greenfield CC
 Holyoke CC
 Mass Bay CC
 Massasoit CC

Middlesex CC
 Mount Wachusett CC
 North Shore CC
 Northern Essex CC
 Ouinsigamond CC
 Roxbury CC
 Springfield CC

LOOKING AHEAD
COUNSELOR, STUDENT &
PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR
THE FALL OF SENIOR YEAR
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
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Involve parents in the conversation about post high school/
college/career plans
Research colleges using Collegeboard, Naviance, or any of the other
web or printed resources available
Register and take (or retake) any standardized tests required for
admission
Make an appointment to speak with counselor about post high school
plans
Visit potential schools of interest to see if they might be a good fit
Know each school’s deadline and turn in all transcript requests at
least 2 weeks prior! (Brag sheets need to be submitted at least 1
month prior)
Maintain a rigorous senior year schedule & put forth your best
academic effort (all year long)
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
USE ALL THE ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU
COLLEGEBOARD’S COLLEGE COMPARISON IS A GREAT TOOL!
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
USE ALL THE ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU
CONSIDER STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO
& FRESHMAN YEAR RETENTION RATE
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
USE NAVIANCE TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER
MEDFORD HIGH
STUDENTS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY APPLIED TO A PARTICULAR COLLEGE
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
USE KEY FEATURES UNDER THE COLLEGE TAB IN NAVIANCE
“COLLEGES I’M THINKING ABOUT / COLLEGE I’M APPLYING TO”
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
USE KEY FEATURES UNDER THE CAREER TAB IN NAVIANCE
“CAREER INTEREST PROFILER, PERSONALITY TYPE, CLUSTER FINDER”
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
VISIT THE
MEDFORD HIGH GUIDANCE WEBSITE FOR NEWS, TIPS & ADVICE
WWW.MEDFORDHIGHGUIDANCE.COM
COUNSELOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES
What to expect from your counselor:
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An individual meeting with or without parents present
Interest, support and encouragement
Suggestions for schools to look at (assistance fine-tuning your
“list”)
Ongoing Feedback
Guidance through the college application process
Sharing of knowledge and resources with you
Suggestions for further independent college exploration
What not to expect from your counselor:
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Ability to read your mind/Know your thoughts
Keep track of deadlines and appointments for you
Apply to schools or scholarships for you
Write recommendations without notice or your completed Senior Brag
Sheet
PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
What parents can do to help:
 Foster an open and ongoing dialog with your child about what they
envision for their future
 Be honest and realistic with your child about any financial concerns
that may affect their college search or application process
 As much as possible, try to let your child take the lead
 Pick a time and place to bring up the “college” topic, (maybe once per
week over coffee @ Starbucks, or at Sunday dinner, etc…)
 Realize that for many teens, every day may feel too often to be talking
about college or their “future”
What parents should not be doing:
 Applying to colleges ON BEHALF of your son or daughter
 Writing application essays FOR your child
 Visiting potential colleges solo, without your child present
 Calling up admission offices to “explain” away a poor grade your
child recently received
ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EXAMS
SAT: @ collegeboard.com
 Duration: 3 hrs. 35 mins.
 Cost: $50.00
 Three sections: Critical Reading, Math and Writing (total possible score-2400)
 Loose ¼ of a point for any incorrect answers (random guessing will likely lower your
score!)
SAT Subject Area Tests: @ collegeboard.com
 Duration: 1 hr.
 Cost: $23.00 (basic registration fee), $12.00 (per test fee), $23.00 (per language test w/
listening)
 Subjects include: English Lit., Bio., Chem., Math, History, Foreign Langs. (full list on
website)
ACT: @ actstudent.org
 Duration: 3 hrs. 30 mins.
 Cost: $35.00 or $50.50 with writing
 Four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning (total possible score36)
 No points deducted for incorrect answers (So go ahead and answer ALL questions!)
TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language): @ ets.org/toefl
Scores MUST be sent to colleges directly from testing agency
(www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org)
Some schools no longer require admissions tests, see list @ www.fairtest.org
ADMISSION FACTORS COLLEGES
CONSIDER
GPA and Class Rank
 SAT/ACT scores
 Rigor of secondary school record (transcript)
 Senior year academic performance
 Extracurricular activities/ Community Service
 College essay
 Recommendations
 Interview (if applicable)
 “Demonstrated Interest”

REACH SCHOOLS
Almost Everyone’s Reach
Everyone’s Reach
The 8 IVY League
schools: Harvard,
Dartmouth, Princeton,
Yale, Brown, Columbia,
UPenn, Cornell,
 + MIT, Stanford, John
Hopkins, Georgetown,
Swarthmore, Duke, UC
Berkeley, Olin, Amherst
(not a complete list)

Boston College,
Williams, Middlebury,
 Brandeis, Colby,
Hamilton, Tufts, Vassar,
 Connecticut College,
Wesleyan, NYU,
Northwestern, Rice,
Vanderbilt, Colgate
(not a complete list)

