WELCOME TO SENIOR PARENT

UNIVERSITY NIGHT

OR..HOW TO NAVIGATE MY CHILD’S UNIVERSITY APPLICATION PROCESS!

INTRODUCTIONS

Mr. Dennis HarterHS Principal

Mrs. Sonia Martínez S.Administrative Assistant

Ms. Tammy GordonHS/University Counselor (A-L)

Mr. Jim BarekmanHS/University Counselor (M-Z)

University is a match to be made, not a trophy to be won.

The goal should be to find the best fit– a place where your child can be successful

both academically and personally.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE

Detailed overviews of Canadian, UK, and US admissions

Each person’s role Application timelines Naviance Any questions you may have

TONIGHT WE WILL DISCUSS….

OUR ROLE IN THE PROCESS

As parents you have many roles in the university admissions process:

ListenerAdvocateAdvisor of deadlinesUniversity trip organizerResearcherCheerleader

YOUR ROLE IN THE PROCESS

Have your child take OWNERSHIP of this process.

Make sure your child’s final list is balanced.

Be open and honest about any limitations in terms of location, cost, etc.

Help your child stay organized and on top of dates and deadlines.

YOUR ROLE IN THE PROCESS

Read Scoops and regularly check Naviance for:

Important dates and deadlinesUniversity representative visits*University information and announcements Your child’s application progress

*If you wish to attend a visit at VIS please notify us at least two days before the event.

KEEP INFORMED!

We invite you to share your valuable insights and any information you believe is pertinent

to your child’s university applications.

The Parent Questionnaire is optional and there is no need to answer all questions. (This will be emailed to you later in the

week.)

All students applying to university this year will be completing a Senior Questionnaire.

PARENT QUESTIONNAIRE

At this point, students are at various stages of finalizing their university lists.

Many resources are available to fine tune their university choices including:NavianceCounseling Office resourcesLibrary resourcesYour son’s/daughter’s counselor

COMPLETING THE SEARCH

Subjects/majors off eredSelectivity/competitivenessSizeLocationDiversity of student bodyCampus “culture”SafetyExtra-curricular off erings Relatives nearbySpecialty (theater, art, business, etc.)Housing availability Cost

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

OH CANADA!

Applications deadlines vary, but tend to be later than in the US; typically from January to March.

Students should aim to get Canadian applications done before the December break. (McGill University must be done by then.)

CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES: TIMELINE

Be sure to have the necessary requirements before applying to a particular program.

In general, interviews, essays and letters of recommendations are not required. However, competitive programs at the more selective universities may ask for supplemental materials.

IB recognition policies for Canada: www.ibo.org/country/CA/index.cfm

Students who are not full IB Diploma candidates must check the admission policies for each school on their list.

CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES: REQUIREMENTS

Apply Alberta Post-Secondary Application System: https://www.applyalberta.ca/

Ontario Universities’ Application Center – http://www.ouac.on.ca

Post-Secondary Application Service of British Columbia– https://applybc.ca/apply

CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES: HOW TO APPLY

Typically no school documents will be sent until January, once the first semester grades are available.

Applications are assessed on a rolling basis starting in February.

Academic performance is the most important factor in the admissions decision. Junior and senior year grades are most important.

CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES: HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE

UK UNIVERSITIES

Students apply online through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) at www.ucas.com

During the senior retreat and this past weekend, most students are now linked to the AIS UCAS account.

Parents can register to receive email newsletters at: www.ucas.com/parents/register

APPLICATIONS TO THE UK

UK IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES

UCAS DEADLINE AIS DEADLINE

OXFORD OR CAMBRIDGE

15 OCTOBER 1 OCTOBER

MEDICINE, DENTISTRY, VET MEDICINE, VET SCIENCE

15 OCTOBER 1 OCTOBER

ALL OTHER UCAS 15 JANUARY 2 DECEMBER

ART & DESIGN (EXCEPT THOSE WITH A 15 JANUARY DEADLINE)

24 MARCH 3 MARCH

Personal details

Choices

Education

Employment

Personal statement

School reference –including IB predicted grades

THE UCAS APPLICATION

Has the student met the IB prerequisite requirements (overall & subject specific)

Exams/test results already achieved

Personal statement Extra-curricular involvementWork experienceInterviewSchool reference

WHAT ADMISSION TUTORS ARE LOOKING FOR IN THE UK

If required, admission tutors consider the results of standardized admission tests:

Medicine/Dentistry/Vet Med: Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) and/or UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)

Law: National Law Admissions Test (LSAT) For Cambridge: MML for Modern & Medieval Languages.

The Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) for Mathematics. Students applying for Computer Science, Natural Sciences, Engineering and Economics must take the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA).

For Oxford: Students applying for Modern History must take the History Aptitude Test (HAT). The Philosophy, Politics & Economics Course requires the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) and students applying for English must take the English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)

UK SUBJECT-SPECIFIC ADMISSION TESTS

Applications are forwarded to the universities, usually within 48 hours.

Sometimes offers are made very quickly within a couple weeks, but the majority are made by 31 March.

Once a student applies, they will receive a welcome letter from UCAS listing their access information for TRACK.

UK UNIVERSITIES: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

UCAS TRACK- online system which allows a student to track the progress of their application. When a decision has been made, the applicant will receive an email stating that there has been an update on Track.

UNCONDITIONAL: Your child has met the entry requirements of the course and they have a place.

CONDITIONAL: If your child meets the entry requirements set forth in the conditional off er, they will have a place.

UNSUCCESSFUL: The university has decided not to off er a place.

UK UNIVERSITIES: OFFERS

Once your child has heard from all their choices they must make decisions about the offers they have received.

They select a “FIRM” choice (first choice) and a second, backup choice, called “INSURANCE.”

*The insurance choice should have lower entry requirements than the firm choice – it should also be a place your child would be happy to go.

UK UNIVERSITIES:DECISIONS

EXTRA (end of February to end of June): Allows students who have applied for five courses, but did not receive any off ers or have declined all off ers to apply for courses that still have availability.

CLEARING (from mid-August): Students who hold no off ers or do not meet the conditions of either the FIRM or INSURANCE off er, will automatically be eligible for Clearing. Clearing allows students to apply for any course that still has spaces available.

What if a student narrowly misses an off er?

UCAS SAFETY NET

UCAS ADJUSTMENT: Students who have met and exceeded the conditions of their FIRM choice, have the option to look for another place without losing their original off er.

Although ADJUSTMENT is open from August 15-31, the personal adjustment period (5 days only) starts the moment the student’s FIRM choice is confirmed.

If a student tries ADJUSTMENT but doesn’t find anything, they will be able to keep their original off er.

There is no vacancy list for ADJUSTMENT. Students need to check the course details on UCAS and contact admission offi ces directly.

UCAS SAFETY NET

There are two types of fee status in the UK: Home/EU and Overseas . Each university applies government regulations to assess which rate a student should be charged.

Universities in England can charge home students (UK or EU residents) up to £9,000 per year. Amounts charged may vary between courses, as well as between diff erent universities.

There are no up-front fees for EU students. EU students take out a loan to cover fees and will not be expected to pay back tuition fees until after they graduate and are earning more than £21,000.

Overseas students pay higher tuition fees than a home student. Overseas fees are set by the individual universities. For further information visit UK Council for International Student Aff airs: www.ukcisa.org.uk .

HIGHER EDUCATION FEES IN THE UK

The cost of attending university in the UK falls into two categories: Tuition and living/maintenance costs.

Maintenance costs include: rent, food, books, transportation, entertainment, etc. Living expenses will vary considerably depending on where you choose to study.

For further information about university funding, visit the Department for Education and Skills website at:

http://www.education.gov.uk.

HIGHER EDUCATION FEES IN THE UK

Research the entry requirements for each university/course and apply to those courses where you meet or exceed the minimum entry requirements.

Complete the UCAS application well before the stated deadline.

Schedule university visits and attend open days.

