College Exploration Unit

ASSIGNMENT ONE: College-Readiness Survey Due: ___________

On lined paper, answer the following questions. Use complete sentences. Page limit: 1-page (maximum!)

1. Would you say you are more worried or excited about the college application

process? Explain why you feel that way.

2. Based on what you’ve learned from parents, friends, and older siblings, what do

you know or understand about your financial aid options and scholarship

opportunities?

3. Name at least one teacher, coach, or mentor you could ask to write a letter of

recommendation for you. Now, explain why that person would be a good choice.

4. Have you ever held a job for at least three months or participated regularly (at

least once a month for a year) in a volunteer activity? If the answer is yes, tell me

a little bit about that job or volunteer activity. Note: jobs/volunteering can really

help give your application the edge over other people!

5. Have you been on a college visit yet? Where did you go? If not, are you planning

one for this year or next year? Where will you be going?

6. Have you already taken the ACT or SAT?

If “yes,” how many times, and when are you going to take it again?

If “no,” have you signed up to take it in the spring? If not, why not?

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ASSIGNMENT TWO: College Vocabulary Due: ___________

In a small group of 3-4 people, look up the answers to the following questions. Then, on lined paper, answer the questions. Use complete sentences.

1. Define all three of these terms: loan, grant, and scholarship.

2. When it comes to college courses, please explain the difference between “clock

hours” and “credit hours.”

3. What do each of the following offices do at a college: 1) the office of the bursar &

2) the office of the registrar?

4. When one looks at college costs, one will see three key terms. Please explain what

these terms mean: tuition, room, and board.

5. What exactly is a “transcript,” and who (or what group of people) at AHS can

help you when you need to send one?

6. What is the FAFSA? Also, please list all the information, documents, and/or

numbers you will need to fill out a FAFSA.

7. What four numbers are typically used to determine one’s RAI (Regent Admission

Index) score, and what RAI score will guarantee admission into Iowa, Northern

Iowa, or Iowa State?

8. Since AHS does not do class rank anymore, how will your RAI score be

calculated?

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ASSIGNMENT THREE: College Exploration Due: ___________

Step One:

Use the Internet to research your college options.

As you research, think about whether each college you look at is a realistic choice for you, considering your interests, your abilities, your grades, your desires, and your budget.

You must find at least one “safety” school, “one just-right” school, and one “reach” school you might be interested in attending.

Step Two:

Type Assignment Three: College Exploration (page limit = 1 page).

Requirements: Write a paragraph for each of three different schools you may be interested in

attending (three paragraphs total). In each paragraph, your job is to explain why you are interested in each school. You must include at least three things that make you like the school or want to go

there for each paragraph.

Note: Even after this unit is over, you should keep thinking about and researching college choices. While your list might be in flux now, by the beginning of the next school year, you will need to have narrowed it down to the schools about which you care the most. Four to six schools is a good number to have by the September of your senior year.ASSIGNMENT FOUR: College Research Due: ___________

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The following sources are reputable and easy-to-navigate sites with college information and interactive search functions.

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search an excellent and detailed college search tool to get you started

http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/best-collegestons of interesting and fun rankings, from “happiest students,” to “most hipsters,” to “straight edge”

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges more rankings lists to explore

https://www.petersons.com/college-search.aspxsimple three-question quiz matches you to colleges

Step One:

Now, out of the three colleges from ASSIGNMENT THREE, choose just one college to research in-depth for ASSIGNMENT FOUR.

Use the Internet to help you answer each question on the next page. DO NOT type out your answers the same way the questions are arranged (with

numbering); INSTEAD, use full sentences, and write out your answers in four separate paragraphs (each paragraph will contain the information from each category; use transition words).

Title your document with the name of the school you are researching. Use MLA formatting.

YOU MUST cite your sources both in-text and in a works cited page.

Step Two:

Prepare your works cited page.

A works cited page tells the reader all of the sources you used in the paper. The in-text citations tell where you got each of your facts, quotes, or statistics. DOUBLE-CHECK to be sure you have a parenthetical citation at the end of each-

and-every sentence that contains a fact you found through research. You MUST include all sources used in the Works Cited page (alphabetically!)

