Preparing for a college search

KNOW YOURSELF: Take some time to evaluate your…

*Values*Ambitions*Achievements*Academic Strengths*Interests*Standout Talents

Utilize resources-under “CAREERS” tab, complete all career interest assessments-View “ROAD TRIP NATION” for career videos

Naviance

Preparing for a college search

Choosing Your College Priorities: What is most important to you?

*Location

*Academics

*Size

*Campus Appeal

*Social Life

*Total Cost – Including financial aid

I. Community College2 year Associates Degreeor fulfill some of your Bachelor’s degree requirement

make sure to meet with counselors at the college about transferable credits

Average cost: $2000/year (tuition only)Ex: SAC, ACC, Blinn, Lone Star (Houston area)

How do you define “College”?

II. Public College/UniversityBachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate degreeBroad range of curriculum offeredAverage cost: $23,000+/yearEx: UT, Texas A&M, Auburn, OU

III. Private College or UniversitySmaller class sizes, more professor attentionEarn Bachelor’s, Master’s, or doctorate degreesAverage cost- $46,000+/yearEx: TCU, Wellesley, Stanford, Oberlin

How do you define “College”?

How do you define “College”?

IV. Vocational/Technical SchoolIndustry based- from culinary to cosmetology, automotive to medical assistingYou will get hands on trainingPrograms are typically 18 months, where you can earn certificate or Associates Degreeprice varies greatly Exs: Alamo Community Colleges, Texas State Technical Institute, Culinary Institute of America, Everest Institute, Paul Mitchell School

IV. Reserve Officer’s Training Corp (ROTC)Take ROTC in college, learn about military values, history, and leadershipGraduate from an ROTC program and be commissioned as an officerEX: UTSA, Colorado School of Mines, Tulane

How do you define “College”?

What goes in the College Application?Transcript

GPARankPre-AP, AP, DC coursework

Standardized TestingSAT and/or ACT scoresSAT subject scores (if applicable)

Extracurricular Activities Athletics,School ClubsVolunteer WorkLeadership Positions

Recommendations Teacher/Counselor

Essays

College Applications

Handout: http://goo.gl/guAf07

College admission selection factors

VIDEO… https://youtu.be/2AB-5dCFQrs

• Courses taken• Grades received• Class rank• Standardized test scores• Personal statements and essays• Recommendations• Extracurricular activities• Interviews

HANDOUT: https://goo.gl/oAB7Vy

College Applications: Naviance

1. Update your personal student and parent email2. Update “Colleges I’m thinking about” list3. Update your resume 4. Complete your “Game Plan” 5. Download the Naviance student mobile app for

your smart phone

How to apply?Step 1. Apply online & pay application fees

www.applytexas.orgwww.commonapp.org OPENS AUGUST 1st, 2015

Step 2. Submit an official transcript request Through Naviance account

Step 3. Request official scores from SAT/ACT to be sent to collegeswww.collegeboard.org www.actstudent.org

Step 4. Request recommendations as needed (2-3)Counselors, Teachers, Employers, Club sponsors, Coaches (In person requests until August 1st )Through Naviance account for AHISD employees (after August 1st)

College Applications cont.

Regular Admissions The regular application deadline specified by colleges is typically in January or February

Rolling AdmissionsNo deadline date, applications are processed as received.

Early Action Non-binding, deadline usually in Oct/Nov

Early Decision (ED)Binding agreement and should only be used when applying to your top choice college. Deadline usually in Oct/Nov

Restrictive Early Action (EA) Non binding , deadline usually Oct/Nov Restricted from applying to other schools EA & ED

**APPLY EARLIER THAN DEADLINES!!

Admission terms to know...

*HANDOUT: http://goo.gl/2xLXLa

Admissions information

Top 10 % rule applies for all public TX schools except…

**University of Texas at Austin will automatically admit all eligible 2016 summer/fall freshman applicants who rank in the top 8% of their high school class, with remaining spaces to be filled through holistic review

Other Assured Academic Admits examples (SAT: CR & MATH only)TX A&M (College Station), top 25% & 1300 SAT (at least 600 on CR/Math) or 30 on ACT (at least 27 subscore)TX Tech, top 25% & 1140 SAT or 25 ACT, top 50% & 1230 SAT or 28 ACT, top 75% & 1270 SAT or 29 ACTTexas State, top 25% & 920 SAT or 20 ACT, top 50% 1010 SAT or 22 ACT, top 75% 1180 SAT or 26 UTSA, top 25% no minimum, top 50% 1100 SAT or 24 ACTUniversity of Houston (before Dec 1), top 10% & no min scores, top 11-25% & 1000 SAT or 21 ACT, top 26-50% & 1100 SAT or 24 ACTUniversity of North TX top 15% & 950 SAT or 20 ACT, top 50% & 1050 SAT or 23 ACT, top 75% & 1180 SAT or 26 ACTStephen F. Austin University Top 11-25% & 850 SAT or 17 ACT, top 50% & 950 SAT or 20 ACT, top 75% & 1100 SAT or 24 ACTAngelo State University top 50% & 820 SAT or 17 ACT, Tarleton University top 50% & no minimum scores, top 75% & 950 SAT or 20 ACT

Check college websites for other admission automatic admits requirements

Examples of Assured admission criteria

Things to Consider When Selecting a CollegeType of school

2 year4 year Vocational/Technical School

Admission RequirementsGeographical LocationPublic or PrivateSizeLiving FacilitiesCost - $$$$Majors offeredClubs/Sports/Activities

HANDOUT: http://goo.gl/eC7ZXL

How do you decide??

