COLLEGE INFORMATIONAL EVENING 2018

German International School of Silicon Valley

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

GOING TO UNIVERSITY IN THE US

College Admission Criteria

American testing

What’s out there?

The 3 tier UC system

UC admission criteria

Getting Ready for College

Counselor’s role at GISSV

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED 4-YEAR COLLEGE ADMISSION

REQUIREMENTS• 4 credits English• 4 credits Social Studies• 3 credits Math+ (Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry)• 3 credits Science+ (all lab sciences)• 2+ credits Foreign Language• 1+ credits Fine/Performing Art• *Honors and AP courses are recommended• **GPA - as high as possible• ***Testing - SAT or ACT and/or SAT: Subject Test

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

performance in academic courses.

• GPA in all courses. The single most important piece of your child’s college application is his or her grades.

• Standardized Test scores

• 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.

AMERICAN TESTS

• PSAT (preliminary scholastic aptitude test) taken in October at GISSV by 11th graders considering the American college track. Not mandatory. Does not count for college admissions.

• NMSQT (National merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) For more information go to www.nationalmerit.org

• The SAT: a 3hr 45 minute external test used by majority of colleges as part of the admissions process.

• Check out www.fairtest.org for a list of colleges that no longer require standardized test scores.

TESTS- CONTINUEDqSAT II subject tests (1 hour tests that test particular

subjects) college specific

qACT - American College Testing.

qSAT v ACT – Both are equally accepted in all colleges.

qThe SAT contains three sections: Reading, Math, and Writing and Language. The ACT contains four sections: Reading, Math, English, and Science. Both also have an optional essay. Some students take both.

https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Intl-ACT-SAT-English.pdf

TESTS CONTINUEDqAP - Advanced Placement courses are demanding college

level courses offered in grades 10, 11 and 12 at GISSV. qCurrently we offer the following AP courses.

qAP 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 Biology 12th gradeqAP Calculus 12th gradeqAP English Literature and Composition 12th grade

COLLEGES OUR STUDENTS HAVE ATTENDED

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

qUndergraduate education is the primary missionqFocus on broad skills in thinking and writing, not

narrow pre professional skills.qSmaller classes taught by faculty members

(Nearly all liberal arts colleges have fewer than 5,000 students, and most are in the 1,000 to 2,500 student range)

qStudent life centers around college (The majority of students at liberal arts colleges live at college and attend full time.)

qhttps://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-liberal-arts-colleges/s/california/

RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES q2/3 public and 1/3 privateqInvolved in research and public service as well as

teaching graduates and undergraduatesqFaculty are involved in researchqSize ranges from small (Cal Tech – fewer than

1,000) to medium(Harvard- 6,500 undergrads) to very large (University of Texas 40,000)

qlarge classes; faculty teach fewer classes and may be less accessible

qTeaching assistants are used for smaller discussion groups.

qhttps://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-research-university

COLLEGES THAT OFFER SPECIALIZED PROGRAMSqSchools like Julliard or CA Institution of the

Arts cater for students who are highly focused in a specialized area and have clear career goals

qColleges with special affiliationsqReligious Colleges (University of Notre

Dame)qHistorically Black CollegesqWomen’s Colleges (Smith, Wellesley)qCooperative CollegesqPolytechnical Universities

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION• Cooperative education is a structured method of

combining classroom-based education with practical work experience.

• Graduates are able to explore careers during college while earning money and gaining job experience. Co-op students tend to have jobs lined up before they graduate.

• A few of the co-op programs in the U.S. are: • University of Cincinnati, Drexel, Northeastern,• UMass-Lowell, Rochester Institute of Technology.

• https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/internship-programs

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTES•• Polytechnic institutes are technological universities

which are generally research intensive universities with a focus on engineering, science and technology.

• In California: California Institute of Technology California Polytechnic State University ­ Cal Poly, SLO ­ Cal Poly, Pomona. MIT and RIT famous on east coast.

• Conversely, schools dubbed "technical colleges" or "technical institutes" generally provide post-secondary training in technical and mechanical fields, focusing on training vocational skills

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

three tier public higher education system which includes the UC, CSU (CA State Universities) and CCC (CA Community Colleges)

• UC• 10 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.

