Post on 14-Dec-2015
East View Junior Registration
Preparing to transition from High School to College and/or Career
Counselor Assignment Phone (512) 943-1800
Heckroth, Michele A-G Ext. 8022 heckrothm@georgetownisd.org
Matta, Cathy H-P Ext. 8089 mattac@georgetownisd.org
Rodriguez, Paula Q-Z Ext. 8021 rodriguezp@georgetownisd.org
Lehmann, Sheila All 504 Ext. 8018 lehmanns@georgetownisd.org
Lewis, Sonja Department Assistant
Ext. 1807 lewisSo@georgetownisd.org
Graduation Plans for Classes of 2015, 2016 and 2017Recommended Plan
English 4 creditsMath 4 creditsScience 4 creditsSocial Studies 4 creditsWorld Languages 2 creditsPE 1 creditProf. Comm. (Speech) .5 creditHealth .5 creditFine Art 1 creditElectives 7 credits
Distinguished Plan
English 4 creditsMath 4 creditsScience 4 creditsSocial Studies 4 creditsWorld Languages 3 creditsPE 1 creditProf. Comm. (Speech) .5 creditHealth .5 creditFine Art 1 creditElectives 6 credits
Advanced Measures FOUR
Each Box = 1 credit
9th 10th 11th 12th
1 English I English II English III English IV
2 Alg. I or Geometry Math Math Math
3 Biology Science Science Science
4 World Geog. World Hist. US History Govt./Economics
5
6
7
8
Examples of Post-Secondary Education
• Certificate/License programs
• Apprenticeship/ OJT• Military• Technical/Trade
Schools• 2 year college• 4 year college or
University
Why pursue post-secondary education
Paths for earning College Credit while in High School
• ACC Early College Start• Advanced Placement• Articulated/Tech Prep Courses• See course catalog online at:www.georgetownisd.org/Page/483
Preparing for a College Search
10 Tips for Parents1. Help your student understand the
college search process2. Be realistic and non-judgmental3. Be in the "back seat" - and not the driver - of the college search
process4. Be open to dialogue and responsive to questions5. Be aware of deadlines and fees due6. Know that things have changed since your college days7. Don’t overemphasize your own alma maters8. Don’t compare your student with others9. Don’t dwell on disappointments, like a rejection letter10. Celebrate successes!
Students:Know Yourself• Values• Ambitions• Achievements• Academic Strengths• Interests• Your Standout Talents
A Few Good Reasons to Venture:
Heightened independence Career opportunities they might not get at home. Meet new people and experience new cultures through student housing. Very involved on campus and in academic/professional groups.
The Perks of Staying Put: Avoid the difficult transition and homesickness that can accompany a big
move. Most of student body from home state. Lower cost of in-state tuition. Stay in close, personal contact with family, friends, and career networks.
Here or There? Choosing between In-State and Out-of-State Schools
• Hopefully, you will visit every college in your fit application pool.
• Every university has special “open house” events in the fall (UT – Longhorn Saturdays, SMU – Mustang Mondays, etc.) Visiting then makes information gathering easier.
Visit College Campuses
• Picking a college is like picking a second family - a home for the next 4 years! What’s right for one senior may not be right for another. It’s about “FIT”. Does the environment feel like a place where your child will be happy and grow?
• Prioritize what factors are most important to you: good dept. in your major big vs. little urban vs.
ruralreligious location/ distance prestigious public vs. private Greek life athleticsschool spirit class size special
programs cost in-state vs. out-of-state
diversity male/female ratioliberal vs. conservative clubs & organizations
Which Colleges are Right for You?
Spring Opportunities
Tuesday, April 7th, 2015
In the Eveningat the
Austin Convention Center5:30pm-8:00pm
Go to www.nacacnet.org and click on College Fairs
Register at: www.gotomyncf.com
• Regular Decision – apply by the regular deadline; non-binding;
• Rolling Admission – applications reviewed and a decision is rendered as soon as possible after the application is submitted; non-binding;
• Early Action – apply early and receive a decision early, dates depend on college you have applied to…
• Early Decision – apply early to one first-choice college and receive a decision early; if accepted, the CONTRACT IS BINDING and all other applications must be rescinded.
Consider Types of Admission Decisions
• You must give your counselor at least 3 weeks notice for a letter of recommendation! Each counselor receives 50-100 requests during the fall semester.
• A teacher recommendation should also be requested 3 weeks in advance.
• The types of transcripts requested by a college vary. The registrars need adequate time to process each request.
