Junior Parent Night Class of 2016

Brookwood High School Counseling Department

Junior Parent Agenda

Meet your counselorsPacket overview

Junior and Senior timelinesGraduation requirements

GPACollege Admissions

SAT/ACT H.O.P.E.NCAA

College application processBrag forms/Letters of recommendation

Counselors Ms. Stephanie Medlin* A-Dh Dr. Boone Benton Di-I Dr. Varieta Benjamin J-M Dr. Stacy Dehnke* N-S Mrs. Kelly Byrd T-Z

Dr. Joyce Ricks 9th grade, A-L Ms. Cary Kennedy 9th grade, M-Z

*Department Chairs

Junior Review

Students will complete a Junior Review with a counselor during Guided Study to review course history and graduation requirements

Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their counselor if they have any questions or concerns

Junior Year Overview Attend Junior Parent Meeting on Thursday, March 5th Students will complete a Junior Review with a

counselor during guided study to review course history and graduation requirements

Register to take the SAT/ACT Read the Junior Bulletin regularly Talk with college reps who visit BHS and begin visiting

colleges Utilize the College and Career Room and meet Mrs.

Varzaly Begin working on your Brag Sheet (for a Letter of Rec.) Became familiar with www.GaCollege411.org.

Senior Year Overview Complete Senior Application for Graduation in the fall Register to take (or re-take) the SAT/ACT Obtain college applications from the college website or the

GaCollege411 website Bring your Brag Sheet to Mrs. Varzaly (if Letter of Rec. is required

for admission) Submit applications by individual college deadline Request transcripts from BHS ($5 each) or send an electronic

transcript via GaCollege411 (Georgia colleges only) Send SAT/ACT scores to colleges Continue to work diligently in current classes Attend the Financial Aid Meeting on September 17th at BHS Check the Senior Bulletin for scholarship information Visit colleges and talk with your family about finances

Graduation Requirements

Testing Pass GCPS Gateway Writing Assessment (administered

in 10th grade)

Pass the GHSGT Writing Test (administered in 11th grade)

EOC(T)/Georgia Milestones:

MATH SOC STUD ENG/LANG ARTS SCIENCE Algebra I US History 9th Lit/Comp BiologyGeometry Economics 11th Am Lit/Comp

Grade Point Average (GPA)

• Contact each college/university to determine how GPA is calculated.

• Most colleges only consider academic courses (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign

Language)

The preliminary HOPE Scholarship calculations are available through Georgia College 411 (www.gacollege411.org)

College Admission Standards

How is a student evaluated? GPA

Course Selection (rigor; difficulty level) – Selective colleges are looking at the strength or rigor of courses throughout high school, including senior year.

Test Scores (SAT, ACT, COMPASS)

Extracurricular Activities – Leadership and participation in clubs, service, and sports can be particularly important to competitive colleges

Application Components

Essays – Required essays on the college application are important because they demonstrate writing ability and give the college more information. Please seek advice when writing an essay and make sure to proofread for errors.

Letters of Recommendation

Resume – Contains academic information, honors and awards, extracurricular activities, work/volunteer experience, etc.

Interviews

SAT versus ACT Type of Test SAT

(www.collegeboard.org)

Test of critical thinking and problem solving

ACT(www.actstudent.org)

Content-based test

Test Dates March 14May 2June 6

April 18June 13

Score 600 to 2400 1 to 36

Penalty for wrong answers

Yes No

Structure Critical ReadingMath (through Algebra 2)

Writing

EnglishMath (through Trigonometry)

ReadingScience ReasoningWriting (optional)

SAT and ACTSome colleges may require a student to take the essay portion of the ACT or a SAT II subject test.

Check to find out!

Free practice tests for the ACT and SAT can be found at:

www.gocollege.com www.testprep.com

www.March2success.com

SAT/ACT WaiversFee waivers are available to economically disadvantaged high school juniors or

seniors. Fee waivers cover the basic registration fee.

