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Getting Ready For College

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• The College Board’s mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT and the Advanced Placement Program (AP). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns.

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20 Questions to Ask Your School Counselor

They're There to Answer Them Your school counselor, or guidance counselor, is one of your best resources as you plan for college. She or he has information about admission tests, college preparation, and your education and career options. Here are some basic questions to help get your conversation started:

• 1. What are the required and recommended courses -- for graduation and for college prep?

• 2. How should I plan my schedule so I'll complete them?

• 3. Which elective courses do you recommend?

• 4. Which AP® courses are available?

• 5. When is the PSAT/NMSQT® going to be given here?

• 6. Is this school a testing center for the SAT®, or will I need to go somewhere nearby?

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• 7. Do you have any after-school or evening sessions available for college planning, or the SAT?

• 8. Do you have college handbooks or other guides that I can browse or borrow? Do you have a copy of the free Taking the SAT booklet, which has a practice test in it?

• 9. What activities can I do at home and over the summer to get ready for college?

• 10. What kinds of grades do different colleges require?

• 11. Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?

• 12. Where do other kids from this school attend college?

• 13. What are the requirements or standards for the honor society?

• 14. Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to the colleges on my wish list?

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• 15. Do you have any information to help me start exploring my interests and related careers?

• 16. If my colleges need a recommendation from you, how can I help you know me better, so it can be more personal?

• 17. Are there any special scholarships or awards that I should know about now, so I can work toward them?

• 18. Can I see my transcript as it stands now, to see if everything is as I think it should be?

• 19. Do you have any forms I need to apply for financial aid?

• 20. How does our school compare to others, in terms of test scores and reputation?

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• SUBJECT

• SUBJECT

• CLASSES

• ENGLISH 8 CREDITS

• (4 YEARS)

• Literature

• Above or Other Areas

SUBJECT CLASSES

ENGLISH 8 CREDITS(4 YEARS)

Literature Writing/Composition Speech

MATH 6 TO 8 CREDITS(3 TO 4 YEARS)

Algebra Geometry Algebra II Trigonometry and/or Calculus

SCIENCE 6 CREDITS(3 YEARS)

Biology Chemistry and/or Physics Earth/Space Sciences,

Advanced Biology, Advanced Chemistry, or Physics

SOCIAL STUDIES 6 CREDITS(3 YEARS)

History Government Economics World History or Geography 1 More Credit In The Above

or Other Areas

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Other Key Courses to Investigate are:

You may also need 8 additional credits from the above core or these electives:

Foreign languages (2 - 3 years) Visual & performing arts (art, music, dance, or drama) Computers (computer applications or programming) • Other challenging courses could include economics, psychology, statistics,computer science, communications, research projects, and independent

projects.

Looking Beyond the Basics

• Some college admission offices may look for some additional classes on your transcript, an advanced math, for example.

• Many of these courses can be taken only after you have passed the basic courses.

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Beyond The Basics – AP ClassesAdvanced Placement Program® (AP®) courses are college-

level courses offered in high school. AP courses reflect what is taught in top introductory college courses. There are 30 AP courses to choose from.

At the end of course, students take AP Exams—standardized exams that measure how well students have mastered college-level course work.

Students who do well on AP Exams can earn credit and/or placement into advanced courses in college. Once you decide that you would like to take an AP course you can speak to AP teacher or your counselor.

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PSAT/NMSQT®

Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

What is it?

Preliminary college entrance exam that measures reading, writing and math skills

Who takes it?

3.5 million students each year (primarily sophomores and juniors)

When? October of your sophomore or junior year.

Where? In school

Why? •Prepare for the SAT®

•Compete for scholarships•Get free college and career planning tools•Understand skill strengths and weaknesses•Connect with colleges

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PSAT/NMSQT Content

• Critical Reading• Sentence Completions

• Passage-Based Reading Questions

• Mathematics• Multiple-Choice Questions

• Student-Produced Response Questions

• Writing Skills• Improving Sentences Questions

• Identifying Sentence Error Questions

• Improving Paragraph Questions

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SAT Definition?• The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that lets you

show colleges what you know and how well you can apply that knowledge. It tests your knowledge of reading, writing and math- subjects that are taught every day in high school classrooms. Most students take the SAT during their junior and senior year of high school, and almost all colleges and universities use the SAT to make admission decisions.

• Taking the SAT is the first step in finding the right college for you – the place where you can further develop your skills and pursue your passions. But SAT scores are just one of many factors that colleges consider when making their admission decisions. High school grades are also very import. In fact, the combination of high school grades and SAT scores is the best predictor of your academic success in college.

• Most students take the SAT during their junior or senor year in high school. At least half of all students take the SAT twice – in the spring of their junior year and in the fall of their senior year. Most students also improve their score the second time around.

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What’s on the SAT?

• CRITICAL READING– Short (paragraph) and long (up to 800 word) passages– 48 questions, make inferences, draw conclusions– 19 sentence completion questions

• MATHEMATICS– 44 multiple-choice questions, 10 student-produced response

questions– Number & Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Data Analysis

• WRITING– 25 minute essay, take sides on an accessible topic– 49 multiple-choice grammar/usage questions

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Example: Critical Reading

(9) Consumers should know that consumer goods that are not made in the United States contribute to the loss of jobs in many different American industries and businesses. (10) Buying goods made in the United States means investing in our future. (11) Without government subsidies, our industries only have the American consumer to help them compete in the world market and therefore guarantee jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers in the United States.

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Example: Critical Reading• Making inferences drawing conclusions:

Which sentence would be most appropriate to follow sentence 11?

(A) I see now that the demonstrators were right.

(B) Consumers have rights, too.

(C) In conclusion, we have no one else to blame.

(D) The next time you go shopping, think of the workers and their families in your community.

(E) We, the American consumers, must find out how to invest in our industries.

Correct answer (D)

Example: Math Question

In the figure above, if line k has a slope of –1, what is the y-intercept of k?

(A) 6

(B) 7

(C) 8

(D) 9

(E) 10

y

x

k

(0, 3)

(4, 0)0

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Sample Essay Question

The principle is this: each failure leads us closer to deeper knowledge, to greater creativity in understanding old data, to new lines of inquiry. Thomas Edison experienced 10,000 failures before he succeeded in perfecting the light bulb. When a friend of his remarked that 10,000 failures was a lot, Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 10,000 times, I successfully eliminated 10,000 materials and combinations that didn’t work.”

Assignment: What is your view on the idea that it takes failure to achieve success? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

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