11th Grade College Guidance Night
October 18, 2011
Mr. Luke Sferra, High School Counselor (A-K)
Mrs. Katie Dahm, High School Counselor (L-Z)
Mrs. Ah Young Chi, College/Career Counselor
Mr. Arun Ponnusamy, Collegewise
Your resources for college planning
•CCC website
•CCC calendar on the web
•MHS eNews mailing list
•Naviance Family Connection
•College and Career Center!
Postsecondary Options
•4-year college or university (Bachelor degree)
–Public: UC or CSU
–Private: over 70 in California
–Out of State Public or Private: over 3,000
•2-year college (Associate degree, career training or transfer)
•Trade or technical school (varying degrees and certificates)
•Military
•Work
•Gap year (concrete plan with a destination in mind for the 2nd
year, usually)
So many different colleges & universities
•Private vs. public
•Research vs. liberal arts (university vs. college)
•Size
•Location
•Selectivity
•Specialty – academic, gender, culture, faith
What do you mean by “fit”?
College search process
•Reflect on yourself- your strengths and weaknesses, your
likes and dislikes, etc
•Visit colleges- start now, incorporate visits into your vacations
•Suggested guide books (available in handout) and websites
(available on CCC website)
University of California
•10 campuses but San Francisco is graduate only
•Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degrees
•Research/theory based curriculums
•Competitive admissions with many highly selective campuses
•To be eligible: 3.0 GPA, A-G courses, SAT or ACT with Writing,
personal statement
•Not required: recommendation letters, SAT Subjects (highly
recommended by select majors & campuses)
•Application filing period: Nov 1 – Nov 30
•www.universityofcalifornia.edu
California State University
•23 campuses
•Bachelor and Master degrees
•First institution of higher education established by the State of
California, originally established to train teachers
•To be eligible: 2.0 GPA, A-G courses, SAT or ACT (no Writing)
•Not required: SAT Subjects, recommendation letters, essays
•Application filing period: Oct 1 – Nov 30
•www.csumentor.edu or www.calstate.edu
•Impacted campuses: Chico, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton, Humboldt,
Long Beach, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San
Bernardino, SDSU, SFSU, San Jose State, Cal Poly SLO, San Marcos, Sonoma
Private and Out of State Schools
•75+ private colleges and universities in California
•3,000+ colleges and universities in US (including public)
•All vary in admission requirements and application deadlines
•Application requirements: application usually with essays and
activities, official transcript, official test scores, letters of
recommendation, and sometimes interview/audition/portfolio
•450+ schools are part of the Common Application
•Early Decision vs. Early Action vs. Restrictive Early Action
http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/Documents/StudentsRtsNEW.pdf
•National Commitment Deadline: MAY 1  student’s right
Community Colleges
•112 campuses in California
•Associate degrees (many lead to careers)
•Transfer to 4-year school (finish Bachelor degree)
•To transfer to CSU or UC and some private schools, must
complete 60 semester units (2 years) at CC
•To transfer to most private schools, only need 30 semester
units (1 year) at CC
•Articulation agreements or TAG are available for most schools
Graduation vs. college entrance requirements
Subject
Malibu High School
(to graduate)
University of California
(minimum eligibility)
California State University
(minimum eligibility)
English
4 years
4 years
4 years
Social Studies
3 years
World History or European History
U.S. History
Govt/Economics
2 years
World History or European History
U.S. History
2 years
World History or European History
U.S. History
Math
3 years
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
3 years minimum, 4 recommended
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
3 years minimum, 4 recommended for some
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II
Science
2 years
Physical Science
Biology
2 years minimum, 3 recommended
Biology
Chemistry
2 years minimum, 3 recommended for some
Biology
Chemistry
Foreign Language
None
2 years minimum, 3-4 recommended
2 years minimum, 3-4 recommended for some
Visual Art or Performing Art
1 year
1 year (same genre)
1 year (same genre)
Electives
60 credits
1 year
Must be listed on UC approved
A-G course list
Advanced Math, Psychology,
Lab Science, Foreign Language,
Social Studies, 2nd year of VPA
1 year
Must be listed on UC approved
A-G course list
Advanced Math, Psychology, Lab Science,
Foreign Language, Social Studies,
2nd year of VPA
Freshman Seminar
1 year
Physical Education
2 years
Community Service
80 hours
California High School Exit Exam
Passing Scores on ELA and Math Sections
Passing Grade
Grade of “D” is considered passing
All courses must be completed with “C-” or higher
Subject requirements
•English – 4 years
•Social Science – 3 years
•Mathematics – 3 years (4 years recommended)
•Lab Science – 2 years (3-4 years recommended)
•Foreign Language – 2 years of the same language (3-4 years
recommended)
•Visual & Performing Art – 1 year of same genre
•UC/CSU minimum eligibility – 15 units
•UC average for Fall 2011 class (enrolled) – 24.1 units
College entrance requirements
•Subject/A-G courses
•Standardized tests
•SAT or ACT
•SAT Subjects
•Extracurricular activities and/or job experience
•Essay or personal statement
•Interview and/or portfolio or audition
•Recommendation letters
= “holistic” review of application
What are colleges REALLY looking for?