Consider Our Deadlines
If the college sees that a schedule has “lightened” a senior load, this could affect your admittance to the college
Ask permission if you unsure whether or not the college will care if a course is dropped.
What is a Senior Schedule?
1. Transcript2. Senior Schedule3. SSR (Secondary School Report; if necessary)
4. EVHS School Profile5. (OPTIONAL) A Letter of Recommendation
from the Counselor IF REQUESTED AND NECESSARY
6. Note….ACT/SAT scores are NOT sent
Consider What a College Receives from EVHS
Deadlines are NON-NEGOTIABLE for admissions, scholarships or financial aid
Consider College Deadlines – Know When You Need to Choose a Fit College
- Scholarship deadlines can be different from application deadlines;- Is the deadline POST MARKED BY or RECEIVED BY ?
• Ideally, apply to 3-8 colleges, a full range of schools; all must be acceptable to you as your child’s fit future home: – 1-2 “stretch”/”dream” schools– mostly “good matches” in terms of rank/test scores– at least 1 “safety”/ “sure shot” school where you absolutely
know you will be accepted.
• Don’t waste time, money & effort applying to schools you know you’ll decline.
Making it Fit
• Every Junior has 2 college visitation days to use before May 1st.
• Pick up the “College Visit Form” in the attendance office. • Bring the completed “College Visit Form” back to the
attendance office. • You must provide proof of your visit to the campus within
48 hours of your return to EVHS. Failure to provide proof may result in loss of exemption.
• College visitation days do not count against exemptions for finals if you have followed these procedures.
Absences for College Campus Visits
Crucial Tip!
Write a thank you
note.
It may be noted in
the review process.
3. Choosing the wrong time to visit. (i.e., during summer vacation, when the campus is empty).2. Tuning out during the tour. Don’t just take in the scenery-engage the tour guide with questions about academics, dorm life, and student activities1. Not visiting at all.
You may love the photos in the view book and the videos online, but nothing replaces the in-person visit!
Top 3 College Visit Mistakes
• Only highly selective or private colleges regularly conduct interviews. Public universities do not.
• If an interview is possible, it is beneficial.
Interviewing During Your College Campus Visit
Make an appointment online or call the admissions office for an appointment two weeks beforehand.
6 Ways to Get the Most from a Campus Visit:
1. Put the U in University. Rank your criteria for the perfect school, factoring in things like labs, dorms, and off-campus fun.
2. Pull an All-Nighter. Considering on-campus housing? Ask the admissions staff if your student can spend a night in the dorms to get a feel for the after-hours vibe.
3. Stage a Sit-In. Auditing classes will give you a chance to hear lectures, observe interaction between student and teachers, and gauge the overall classroom environment.
4. Go Off Campus. Explore the shops, restaurants, and other spots surrounding campus.
5. Be Safe, Not Sorry. Be prepared in the unlikely event of an emergency by taking time to locate the campus security office as well as call boxes and other security features.
6. Time Travel. Keep an eye on your post-graduation future by researching graduate employment rates and career services for each prospective school.
Tips for College Campus Visits
• Hopefully, you will visit every college in your fit application pool.
• Every university has special “open house” events in the fall (UT – Longhorn Saturdays, SMU – Mustang Mondays, etc.) Visiting then makes information gathering easier.
Visit College Campuses
Go to the EVHS websiteClick on the Career Cruising link under Quick LinksStudents use their student log in to gain accessArea Use
Career Matchmaker Assist students with determining careers that match their interests
Learning Styles Inventory Helps students understand how they learn best
My Skills Helps students identify their skill levels
Careers Allows students to explore careers of interest
Education Helps students identify schools that match well
Financial Aid Find scholarships
Employment Find jobs/internships
Entrance Exams• SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST (SAT I)
– Widely used by the more selective schools.– Divided into VERBAL and MATH parts.– Approximately 4 hours.– Annual test dates will normally occur on
Saturdays in October, November, December, January, April, May and June.
– Register at www.collegeboard.com
• AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING PROGRAM (ACT)– Widely used by junior colleges as well as
universities.– Divided into English, math, natural
sciences, and reading.– Approximately 4 hours.– Annual test dates will normally occur on
Saturdays in October, December, February, March and June.
