Post on 13-May-2015
Junior NightOctober 12, 2011
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Agenda• Graduation Requirements• College and Career Resources• College Admissions• SAT and ACT• Career Information• Junior Class Sponsor
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Survey Results• 98% of students plan on attending college• 24% would like to attend a community college• 42% of students feel like they don’t
understand the college admissions process
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Standard Diploma Credit & SOL Requirements
• 4 English• 3 Math• 3 Science• 4 Social Studies• 2 Health/PE• 1 Fine/Practical Art• 5 Electives– 2 sequential electives
6 SOL Tests:• 2 English• 1 Math• 1 Science• 1 Social Studies• 1 Other
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Advanced Studies Diploma Credit & SOL Requirements
• 4 English• 4 Math• 4 Science• 4 Social Studies• 3 World Language (or 2/2)• 2 Health/PE• 1 Fine/Practical Art• 2 Electives
9 SOL Tests:• 2 English• 2 Math• 2 Science• 2 Social Studies• 1 Other
West Potomac High School – Student Services
College & Career Center Resources
• College Information• College Visits• Scholarships• Financial Aid Information• Test Prep Info• Career Information
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Room 332
Family Connection
• Log in through Blackboard
Students Should• Make sure e-mail address is current• Click on “About Me”• Complete “Game Plan”• Create “Resume”• Update list of “Favorite Colleges”• Complete the “All About Me” survey
West Potomac High School – Student Services
College Tab
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Scattergrams
West Potomac High School – Student Services
College Visits in Family Connection
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Colleges I’m Thinking About
West Potomac High School – Student Services
About Me
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Resume
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Scholarship NominationsJob interviewsCollege activity sheetsLetters of recommendation
Career Exploration
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Factors to Consider When Selecting Your College
• Academic Programs / Majors
• Size• Location• Setting• Type of School• Student Life
• Academic Reputation• Special Programs– Study abroad– ESOL– ROTC
• Cost• Financial Aid
West Potomac High School – Student Services
College Fair/Night
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Military Academies or ROTC Path• Request pre-candidate application for each
service academy or ROTC this spring• Recruiters advise to take both SAT and ACT• Visit the service academy in the summer
(some have great summer programs)• Get in top physical shape• Military Night at South County Secondary is
March 7
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Two-Year College• Open Admissions with placement test• Transfer to a four-year college or prepare for
employment• Certificate of completion or associate degree• Have honors, college prep, remedial and ESOL
options• Offer lower tuition and no expense for room
and board
West Potomac High School – Student Services
APPLYING TO SCHOOLSCommunity colleges or 2-year schools
4-year collegesTechnical or trade schools
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Admission Considerations• Grade Point Average (GPA) – grades 9-11• Strength of schedule
– Choosing courses appropriate for the student’s abilities
• SAT or ACT scores• Essay or personal statement• Letters of recommendation• Resume or extracurricular activities
– Quality of involvement is more important than quantity
• Portfolio or other supplemental materials
West Potomac High School – Student Services
SAT & ACT
West Potomac High School – Student Services
SAT Reasoning Test•Three hour and 45 minutes test•Three sections with a maximum score of 2400•Critical Reading (200-800)•Math (200–800)•Writing
•Multiple Choice (200-800)•Essay (2-12)
ACT•Achievement test more closely tied to high school curriculum•English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning •3 hour test•Composite score (1-36) is an average of the 4 sub-scores•Optional essay (2-12)
TOEFL•Test for students who are not native English speakers•Especially important for those who don’t score well on SAT reading/writing •Test is completely online•Register on TOEFL web site
Which test should my student take?
West Potomac High School – Student Services
• Most colleges accept either SAT or ACT • Check requirements of individual schools• Northern Virginia Community College
administers own placement test• Differences between SAT and ACT tests– Measure different skills– Students may perform better on one test than the
other• We encourage students to take both tests
SAT & ACT Test DatesSAT• November 5• December 3• January 28• March 10• May 5• June 2
ACT• October 22• December 10• February 11• April 14• June 9
West Potomac High School – Student Services
SAT Subject Test
West Potomac High School – Student Services
• Some schools will require Subject tests• Test knowledge of particular academic
discipline (history, math, sciences, etc…)• Scores used for placement in classes and
sometimes for admissions• Take immediately after the course in
high school (US History in spring)
Financial Aid• Dale Schmidt• Scholarships available through various sources– College & Career Center Files– Family Connection– Fastweb.com
• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)– Fill out online January of senior year– Qualify students for grants/loans/work studies
West Potomac High School – Student Services
COLLEGE ISN'T THE ONLY OPTION…
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Apprenticeships• Do the “Career Interest Profiler” survey in Family
Connection• Paid on-the-job training• Related classroom instruction• Application required• Available in more than 400 fields, such as– Carpentry– Cosmetology– Plumbing– Heating ,Ventilation, Air Conditioning,& Refrigeration
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Entering the Workforce• Do the “Career Interest Profiler” survey in Family
Connection• Build a resume• Research occupations• Practice interviewing• Attend job fairs• Visit the Job Center at the South County Government
Building
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Military Service• Take the ASVAB– Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery– February 14 @ WPHS – Register in Career Center
• Talk to a recruiter• Earn money for college• Provides classroom and on-the-job training
West Potomac High School – Student Services
College Success Program• Early Identification Program• College Partnership• AVID• Project Discovery• Pathways to the Baccalaureate
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Pathways to the Baccalaureate• Co-sponsored by FCPS, NVCC and GMU• Provides assistance to students– Transition to college– Choosing a major– Placement testing– Financial aid– Transferring to a 4-year college– Register at NVCC before high school graduation
• Guaranteed admission to GMU with a 2.5 GPA and a NVCC AA/AS degree
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Junior Class Sponsor
West Potomac High School – Student Services
Counselor Breakout Rooms• Rodriguez (A-Bas)-501• Moore (Basa-Cob)-502• Levine (Coba-For)-504• Allison (Fora-Jab)-Auditorium• Otoyo (Jaba-Mam)-Auditorium• McMahon (Mama-Ny)-528• Watlington (Nya-Robe)-518• Turner (Robf-Ten)-503• Jefferson Dixon (Tena-Z)-524
West Potomac High School – Student Services