Everything You Wanted to Know About College

Admissions . . . But Didn’t Know to Ask!

Chesterfield County Public Schools

Office of School Counseling

October 18, 2014

OVERVIEW

• GRADUATION

REQUIREMENTS • COUNSELOR/

STUDENT MEETINGS • POST HIGH SCHOOL

OPPORTUNITIES • CHOOSING A COLLEGE

• COLLEGE APPLICATION

PROCESS • COLLEGE ENTRANCE

EXAMS • SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH • FINANCIAL AID • NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE

REGULATIONS

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

• Diploma Types

• SOL Requirements Goal: Graduation. . . AND Preparation for the Future!!!

DIPLOMA TYPES

Standard Diploma— (Effective with 1st time 9th graders in 2011-12 and beyond)

22 credits • 4 credits in English

• 3 credits each in Math, Science, Soc. Studies

• 2 credits in H/PE

• 1 credit in Fine Arts or CTE

v. 2 credits in World Language, Fine Arts or CTE

• 1 credit in Economics and Personal Finance

• 6 credits in Electives

v. 4 credits in Electives

Advanced Studies— (Effective with 1st time 9th graders in 2011-12 and beyond)

24 credits v. 26 credits • 4 credits each in English, Math, Science &

Social Studies

• 2 credits in H/PE

• 3 credits in one world language or 2 years each of two world languages

• 1 credit in Economics and Personal Finance

• 1 credit in Fine Arts or CTE

• 2 credits in Electives

v. 3 credits in Electives

SOL REQUIREMENTS

Standard Diploma

- 6 total “verified” credits (2 in English; 1 each in Math, Science, Social Studies; and 1 of student “choice”)

Advanced Studies Diploma

- 9 total “verified” credits (2 each in English, Math, Science, Social Studies and 1 of student “choice”)

SENIOR TIMETABLE Resources: Peterson’s Website – https://petersons.com. College Board Website -- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org Virginia Education Wizard -- https://www.vawizard.org. FALL: • Encourage your child to meet with the school counselor. This year, he or she will work with the

counselor to complete and submit college applications. Learn more about the counselor's role in applying to college.

• Create a calendar with your child. This should include application deadlines and other important dates. Your child can find specific colleges’ deadlines in College Search. If your child saves colleges to a list there, he or she can get a custom online calendar that shows those colleges’ deadlines.

• Help your child prepare for college admission tests. Many seniors retake college admission tests, such as the SAT and the ACT, in the fall. Learn more about helping your 12th-grader prepare for admission tests.

• Offer to look over your senior’s college applications. But remember that this is your child’s work so remain in the role of advisor and proofreader and respect his or her voice.

• Help your child find and apply for scholarships. He or she can find out about scholarship opportunities from the school counselor. Your high schooler will need to request and complete scholarship applications and submit them on time. Learn more about scholarships.

• Encourage your child to set up college interviews. An interview is a great way for your child to learn more about a college and for a college to learn more about your child. Get an overview of the interview process.

WINTER: • Work together to apply for financial aid. Have your child contact the financial aid offices at

the colleges he or she is interested in to find out what forms students must submit to apply for aid. Make sure he or she applies for aid by or before any stated deadlines. Funds are limited, so the earlier you apply, the better.

• Fill out the FAFSA to apply for aid. The government and many colleges use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to award aid. Now it’s easier than ever to fill out this form because you can automatically transfer your tax information online from the IRS to the FAFSA. Read How to Complete the FAFSA to learn more.

• Learn about college loan options together. Borrowing money for college can be a smart choice — especially if your high schooler gets a low-interest federal loan. Learn more about the parent's role in borrowing money.

• Encourage your senior to take SAT Subject Tests. These tests can showcase your child’s interests and achievements — and many colleges require or recommend that applicants take one or more Subject Tests. Read more about SAT Subject Tests.

