11
th
Grade
College/Career
Program:
“What’s next…?”
Planning ahead for your Senior year
Class of 2013
Presented by your
BRHS Guidance Staff
Goals/Agenda
•
To Meet your friendly, helpful
Guidance Staff.
•
Pass out enlightening information
about your future.
•
Discuss Post-High School Options
•
How can the Guidance Office/Career
Center help you?
•
Assist you in the transition and
Post-High School Options –
What’s Next?
4 year college
2 year college
Technical college/trade school
Military
Apprenticeship
“Gap Year”
Post-High School Options
4 year college
Can apply in state/out of state
and/or public/private.
SAT/ACT-most schools require and
will accept either test.
Official application window begins
as soon as school starts in August.
Get ahead by starting now!
Post-High School Options
2 year college
Advantages of NVCC: less
expensive
Conveniently located nearby
Easy to schedule classes
Guaranteed admission
agreements with many Virginia
Post-High School Options
Technical College/Trade School
• Focus on specific skills or trade. • Typically a 2-year degree.*
• Only take classes that apply to trade. • Examples: electrician, cosmetology,
construction technology, airline mechanic, homeland security,
personal trainer, web design, etc.
• Everest College, ITT Technical,
Medical Careers Institute, Westwood College
Post-High School Options
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard.
You can enlist or do ROTC.
Recruiters from each service visit Broad Run regularly.
If you plan to apply to a military
academy, research requirements and start now!!
Post-High School Options
Apprenticeships
Programs that are run by businesses or career organizations that allow
you to work full-time AND get paid while training to become a master of that trade/career.
Traditionally, careers are hands-on such as an electrician, plumber,
heating and air conditioning (HVAC) repair, and now can also be in the telecommunications/ cable field.
Post-High School Options
“Gap Year”
Taking a year between high school
and college to pursue other
opportunities.
Programs set up specifically for this
gap year include AmeriCorps, City
Year, Year Up, and others.
You can apply to colleges, be
accepted, and then ask to defer
your admission for one year—many
colleges allow this.
The Career Center
• Who: Mrs. Chalmers, Career Center Assistant
• What: The Career Center is a specialized library/resource center for information on all post-high school college and career options. Central place for information on
scholarships, financial aid, jobs, volunteer opportunities and summer programs.
• When: Open during lunch, between classes, before/after school. You can also set up an appointment to meet with Mrs. Chalmers during the school day.
• Why: Great resource for college information, including
college catalogs, handbooks, books about the admissions process, computers available to complete applications, use Family Connection program and more!
The Career Center
Financial Aid
(FAFSA): Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• Fundamental step in getting money for college.
• Complete online starting January 1st of Senior year.
• Determines how much your family can afford for college.
• “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) is sent to colleges you applied to and helps colleges create a financial aid package of grants,
The Career Center
Choosing a Career
Career Center has a LOT of books about
various careers, as well as computers on which you can access Family Connections for both
college and career information.
ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is given twice a year.
Measures your interest and ability in career areas and can help students explore career options based on his/her strengths.
The Career Center
Scholarships
• Merit (Academic)-given directly by colleges, find out about these on college websites,
usually in financial aid section.
• Community & Business-given for a variety of things like extracurricular activities, career interests, etc.
• Athletic-given by college athletic offices and must go through NCAA Clearinghouse to
qualify.
• ROTC-can pay for all or part of your tuition. Owe military specified number of years of service in return. See branch websites for specific guidelines, process done in
College Admissions
Factors that colleges look at:
1.
Overall GPA and strength of
schedule
2.
Test scores, SAT/ACT
3.
Extracurricular activities
4.
Essay or personal statement
1.) GPA/Strength of Schedule
Located on your transcript
Junior year is the last full year of
grades, last time GPA changes
Colleges look at trend in courses
over the years
Senior classes are important and
2.) Test Scores: SAT/ACT
Take your first test by May or
June of this year
Take it multiple times (up to
three) if you are not satisfied
with your scores
Colleges will combine highest
3.) Extracurricular activities
Are helpful and important because
they show well-rounded student
Handful of activities with depth are
preferred over “laundry list”
4.) Essay or Personal Statement
These help colleges learn who you areinstead of what you do.
A window into your personality, be
creative.
Helps colleges evaluate your writing
skills, get them proofread!
THIS SUMMER is a good time to start
5.) Letter(s) of Recommendation
Choose recommenders wisely!!
Get to know your counselor better. Start thinking of which teacher(s)
you may want to ask.
NOT required at all schools, check
on “Family Connection” and/or college websites for application requirements.
College Search & Exploration
“Family Connection” is THE resource you need to start using for college information.
Check your inbox for messages from the Guidance Office and your counselor about upcoming events related to you. With Family Connections you can:
Search colleges and careers
See scholarship information and applications
See specific statistics for Broad Run students who were admitted to colleges last year (Scattergrams)
Search information for all Post-High school options. Send e-mails to your counselor.
It’s a great communication tool for the whole college process!
College Search & Exploration
Finding a college that is right for you:
Consider factors like size, location, setting (urban
vs. rural), majors offered, costs, and special programs like study abroad or ROTC.
Research using Family Connections, college’s web
sites, and Career Center.
Start a list of schools you want to explore (you can
save them in “My Colleges” on FC) and plan to VISIT schools when possible.
College Search, Exploration, &
Admissions
College Visits!
Go when the college is in session rather than during the summer,
weekends, or on break.
Take official tour-go to the college’s website for information about
how to visit and tour the school.
Visits help you to see if you like the campus, surroundings, dorms,
and you can often meet professors or sit in on a class.
Information sessions are usually scheduled and given by the
Admissions Office. You can learn about admissions criteria, application process, campus life/activities, and financial aid.
College Search & Exploration
Talk to college representatives-A large
number of colleges/universities send
admissions representatives here to BRHS each year.
See “College Visit” schedule on Family
Connection or stop by Career Center to see when schools are visiting.
Attend College Fairs-great way to meet
college representatives and get more
information about many colleges all in one place.
