Columbus School for Girls

FORM IX AND X COLLEGE NIGHT JANUARY 15, 2014

PROGRAM MATERIALS

• College Counseling at CSG (Program highlights)

• CSG College Search Timeline (IX-XII)

• College Fair Sample Questions and Label

• SAT Subject Test Information

CSG COLLEGE COUNSELING

• Student-centered that focuses on helping students to find a good college “match” (or matches)

• Belief that helping students engage in self-assessment and reflection are key in helping to identify appropriate college “matches”

• 100% of CSG students go on to 4-year colleges and universities

CSG COLLEGE COUNSELING

• Meet with students in individual appointments and junior college counseling class

• Help families navigate the complex college search, application and selection process

• Coordinate various college-related programs, on and off-campus

• Coordinate on-campus testing (PSAT, PLAN)

• Travel to regional and national conferences

• Meet with college representatives at CSG and travel to colleges and universities across the country

THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS LANDSCAPE

National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) 2012 State of College Admissions

High School Graduation & College Enrollment

• Number of HS students peaked in ‘08-’09, but college enrollment continues to be at an all-time high and is expected to continue increasing until 2021

• Gap between women’s and men’s enrollment grew to a peak of 11% during the past decade

Applications to College

• Application increases fueled by increase submitted per student

• Acceptance rates for four-year institutions declined slightly during the past decade (69.6% in 2002 to 63.9% in 2011)

• Growing use of technology – online admission notification portals, virtual college fairs, use of social media, etc.

THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS LANDSCAPE

Admission Practices

• Number of colleges that offered EA applications increased from 18% to 31% in the last decade

• More colleges using wait lists, but chance of acceptance from the wait list has dropped

Factors in Admission Decision

1. Grades 2. HS Curriculum 3. Test Scores

2. Demonstrated interest

The Admission Office

Average ratio of applications per admission counselor/officer rose from 359 in 2005 to 662 in 2011

WHAT’S NEW IN ADMISSIONS? (WHAT CAN YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER EXPECT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS?)

• Online applications, decisions and communication

• Social Media and the college process

• Increased security measures for SAT and ACT

• Common Application • Increasing number of “test optional” or “test alternate” options • Increasing college costs

• Net Price Calculators – more uniformity?

• Possible waitlist guidelines

TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Remember that each student/child is different

• Consider keeping her process private

• Let your daughter drive the process (…but you need to be in the car!)

• Outline expectations early

• Keep open communication with the College Counseling office

• Be open to colleges and universities you aren’t familiar with

• Help with organization

• Listen and support

TESTING TIMELINE

Form IX

– Take the PSAT at CSG for practice in October

– Receive PSAT results in December

– Honors Biology students may want to consider taking the Biology-M SAT Subject test in June. Consult with Biology teacher for guidance.

TESTING TIMELINE

Form X

– Take the PSAT at CSG for practice in October

– Take the PLAN at CSG for practice in November

– Receive PLAN and PSAT results in December

– Take the Ohio Graduation Tests in March

– Honors U.S. History students take AP test in May

– Honors U.S. History and Honors Chemistry students may want to consider taking June Subject tests. Consult with teachers for guidance.

TESTING TIMELINE

Form XI

– Take the PSAT for National Merit Scholarship Competition

– Take the SAT and ACT in winter/spring

– SAT Subject Tests (as needed) in June

*Students enrolled in AP courses or honors courses preparing for the AP exam will take AP exams in May.

SAT vs. ACT • Reasoning Exam: 3 sections (Critical

Reading, Math and Writing)

• Each section is graded on a scale of 200-800, making a perfect score 2400

• Multiple choice exam, with 10 questions of student generated response (math)

• Essay is graded on a scale of 2-12; comprises 25% of writing score

• SAT penalizes student ¼ point for incorrect answers on the multiple choice sections

• Score Choice depends on the college’s requirements

• www.collegeboard.org/sat

• Subject Tests are offered in History, English Literature, Math, Science, and Languages (you may take up to three subject tests on one test date, but you may not take subject tests AND the Reasoning Test)

• Achievement Test: 4 sections (English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning) plus an optional Writing section

• Each section is graded on a scale of 1-36, 4 section scores are averaged to create a composite score, 1-36.

• Multiple choice exam

• Essay is graded on a scale of 2-12; does not factor into the composite score

• Students who take the essay receive a combined English test/essay score of 1-36. The essay is 1/3 of the English score.

• ACT does not penalize for guessing

• Many colleges accept the ACT in lieu of an SAT Subject tests

• Score Choice (but cannot send essay score separately)

• www.act.org

SAT SUBJECT TEST INFORMATION

• One-hour, multiple-choice tests that measure a student’s knowledge of a particular subject.

• Five areas: English, history, math, sciences, and languages.

• Small number of highly selective colleges request SAT Subject tests as part of their admissions review process (typically 2-3 tests).

• Additionally, some selective engineering or math/science programs may recommend subject tests.

• A list of these schools can be found at: http://www.compassprep.com/admissions_req_subjects.aspx

SAT SUBJECT TEST INFORMATION

• Commonly taken in June of sophomore and junior years (or fall of senior year for ongoing subjects like math, languages and English.)

• This year’s June SAT date is: Saturday, June 7 (registration deadline is May 9).

• While these subject-based exams often include concepts covered in CSG classes, interested students should talk with their teachers and should be prepared to put in additional study time, outside of class time.

