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
Preparing for a college search
Choosing Your College Priorities: What is most important to you?
*Location *Academics *Size *Campus Appeal *Social Life *Total Cost
I. Community College
2 year Associates Degree or 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)
II. Public College/University
Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate degree Broad range of curriculum offered
Average cost: $23,000+/year Ex: UT, Texas A&M, Auburn, OU
III. Private College or University
Smaller class sizes, more professor attention
Earn Bachelor’s, Master’s, or doctorate degrees Average cost- $46,000+/year
Ex: TCU, Wellesley, Stanford, Oberlin
How do you define “College”?
IV. Vocational/Technical School
Industry based- from culinary to
cosmetology, automotive to medical assisting
You will get hands on training
Programs are typically 18 months, where you can earn certificate or Associates Degree
price 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 leadership
Graduate from an ROTC program and be commissioned as an officer
EX: UTSA, Colorado School of Mines, Tulane
What goes in the College Application?
Transcript
GPA Rank
Pre-AP, AP, DC coursework
Standardized Testing
SAT and/or ACT scores
SAT subject scores (if applicable)
Extracurricular Activities Athletics, School Clubs Volunteer Work Leadership Positions Recommendations Teacher/Counselor Essays
College Applications
Handout: http://goo.gl/guAf07College 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
College Applications: Naviance
1. Update your personal student and parent email 2. Update “Colleges I’m thinking about” list
3. 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.org www.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 colleges
www.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)
Regular Admissions
The regular application deadline specified by colleges is typically in January or February
Rolling Admissions
No 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
Admission terms to know...
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 ACT
Texas 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 ACT
University 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 ACT
University of North TX top 15% & 950 SAT or 20 ACT, top 50% & 1050 SAT or 23 ACT, top 75% & 1180 SAT or 26 ACT
Stephen F. Austin University Top 11-25% & 850 SAT or 17 ACT, top 50% & 950 SAT or 20 ACT, top 75% & 1100 SAT or 24 ACT
Angelo 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
Things to Consider When Selecting a College Type of school 2 year 4 year Vocational/Technical School Admission Requirements Geographical Location Public or Private Size Living Facilities Cost - $$$$ Majors offered Clubs/Sports/Activities HANDOUT: http://goo.gl/eC7ZXL
How do you decide??
Visit college campuses Consult for feedback
relatives, alumni, teachers, counselors
Don’t rule out a college if you have never heard of it Take advantage of available resources
College Admission visits
College 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!
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 Success
Part 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 Something
The 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.
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.
Financial Aid
VIDEO…
https://youtu.be/UBHBGBBOjRw
Types of Financial Aid A) Need-based 1. Loans 2. Grants B) Merit-based 1. Academic 2. Talent 3. Athletic Handout… http://goo.gl/pcerPa
Scholarships
1. Continue searching
a) Naviance scholarship search g) www.scholarships.com
b) http://www.chegg.com/scholarships h) www.cappex.com c) 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 scams
Applying for financial aid is FREE and help is available at any college/university
visit 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
College Days
Don’t forget to visit campuses!
Submit college visit verification to AHHS attendance office Send Thank You notes!
http://www.texasmonthly.com/collegeguide
https://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 workshops
Read your college mail and send reply cards to schools of interest
Visit 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 opportunities
Summer To Do List
Volunteer in your community
Prepare college resume- input information in Naviance
Accomplishments/Honors Activity list
Work experience
Compose rough drafts of your college essays Service 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- NCAA
Senior Year
**Make senior year count
Senior year is an opportunity
to strengthen skills and
broaden experiences, in school and 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!