Write several drafts of the personal statement and seek input from teachers, parents, and your counselor.

Apply to a universities with a range of IB requirements .

TIPS FOR APPLYING TO THE UK

US UNIVERSITIES

FACTORS IN ADMISSION DECISIONS

Intellectual curiosityInitiative/MotivationSelf-DisciplineAbility to overcome challengesLeadership skillsCommunity service contributionsCreativitySpecial talents (music, dance, art, athletics,

etc.) Legacy status

THEY ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE OF…..

1. Narrow the list.

2. Take the necessary tests.

3. Choose when and how to apply.

4. Work on applications and essays.

5. If required, request teacher recommendations.

6. Complete Senior Questionnaire.

US APPLICATIONS: WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE DOING NOW?

Narrow the list of universities to create a final list according to the following:

Reach: highly selective, few students accepted

Target (50/50): half or more of the students with a similar profi le are admitted

Likely/Safety: most students with a similar profi le are admitted

Number of applications will vary. We recommend a minimum of two schools per category.

.

US APPLICATIONS: WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE DOING NOW?

SAT REASONING & SAT SUBJECT TESTS 5 October2 November (4 day weekend)7 December

ACT26 October (during fall break)

TOEFL Various dates/times (approximately every

two weeks)

STANDARDIZED TESTING PLAN

Early Decision – binding. If accepted the student is making a commitment to enroll.

Early Action – not binding. Students may also apply to regular decision schools. Restricted Early ActionSingle Choice Early Action

Internal AIS deadline for all early applications is October 11th.

DECIDE WHEN & HOW TO APPLY (EARLY OPTIONS)

Regular Admissions- submit from December-February. Decisions are made between 1 March and 15 April.

Rolling Admissions – applications reviewed as submitted until the class is full. Decisions typically made in 6-8 weeks.

Note: Deadlines vary from school to school. It is your child’s responsibility to know the deadline and requirements for every school on their list.

DECIDING WHEN & HOW TO APPLY(REGULAR/ROLLING)

.APPLICATIONS: We recommend that students

review their applications with us before they are submitted.

ESSAYS: Breathe life into the statistics and numbers on the application. The key is revise, revise, revise!

PREPARING THE APPLICATION & ESSAYS

Teacher recommendations are not required by all schools.

In general, the students are choosing academic, core subject teachers from junior or senior year; one from humanities and one from math/science.

Recommendations are confidential. They are not given directly to students.

Starting Thursday, students will be confirming which teachers will write their recommendations.

TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS

High School Profile is always sent.

Students need to do the research of what needs to be sent and to where (if not electronic submissions).

All standardized testing scores must be sent directly from the agency. They should be sent after the last test has been taken.

SENDING REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

AcceptanceDeniedWaitlistedDeferred January Admit

DECISIONS! DECISIONS! DECISIONS!

In January, mid-year grades and IB predicted scores (if needed) are sent out.

Students should make sure that all application files are complete and, if not, follow up immediately.

May 1 is the Candidate’s Reply Date for most universities in the US.

WHAT HAPPENS SECOND SEMESTER

How do deposits work?

What to do if applying to different university systems?

Acquire student visas (if needed)

Sign up for New Student Orientation

Sign up for classes: http://ratemyprofessors.com

WHAT HAPPENS SECOND SEMESTER

Many universities require end-of-year reports confirming there have been no changes since the mid-year reports.

Senior year is a full year…senioritis is not a disease, but if your son or daughter catches it, he or she may have a university offer revoked during the summer.

IMPORTANCE OF CROSSING THE FINISH LINE!

Be up front about how much you are willing to spend.

Residency issues

Financial aid forms: FAFSA- must be filed after January 1 next year CSS Profile- available from October 1 University specific form

For international students: Certification of Finances Form (this should be started in

November)

FINANCING YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION

Complete the application properly.

Write a great essay.

Show commitment to an activity.

Show interest in the university.

Don’t procrastinate!

IMPROVING THE ODDS

PARTING THOUGHTS….