College Planning Seminar Trinity High School

Class of 2021

Our Goals

• Understand Student, Parent and Counselor roles in the college selection process

• Introduce the college planning timeline and admissions process

• Recognize what factors go into an admission decision

• Learn about Naviance and other college planning resources

Folder Contents

• Presentation Slides

• Naviance Login (small yellow card)

• College Planning Guide

• Unofficial Transcript

• PSAT Score Report & Resources

2013-2019 Most Common Institutions of Enrollment

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGOUNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGOILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITYMARQUETTE UNIVERSITYSAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITYDOMINICAN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGOCONCORDIA UNIVERSITYST NORBERT COLLEGEBRADLEY UNIVERSITYLEWIS UNIVERSITY

BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITYKNOX COLLEGEMONMOUTH COLLEGEST AMBROSE UNIVERSITY

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE

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4 Year 2 Year Public Private In State Out of State Catholic

Class of 2019 College Enrollment

Roles in the Process

Student

CounselorParent

College Planning Guide pp. 5-7

College Planning Timeline Spring Junior Year:

Participate in ACT/SAT Test Prep

Take the ACT on February 8 or April 4

Participate in the Catholic College Fair at Trinity on Feb. 10

Explore interests and careers

Complete College Questionnaire

Attend College Planning Group Meeting in February & March

Use Naviance to research colleges

Visit colleges over Spring Break

Request letters of recommendation before summer vacation

Summer:Continue college visits

Retake ACT/SAT

Participate in ACT/SAT Test Prep

Review application requirements

Create a plan for application completion

Begin drafting essays

Start working on applications

Participate in Trinity’s Summer Workshops

Fall Senior Year:Participate in Senior College and Financial Aid

Night in September

Attend college fair(s)

Submit FAFSA after October 1st

Meet with college representatives at Trinity

Submit applications to top choices by Halloween

All applications submitted by Winter Break

Await admission decisions!

College Planning Guide pp. 3-4

Factors in College Admission Decisions

High School Transcript

Standardized Test Scores

Letters of Recommendation (Counselor and Teacher)

Essay(s)

Activities and/or

Employment

Every Transcript Tells a Story

Absences: Colleges can see how consistently you attend school. Pattern can be a red flag.

Weighted GPA: gives more value to advanced classes.

Course Rigor: Will show the level of rigor of your courses. Colleges can see how you are challenging yourself.

Class Rank: Trinity does not rank

Electives: Gives schools an idea of your passion and interests.

Academic Trends: Colleges look at how grades change over time; your ability to improve over time. Grades that drop can be a red flag.

Your Senior Year: When you apply in the fall, your grades will not be reflected. Some schools will require a midyear grade report.

Service Requirement: Pass/ Fail each year.

Senior Year Courses

• Course selections and grades are very important to colleges!

• Take 4-5 core academic courses

• Do not lighten your load

• Pay attention to graduate requirements AND college requirements

• Colleges look at the strength of your senior schedule

• Register carefully and choose wisely – no changes senior year

• See your counselor with questions

College Planning Guide pg. 13

Course Requirements State Universities in

Illinois

Out of State

Universities, Private

Universities and

Colleges

Highly Selective

Colleges and

Universities

Community

Colleges/Vocation

al Schools

THS Graduation

Requirements

English 4 years 4 years 4 years 4 years 4 years

Math 3-4 years 3-4 years 4 years 2-4 years 3 years

Science 3 years 2-4 years 4 years 2-3 years 3 years

Social

Science

3 years 2-4 years 3-4 years 2-3 years 3 years

World

Language

2 years at some

schools

2-4 years at some

schools

3-4 years 0-2 years 2 consecutive

years of the same

language

College Planning Guide pg 13

Standardized Tests for College Admission

• PSAT

• Practice ACT Early Indicators

• ACT

• SAT Considered for College Admission

• SAT Subject Tests

Interpreting Your PSAT Score Report

• Review letter and report in folder

• Score Range: 320-1520

• Two Sections: • Evidence-Based Reading and Writing – score range 160-760

• Math – score range 160-760

• Shows what you’re doing well, and what you should work on to get ready for the SAT—and for college.

• Qualifying test for National Merit Scholarship Competition. Of all testers, 1.6 million will be invited to enter based on scores. About 50,000 will be recognized.

