Reach High Scholars
The Reach High Scholars
Program
 Formed to help RHS students apply for and
attend the best colleges and universities in
the country.
 Our mission is to:
 Show RHS students why these colleges are so
valuable
 Provide assistance to help them successfully
apply for a spot at a top school!
 We are parents, teachers, students and RHS
alumni.
Tonight’s Meeting
Part I. (6:00 – 7:00 )
 What are highly competitive colleges
 Advantages of attending
 Financial aid
Part II. (7:00 – 8:00)
 Student visits to highly competitive colleges
 Preparing students for admissions process
RHS Alumni
Student
Charlotte R. Christian
John McDaniels
Arthur Proulx
James Dannis
Eugene Stockel
Alan Iverson
Deborah O'Donnell
Eric Austrew
Rich Jesmer
Hannah Lee
Joshua French
Amy Silverstein
Justin Smulski
Dominique White
Layne Flower
RHS Class
1950
1952
1964
1974
1978
1985
1990
1995
1997
2000
2001
2002
2005
2006
2007
College
Tufts/Jackson
Brown
Tufts
Dartmouth
West Point
Bowdoin
Bates
Yale
Univ. of So. Cal.
Wellesley
Duke
Brandeis
George Washington
Boston College
Wesleyan
Grad School
.
Yale Law School
Harvard Law School
Univ. of VT/ Medicine
Yale M.S., M. Phil., PHD
BU MBA, MIS
BC Law School
Highly Competitive Colleges
 Large Private Universities
- Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale
 Large State Universities
- Univ. of Cal. - Berkeley, Univ. of Michigan
 Small Private Liberal Arts Colleges
- Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Williams
 Technical and Engineering Colleges/Universities
- Cal.Tech, M.I.T.
 Military Academies
- Annapolis, West Point
Why Attend a Highly
Competitive College?
• Greater intellectual stimulation from faculty and fellow
students
• Availability of more academic facilities (classrooms,
libraries, labs, etc.)
• More small, seminar-type classes
• Better job opportunities after graduation
• Better chance of acceptance in top graduate schools
(business, law, medicine)
• Better long-term support system among alumni and
faculty
Endowment per Student at
Selected Colleges
Endowment ($million)
# of Students
Endowment/Student
($000)
Princeton
15,787
6,898
2,288.63
Yale
22,530
11,390
1,978.05
Harvard
34,635
19,139
1,809.66
Stanford
17,165
14,890
1,152.79
Amherst
1,662
1,648
1,008.50
Williams
1,899
2,049
926.79
Dartmouth
3,760
5,849
642.84
Duke
5,910
12,824
460.85
780
1,775
439.15
2,781
8,025
346.54
Wesleyan
711
2,900
245.17
St. Anselm
90
2,000
45.00
UNH
116
13,547
8.56
Hamilton
Brown
Great Schools, Great Prices
% receiving
need-based
grants
ave. cost
after grant
ave. discount
from total cost
% of grads
with debt
ave.
amount
of debt
56%
44%
$11,250
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$25,000
--
--
77%
$27,300
Averages of 34 top colleges
45%
$19, 536
Univ of NH
-St. Anselm
--
Trends in Financial Aid at
Colleges Where RHS Alumni
Have Been Accepted
Brown
 Eliminated loans for students whose annual family incomes are less than $100,000
 Reduced loans for all students receiving financial aid
 No parental contribution from most families with incomes up to $60,000
Dartmouth
 Free tuition for students whose annual family incomes are less than $75,000
 Eliminated loans for all students
Duke
 Free tuition for students whose annual family incomes are less than $60,000
 Eliminated loans for students whose annual family incomes are less than $40,000
 Students whose annual family incomes are between $60,000 and $100,000 will have loans
reduced on a graduated basis and above that line, loans will be capped at $5,000 per year.
Williams
 Eliminated loans from all aid packages
Yale
 Families earning less than $60,000 annually pay nothing
 Families earning $60,000 to $120,000 pay 1% to 10% of income
 Contribution of aided families earning above $120,000 will average 10% of income.
Part II. (7:00 – 8:00)
 Student visits to highly competitive
colleges
 Preparing students for admissions
process
Highly Competitive Colleges
Near Raymond
Within Two Hours
Bates College
Boston College
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University
Dartmouth College
Harvard University
Holy Cross
Mass. Institute of Technology
Tufts University
Wellesley
Within Three Hours
Amherst College
Colby College
Connecticut College
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
Smith College
Trinity College
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Yale University
Transportation
Contribution
 To encourage visits to the highly-competitive colleges
and universities reachable in a day from Raymond.