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

qfaculty members are preeminent in their fields, are committed to teaching and involvement with students. .

qhttp://www.sbcc.edu/transfercenter/files/UC_CSU_Comparison_Chart. compares type of degrees awarded, undergraduate focus, cost, ethnic makeup, eligibility requirements and advantages of each system)

GPA CALCULATION FOR THE UC AND CSU

• UC uses all “a-g” courses taken between the summer following 9th grade through the summer following 11th grade in calculating a student’s GPA.

• In calculating the GPA, UC does not include courses taken in the freshman year, regardless of the level of the course.

• In addition, UC calculates a weighted GPA limited to 4 years of honors courses with no more than 2 years of 10th grade honors courses.

• In other words, for a semester calendar, which many U.S. schools use, 8 semesters of honors points with no more than 4 semesters of honors points from courses completed in the 10th grade.

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 tra112

Community Colleges in CAqnsfer to a 4 year collegeqalso offers 2 year associate degrees in

specialized fieldsq flexibility in schedules for working students.

GETTING READY FOR COLLEGE• Junior/Senior Year• Spring- Discovery phase: research, visit, read about

colleges you might be interested in. Discuss with counselor. Talk about FIT.*

• Summer- Planning phase: deciding on schools and categorizing into Reach, Target, Safety. Research eligibility and requirements. Create a timeline with dates and deadlines.

• Fall- Application phase: complete and submit applications.Get recommendations.

• *www.fastweb.com/college-search/articles/academics-aside-10-factors-to-consider-in-choosing-a-college

COLLEGE APPLICATION REVIEW MAY INCLUDE

• Transcript

• SAT/ACT scores

• Counselor Recommendation /SSR

• Teachers recommendations

• College Application itself with Activity Section, Essay or Personal Statement

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

• Application portals for specific universities that are not accepting Common Application.

DATES, DEADLINES AND REQUIREMENTS

• Common Application: • Early Decision and Action plans due November 1st.

Regular Decision December through early January. Require Personal Statement, supplemental essays, recommendations.

• My UC: Application opens August 1st. Filing period November 1st- 30th.Require essays.

• CSU Mentor: Fall 2019 ( October 1st, 2018- Nov 30th, 2018) No essays or recommendations.

• CCC: For Fall 2018 (May 1st application opens)

UNDERSTANDING THE 4 DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLEGE DEADLINES

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

most applications. Regular decision deadlines are typically around the beginning of January, the acceptance letters are sent out sometime in March and you have until the end of April to accept (May 1st is known as College Decision Day).

• No limit to the number of schools you can apply to. You are under no obligation to enroll in any one particular college.

DEADLINES CONT…

• Early Decision Deadline• Early decision deadlines allow students to apply

early. These applications are then reviewed early and students also receive an early response from the college. This is a great option for applicants who have their heart set on one particular college.

• When you apply through an early decision deadline and if you are accepted, you cannot renege on your contract.

• Early decision deadlines are usually somewhere between the 1st and 15th of November.

DEADLINES CONT…• Early Action Deadline• Early action deadlines also allow you to apply early

but unlike early decision deadlines, it is not binding. You may apply to multiple colleges under early application decision and you can expect to receive an early response from all colleges that you apply to.

• Early action deadlines are usually set at the same time as early decision deadlines, which is generally between the 1st and 15th of November.

DEADLINES

• Rolling Admission Deadline• With rolling admissions, the deadline is the same as

the regular decision deadline. The only difference is that colleges that offer rolling admissions do not wait till after the deadline to send out acceptance letters. They start evaluating the applications as they come in and send out letters as soon as they’ve made a decision.

• When applying to a college that has a rolling admissions system, it is always a good idea to apply as early as possible.

•

FINDING MONEY FOR COLLEGE

• https://fafsa.ed.gov/

• http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/25/pf/college/pay-for-college/index.html

SCHOLARSHIP SITES• Fastweb.com.• MeritAid.com• Collegeboard.org.• Niche.com.• CollegeNET.com.• Scholarship Monkey• Cappex• Chegg• Unigo• Peterson’s• The US Labor Department’s Free Search Tool

COUNSELOR’S ROLE AT GISSVqGive students and families an overview of theUS college system and entrance requirements. qGuide 9-12th grade students through necessary

steps to attend university in the US and/or British speaking countries.

qHelp prepare official student transcripts and update the accompanying school profile.

qAttend workshops and conferences to keep current with latest college developments.

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

• Thank you for coming and have a pleasant evening.