Standardized Tests

• Colleges accept either ACT or SAT

• Recommended that students take ACT or SAT this spring, leaving time for retake in summer or early fall

• Test preparation is recommended (in some form)

• Upcoming test dates can be found on pg. 14-15 or on website • Take multiple practice tests

• Take a test prep courses

College Planning Guide pp. 14-15

Test Optional Admission

• Many colleges and universities recognize that the standardized tests may not be the best way to evaluate a student’s admissibility• DePaul University, Augustana College, Drake University, George Washington

University…

• These schools are called “Test Optional” – meaning that a test score is optional in their application

• Test Optional schools will make some (or all) admission decisions without considering ACT or SAT scores.

• A list of these schools can be found at www.fairtest.org

College Planning Guide pp. 16

Starting the Search

Size

Academic Programs

Cost

Location

Extracurricular Activities

Admission Requirements

College Planning Guide pp. 10-12

Researching Colleges • College Websites

• Including social media

• College Fairs • Catholic College Fair on February 10th during 3A/3B at Trinity • NACAC Suburban Chicago College Fair on March 14th in Rosemont • IACAC College Fair at Morton College (September)• NACAC College Fair at McCormick Place (October)

• Regional Admission Events • Campus Visits • College Visits at Trinity • College Guidebooks • Naviance SuperMatch Search • www.bigfuture.collegeboard.net

College Planning Guide pp. 32-33

Naviance Student

• Get involved in the planning and advising process• Build a resume, complete online surveys, and manage timelines and deadlines for

making decisions about colleges and careers

• Research colleges • Compare GPA, standardized test scores, and other admission factors to actual

historical data from our school for students who have applied and been admitted in the past

• Research careers • Research hundreds of careers and career plans, and take career finder assessments

• Create plans for the future• Create goals and to-dos, and complete assigned tasks to better prepare for future

college and career goals

College Planning Guide pp. 8 & 32

Naviance Student http://connection.naviance.com/trinityhisch

Student To-Do List

Naviance: SuperMatch College Search

College Profile

College Profile

Scattergrams

GPA

Scheduling a College Visit Upcoming Days Off:

• Monday, February 17- President’s Day

• Friday, February 28

• March 20-27- Spring Break

• April 9-12- Easter Break

• Refer to college’s admission website • Online or via phone

• Visits range from 1-2 hours, typically with tour and information session

• Special visit programs or campus events • Often offered on school holidays

• Opportunities to visit a residence hall, shadow a class, speak with faculty, interact with current students

College Planning Guide pp. 23-24

College Visits

Illinois • Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington)- small, private • Bradley University (Peoria)- medium, private• University of Illinois (Urbana/Champaign)- large, public

Indiana • DePauw University (Greencastle)- small, private • Butler University (Indianapolis)- medium, private • Indiana University (Bloomington)- large, public

Wisconsin • Carroll University (Waukesha)- small, private • Marquette University (Milwaukee)- medium, private • University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee- large, public

College Planning Guide pp. 23-24

Narrowing Your Choices

Student may not meet college admission requirements.

Colleges in this category are Most Competitive in admission selectivity.

Wishful hope for admittance.

Student is on target with admission requirements.

Student compares well with those previously admitted.

Admission possible.

Student meets or exceeds admission requirements.

Student’s gpa and test scores are well above those previously admitted and/or average range.

We recommend that students apply to 5-10 schools.

College Planning Guide pg. 10

Overview of Application Process

Request Teacher Letters of

Recommendation

Complete Application

Write Essay(s) Submit supplemental

materialsSubmit Transcript

Request Form Order ACT/SAT Score

Report

Before end of Junior Year

Applications open in August

Top choices complete by Halloween; All by Christmas

College Planning Guide pp. 17-19

Tips and Tricks

• Consider a separate email account for all college communication

• Write down all logins and passwords used for colleges or applications

• Save important messages and organize them into folders

• Make notes to help you compare schools

• Make good choices when it comes to social media

Next Steps

• Catholic College Fair at Trinity on Monday, February 10th

• Student and Parent Questionnaires due March 1st

• Explore Naviance

• Small Group College Planning Meetings in March

• 1:1 college counseling meetings in March, April & May

• Consider summer enrichment opportunities

• Summer college planning workshops

Questions?

Mrs. Rachel BehrenDirector of Student Services

Ms. Katie Granholm College Counselor

Mrs. Beth Dunne Registrar/Counseling Intern

Ms. Maura Clark Juniors Last Names A-H

Mrs. Samanda Johnson Juniors Last Names J-P

Mrs. Victoria Herling Juniors Last Names R-Z