COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

INFORMATIONBack To School Fair 2018

Saturday September 15, 2018

Today’s Presenters:

■ Alishia Ruff – Admissions Counselor, University of Washington

■ Sarah Manesh Berger – High School Counselor, Bellevue High

■ Arty Christianto – Middle School Counselor, International School

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

■ Pathways After High School Graduation

■ College Application Process

■ College Admissions Requirements

■ Building a College List

■ Decision Deadlines and Types of Applications

■ Financial Aid and Scholarships

PATHWAYS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

•Cosmetology Apprenticeship – SAGE

•Construction Electrician – CITC Apprenticeships

•Military

•American Gap Year AssociationOther/Gap Year

•Bellevue College

•Everett Community College

Community Colleges

•Lake Washington Technical Institute

•Renton Technical InstituteTechnical Colleges

•Gene Juarez Academy

•Art InstituteOther Colleges

•Washington State University

•Western Washington University4-Year Colleges

WHAT IS GAP YEAR?

■ "A structured period of time when students take a break from

formal education to increase self-awareness, learn from

different cultures, and experiment with possible

careers. Typically these are achieved by a combination of

traveling, volunteering, interning, or working. A Gap Year

experience can last from two months up to two years and is

taken between high school graduation and the junior year of

their higher degree.“ – American Gap Association

■ Best Resource: American Gap Association and Gap Year

Association

– http://www.americangap.org/

– https://gapyearassociation.org

APPLICATION PROCESS:COMMUNITY/TECHNICAL COLLEGES

■ There are 34

community/technical colleges

in WA

■ Complete applications in the

spring

– SAT/ACT are not required

■ Register to take a MATH and

ENGLISH placement exam

■ Make an appointment to meet

with an academic advisor

■ Register for classes

www.checkoutacollege.com

DON’T BE FOOLED!Some CC/TC Programs are DIFFICULT to complete

A FEW NOTES ABOUT TRANSFERRING…

■ Apply during your 2nd year of community college

– Colleges will look at your high school courses and

require SAT/ACT testing if you apply without having

completed enough credits

■ ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS check your major requirements!

■ Transferring from a 2-year college vs. a 4-year college

May 1st: Confirm and Deposit

March – April: Receive your decisions and your financial aid award letters

October – January: Apply for colleges

Apply for FAFSA/WASFA

August – December: Learn, prepare, create

APPLICATION PROCESS:FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITIES/COLLEGES

Academics

•High School Diploma

•Grades

•Course rigor

•Test Scores (SAT/ACT)

Extra-Curricular Activities

•Volunteer Activities

•School Activities

•Community Activities

Personal Statements/Essays

•Your Story

•Possible Interviews

• No matter what you choose after high school, you must graduate from high

school and get your high school diploma.

• High School Diploma (Graduation) is required for military service and

apprenticeship programs!

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITIES/COLLEGES

▪ Almost all four-year universities/colleges require either the SAT or ACT

▪ Go to http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional for schools that do NOT require SAT/ACT

▪ Differences between SAT and ACT

▪ SAT – sections: Reading, Writing, Math – less straightforward questions – www.collegeboard.org

▪ ACT – sections: Reading, Writing, Math, and Science – more straightforward questions – www.actstudent.org

▪ We encourage ALL students to take either the SAT or ACT at least once before senior year!

▪ SAT Subject Tests

▪ Some highly selective colleges/universities will require SAT Subject Tests – for example: Pomona College, Amherst College, Cal Tech

▪ SAT Subject Tests may be Math II (Pre-Calculus), Biology, US History, etc.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTING

Public Universities (Most)

■ Application

■ SAT/ACT Scores

■ Extra-Curricular Activities

Section

■ Application Essays

Private Universities (Most)

■ Application

■ SAT/ACT Scores

■ Extra-Curricular Activities

Section

■ Application Essays

■ Supplemental Application

■ Letters of Recommendation

■ Transcripts including mid-

year!

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

Deadlines:

• Many public universities have

“rolling deadlines”

• UCs – November 30th

• UW – November 15th

• Private Schools – January 1st

(many)

Your goal is to communicate as

many parts of your

personality/characteristics as

possible to the admissions team.

Each writer for your letter should

show admissions officers different

characteristics of you.

For example, math/science teacher

can talk about your analytical skills

and helpfulness towards others

while your English/social studies

teacher can talk about your

presentation skills and ability to

learn quickly.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

BUILDING A COLLEGE LIST:Think of different factors!