 Parents, faculty or friends taking at least two students
for organized visits will be reimbursed $0.25 per mile.
 Typical Contributions:
Brown
Colby
Dartmouth
$62.50
$76.50
$45.00
Middlebury
Holy Cross
Yale
$77.50
$45.00
$95.00
How to Get Into a Top
College
Things you should be working on starting in
grade 9
 High school courses and grades
 Activities
 Standardized tests
 Athletics
Application specific topics – Not covered today
 Application Essay
 Recommendations
Courses and Grades
 Rule 1: Take the most challenging
courses Raymond offers
 Rule 2: Get A’s
Courses and Grades
 Most top schools will require:
 Math: 4 years
 English: 4 years
 Science (including Chemistry, Physics, and
Biology): 4 years
 Foreign Language: 4 years
 History: 2 years
Courses and Grades
 Plan out your course schedule in
advance
 Course planning worksheets available as
handouts
Courses and Grades
Study for and take an AP test on your own:
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Art History
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
Chinese Language and Culture
Computer Science A
Computer Science AB
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
English Language
English Literature
Environmental Science
European History
French Language
French Literature
German Language
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Comp Government & Politics
U.S. Government & Politics
Human Geography
Italian Language and Culture
Japanese Language and Culture
Latin Literature
Latin: Vergil
Music Theory
Physics B
Physics C
Psychology
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
Statistics
Studio Art
U.S. History
World History
Courses and Grades
 Residential summer programs:
 Saint Paul’s Advanced Studies Program
 Boston University’s Tanglewood program
 MIT & Caltech Research and Science
Institute (RSI)
 Harvard Summer School
Activities
Activities let you stand out from the pack
 21,000 high schools (and valedictorians!)
each year in the U.S
 400,000 students graduate each year in
the top 10% of their class
 75% of the valedictorians who apply to
Harvard are rejected
Activities
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The Writer
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Won multiple state and national essay contests
Wrote youth oriented articles for the local paper
Edited the yearbook
Wrote in the school literary magazine
Received very good recommendation from an English teacher
Showed other interests by: Taking Astronomy at Saint Paul’s, playing
on the soccer team, youth mentoring, math club, student rep on
school board, and others
The Future President
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Worked at the Senate as a page during the summer
State speech champion
President of his class all four years
Student representative to the school board
4th of July Parade committee
Showed other interests by: Editing sections of the year book,
managing the soccer team, refereeing soccer games, volunteering at
community television and others
Activities
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Sports
Art
Music
Theatre
School clubs
Community service
Start something new!
Activities
If you have an interest and don’t know how
to take it further we want to help!
 Be sure to fill out your interests and
contact info before you leave!
Preparing for Standardized
Tests
 SAT I
 Kaplan and the Princeton Review –
Expensive but effective
 Books and web sites for individual study
 PSATs – Good practice and a chance for a
scholarship
 Student led study groups – sign up tonight!
Preparing for Standardized
Tests
Sophomore Year Summer
Study for SATs
Junior Year – Fall
PSAT
Junior Year –
Winter
SAT
Junior Year –
Spring
Re-take SAT if
desired
Junior Year –
Summer
Last chance to retake the SAT
Preparing for Standardized
Tests
 How well do you need to do?
 Look up the range of scores for the schools
you want to attend
Brown
Duke
Yale
Critical Reading
660-760 690-770 700-780
Math
670-770 690-800 690-790
Preparing for Standardized
Tests
 SAT II Subject Tests
Literature
French with Listening
U.S. History
German
World History
German with Listening
Mathematics Level 1
Spanish
Mathematics Level 2
Spanish with Listening
Biology
Modern Hebrew
Chemistry
Italian
Physics
Latin
Chinese with Listening
Japanese with Listening
French
Korean with Listening
Athletics
 Coaches get slots in Admissions Offices.
At top schools being a recruited athlete
can increase your chances of getting in
from 1 in 10 to 1 in 2!
 How do you get yourself noticed and
recruited by college coaches?
Athletics – Getting
Recruited
 Email coaches at schools in which you have an interest
(or send a completed questionnaire for this purpose on
the website).
 By the end of your sophomore year or beginning of your junior
year
 Express your interest in the team and the school
 Send detailed information on your sports accomplishments to
date
 Play on a competitive club or AAU team that competes
in “Showcase Tournaments.”
 Attend summer camps or clinics run by those coaches
(or known to attract coaches for scouting)
Athletics – Final Notes
 Academic eligibility is a major concern for
coaches at colleges with high academic
standards.
 They will want your grades and PSAT and
SAT scores.
 Athletes get a preference in early
admissions.
 There is an advantage in knowing which
school is your first choice.