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Good resources:

1. US News and World Report2. College Board3. Peterson’s4. Princeton Review5. And/or the website hosted by the college itself

College Research Questions

Admissions

1. What is the admissions rate for undergraduates? This will be the percentage of UNDERGRADUATES who are admitted.

2. What is the average ACT score (or the average range of scores) for accepted applicants?

3. What is the average high school GPA (or the average range of scores)?

Cost and Financial Aid

1. How much is tuition? This should be PER YEAR, not for four years. Do not include room/board/books/etc. quite yet.

2. How much is the estimated cost per year when one adds up all the typical costs (tuition, room, board, and books)?

3. What do you need to do to apply for financial aid at this college?4. What is the average indebtedness at graduation for students at this school?

Campus Life

1. How many undergraduate students attend the college?2. Describe the location. (Where is it, and what is the size of the town or city it is in?

Also, how far is it away from Davenport, Iowa?)3. What are some campus activities the college offers that you might be interested

in? This might include music, faith-based groups, study abroad, theatre, athletics, clubs, or just going to see their sports teams play.

Academics:

1. What is the student-to-faculty ratio?2. For what majors/programs is the college well known? 3. What major do you plan to pursue, and does this college offer that major?4. What is the college/university’s four-year graduation rate? This means, what

percentage of students graduate in four years?

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ASSIGNMENT FIVE: College Presentation Due: ___________

Step One: Did anyone in your class research the same college you researched? You can work alone or with a group of up to four people.Step Two: Familiarize yourself with the grading requirements below.Step Three: Start working on your presentation! Your goal for this speech is to inform (and maybe even entertain) your classmates. Discuss 6-8 facts you learned about the college. Also, show 5-10 interesting pictures that actually represent your chosen university – do not just use stock photos.Step Four: Don’t forget to include a works cited slide at the end of your PowerPoint or on the back of your poster.

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Content:

Presentation must include at least 6-8 facts or statistics from the guiding research questions in ASSIGNMENT FOUR.

Presentation must last 3-6 minutes. (-20% if speech runs short)

Citation:

Must include an MLA works cited page/slide with at least THREE sources. Students must verbally cite where facts and information came from

(“According to BigFuture.com, the admissions rate is 88%.).

Speech Delivery:

Posture: does not sway or play with clothes/hair/note cards; avoids putting hands in pockets or leaning on furniture

Voice: volume is appropriate, avoids speaking too fast, pauses instead of saying “um” or “like”

In groups of 2+, each person must speak for at least 30 seconds!

Visual Aid:

PowerPoint contains 5-10 slides (including the title slide and the works cited slide) OR Poster is large enough to be seen across the room.

Visuals are colorful and interesting; uses real pictures from the college or university (not stock photos).

Text is informative, but it does not overwhelm the visual elements; only type the highlights! Use quick phrases rather than full sentences!

ASSIGNMENT SIX: College Entrance Résumé Due: ___________

Step One: Choose a simple and professional-looking template.

Step Two: Check out the sample student résumé on the blog.

Step Three: Type up your résumé using the sections below as a guide.

full nameaddress, city, state, zip code

telephone numberemail address

Academic Profile-High School Name (years you attended)

city and state -GPA:-ACT Composite:-Advanced Coursework:

Activities -Activity Name (years participated)

positions heldspecific contributions, duties, and special recognition(s)hours per week (or per month)

Volunteering & Work Experience-Name of Job at Name of Place (year or month range)

short description of dutieshours per week (or per month)

Honors & Awards-Name of Honor or Award

short description of award/why you won itmonth and year you won the award

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Tips:

Use reverse chronological order within each category (oldest information last) Make sure everything looks uniform; use the same format/font throughout. Ask your parents to help you! They may remember things or have good ideas

that you haven’t thought about! Be sure to mention unusual experiences that will impress admissions officers.

Keep this saved on your computer and/or email a copy to yourself. You should always give a copy to people when you ask them to write a letter of recommendation; it makes writing these letters less painful.

ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: College Application Essay Due: ___________

Step One: Read the Three College Entrance Essay Prompts…PROMPT #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Who are you, and what influences in your life have shaped you into that person? What makes you, you? Show evidence of maturity, reflection, and introspection. You could focus on a broad environmental factor that contributed to your development (such

as growing up in a military family, living in an interesting place, or dealing with an unusual family situation).

You could also talk about an interest or talent. This is pretty broad -- you could focus on a certain song, a single Television episode, your obsession with nail art, or your love for 18 th century French paintings. You could go bigger and talk about music itself, sports and athletics, or family and family rituals.