Location

Major

Costs

Reach

•Colleges that have average GPA/Test Scores ABOVE your GPA/Test Scores

Match

•Colleges that have average GPA/Test Scores about the same level your GPA/Test Scores

Safe

•Colleges that have average GPA/Test Scores BELOWyour GPA/Test Scores

Reach

• Ivy Leagues

•MIT/Stanford

•U Chicago/Tufts

•UC Berkeley/UCLA

Match

•Colleges that have average GPA/Test Scores about the same level your GPA/Test Scores

Safe

•Colleges that have a very high admit rate

BUILDING A COLLEGE LIST

FIXED TIME

University of

Washington

Apply between

October 1st –

November 15th

University of

California

Apply between

November 1st –

November 30th

ROLLING

ADMISSIONS

The earlier the

better! First

come, first

served!

Pennsylvania

State University

Rutgers

University

Purdue

University

EARLY ACTION

Apply early,

non-binding,

and get your

decision by

December

(most schools)

Seattle

University

Georgetown

University

SINGLE CHOICE

EARLY ACTION

Apply early,

non-binding,

but you cannot

apply to any

other early

action or early

decision

schools

Yale University

Stanford Univ.

EARLY

DECISION

Apply early,

BINDING – if

you go this

route, the

school must be

your first choice

and something

you can

realistically

afford!

TYPES OF DECISION DEADLINES

Large Schools

■ Larger student body

■ Larger class sizes

■ Offer more majors

■ Less strict course

requirement

■ Professors tend to

focus on producing

research

Liberal Arts Colleges

■ Smaller student body

■ Smaller class sizes

■ Offer less majors – but

perhaps more specialized as

in the case of STEM schools

■ Place importance on breadth

of knowledge which translates

to a strict course requirement

■ Professors are more likely to

focus on students first

Please keep in mind these are general, major differences.

There are some large universities that operate more like a

liberal arts college such as the Ivy League schools.

Smaller student body and

class sizes

Offer more specialized

majors with focused career

goals

Emphasis on science,

technology, engineering,

math or arts and design

TYPES OF COLLEGES

STEM or Art Schools

WUE Colleges

■ Eligible for reduced tuition rates!!!

■ University of Colorado, Denver

■ Cal Poly Pomona

■ Northern Arizona University

■ University of Northern Colorado

■ Boise State University

■ Portland State University

■ http://www.wiche.edu/wue

Co-Op Colleges

■ Schools that embed work experience into your four-year college experience

■ Drexel University

■ Northeastern University

■ Georgia Tech University

■ Purdue University

Canada is a great place to

be!

Germany has one of the

lowest college tuition in the

world!

TYPES OF COLLEGES

International

■ Common Application:

– Hundreds of schools, mostly private schools

– Examples: Seattle U, Santa Clara, Chapman, etc.

■ Coalition Application:

– Multiple Schools use the Coalition App

– Example: University of Washington

■ School Specific Applications:

– Apply directly on schools website

– Example: All University of California Schools

TYPES OF COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

■ FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

– Remember to turn in your FAFSA as close to

October 1st as possible. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

■ CSS Profile (College Board)

– Additional financial aid application required by

many private universities

■ WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid)

■ Research different types of aid available at

http://studentaid.ed.gov

FINANCIAL AID

▪ Check Financial Aid

section of the colleges

you are applying to.

▪ Register at

www.thewashboard.org

for local scholarships

Useful Websites

www.finaid.org

www.fastweb.com

www.collegesavings.com

www.wiredscholar.com

www.fafsa.ed.gov

www.collegeboard.com

REMEMBER: You should never have to pay for scholarship info. Be aware of scams!

SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES

NAVIANCE AND COLLEGES

■ Naviance is a web-based program that supports students in self-

exploration/awareness, career exploration, and college

exploration.

■ College Tools: SuperMatch College Search, Scattergram

■ Student Use: College Application Dashboard, Letter of

Recommendations, College Visits, Volunteer Hours

Help with:

• College List

• Applications

• Essay Review

• College Visits

• Scholarships and Financial Aid

• Potential Career Paths / Majors

• Gap Year Planning

• Resumes / Cover Letters / Job Searches

COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTERS

NAVIANCE 101

Back To School Fair 2018

Saturday September 15, 2018

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

■ Introduction to Naviance

■ How Naviance is used across middle and high schools

■ Tools in Naviance – GO LIVE

NAVIANCE IS…a web-based program, funded by the Bellevue Schools Foundation, that allows students to:

▪ Identify personality and learning styles

▪ Create a four-year plan

▪ Explore careers

▪ Research colleges

▪ Prepare for SAT

▪ Work on your resume

▪ More…!!!