• Recommend students take a minimum of two, full –length practice tests prior to the June test.

SUBJECT TEST RECOMMENDATIONS/GUIDELINES^

If a student is earning an “A” or “B” in one or more of the following classes and she is interested in highly selective colleges, she may want to consider preparing for the following:

– Math 1 – at the recommendation of her math teacher

– Math 2* – after Pre-Calculus or Calculus

– US History – at the end of Honors US History

– Biology – at the end of Honors or AP Biology

– Chemistry – at the end of Honors or AP Chemistry

– English Literature – at the end of junior year

^Any student is eligible to take these exams, but these are the recommendations of the Academic Departments and the College Counseling office.

* We recommend eligible students take the Math 2 exam over Math 1.

We recommend modern language exams for AP students or native speakers.

TEST PREPARATION Which tests should she prepare for? • Recommend preparing for junior-year PSAT and all SAT, SAT Subject and

ACT tests • Freshman and sophomore year PSAT exams are practice for the junior-year

PSAT and future SAT exams

What resources does CSG offer? • Through the library, we offer access to free, online test preparation resources

for PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP. The library also houses some print resources.

• Kaplan on-site PSAT/SAT test preparation course for juniors (more details will be sent to students and parents this spring).

Should my daughter pursue private test prep? When is the best time? • Many students and their families see benefit in small group or 1-on-1 tutoring

to prepare for PSAT, SAT Subject, SAT and/or ACT testing. • If your daughter is interested in this type of prep., we recommend that she

consider it no earlier than the summer before junior year (except for Subject tests), or in the winter of junior year.

CSG TESTING REMINDERS

• Students are responsible for registering for the SAT, SAT Subject Tests and ACT.

• Set aside 30 minutes to complete initial registration information.

• CSG registers students for PSAT, PLAN, AP and OGT exams.

• Students are responsible for requesting score reports to be sent to colleges, summer programs or scholarship agencies. Test scores are not listed on the student transcript.

• Consider waiting to send scores to colleges until fall of the senior year, but please be aware, that this is more costly.

• College Board offers SAT registration deadline reminder emails.

CSG TESTING REMINDERS

• Access a list of SAT “Score Choice” testing policies at www.collegeboard.com/sat.

• www.compassprep.com - list of colleges and universities requiring and/or recommending SAT Subject Tests.

• www.fairtest.org – schools that do not require standardized tests or offering alternate testing policies.

MY COLLEGE QUICKSTART

With MyCollegeQuickStart, students can:

• Sort questions by difficulty and type

• View complete answer explanations

• Learn their projected SAT score ranges and state percentiles

• Prepare for the SAT with a customized study plan

• Explore colleges, majors and careers

• Additional resources available through Big Future

• Sign up for My College QuickStart with the access code on the PSAT score report

WHAT SHOULD MY DAUGHTER DO NOW?

Enjoy School!

High School is a time of growth and development, and we should not forget this.

Seek Appropriate Academic Challenge.

Push herself, but recognize her limits. Colleges like to see students who take on a challenging course load, and perform well.

Develop Study Skills and Time Management.

Learn to Seek Extra Help Immediately.

This is a community of support, but the girls must learn to take initiative in getting extra help.

WHAT SHOULD MY DAUGHTER DO NOW?

Enhance Reading and Writing Skills. Newspapers, magazines, journals, novels…model this with your daughter and discuss articles over dinner.

Pursue Extracurricular Activities…not just for resume-

building, but for the pursuit of happiness. Colleges look for students who not only participate in activities of interest, but who can also extract meaning from their experiences and articulate this in writing and in interviews. Keep a list of performances, events, awards, etc., as the girls will begin to craft a resume during the winter of junior year.

Keep Copies of Best Papers. These may be used in applications and can sometimes spark ideas for college essays.

WHAT SHOULD MY DAUGHTER DO NOW?

Use Summers Wisely. While it is important for your daughter to experience some “down-time,” the summer can be quite long! Enrichment programs, camps, volunteer or work activities can add dimension to your daughter’s summer experience and can often further an extracurricular interest or passion.

Talk with Family and Friends about College Experiences.

Prospective college athletes and fine or performing arts majors may want to begin the process before junior year.

When in doubt, talk with the College Counseling office

HELPFUL RESOURCES

• College Counseling portion of CSG webpage

• Collegeboard.org (bigfuture.org)

• Fiske Guide to Colleges

• NY Times Choice Blog

• Insidehighered.com

• Summer programs: enrichmentalley.com, allensguide.com, petersons.com, collegeconfidential.com

• Students, Advisors, Teachers, Alumnae

• Naviance

COLLEGE VISITS & COLLEGE FAIRS

• If possible, reserve junior year, spring break for college visiting

• Incorporate informal college visits (to a wide variety of places: size, setting, etc.) into your family travel plans

• Ask the College Counseling office for recommendations of schools to see during your travels

• NACAC National College Fair – April 5, 2014, Columbus Convention Center, (students should consider wearing uniform) http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/springncf/Pages/default.aspx

CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS

Cari Schultz

Director of College Counseling cschultz@columbusschoolforgirls.org 614-252-0781, ext. 117

Rose Babington

Interim College Counselor

rbabington@columbusschoolforgirls.org

614-252-0781

Kate Newland Administrative Assistant, College Counseling knewland@columbusschoolforgirls.org 614-252-0781 x297