Visit college campusesConsult for feedback

relatives, alumni, teachers, counselors Don’t rule out a college if you have never heard of itTake advantage of available resources

College Admission visitsCollege Fairs/Virtual fairs (www.collegeweeklive.com)College/Career Center –(http://webfc.ahisd.net/~lvargaslew/)

Follow the Golden Rule of the college admission process:

How do you decide??

Never apply to a college that you would not gladly attend if offered the choice.

Utilize Naviance “My Planner” to record all pertinent deadlines, contacts, interviews, etc.

Read all information sent by colleges, both e-mail and letter.

Confirm with admissions office that you are “officially” on college email alert list

Make copies of every application for admission and financial aid before sending!

Words of wisdom

www.nacacnet.org

Keep college information in separate folders.Keep notes about likes and dislikes, contacts, visits in the file with the information.Set up a checklist for all college applications including:• Deadlines (both application and financial aid)• Test scores • Essays

• Recommendations

Words of wisdom

VIDEO…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF_VJ8D3NYE

Myth #1: Only Top Tier Schools Prepare People for SuccessPart of the genius of America is that you can make your destiny by what you do, not where you go to college.

Myth #2: A College Brochure in the Mailbox Means SomethingThe college only wants the application. The more applications a college receives, the more it can reject. The more it rejects, the higher its ranking goes up.

Myth #3: Applying to More Schools Increases One's Chances You increase your odds when you apply to more schools where your GPA and test scores (ACT or SAT) fall into the median range.

College admission myths

Myth #4: Once you send in the application, you're done. Don't fall prey to the myth that "send" means you're done.It is your responsibility to follow up with college visits, emails, calls

Myth #5: Large universities offer more opportunities than small liberal arts colleges.

It's important to look beyond the advertised opportunities and ask how many students actually use them.

College admission myths

Financial Aid

VIDEO…https://youtu.be/UBHBGBBOjRw

Types of Financial AidA) Need-based

1. Loans2. Grants

B) Merit-based 1. Academic 2. Talent 3. Athletic

Handout…http://goo.gl/pcerPa

Scholarships

1. Continue searchinga) Naviance scholarship search g) www.scholarships.comb) http://www.chegg.com/scholarships h) www.cappex.comc) http://www.college-scholarships.com/ d) http://www.finaid.org/e) http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp f) www.fastweb.com

2. Get personal• To stand out, tell your personal story through your

essays

3.Disregard the $$ amount• Every little bit helps!

4. Keep up your grades • For a more competitive GPA

5. Proofread• Correctly fill out and check for errors; ask for help

6. Don’t give up

scholarships

7. Beware of scholarship scamsApplying for financial aid is FREE and help is available at any college/universityvisit www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams for more information on scams

8. Students must stay organized- All academic activities, extracurricular activities,

community service, work etc., matter on many scholarship applications

scholarships

9. Start preparing by using FAFSA4CASTER- www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov - Enables students & parents to learn about financial

aid process - Provides estimates on financial aid packages

College Days

Don’t forget to visit campuses! Submit college visit verification to AHHS attendance officeSend Thank You notes! http://www.texasmonthly.com/collegeguidehttps://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/compare-colleges

Senior SPRING exam exemption policy- http://goo.gl/D1SNzU

College rePs

Don’t miss all the college reps and fairs that come to AHHS

Stay in the know through checking Naviance and the college and career website for upcoming events and college rep visits (http://webfc.ahisd.net/~lvargaslew/)Passes can be printed from Naviance (with teacher approval for class being missed)

Summer To Do List

Attend free Café College workshopsRead your college mail and send reply cards to schools of interestVisit the campuses of your top-five college choices.

Send Thank You notes Prepare for and take the ACT/SAT in (if needed)Continue researching your list of colleges & scholarship opportunitiesPractice filling out college applications

Summer To Do List

Volunteer in your communityPrepare college resume- input information in Naviance

Accomplishments/HonorsActivity listWork experience

Compose rough drafts of your college essaysService Academy- continue applying for nominations (http://lamarsmith.house.gov/services/military-academy-nominations/military-academy-nominations-faq)

NCAA/NAIA athletes- register with Eligibility Center (if not already done so)

http://eligibilitycenter.org- NCAAhttp://www.playnaia.org/- NAIA

Senior Year

**Make senior year count Senior year is an opportunity

to strengthen skills andbroaden experiences, in schooland out

Colleges pay particular attention to the

senior schedule and performance

Senior Year

SCARY STAT…21% of Colleges Revoked Admission Offers

*Breakdown of reason as to why offers were revoked*Final Grades – 65%*Disciplinary Action – 35%*Falsification of Application – 29%

**CAUTION: Be wary of what you post online, colleges and future employers will “google” you and/or check out your Facebook/Instagram etc…

Parent/Guardians’ Roles

Help your student understand the college search process Be realistic and non-judgmental Be in the "back seat" - and not the driver - of the college

search process Be open to dialogue and responsive to questions Be aware of deadlines and fees due Know that things have changed since your college days Don’t overemphasize your own alma maters Don’t compare your student with others Don’t dwell on disappointments, like a rejection letter Celebrate successes!

We hope this information has been helpful!

HAPPY SUMMER BREAK! The AHHS Guidance and College Center Departments

THANK YOU!