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COLLEGE APPLICATION
PROCESS
CLASS OF 2015
June 2014
Your Counseling Staff
Manual Majors A-G Mrs. Marti [email protected]
Manual Majors H-O Mrs. Michelle [email protected]
Manual Majors P-Z Mrs. Amy [email protected]
YPAS Majors A-Z Mr. Dennis [email protected]
Important Dates:
Senior RegistrationAugust 4, 2014
Senior Seminar Dates (attend one session)
July 31, 2014August 7, 2014
College Preparatory CurriculumGraduation Requirements
4 years of English (1, 2, 3, & 4) 4 years of Math (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and a more
advanced math course) 3 years of Science (Integrated Science, Biology, Chemistry) 3 years of Social Studies (World Civ., U.S. History, and one of
economics, government, geography, or civics) .5 years of Health .5 years of PE or 1 year of Fundamentals of Dance 1 year of History & Appreciation of the Arts 2-3 years of the same Foreign Language 21st Century Technology, or Computer Applications course 4-5 Electives
Graduation Requirements for Out of State Colleges
Here are just a few states that have different requirements from Kentucky
Alabama Colleges – 4 years of Social Studies
Georgia Colleges – 4 years of Science Indiana & North Carolina – Require pre-
calculus Texas – .5 credits of Speech and .5 credits
of Economics
ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher, or a 75% chance to obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit bearing college course.
English 18
Math 22
Reading 21
Science 24
These are the minimum scores you need to indicate to the average college you are ready for postsecondary work – More competitive colleges will require higher scores.
ACT ScoresACT Composite Mid 50th Percentile
Boston College 28-32
Brown University 28-33
Columbia University 28-33
Duke University 29-34
Eastern Kentucky University 21
George Washington Univ. 26-29
Harvard 31-35
Indiana University 23-28
MIT 31-34
Morehead State University 21
Murray State University 24
Tulane University 27-31
University of Chicago 28-33
University of Kentucky 21-27
University of Louisville 24
University of Michigan 27-31
University of North Carolina26-31
Vanderbilt University 29-34
Western Kentucky University21
Yale University 30-34
NCAA Clearinghouse
NCAA Division I & II requires 16 Core Courses in the following: 4-English; 3-Math; 2-Science; 1- additional in English, Math, or Science; 2-Social Science; 4-additional courses in (any area above and/or foreign language)
Register with them through the NCAA Eligibility Center’s website (www.eligiblitycenter.org).
When you register for the ACT, use the NCAA Eligibility Center code of 9999 to ensure your scores are sent directly to NCAA.
Facebook, MySpace, Email Address, and College Applications
Consider that the information posted on these sites is basically public domain.
In as few as 10 minutes after you have posted something on these sites they are archived forever in over 20 locations throughout the world.
Your personal sites can be viewed by college admission counselors, college professors, employers, stalkers, that creepy kid obsessing over you, as well as campus and local police
Make sure your email address is a professional or generic name and not something that causes one to pause and doubt your integrity or character
Time To Do Some Cleanup?
Remove photos showing you doing anything that could be interpreted as inappropriate
Remove rude gestures, inappropriate comments, questionable photos, etc.
Unsubscribe to questionable groups Remove contact information Choose attractive/professional looking photos to post Un-tag any unflattering photos your friends may have
posted Perhaps let your grandmother approve of what you have
posted!!!
EXPLORING COLLEGES & CAREERS
Explore and ResearchColleges/Careers – Your Future!
Identify what you like to do – How do you want to spend the rest of your life?
Will you be happy with the financial resources available to you as a result of that career choice?
Gather as much information as you can from informal visits to colleges and attending college fairs.
Search college websites for minimum GPA and test score requirements – look at the school profile – do you match?
Refine what you possible college major may be and explore colleges strong in that area.
What careers are available to people with a degree in your chosen field? Identify at least 10 Colleges/Universities you are interested in and spend
this summer researching everything you can about those colleges.
In-State vs. Out-of-StateWhat’s the Difference?