 There are many more qualified applicants than there are spaces.
Being an average to above-average candidate is no guarantee!
APPLICATION DEADLINES
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Early Decision / Early Action Usually Nov 1 or Nov 15
Regular Admission Often Jan 1st, but can be as early as Nov 30 or Dec 1st
Rolling Admission Anytime - The earlier, the better
Application materials must be received by guidance
department 2 weeks prior to application deadline!!!
ADMISSION CATEGORIES


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REACH – The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT
scores fall below the historical averages for the
college and / or past MHS students
MATCH– The student’s GPA and SAT / ACT
scores fall within the historical averages for the
college and / or past MHS students
HIGHLY LIKELY – The student’s GPA and SAT /
ACT scores fall above the historical averages
for the college and / or past MHS students
ADMISSIONS OPTIONS
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Regular Decision: This is the most common admission option. It means
that you turn in your application by the college’s deadline, and it lets you
know by a specified date if you have been admitted or not.
Early Action: With Early Action, you send in your application earlier, and
the college sends you its decision earlier. Make sure you read the
instructions from each college carefully because some colleges have
additional restrictions on their early action programs. Academically
strong students will often apply to one Early Action school.
Early Decision: You can apply Early Decision to only one college. You are
committing yourself to going to a particular school if you decide to apply
Early Decision and are accepted (regardless of financial considerations).
You should only apply Early Decision if you have a clear idea of your
first-choice college. If you are looking at several colleges and don't want
to limit your choices yet, Early Decision is not for you.
Rolling Admissions: There is no deadline for this option. Schools review
and make decisions on applications as they receive them.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR SPECIAL
EDUCATION STUDENTS

UMass/State Colleges permit submitting IEP/Testing in
lieu of SAT/ACT

Search for colleges that provide a Learning/Support
Center or Tutoring in addition to accommodations

Community Colleges have special programs

MHS Guidance only submits IEP/Testing information
when requested by the students due to confidentiality
TIPS AND ADVICE TO
HELP YOU STAND OUT!
ADMISSIONS OFFICERS LOOK FOR STUDENTS
WHO…
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Think globally, and act locally
Challenged themselves academically during high school
Can handle the academic workload of college
Spend their summers productively
Will contribute to college life (in a positive way)
Demonstrate the qualities of a well-rounded student
Think clearly, logically, creatively, and/or abstractly
NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE
COMMON APPLICATION ESSAY


1)
2)
3)
Same as before: You must submit only one essay
New this year:
Essay must be no more than 650 words. The word limit was just
500 words last year, but it wasn’t strictly enforced. This year if
your essay is OVER 650 words, you will not be allowed to
submit it.
There is now a 250 word limit. The system won’t accept
anything shorter than that.
The writing prompts have changed, “topic of your choice” is no
longer an option.
COMMON APPLICATION ESSAY QUESTIONS
FOR 2013-2014
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Some students have a background or story that is so central
to their identity that they believe their application would be
incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please
share your story.
Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure.
How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What
prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision
again?
Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly
content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it
meaningful to you?
Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that
marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within
your culture, community, or family.
ESSAY WRITING TIPS
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Admissions officers read 50 essays a day. Make yours
stand out!!!
Avoid clichés
Be honest
Watch your tone (tell your story, in your voice)
Write about something familiar to you / something you are
passionate about
Personalize your essay
Write Authentically
Read. Re-read. Ask an English teacher or your counselor to
proofread and give constructive criticism.
IN CONCLUSION…
WHERE SHOULD JUNIORS BE RIGHT NOW?
Familiar with their Naviance account and other
college search websites
 Visiting colleges
 Have taken the SATs
 Filling out the brag sheet and asking for letters
of recommendation from teachers and counselors
 Making sure their senior courses are challenging
for next year

WHAT TO FOCUS ON THIS SUMMER
Finalize the college search, your college visits,
and come prepared in the fall with your college
list
 Decide if you need to take one more SAT, ACT or
Subject exam, if so, sign up ASAP for the October
testing date
 Look at the CommonApp (do not create an
account until August 1, 2013 or it will be
DELETED)
 Start brainstorming/writing your college essays
 Finish your community service

IMPORTANT SENIOR EVENTS NEXT YEAR

September:
Senior Assembly
 Senior Parent Presentation
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October:
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Individual meetings with your counselor
MHS Annual College Fair
November:
Early Action & Early Decision applications due
 Financial Aid Night
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December/ January:
Regular Decision applications due
 Start the financial aid process/ scholarship process (the
FAFSA cannot be started before Jan. 1, 2014)

NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR SAT SCORES?
ONE OPTION IS TO TAKE A PREP COURSE
PRESENTED BY
THE MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
DIRECTOR: FRANK HOWARD
SECRETARY: JUDY SOUSA
COUNSELORS:
BARBARA DAVIS
VICTORIA GLASSER
WENDY HORNE
AMELIA WESTMARK