The College Process: It’s Closer Than You Think

Unit 10 Class PresentationMay 16, 2013

Agenda for the Day

• What colleges are looking for in applicants.

• How to start your preparation for the college application process.

• Information on paying for college.• Introduction to Naviance.

The Qualities Colleges Want

• To gauge what students can bring to their campus, colleges look for these types of qualities:– Leadership– A willingness to take risks– Initiative– A sense of social responsibility– A commitment to service– Special talents or abilities

The Qualities Colleges Want

• Overall, colleges want a mix of students to create a rich campus community.

• Colleges are looking for “students who are going to be involved in a lot of activities and students who are musicians and students who are athletes and everything in between.”

The Qualities Colleges Want

• As colleges review your credentials, they start with:1. your transcript, noting both the strength of your academic program and your academic successes relative to other students in your school.2. Next, they look at scores, essays, and extracurricular activities, noting any "hooks" or points of distinction along the way.

The Qualities Colleges Want

• If you challenge yourself by taking the toughest classes you can handle, especially in your areas of strength and interest, colleges will pick up on what you have accomplished.

• What is most important to colleges is the quality of your courses.

What you can do NOW

• Get a summer job. Finding steady summer work will look good to prospective colleges and employers.

• Volunteer: Colleges like those who show compassion for others or the environment. Volunteering in a hospital, organizing a food drive, participating in a beach clean up are all great ways to help.

What you can do NOW

• Get involved: When you participate in extracurricular activities, such as student government, clubs and sports teams, it shows that you care about your school and that you want to be involved. You also show the admissions board that you are dedicated to learning outside the classroom.

• Apply for a summer job or internship. Summer employment and internships will look appealing on a college application or resume.

Common Application Q’s

• Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below.

• Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

• Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

Common Application Q’s

• Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade forward that resulted in a disciplinary action? These actions could include, but are not limited to: probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution.

____ Yes ____ No

Teacher Recommendation

• Compared to other students in his or her class year, how do you rate this student in terms of:Academic achievement Intellectual promise Quality of writing Creative, original thought Productive class discussion Respect from facultyDisciplined work habits MaturityMotivation LeadershipIntegrity Reaction to setbacksConcern for others Self-confidenceInitiative, independence

Teacher Recommendation

• Please write whatever you think is important about this student, including a description of academic and personal characteristics, as demonstrated in your classroom. We welcome information that will help us to differentiate this student from others.

The Bottom Line……

Public Colleges GPA ACT/SAT Annual CostOhio State N/A 27/1190 $20,429Kent State 3.2 20/890 $18,884Cleveland State 3.1 18/860 $20,236Bowling Green 3.25 19/900 $19,031Miami University 3.4 25/1130 $23,663

The Bottom Line……

Private Colleges GPA ACT/SAT Annual CostCWRU N/A 28/1240 $52,926John Carroll 3.4 22/980 $42,790Lake Erie 3.1 19/860 $35,704Baldwin Wallace 3.5 21/970 $34,580Dayton University 3.0 24/1100 $43,750

High Stakes Testing

• PSAT / ASVAB• SAT / ACT• What are they? How are they

different?• When to take them? How to sign up?• Refer to the handout in your packet.

High Stakes Testing

How will you score? Take a FREE full-length practice SAT or ACT under actual testing conditions and find out how you’ll score. It’s a great way to try your hand at the types of questions you’ll face on the actual exam, build confidence and get comfortable with the exam’s format.

Not sure which test to take? Try The Princeton Review Assessment (PRA). Featuring a sampling of question types from both the SAT and ACT, the PRA is designed to help you determine which test is better suited to your abilities.

Test Dates

• ACT 2013-14 Test Dates:– 2013: Sept. 21, Oct. 26, Dec. 14– 2014: Feb. 8, Apr. 12, June 14

• SAT 2013-14 Test Dates:– 2013: Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Dec. 7– 2014: Jan. 25, Mar. 8, May 3, June 7

• PSAT Test Date: October 2013• ASVB Test Dates: Oct. 2013, Apr. 2014

Paying For College

• Tuition• Room & Board• Books & Supplies

Paying for College

• Financial aid makes college affordable for you.

• Financial aid refers to borrowed, given or earned money that can be obtained to help pay for college.

• It is intended to make up the difference between what your family can afford to pay and what college costs.

Financial Aid

• Scholarships and Grants– Money that does not have to be paid back– Awarded on the basis of merit or skill

• Loans– Money students and parents borrow – Repayment usually begins after education is finished

• Work Study– Allows students to earn money to help pay for college

Naviance

• Coming to MHS this fall• Naviance is a web-based resource

for students and parents that assists in post High School career and college planning

Naviance

• A few things Naviance has to offer:–Prep Me–College Web Tours–Road Trip Nation–Scholarship Matching–Manage your college applications

Useful Websites To Visit

• www.actstudent.org• www.collegeboard.org• www.leaf-ohio.org• www.mentorhigh.com/guidance• www.collegeview.com