In-state institutions are subsidized by taxes collected by state government offering lower tuition rates to residents of that state
Out-of-State institutions will require you to pay higher tuition rates because your parents did not pay the other state’s taxes - tuition rates are sometimes more than double what you pay for your own in-state institutions
Hints For A Campus Visit
Make an appointment for your tour
Visit In-session Stay overnight when possible Include your parents Meet with an admissions officer Verify admissions requirements Discuss your chances for success Obtain a school calendar and
catalogue Determine college costs Ask about financial aid
opportunities Ask about student/teacher ratio
for freshmen
Meet Faculty Ask about Honors Program Ask questions about academic
requirements and offerings Attend a class Ask about placement record Identify career-planning services Tour the campus/classrooms/labs Tour the dorms/dining facilities Tour the recreational facilities Tour the city or town Talk to students Find out about student activities Inquire about campus life Investigate transportation
options Keep note about your visit Write thank you notes
COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS
Top Five Tips for Juniors in Preparation for College Applications
Standardized Tests - complete all standardized tests your junior year and retake those with low scores.
Grades and Classes - junior year grades are the most important (you are now settled in your routine; more demanding courses predict college performance; classes you choose speak volumes about your motivation and intellectual curiosity).
Teacher/Counselor Recommendations - if you share an intellectual interest with a teacher they are more likely to give you a good college recommendation. Get to know your counselor and connect with teachers you want to write for you.
Activities - the way in which you spend your time outside the classroom serves as testimony to your moral fiber; assess whether your activities reflect a depiction of your interests and passions.
Opportunities - admissions officers look for students who step out of their comfort zone and seek new experiences. Ignoring an opportunity does not appeal to college admissions officers.
College Admissions Criteria by Importance
Academic Rigor, Talent, and/or Mastery of Skills
Cumulative GPA Grades in Advanced
Placement Courses Grades in College Prep
Courses Grades in All Subjects ACT & SAT Test Scores Class Rank (JCPS does
not rank)
Essay or Writing Samples
Honors, Awards, etc. Counselor
Recommendations Teacher
Recommendations Interviews (if required) Community Service Work and Extra
Curricular Activities
Are You Ready to Apply?
Have you decided what your college major will be? Are you happy with the lifestyle and eventual pay scale you will be earning
upon graduation? Are you satisfied with your employability upon graduation? Will you be happy doing this for the rest of your life? Have you researched to find the schools that are strong in that area? Have you found a Kentucky College you would happy attending? Have you visited the college campuses, experienced the culture on campus,
satisfied with safety concerns, checked out the dormitory and food services, explored the town or city, met with admissions counselors, and talked with your prospective primary teacher?
Do you know the entry requirements, audition repertoire you will be expected to perform, and have a good grasp of that material so it will be prepared by audition day?
If you have answered yes to all of these questions – you are ready to begin the college application process!!!
How Many Colleges Should I Apply To?
For most students it will be a list of about six schools
Reach Schools (1 or 2): Aim for one or more “reach” colleges/universities that are highly desired and highly selective. These “dream” schools will have about a 10% acceptance rate. If you don’t, you’ll always wonder, “what if?”
“Fit” Schools (1 or 2): It is wise to include one or two “fit” schools where the odds are 50/50 that you will be accepted based on your talent, GPA, and test scores
“Safety” Schools (1 or 2): Include at least one or two “safety” colleges where admission is highly likely and a college where you can afford to attend if you receive very little financial aid
What Will Be Your First Impression?
The appearance of your college application is very important:
If you are completing your application on-line, make sure all the blanks are filled in and your application is complete
If submitting a hard copy – type the application or print VERY NEATLY in black ink.
Make sure all the components of the application are in the correct order
If you are mailing the application – address the envelope in a very professional way – typed address labels are great
Most College Applications are Completed Online
Students access the application through the college website, usually under “admissions”
Generally, a username and password will be provided that will allow you to save your work from multiple sessions
The final copy is either transmitted through the Web or printed and sent via snail mail – be prepared to pay the application fee with a credit card
The Common Application
Available online at www.commonapp.org Approximately 300 schools, including the
most selective liberal arts colleges, accept the Common Application
You can either download the application or transmit through the web
Use the college’s own application form if they have one – but many have adopted the common application as their own
Cultivating Colleges
Many colleges are reluctant to accept an applicant unless they have reason to believe that he/she is seriously interested.