PROMPT #2: The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Show your ability to learn from your failures and mistakes. Explain how you learned and grew from the experience. Show you can deal with hardship. Show you can rebound from your mistakes and/or from times when things didn’t go the way you would have liked. Show you are a positive person who learns from failure. Above all, be POSITIVE. Show your ability to OVERCOME. Do NOT choose a no-big-deal failure!!! (Failure to get an A on an exam; failure to get tickets to a Justin Beiber concert). Do NOT choose a failure that shows bad judgment!!! (A time you crashed your car because you were fooling around, or a time you followed the crowd and ended up drinking underage). Can you think of a time or event in your life that was difficult and show how you learned from

it? Maybe you failed to follow directions and ended up having to completely un-assemble and re-

assemble your Ikea furniture, leading to an understanding that sometimes planning and following a procedure can work better than “winging it” and trusting your creative instincts.

Maybe you realized that you are really, really bad at football, but you learned that the real value in being on the team is spending time with and bonding with friends and coaches.

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PROMPT #3: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Lots of freedom on this one – you can write about a formal event, or a small moment or happening in your life. An accomplishment can be big or small. An event can be big or small. You can think about birthdays, weddings, confirmation, promotions, awards (big), or you can think about smaller things – making a new friend, meeting someone special in your life for the first time, a conversation had during a car ride, a meal made and/or shared. Was there a moment in your life that FORCED you to grow up? To be mature? Was there a time when you learned something that made you feel more adult / grown-up /

capable? What moments in your life have made you really FEEL the transition, the transformation, from

kid to adult?

Step Two: Begin Writing

Choose a prompt and type a 2-3-page essay. You may wish to brainstorm for a while before you get into actually writing. The page requirement is a HARD limit . Do not go over it. Use MLA formatting, and proofread like crazy! It’s smart to have a few people (friends and/or adults read over it and give feedback). (Rubric available on blog.)

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ASSIGNMENT EIGHT: ACT Writing Section Due: ___________

In this part of the unit, we will be practicing the skills necessary to do well on the ACT Writing Test…

Important information about the test and how it is scored:

The Writing Test includes a prompt that briefly states an issue and describes two points of view.

You may adopt one or the other of the perspectives described in the prompt, or you may present a different point of view on the issue. The point of view you take will not affect your score.

Prompts are designed to reflect students’ interests and experiences. For example, should one be able to get a credit card before the age of 18?, or should schools should start later in the day?

Each essay is scored by two trained readers, each of whom rates it on a scale of 1 (low) to 6 (high).

The sum of those ratings is a student’s Writing Test sub-score (2–12).

For more detailed information, see the rubric on the next page.

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ACT WRITING PORTION RUBRIC

SCORING REQUIREMENTS

Task Standards

Show a clear understanding of the PROMPT by answering it clearly.

Thesis takes a strong, clear position on the issue.

Use strong EVIDENCE. Development of ideas is ample, specific, and logical. Ideas are fully elaborated. Demonstrates the ability to distinguish between assertions and evidence. Makes inferences based on support and evidence.

Offer at least two main ideas that support your thesis (body paragraphs one and two and…).

Demonstrate the ability to grasp the complexity of the issue by considering COUNTER ARGUMENTS

The essay examines different perspectives on the issue and fully responds to counterarguments to the writer's position.

Include a counter argument and a rebuttal in the last body paragraph.

The ORGANIZATION of the essay is clear

Includes a clear intro and thesis. Includes a clear conclusion with a “call to action.” Body paragraphs use topic sentences and/or warrants. Ideas are logically grouped and ordered. Uses transitional devices to identify logical connections and tie ideas together.

Only one main idea per paragraph!Don’t forget an intro and conclusion.

A clear FOCUS on the specific issue in the prompt is maintained.

Sustains a position by focusing on the topic throughout the writing.

The essay shows a good command of LANGUAGE.

Sentences are varied, and word choice is varied and precise. There are few, if any, errors to distract the reader. The student observes the conventions of standard written English.

A “boring” essay cannot earn a 12. Show off your unique voice, style, and personality. Use strong vocabulary choices.

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Step One: Choose a prompt.

1. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires all school libraries receiving certain federal funds to install and use blocking software to prevent students from viewing material considered “harmful to minors.” However, some studies conclude that blocking software in schools damages educational opportunities for students, both by blocking access to Web pages that are directly related to the state-mandated curriculums and by restricting broader inquiries of both students and teachers. In your view, should the schools block access to certain Internet websites?