– Note: Test dates do not conflict with SAT.– Register at www.actstudent.com
Testing Requirements• Criteria for exempting College
Readiness Exams (Asset, Compass, THEA)
- PSATCR – 50Math – 50Combine – 107+
– ACT• Composite score of 23 with at
least a 19 on English and Math– SAT
• Critical Reading and Math Combined score of 1070 with a 500 on each section
Other Possible Testing• SAT II
ACHIEVEMENT TESTS– College Board– Same test dates as
SAT– Used for course
placement or credit
• APTITUDE TESTS– Used for assessment
of vocational or trade/technical skills
APPLY ONLINE
Texas public and selected private four year and two year schools:
www.applytexas.org
Private colleges and universities:
www.commonapp.org
Go online or visit your school counselor to find out about the requirements for Technical and Trade schools
PARTS OF THE APPLICATION:Personal Information
Directory informationWhat you have studied and are currently studying in high school
ResumeExtracurricularServiceWork
Essay
COLLEGES USE TWO SCORES TO DETERMINE ADMISSION
Academic score:RankGPAQuality of preparationTest Scores
Personal ScoreResumeEssayLetters of recommendation
THE RESUMEMany college use the resume as 60%-70% of a student’s personal score
This includes such things as being responsible for younger siblings or an older relative, trips in the summer with your family, tutoring, babysitting, extra-curricular activities and clubs or anything else that is productive, educational, and contributes to who you are and your determination.
Especially include activities that further your goals and build leadership and character.
THE ESSAY The essay becomes the most important part of the application, especially
when it is being read by the person determining college admissions, admission to a particular program, deciding scholarship recipients, or hiring for school jobs.
It should be:
100% technically correct Interesting Giving information not somewhere else on your application Not another list of activities
What information do college admission officers review?
Factor Considerableimportance
ModerateImportance
LimitedImportance
Noimportance
Grades in college prep courses 84.3% 11.9% 2.3% 1.5%
Strength of curriculum 67.7 20.4 5.8 6.2
Admission test scores (SAT, ACT). 59.2 29.6 6.9 4.2
Grades in all courses 51.9 39.2 6.9 1.9
Essay or writing sample 24.9 37.5 17.2 20.3
Student's demonstrated interest 20.5 29.7 24.7 25.1
Counselor recommendation 19.2 39.8 27.2 13.8
Class Rank 18.8 31.0 31.4 18.8 Teacher recommendation 16.5 41.9 26.5 15.0
Percentage of colleges attributing different levels of importance to factors in the admission decision: 2011
Source: www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/articles/Pages/Factors-in-the-Admission-Decision.aspx
HOUSING
Advance Application for housing is not the same as application for admission.File a housing application.File the required deposit.Be aware of refund policies.Understand whether or not on-campus housing is required of freshmen. Where can I find this stuff:www.careercruising.com
PAYING!
COLLEGE IS EXPENSIVEKINDS OF FINANCIAL AID:
ScholarshipsGrantsLoansWork Study
Scholarships
FINDING SCHOLARSHIPS#1 SOURCE OF SCHOLARSHIP MONEY IS THE
SCHOOL YOU ARE ATTENDING: Fill out all scholarship supplements on
applications for admission Go to the college of choice and department websites
to check for others.#2 check the counselor page on EVHS website for
numerous tips and search engines! #3 check local scholarship opportunities in the
local paper, organizations and school web-site, to name a few.
#4 National Scholarship searches (Fastweb, Zinch, Career Cruising, Scholarships.com)
Scholarship Resources
• Fastweb.com - Private scholarships
• fafsa.ed.gov - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• Studentaid.ed.gov - The federal government’s website about paying for college
• MeritAid.com - $11 billion in merit scholarships
• Cappex.com - Scholarship matching
• finaid.org - Free student resource for learning about all types of financial aid
Merit Scholarship Tips
Merit scholarships are where the money is.• There is more than $11 billion in merit scholarships
available to students from colleges• Not just for “A” students• Many awards emphasize leadership or school involvement• Nearly all colleges offer merit aid scholarships• The average merit scholarship is $5,000• Many awards can be renewed year after year
Next Steps for JuniorsIn School Stay focused on academics Do not lighten your academic load for senior year Meet with your school counselor Stay involved in school activities
Standardized Testing Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests Register for AP tests as appropriate
College Exploration Explore colleges on the Web Visit colleges if you can Meet with college representatives Attend college fairs
We know it seems overwhelming. Don’t get stressed! Take everything
ONE step at a time….
Online Resources• Georgetown ISD Course Guide
www.georgetownisd.org/Page/483
Counselor Page on EVHS Website• College Visit Opportunities• Community Service Opportunities• Summer Internship Opportunities• Scholarships• Planning timelines