GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SILICON VALLEY

High School Counselor: Jennifer KrejcikEmail: jkrejcik@gissv.org

COLLEGE INFORMATIONAL EVENING 2019

GOING TO UNIVERSITY IN THE USCollege Admission Criteria

American testing

The 3 tier UC system

What’s out there?

UC admission criteria

Getting Ready for College

Counselor’s role at GISSV

COLLEGE ADMISSION CRITERIA• Rigor of the curriculum –i.e. number of, content of, and performance in

academic courses 9th-12th

• GPA in all courses. The single most important piece of your child’s college application is his/her grades. Most colleges calculate a cumulative GPA-9th-11th.

• UC’s only look at 10th and 11th.

• Standardized Test scores: SAT or ACT.

• Number of and performance in University-approved honors courses and Advanced Placement courses.

• Quality of the student's academic performance *relative to the educational opportunities available in his or her high school.

ADMISSION CRITERIA CONTINUED

• Special talents and/ or awards in a particular field, such as visual and performing arts or athletic endeavors

• Experiences that demonstrate leadership qualities, initiative, a sense of social responsibility, a commitment to service.

• Achievements that demonstrate the student's promise for contributing to the intellectual vitality of a campus.

• Personal Statement and Recommendations.

AMERICAN TESTS

• PSAT 8 and 10 Administered at GISSV in April to all 10th

graders.• PSAT/ NMSQT (preliminary scholastic aptitude test)

taken in October at GISSV by 11th graders considering the American college track.

• The SAT: offered externally several times a year.SAT School Day was introduced last April.

• SAT v ACT – Both are equally accepted at all colleges.• SAT II subject tests (1 hour tests that test particular subjects)

These are college specific.

HONORS COURSES AT GISSV

• Grade 10: German

• Grade 11: Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, physics, microeconomics, Ethics

• Grade 12: German, French, Spanish, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Ethics II

AP COURSES AT GISSV

q* Courses that require 2 extra hours per weekqAP German Language and Culture 10th gradeqAP Chemistry 10th and 11th grade (2 year course)*qAP French Language and Culture 11th gradeqAP English Language and Composition 11th gradeqAP Spanish Language and Culture 11th gradeqAP Microeconomics 11th gradeqAP Music Theory* 11th grade (new)qAP Biology 12th grade*qAP Calculus 12th grade*qAP English Literature and Composition 12th grade

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UC)• A public university system - part of the state’s three tier public

higher education system the UC, CSU (CA State Universities) and CCC

• UC -9 campuses throughout the state• UC Berkeley ranked 2nd worldwide among private and public

universities• UC Berkeley, UCLA and UCSD ranked in top 15

• Eight campuses operate on the quarter system, while Berkeley and Merced are on the semester system.

• My UC: Application opens August 1st. Filing period November 1st- 30th. Require essays but not recommendations.

CSU SYSTEM CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES

23 campuses in California and over 1,800 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in some 240 subject areas.

qServe over 400,000 students and take in 1/3 of CA high school graduates

qCSU Mentor: Filing period October 1 -November 30, No essays or recommendations.

qhttps://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/734681AB/CSU-or-UC-What-s-Right-for-You/ _

qComparison_Chart.

CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE – A VIABLE OPTION

qLargest system of higher education in the world serving more than 2.9 million students in CA

qBenefitsqHigh School Diploma required in some states, not

CA.qNo standardized tests required.qcost considerably less than 4 year public collegesqafter the mandatory 2 years, students can

transfer to a 4 year collegeqalso offers 2 year associate degrees in

specialized fields. Associate of Arts (AA)Associate of Science (AS)Associate of Applied Science (AAS).

qCCC: For Fall 2020 (May 1st application opens)

WHAT’S OUT THERE?Public and Private CollegesqLiberal Arts colleges: 90% private-Undergraduate

education is the primary mission.qFocus on broad skills in thinking and writing, not

narrow pre professional skills.

qNearly all liberal arts colleges have fewer than 5,000 students

qResearch Universities: 2/3 public and 1/3 private(Faculty are involved in research

qTeach both undergraduates and graduatesqSize ranges from small (Cal Tech – fewer than

1,000) to very large (University of Texas 40,000)

COLLEGES THAT OFFER SPECIALIZED PROGRAMSqMusic or Art Schools like Julliard or CA

Institution of the Arts-

qCooperative Colleges. (work- integrated education) http://www.waceinc.org/

qPolytechnical Universities. specialize in engineering, technology, applied science.

• Common Application: More than 750 colleges use the Common Application.

• Application opens August 1st. Requires Personal Statement, supplemental essays, recommendations.

WUE SCHOOLS

• WUE (pronounced “woo-wee”) is the Western Undergraduate Exchange, and it is coordinated by WICHE. ... If you are a resident of one of WICHE's 16 member states/U.S. territories (CNMI and Guam), you are eligible for consideration for considerably reduced tuition rate offered at 160 participating WUE institutions.

• WUE FAQ | WICHE• https://www.wiche.edu/about-wue

UNDERSTANDING THE 4 DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLEGE DEADLINES

• Regular Decision Deadline• The most common type of deadline that applies to most

applications. Deadlines around Jan. 1st

• Early decision deadlines allow students to apply early. Early decision deadlines are usually somewhere between the 1st and 15th November. Some colleges do ED2

• Early Action -apply early but not binding. May apply to multiple colleges and will get early notification. Early action deadlines are usually between the 1st and 15th of November.

• Rolling Admissions: evaluate applications as they receive them.• The UC has no Early Decision/ Action plans.

DIFFERENT APPLICATION TYPES

• Common Application: www.commonapp.org

• My UC Application: https://admissions.universityofcalifornia.edu

• CSU Mentor Application: www.2.calstate.edu/apply

• CCC Apply: https://home.cccapply.org

• https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications/early

GAP YEAR AND DEFERRALS• Benefits of a Gap Year:• American Gap Association National Alumni Survey• http://americangap.org/assets/2015%20NAS%20Report.pdf• Colleges and deferrals: The UC does not grant deferrals

as a rule https://www.oszlist.com/blog/first-look-uc-admissions-2018/

• National list of colleges accepting deferrals• https://gapyearassociation.org/fav-colleges.php

COUNSELOR’S ROLE AT GISSV

• Give students and families an overview of the US college system and entrance requirements.

• Guide 9th -12th grade students through necessary steps to attend university in the US and/or British speaking countries.

• Assist with alumni tracking• Attend workshops and conferences, participate in

Webinars to keep current with latest college developments.

• Visit colleges, invite college representatives, invite alumni to share experiences and network with current students.

• Belong to NACAC and the Exchange system whereby counselors share info and ask questions.

• Thank you for coming and have a pleasant evening.