• Encourage your child to take AP Exams. If your 12th-grader takes AP or other advanced classes, have him or her talk with teachers now about taking these tests in May. Read more about the AP Program.

SPRING:

• Help your child process college responses. Once your child starts hearing back from colleges

about admission and financial aid, he or she will need your support to decide what to do. Read about how to choose a college.

• Review financial aid offers together. Your 12th-grader will need your help to read through financial aid award letters and figure out which package works best. Be sure your child pays attention to and meets any deadlines for acceptance. Get more information on financial aid awards.

• Help your child complete the paperwork to accept a college’s offer of admittance. Once your child has decided which college to attend, he or she will need to accept a college’s offer, mail a tuition deposit and submit other required paperwork. Learn more about your high school senior's next steps.

Timeline continued

USE YOUR RESOURCES

Parents

School Counselors

College and Career Center

College Representative Visits

College Fairs

The Internet: Websites

COLLEGE & CAREER CENTER

Each Center is staffed by a College and Career Center Coordinator

• HOURS: ROUGHLY 7:15A.M. to 2:30 P.M.

DAILY • COLLEGE INFO & APPLICATIONS • CAREER INFORMATION • FINANCIAL AID INFO & SCHOLARSHIPS

OPPORTUNITIES • HELP WITH SELECTING COLLEGE MAJORS • ASSISTANCE W/ BASIC JOB SEARCH SKILLS

AND RESUME WRITING • TEST PREP INFORMATION & MATERIALS

COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES

• COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES WILL OFTEN VISIT HIGH SCHOOLS

• SCHEDULE AND CONDITIONS OF VISIST WILL BE POSTED IN THE SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE, CAREER CENTER, AND/OR ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE AND ON BULLETIN BOARDS

• THE POWER OF ‘DEMONSTRATED INTEREST’

COLLEGE VISITS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS TO SCHEDULE!

• COLLEGE TOURS: INFORMAL v FORMAL • BEST TIMES TO VISIT? • WHAT TO DO? SIT IN ON CLASSES TALK TO STUDENTS AND FACULTY,

TRY THE FOOD AND VISIT DORMS ATTEND ATHLETIC EVENTS

& SOCIAL PROGRAMS ASK ABOUT STUDENT RETENTION AND JOB PLACEMENT RATE

APPLICATIONS—The ‘Hints’

• COMPLETE APPLICATIONS EARLY • FOLLOW DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY • THE SCIENCE OF SUBMITTING TEST SCORES • SECURE SIGNATURES • NEATNESS\ACCURACY COUNTS!!! • MAKE COPIES OR SAVE

TERMS TO KNOW IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

• EARLY DECISION

• EARLY ACTION/EARLY NOTIFICATION

• ROLLING ADMISSIONS

TRANSCRIPTS • TRANSCRIPTS INCLUDE:

– ALL HIGH SCHOOL COURSES – ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSES TAKEN

FOR HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT THAT YOU DIDN’T REQUEST REMOVED

– TEST SCORES (SHOWING SAT AND ACT SCORES; DOES NOT INCLUDE AP, SOL OR PSAT)

– ACTIVITY SHEET OR RESUME (if student submits)

– SCHOOL PROFILE

COLLEGE CREDITS (earned while in high school)

• IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST A TRANSCRIPT FROM ANY COLLEGE HE OR SHE HAS TAKEN COURSES TO BE SENT TO THE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HE OR SHE IS ATTENDING (JUNE OF SENIOR YEAR)

THE FEATURES OF A RESUME?

• DONE ON A SPREADSHEET OR VIA A WORD PROCESSOR PROGRAM

• GIVES DETAILS OF STUDENT’S INVOLVEMENT

• ALLOWS FOR CREATIVITY

• LOOKS PROFESSIONAL

COLLEGE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

• TIMELINES: ALLOW 2 WEEKS FOR

TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS • TARGET: PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU

IN/OUT OF SCHOOL • NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS(?) • PRIVACY FACTOR • THE POWER OF ‘THANK YOU’ NOTES

• THINK SMALL, NOT BIG • MAKE YOUR ESSAY STAND OUT • GET READER’S ATTENTION IN FIRST

PARAGRAPH • SHOW INSIGHT INTO YOURSELF • SHOW RATHER THAN TELL • REVISE! REVISE! REVISE! • ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME • YES, ANSWER THE QUESTION!