Many colleges track every contact the applicant initiates and are more likely to accept students who have made multiple contacts
A few ways to communicate interest include: Visit the college – if you do not have a personal interview stop by the
admissions office and let them know you came If the college sends a rep to Manual or YPAS, go to their session and
communicate your interest Attend a college fair in your local area and speak to the representative Get a business card from any college representative you meet and write or
email that person to thank them and emphasize your interest Note in your application that a particular college is your first choice
school or one of your top choices Make sure your email address stays the same throughout the college
search process – if it changes tell the colleges
Listing Activities
Always list activities from most important to least important
The ones that are significant, as evidenced by leadership and time commitment
Marginal activities should be de-emphasized Don’t make a big production out of honors from
companies that put your picture in a book and then ask you to buy it
Follow the college’s preferred format for listing activities
Listing Activities
If one of your activities was chairing the Founder’s Day Committee, it won’t mean anything to the admissions office unless you explain what you did and why the committee was important
If it was an honor bestowed on only one senior, say so
If it involved presentations to alumni and coordination of twenty volunteers for six months, spell that out
You could also have the sponsor, counselor, or principal write a letter outlining the significance
Get It In Early
Keep on top of deadlines - there will be different ones for each college and for each part of the application process
Some deadlines are as early as Oct. 1st
If the college offers rolling admissions they admit the first good applicants that come along leaving fewer slots for later applicants
If the college evaluates in one big pool, applying early shows you are interested and they know that stronger applicants tend to file early
Early Decision vs. Early Action
Both require students to apply by an early deadline - usually between October 15th and December 1st
Decisions are usually rendered between December 15 and February 1
Borderline students are usually deferred and considered with the regular applicant pool at a later date
Only students that have thoroughly investigated colleges and completed most standardized testing by the end of the eleventh grade with high test scores will be in a strong position to consider early application
Early Decision
Early decision involves a BINDING DECISION to enroll if accepted - you have to attend that school regardless of other offers and without knowing any financial aid package that may or may not be offered
You may only apply to one school through Early Decision and if accepted, you must withdraw your applications to all other schools
Early Decision offers a slight advantage of acceptance - colleges usually accept a higher percentage of applicants than those that apply for regular decision - colleges desire students that really want to attend their school
Early Action
Entails NO commitment to enroll and therefore offers little advantage for admission
Early Action students, however, are often first in line for merit scholarships and housing
Competition in Early Action pools at highly selective schools is generally tougher than in the regular pool
Some Early Action colleges now ask that students apply early only to their institution, however, you may still apply regular decision to any other institution
Your College Essay Can Make the Difference!!!
Admissions officers are looking for spark, vitality, wit, sensitivity, originality, and signs of a lively mind
They want to know how well you can express yourself in writing
Try to be as concise and specific as possible Don’t waste words that aren’t essential to your point Reread the essay several times for word choice and typos If you have time - put your essay aside for a few weeks
and reread again to see if it still makes sense When talent, GPA, and test scores are equal - the essay
will often determine who is chosen for admittance
College Essays
Show, don’t tell - a skillful writer lets evidence show that a proposition is true; a clumsy one tells because his writing is not powerful enough to show
Use your own experiences - put yourself in the starring role and use your own real life thoughts and feelings. Give the reader a piece of your mind
Use the first person - the better the reader gets to know you as a person the more likely you will be admitted
Begin with a flourish - the most important sentence in your essay is the first one; hook the reader with a first sentence that surprises and piques interest to read further – polish that first sentence until it sparkles!!!!
Proofread - nothing is more damaging than an essay sull of typoes, speling misteaks, and grammar that ain’t no good
Common Application Essay
1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6. Topic of your choice.
Recommendations (Questionnaire & Resume)
Letters of recommendation matter because of substance, not because of who is writing them
They should tell the committee something about you as a person that comes out nowhere else in your application
Find people who are familiar with your goals and aspirations and can write about you in vivid detail
You will not be able to see the recommendation before it is sent Most selective colleges require one recommendation from a
teacher - pick one who has taught you in your junior or senior year, who can testify to some of your deeper and less obvious qualities
In general, do not send more recommendations than the application calls for
October 1st is the deadline to ask teachers to write a letter of recommendation
NameAddress
Phone NumberEmail
Personal InformationMagnetCollege majorCareer goalsGPA (weighted/unweighted)Total # AP courses takenTest scores
AwardsExtracurricularLeadershipAcademicAttendance
ExtracurricularClubsSportsMusic/arts
LeadershipOffices held—describe leadership roles/activities involved in leading/creating/etc.
