welcome to junior parent night. agenda pre-requisites for college bound students academic program...
TRANSCRIPT
AGENDA• Pre-Requisites for College Bound Students• Academic Program• Testing Dates• SAT vs. ACT• What Colleges Look For• CSU System, UC System and Private Colleges and
Conservatories• What to look for in a College• Application Process• Counselor Forms and Teacher Recommendations• College Search • College Visit• Applying Early• The Common Application• What to do this summer• Tips for Parents• Financial Aid
Must take the appropriate classes (a-g)Pattern of 14 -20 college prep
courses
Must earn the appropriate gradesNo D’s or F’s
Must take the appropriate testsSAT or ACT (SAT Subj)
STRONG ACADEMIC PROGRAM
History 2 yearsEnglish 4 yearsMath 3 – 4 yearsScience 2 – 4 yearsForeign Language 2 – 4 years
VPA 0 - 1 year
SAT VS ACT Aptitude vs. Achievement
SAT still critical thinking test SAT essay is optional SAT more time per section SAT guessing penalty is gone
ACT wealth of study materials ACT Science portion ACT with writing ACT Trigonometry
Testing dates 2015-2016
SAT Testing DatesOct 3, 2015Nov 7, 2015Dec 5, 2015Jan 23, 2016Mar 5, 2016May 7, 2016June 4, 2016
Register on-line at www.collegeboard.org
ACT Testing Dates
Oct 24, 2015 Dec 12, 2015 February 6, 2016 April 9, 2016 June 11, 2016
Register on-line at www.act.org
WHAT COLLEGES LOOK FOR
1. Courses taken (strength of academic program)
2. Grades received3. Strength of Senior year (min 4
academics)4. Test Scores5. Essay6. Teacher/Counselor
Recommendations
CSU SYSTEM
23 universities
Largest university system in the nation
Top 33% of HS Graduates
GPA in the a-g courses taken in 10th through 12th grades is 3.0 and above, you are automatically eligible. If your GPA is between 2.0 and 3.0, your eligibility also depends on how well you do on the SAT or ACT
Requirements: a-g requirements Grades of C or better Minimum GPA of 2.0 SAT or ACT w/Writing
UC SYSTEM- 9 UC campuses
-Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) Top 9%
-UC GPA also limits AP extra points to 4 classes
- Academic grade point average (GPA), calculated using 10th and 11th grade UC–approved courses only.
- Performance on standardized tests: the ACT Assessment Plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test, and two SAT Subject Tests
- The strength of your senior year program
Requirements: a-g Requirements Minimum GPA to apply 3.0 Courses can be repeated 1 time for “D or F” Make – ups for “C” grades are not accepted SAT or ACT w/Writing
PRIVATE COLLEGES AND CONSERVATORIES
Requirements vary by school
SAT or ACT
Most require letters of recommendation
Some focus exclusively on the arts
WHAT YOU LOOK FORMajor
Academic Selectivity
Territory (size/location/rural/urban)
Cost
Help (student support)
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application Official transcript SAT/ACT scores Essay(s) Resume Secondary School Report Counselor Recommendation Teacher Recommendations (2) Application fee
FORMS THE COUNSELOR PROVIDES
Secondary School ReportUn-official TranscriptsCopy of School ProfileCounselor letter of Rec
TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS
1 math/science and 1 humanities (suggestion)
Choose a teacher who knows the student BEST
Request at least 3 weeks from application deadline
Provide teacher with all forms (completed) and a Stamped
Addressed Envelope for every campus.
Provide teacher with resume & samples of previous work.
COLLEGE RESEARCHCollegeBoard – College Planning Step by Step https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-collegesPeterson’s guide to Colleges - https://www.petersons.com/
Attend College Fairs
Performing Visual Arts – Sat, Oct 24th 1:00-3:30pm UCLA Academic – Thurs, April 28, 2016, 9-12:00noon and 6:00-9:00pmPasadena Convention CenterCollege Rep Visits – “LACHSA College Fair”Friday, Oct 23rd – 1:00-4:00pm
Virtual ToursTalk with your counselorTalk to your Arts Chairs
THE COLLEGE VISIT Plan in advance Tour only a few schools at a time
Take the guided tour Take a digital camera
Parents should attend whenever possible Examine:
Classes / Library / Commons / Depts of interest / Student life
Ask Questions: How hard is it to get 1st choice classes? What is the graduation rate?
APPLYING EARLY EARLY DECISION: Binding – must withdraw all other
applications if accepted. Can only apply early to one college.
EARLY ACTION: non-binding – may consider other options if accepted.
Early options are for those students who do NOT need to repeat SAT scores and who are SURE of their college choice.
THE COMMON APPLICATION Over 600 colleges utilize the Common
Application.
It is available at www.commonapp.org
Simplifies the application process by providing BASIC forms you complete once.
Many colleges require a Supplemental Form specific to their university.
WHAT TO DO NEXT SUMMER
Visit colleges Begin writing essays prompts Make a list of the qualities you desire in a
college Develop your personal interests Retake the SAT and /or ACT in the fall Take a summer class at a local college Volunteer Complete the counselor ‘brag sheet’
TIPS FOR PARENTS
Look for the right fit
Do not direct – let your child take ownership of this process
Stay on top of deadlines
Join your child for college campus visits
FINANCIAL AID Federal / State / Institutional
Grants / Loans / Work-Study
Merit based scholarships – begin searching next summer
Need based scholarships – begin searching next summer
Essay contests – start looking at the end of the year
Scholarship websites:
www.fastweb.com and www.finaid.org
GET ME TO COLLEGE
Rebecca Joseph, PHD from Cal State LA
Will speak to our seniors on Friday October 2nd at 8:00 a.m. in Caroline’s Loft. Regarding college essays.