•Success in challenging curriculum
•Have you taken advantage of the opportunities at your
school?
•This doesn’t mean taking EVERY Honors and AP courses
that we offer at MHS
•Meet other entrance requirements
•Are you and the college a good match for each other?
Extracurricular activities
•In school: ASB, yearbook, journalism, sports, music, theater,
art, clubs, etc
•Community service
•Work experience, paid or unpaid
•Internships, paid or unpaid
•Summer programs and activities
•Helpful tips




quality over quantity; take leadership roles
start “resume” now
plan summer activities wisely; do SOMETHING
you don’t have to cure cancer to be admitted to college!
College admission testing
•SAT or ACT (with Writing) required for most colleges
SAT
•
•
1/3 Math, 1/3 Reading,
1/3 Writing
• Maximum 2400 points
• Guessing penalty
March 10 – recommended test
date for Juniors
• www.collegeboard.com
ACT w/ Writing
•
•
1/5 Math, 1/5 Science,
1/5 Writing, 2/5 Verbal
• Maximum 36 points
• NO guessing penalty
April 7 or June 9 – recommended
test date for Juniors
•
www.actstudent.org
College admission testing (cont)
•Which test is right for you?
•Princeton Review Assessment (PRA)
•Combination of SAT and ACT designed to expose both
exams to students and help determine which test they will
score higher on
•Offered at MHS on Saturday, December 3, 9:00–1:00
•$20 per student
•Register and pay online (MHS or CCC calendar on the web)
•Get results on December 15 at PSAT Score and PRA Results
Give Back Night
•YES, you must prepare for the SAT and ACT!
College admission testing (cont)
•SAT Subject exams
•No longer required for UC eligibility (select majors will
“highly recommend” it)
•Required for several highly selective schools
•Harvard, Georgetown, Brown, MIT, Yale, Princeton, etc
•Stanford: “strongly recommended”
•Best way to prepare: take an AP course and study
•Recommended test date: May or June 2012
•AP tests are not required for admission
•Some schools are testing “optional” – www.fairtest.org
Testing timeline
Oct 12, 2011
• PSAT
Dec 3, 2011
• PRA
May 5, 2012
• SAT
Subject
June 2, 2012
• SAT
• 1st or 2nd
time
• SAT
Subject
March 10, 2012
• SAT
• 1st time
June 9, 2012
• ACT
• 1st or 2nd
time
April 7, 2012
• ACT
• 1st time
Fall 2012
• ACT, SAT,
SAT
Subject
• Retake as
needed
So what should I be doing NOW?
~ STUDENT ~
•Do well in your classes - #1 goal
•Your transcript (grades and coursework) is the most important
factor in admission decisions
•Nothing replaces the importance of your transcript
•Make up all D and F grades
•Junior Year “Prep for College” Calendar
•Naviance Family Connection
•Make sure your email address is correct/updated
•Familiarize yourself with its features
•Take personality and interest inventories
•Input activities into resume
So what should we be doing NOW?
~ PARENTS~
•Sign up for MHS eNews mailing list
•Allow your student to take the lead
•Offer positive support
•Stay in touch with their progress
•Remind your student of deadlines
•Get familiar with Naviance Family Connection
•Coffee with the Counselors
•Attend Junior college advisement in Spring with your student
Upcoming events
Program/Activity
Date
Classroom guidance workshop for students part 1
October 24-26, 2011
Coffee with the Counselors (parents only)
November 10, 2011
Book discussion on The Gatekeepers (parents only)
November 29, 2011
Princeton Review Assessment (PRA)
December 3, 2011
PSAT Score & PRA Result Give Back Night
December 15, 2011
SAT prep course for March 10 SAT
Begins January 28, 2012
Classroom guidance workshop for students part 2
Week of January 30, 2012
SAT Bootcamp: One-Day Workshop for March 10 SAT
March 3, 2012
Spring College Night
March 2012
National College Fair in Pasadena
April 30, 2012
11th Grade College Guidance Night part 2
April or May
College advisement sessions with college counselor
January – May
Looking ahead to the Senior year…
•College rep visits to MHS
•College counselor visit to classrooms
•More individual meetings with college counselor
•Senior Parent College Night
•College essay review sessions
•College application workshops (lunch time)
•Coffee with the Counselors for parents continues
•Financial Aid Night
Questions?
Mr. Luke Sferra, High School Counselor (A-K), lsferra@smmusd.org
Mrs. Katie Dahm, High School Counselor (L-Z), kdahm@smmusd.org
Mrs. Ah Young Chi, College/Career Counselor, achi@smmusd.org
Mr. Arun Ponnusamy, Collegwise, arun@collegewise.com