Helpful Hints for the College Essay

ADMISSIONS PITFALLS TO AVOID

• BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU READ • FAILURE TO VISIT • CARELESS MISTAKES ON APPLICATION • PROCRASTINATION • APPLYING TO ONLY THE (ONE) SCHOOL . .

. NOT HAVING A “SAFETY” SCHOOL • USING AN INAPPROPRIATE E-MAIL

ADDRESS . . . OR LEAVING INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES ON VOICEMAIL . . . OR SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES i.e. FACEBOOK, TWITTER

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTING

• SAT – Reasoning Test

• SAT – Subject Tests

• ACT

• TOEFL

• AP

AP, SAT, ACT SCORES • AP SCORES-STUDENT MUST

REQUEST EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE TO SEND SCORES DIRECTLY TO COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

• ACT/SAT SCORES-SOME SCHOOLS WILL ACCEPT ON CCPS TRANSCRIPT, OTHERS WANT SCORES FROM TESTING ORGANIZATION – POINT: HAVE THE SCORES SENT FROM THE TEST PROVIDER

TEST DIFFERENCES

SAT • TESTS REASONING • FOCUSES ON ALG. &

GEOMETRY • QUESTIONS-ORDER OF

DIFFICULTY • STRESSES VOCAB &

GRAMMAR • NOT ALL MULTIPLE

CHOICE • WRONG ANSWER

PENALTY • SCORE RANGE 300-2400

ACT • CURRICULUM

BASED • SOME TRIG • NOT IN ORDER OF

DIFFICULTY • LESS VOCAB • TESTS GRAMMAR • ALL MULTIPLE

CHOICE • NO WRONG ANSWER

PENALTY • SCORE RANGE 1-36

ASVAB TEST

ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY

Administration:

Given in the fall or early winter at many high schools OR at local military

recruiting stations by appointment

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is the most widely used multiple-aptitude test battery in the world. As an aptitude test, the ASVAB measures a student’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential for future success. The ASVAB also provides student’s with career information for various civilian and military occupations and is an indicator for success in future endeavors whether the student chooses to go on to college, vocational school, or a military career.

THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN ADMISSIONS

DECISION MAKING:

1 STRENGTH OF CURRICULUM 2 GRADES -GPA(WEIGHTED VS. UNWEIGHTED) -CLASS RANK 3 COLLGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS: SAT/ACT/TOEFL 4 ACTIVITIES (LEADERSHIP) IN SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY -ESSAY -RECOMMENDATIONS -UNIQUE SITUATIONS

NCAA REGULATIONS • BACKGROUND • DIVISION I AND II ( NOT III) • DIVISION I

– MINIMUM REQUIRED GPA IN 16 CORE COURSES – CORRESPONDING SAT/ACT SCORE AND GPA

• DIVISION II – 2.0 GPA IN 14 CORE COURSES – 820 SAT OR 16 ACT (4 CATEGORIES)

• REGISTER ON-LINE AT WWW.ELIGIBILITYCENTER.NET • COMPLETE RELEASE FORM

Have Testing Organizations send your ACT & SAT scores directly to NCAA Clearinghouse!!!

WHATEVER IT TAKES!

WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL ENJOY THIS TIME PLANNING FOR YOUR STUDENT’S FUTURE. IT’S AN EXCITING TIME FOR ALL AND CCPS SCHOOL COUNSELORS, AS WELL AS, THE FACULTY AND STAFF IN EACH HS ARE WILLING TO HELP YOU EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

QUESTIONS???