SAT FEE WAIVERS May use up to 4 fee waivers during junior and senior years. Does not apply to late registrations. May sign up for 3 subject tests during one registration. Can take up to 6 subject tests. May use up to 4 college application fee waivers if student used SAT fee waivers AND

approved by college admissions officer. For more information about SAT fee waivers, visit www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees/feewaivers

ACT FEE WAIVERS Up to 2 fee waivers may be used during junior and senior years. Does not cover late or standby registration fees. If a student uses the waiver to register and does not test, he/she loses this waiver. Can use one fee waiver for a college application. For more information about ACT fee waivers, visit www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/feewaiver

My College QuickStart

Free personalized feedback, practice, and college planning based on your PSAT/NMSQT results, www.quickstart.collegeboard.org

See your scores and your projected SAT score Review questions you got wrong and why Practice for the SAT with hundreds of practice

questions Save your college searches Take a personality test to find majors and careers

fit for you Get feedback on your readiness for AP courses

Academic Classes and H.O.P.E. (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally)

Accessing H.O.P.E. Average

Preliminary HOPE Scholarship averages are available on Georgia College 411 (www.gacollege411.org)

1) Log on to www.gacollege411.org2) Sign into your account3) Click on the “Financial Aid” tab at the top of the page4) Under Quicklinks, select “Your HOPE GPA”5) Enter Name, Date of Birth, and Social Security number6) Select “Brookwood High School”7) The final screen displays your HOPE GPA8) Select “View Your Detailed GPA Report”

H.O.P.E. Scholarship Partial tuition covered – varies by year

Payment amount for private & public colleges and universities can be located on www.GAcollege411.org.

Requirements: Graduate from an eligible high school GPA of at least a 3.0 (calculated by GSFC) Academic Rigor: 3 classes that are academically rigorous.

http://www.gsfc.org/main/publishing/pdf/2012/Rigor_Explanation.pdf

In college, must maintain 3.0 GPA. If a student falls below a 3.0 GPA in college, they

may only regain the HOPE Scholarship one time. A student that does not graduate from high school

as a HOPE Scholar, can earn a 3.0 GPA in college.

Zell Miller Scholarship

100% of tuition covered

Must meet all the requirements to be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship, plus:

Graduate from an eligible high school GPA of at least a 3.7 (calculated by GSFC) or Valedictorian

or Salutatorian SAT: min. 1200 combined critical reading score and math

score (single administration) ACT: min. composite score of 26

SAT/ACT scores MUST be submitted to GSFC to be considered

In college must maintain 3.3 GPA

H.O.P.E. Grant

The H.O.P.E. Grant is available to students who plan to attend a technical college to earn a

certificate or diploma.

A student must be enrolled in a certificate or diploma program at a University System of

Georgia (USG) or Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) school.

There is no high school GPA requirement.

H.O.P.E. Scholarship Application

Apply for the HOPE

Complete FAFSA starting January 2016 senior year

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - www.fafsa.ed.gov

Georgia Student Financial Aid Application System (GSFAPPS) - www.GAcollege411.org

View your HOPE average

Go to www.gacollege411.org and login to your account.

For Additional Information on HOPE Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC),

www.gsfc.org Contact Hal Wilkinson, GSFC Representative at

HALW@GSFC.org

NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse

If you are planning on participating in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or II institution you must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse

Access the registration materials by visiting the NCAA website www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

When taking the SAT/ACT, enter 9999 for scores to be sent to NCAA

Students and parents are responsible for determining NCAA eligibility to Division I and Division II schools

Counselors are neither responsible nor allowed to determine eligibility

Researching Colleges

Visit with College Representatives at Brookwood High School

College Campus Tours

Did you know….You get five pre-approved absences for college visits!? Please visit attendance office

Meet with representatives from admissions, financial aid, and from your area of interest.

Researching Colleges

Utilize the College and Career Room to research colleges and scholarships

Attend College Fairs

Atlanta National College FairGeorgia International Convention CenterSunday, March 22: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Types of Admission

Where Should I Apply?

Dream/Reach School

Less than 30% chance of admission

Your academic record and test scores are at or above average

For highly selective schools, your scores should meet or be above average

Target/Good Fit School

30%-60% chance of admission

Your academic record/test scores are in line with average

Safety School

Greater than 60% chance of admission

Your academic record/test scores are above average

You need at least one safety school

A highly selective school should not be considered a safety school

Letters of Recommendation

Counselors will complete a letter of recommendation when a student submits a Student and a Parent Brag Sheet and provides at least three weeks notice before the application deadline.

Brag Sheets can be found on our website, www.brookwoodcounseling.com

*Some colleges require a letter of recommendation, others do not. Please double check application requirements for each school.

Communication

Remind 101 (Class of 2016)

www.brookwoodcounseling.com Check the counseling website frequently for scholarship

opportunities

This entire presentation will be added to the counseling website to review as needed!

Remind 101