2. Imagine the principal at your school has instituted random locker and backpack searches to check for guns, knives, and other weapons. Anyone caught with these weapons will be immediately suspended. The principal argues that the random searches will not only guard against illegal weapons at school but will also will help students feel safer. Would you be in support of this random-search policy, or not?

3. The state department of education has provided funding for an experimental online school. All the classes will take place on the Internet, using email, online chat, and the World Wide Web. The students taking classes at this new online school will never meet each other face-to-face. They will only interact online with each other and with their teachers. Do you think this is a good use of Iowa’s tax dollars?

4. In some high schools, students are required to complete a certain number of community service hours prior to graduation. Some people think community service is a good requirement because they think students will benefit from this experience. Other people think schools should not require community service because students will resent the requirement and, as a result, will not benefit from the experience. In your opinion, should high schools require students to complete a certain number of hours of community service?

5. Fast-food franchises are installing outlets in some high schools, selling hamburgers, fried chicken, tacos, fries, and sodas. Many soda companies already pay a great deal of money to be allowed to install soda machines in high schools. The money from these commercial ventures helps pay for athletic equipment, field trips, and audio-visual equipment. On the other hand, fast food is greatly contributing to the epidemic of obesity among America’s youth. Placing fast-food outlets in schools encourages students to eat food that is high in salt, fat, and empty calories. Should these companies be allowed in our high schools?

Step Two: Take the rest of the class period to respond to the prompt. Feel free to consult the previous page.Step Three: Have a peer read over your essay and complete the peer-evaluation for you (next page). Talk to your partner about how you each might make your essay better.Step Four: Make revisions to your essay. Type in MLA formatting. Print.

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PEER EVALUATIONStep One:

Read over your partner’s essay one time WITHOUT writing anything.

Step Two:

Now, carefully go through the evaluation process below.

Step Three:

When you are finished, go over your feedback with your partner. Aim to help each other understand what needs work and how to fix major issues.

Writer’s Name ___________________. Reviewer’s Name ____________________.

1. Is the INTRODUCTION okay? It should have an interesting hook and an easy-to-find thesis that states a clear position on the issue. Write what is good and/or bad about the intro below.

2. Is the CONCLUSION interesting? Does it do more than just summarize? Do they try to link back to the introduction? Write what is good and/or bad about the intro below.

Now, mark up the essay with a colored pen or pencil.

3. Do any ideas or arguments in the BODY seem vague or need more explanation? If “yes,” put a BIG question mark next to areas that need more development.

4. Is the author’s tone appropriate? Is his/her diction impressive? If anything reads as snotty or condescending instead of passionate or funny, CIRCLE it. If they use words that are boring or inappropriate, CIRCLE them.

5. Is this author too tentative about his/her thoughts? Look out for phrases and phrases like “I think,” “It seems like…,” or “perhaps.” CIRCLE these no-no words.

ASSIGNMENT NINE: Senior Bio Due: ___________

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Step One:

Open your school e-mail. You will be e-mailing this to yourself AND to Mrs. Quested in Student Services. Name the e-mail Last Name First Name Senior Bio.

Step Two: Write out your senior bio. Follow the template below.

Step Three: Send the completed bio as an email to yourself, Mrs. Quested, & Mrs. Lamp You may update this bio any time during your junior/senior year, as necessary.

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Last name, First name

(First Middle Last) is the son/daughter of (parent’s names include year of graduation if parent graduated from Assumption) and sister/brother of (siblings’ names – include year of graduation if sibling graduated from Assumption). His/her academic accomplishments and awards include _________. He/she was involved in (athletics, clubs, and extracurricular activities – if you were an office-holder or team captain, add that!). * His/her future plans are to (attend _______ University / go into the armed forces / begin working in _________ field).

*Note: You can also add spiritual and/or volunteer activities you were involved in; add this at the star (*)

SAMPLE:

Smith, John

John James Smith is the son of Henry (’87) and Susan Smith and brother of David (’09) and Mary (’11). He made the 1st Honor Roll three years and was enrolled in three AP and college courses. John also participated in basketball, track, and Anime club. As a junior and a senior, John was co-captain of the basketball team and was named MVP of his freshman team. He also volunteered at Café on the Vine once a week throughout high school. John plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.