Community ServiceVolunteering
Work ExperienceReferences
FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
The Net Price Calculator
Available since the 2011-2012 school year on every college website
Provides students and parents with the college’s annual cost of education
Also provides an easy estimation of what your financial aid package may look like
The Net Price Calculator will be fairly accurate, but does not substitute for actually going through the process of submitting your FAFSA Form
Types of Financial Aid – Merit Based Aid
Awarded solely on the basis of academic record or outstanding ability in many areas
Usually merit aid starts with GPA’s around 3.8 and ACT scores around 28 or is based entirely on your college audition
The amount of aid increases with higher scores Each college sets it’s own criteria for granting
merit based aid - search the scholarship section of their websites
University of Louisville
General Admission ( 24 ACT; 2.5 GPA)Honors Program: (28 ACT or 1250 SAT; and 3.5 GPA)Competitive Scholarships Brown Fellows (31 ACT or 1360 SAT and 3.35 GPA) McConnell (Based on academic merit and leadership, 3.35 GPA) Grawemeyer (31 ACT or 1360 SAT and 3.75 GPA) Vogt Hallmark (30 ACT or 1330 SAT and 3.75 GPA) Trustee’s Scholarship (25 ACT or 1130 SAT and 3.35 GPA) Eagle/Gold Scout (25 ACT or 1130 SAT and 3.35 GPA) Woodford Porter (African American students selected on merit, leadership
& serviceGuaranteed Entrance Programs (Requirements to Apply):
Medical School (30 ACT and 3.75 GPA) Dentistry (30 ACT and 3.75 GPA) Law School (24 ACT and 3.35 GPA) Nursing (25 ACT and 3.35 GPA) Communication Art & Design (24 ACT and 3.2 GPA)
Types of Financial Aid – Need Based Aid
Need is the difference between what it costs to attend a school and what you and your family are expected to pay
You might think of this as a formula:
Cost of Education
- Expected Family Contribution
Need The Expected Family Contribution is calculated through
use of the FAFSA In order to receive any financial aid you must fill out the
FAFSA
The Academic Common Market
If the program you are interested in isn’t offered in Kentucky, you may be able to pay in-state tuition at an out-of-state school through the Academic Common Market.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia participate at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Florida, North Carolina, and Texas participate at the graduate level.
How Much Will College Cost?
Tuition - payment for required courses, study abroad, exchange programs
Fees - registration, parking, activities, health, laboratory, many others
Books and Materials - computer, required texts and supplies Room - cost of dorm or apartment plus furniture, utilities,
internet access, and telephone Food - meal plans, eating out, groceries Transportation - two to three trips home or, if you keep an auto
on campus, your gas expenses, insurance, parking fees, etc. Personal - clothes, laundry, recreation, medical and dental,
insurance Miscellaneous - catchall for anything that doesn’t fit in another
category - think about adding 10% of the total amount of above
University of Louisville
Tuition $9,466 ($4,733 per sem.)
Room Rates (avg. cost) $4,650 Meal Plans (avg. cost) $2,920 Books (avg. cost) $1,000
TOTAL $18,036
College Costs
The cost of attending the most prestigious colleges for four years is nearing $200,000 - more than double the price of 20 years ago.
Tuition at public universities has risen more than 50% in inflation adjusted dollars in the past ten years.
As college costs have risen, government aid has failed to keep pace - as a result, student debt has ballooned.
Persistence - continue to apply regardless of setbacks and rejections; if you apply for 95 scholarships you may only win a very few but they may be just the amount you need to make the difference
Creativity - adapt methods to pay to your own situation You don’t necessarily have to be Einstein, Van Gogh, Pavarotti, or Peyton
Manning, but you do have to be a detective Finding scholarships is like a game of “Where’s Waldo?” There are scholarships for almost everything:
bagpipe playerspeople under 4 feet tallmajors in parapsychologywomen who want to be engineers
Please see your counselor if you have any questions.
Questions?
