College Night Presentation

October 17, 2012

Jr/Sr year

•College/trade school search……

•Testing……..

•Applications……..

•Scholarships………

•Busy students……

www.actstudent.org

6 national test dates

Testing available at several area sites

Testing dates and deadlines are available on actstudent.org or the MHS counselor website

You can indicate up to 4 schools to send your ACT score to or pay for scores to be mailed at a later date

ACT cont.

The writing portion is an option on the ACT – take it if you want to go to a selective college or you want to be a certified employee in an Illinois schoolMost colleges take the highest test scores if the test is taken more than onceACT prep available by books, in class, online, and with a prep program that we offer in the springThe Real ACT Prep Guide – app $20 on amazon

PSAE for juniors

Required for graduationTaken in April of the junior yearTaken off campus at a local churchFirst day is the ACT Second day is WorkKeys Reading for Information, Locating Information, Applied Math plus a state developed science portionResults determine whether MHS makes AYP or does notStudents are automatically registered by MHS

Illinois State Scholars

Based on a mathematical formula determined by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC)

Combination of a students ACT composite and their high school rank after 6 semesters

ISAC determines the Illinois State Scholars

Not a monetary award

Usually awarded in November to December of senior year

NCAA

For students who would like to participate in sports at an NCAA collegeStudents must be registered with the NCAA clearinghouse at their website The fee to register is $65Students may need to request their 6th semester transcript be sent to the clearinghouse by MHSThere are different criteria for NCAA participation depending on the college division (1, 2, or 3)

Transcripts

Transcripts are usually sent with college applicationsTranscripts must be requested from the MHS counseling officeSome colleges will request that you also send a 7th semester transcriptYour final transcript will be sent to your intended college during the summer after your senior year – we do not get this done immediately

Self reporting transcripts

There are a few schools (NIU, Iowa State and U of I) that are requesting that applicants report their own high school grades and classes

Initially, they will not want an official transcript

Make sure that every grade is reported as it is on our transcript

Misleading admissions committees can lead to the removal of an admission offer

Schools will request and check a final transcript after senior year is complete

Grade Point Average and Rank

Class rank is determined by the GPA and may change with each semesterGPA is only figured 2 times per year at the end of a semesterAP classes have a weighted GPASome colleges request a rank and some do notA higher rank may help with college admissions if the ACT score is lower and a high ACT will help if a class rank is lowSauk Scholars – the top 10% of the class based on class rank may be offered free tuition to SVCC

College Requirements

Meeting to exceeding minimum college requirements does not guarantee admission to a collegeMay need more core classes than are required for an MHS diplomaAcceptance to a college does not guarantee acceptance into a degree program at all colleges -All schools are different

-Often gen ed courses come first-Program acceptance is usually possible

through early success and pre-requisite completion early in college

College Selection Procedure

Narrow down choices-Use web and make college visits-Take tours and network with faculty-Talk with students pursuing your field of interest

Have questions prepared to ask repsResearch college requirements and procedures- GPA, Class Rank, ACT scores- Placement tests- Personal statement – take your time, proofread, highlight your strengths and goals, make it “college specific”

Guarantee 4 year degree plan?Guarantee tuition, room and board, fees?

A Good “Fit” for You

Campus locationSize – Population and student/teacher ratio

Similar ACT scores and intellect – be challenged but not overwhelmed

Strong program for the major(s) that you are interested inJob placement in your professionGraduate program placement? Retention rate of current students? A low retention rate can indicate a problem

Research and internship opportunities

College Applications

Apply early – if possible do not wait until after the priority deadline because admission criteria may become much tougherApply online if possibleKeep copies of all papers and correspondencePrint out any possible “counselor page” and bring it to Mrs. RobinsonApplications usually have feesFees can usually be waived if a student qualifies for reduced/free lunch

Common Application

An application used by many private colleges

The application is completed online and there may be a supplement

You can email your counselor or teacher to ask them to fill out the recommendation page but follow up by asking if they have received it – previously, the emails from common app were not very reliable

College Visits

Open houses are available on almost all holidays that students are out of school

Register for open houses online to ensure your spot and determine the type of tour you get

Go prepared with questions to ask

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Ask students questions not just college employees

If you are pleased with the open house visit arrange for a private visit to talk to an advisor

Students can take prearranged absences to visit colleges

Major/Degree program

Use the college’s website to look up the required course sequence

Do the research to find out what is required to do particular jobs – A.A/A.S, BA/BA, MA/MS, Doctorate

Go to campus advisors to assist with choices made in regards to your major or degree program

Out – of State/district Tuition

When attending an out of district community college there may be increased costs. You may be able to get around these costs. Make sure to ask admissions what your different options are.With the current high rate at Illinois schools, there are some out of state schools that are comparable or lower than many Illinois schools (UW-Platteville, Truman State, UW LaCrosse, U of Missouri)Don’t be deterred from all out of state schools since there are some that offer good tuition rates for Illinois students

Midwest Student Exchange Program

Many schools participating

Reduced out of state tuition rates

Occasionally limited by students and majors allowed

For example: Truman State, University of Missouri, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse

Transfer Credits

Please make sure that you talk with the school that you intend to transfer credits to, to ensure that you are able to transfer the credits that you want to transferwww.itransfer.org can be helpful in determining what classes are transferable and what classes are notSome courses that are certificate/major specific may not actually help your credits at another school

For example: Nursing classes may not help your credits if you change your major

Placement tests and Course Registration

If your ACT test subtests are not high enough, you will most likely have to take placement tests to determine what classes you will be placed inIf you do not get a high enough score on the placement tests, you will have to take remedial courses prior to enrollment in traditional coursesPlacement tests are taken prior to course registration – allowed two testsStudents attending community college will be testing and registering for classes in the spring of their senior yearDon’t procrastinate because you may miss out on the classes or professors that you really want to take

Scholarships

National, regional, or localwww.fastweb.comScholarships are available from universities – ask their financial aid department for informationWatch for deadlinesLocal scholarship forms are released on our website in February and are due in mid-March

SVCC College Night

November 13

6 pm

This is a great chance to make some contacts and get to learn the basics about some colleges

MHS Counseling OfficeCollege representatives are visiting MHS- students must come to the office to receive a permission slip to have their teacher signList of questions available to ask college repsMany helpful books are available for college/career research and some are available for short term check outWe have ACT practice books that can be checked out by studentsCollege Handbooks with all the basic information that you needSome individual college information is availableCollege and career planning assistance is available from Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Lindsey

MHS Counseling website

College/career information available and many links to helpful websites

ACT dates

List of reps coming to MHS

Scholarships will be available on the website in February

Community College

Most community colleges start registering students for fall classes in April.

Some colleges will allow freshmen to register for classes online (Blackhawk) and some colleges will not (Sauk). So make sure that you have an appointment ahead of time if necessary.

Do not procrastinate or you may not get the classes that you need/want at the times that you want

Placement testing will need to be completed before registering

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Websites

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

www.collegeboard.com

www.unigo.com

www.bls.gov

Financial Aid Presentation