Planning for College 101

1. Planning for College 101 Guidance Department- Spring 2019

2. Community College Pathway

3. What can you do at a community college? • Community colleges offer transfers plans to UC's, CSU's, and private colleges. • Certificate Programs are focused on a particular area of study and designed for students who wish to prepare for immediate employment and/or to upgrade their job skills. • Specialized programs available, including honors programs, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Puente, Umoja, etc.

4. When/how do you apply to community colleges? • Applications for Fall 2020 will open in the spring semester of your senior year. • Create an OpenCCCapply account. You will then get an email confirmation once your account has been created. Please note, this is not your ID number for the college you are applying to. • Submit an application for the specific college you wish to apply for. You will then receive an email with your student ID number, password, and registration information. • Attend an orientation and create an educational plan.

5. What can you do now to prepare? • Do your best on the SBAC test in April since it may affect your placement level. • Sign up for a math class in 12th grade. • Do your best in your English and Math classes since the community colleges will look at your high school transcript to determine your placement for these subjects.

6. Applying for CSU's

7. CSU Admission Criteria • Fulfill the "a-g" requirements • Minimum GPA to apply is 2.0* • Submit SAT and/or ACT scores* • Graduation from high school *While SAT/ACT test scores are not required to establish the admission eligibility of California residents with a GPA of 3.00 or above, impacted campuses and impacted first-time freshmen enrollment categories often include test scores among the supplemental criteria required of all applicants to those campuses and enrollment categories. If you have your high school GPA and the results of your SAT or ACT test, then you can calculate your eligibility index. From there you can quickly see whether you meet the minimum admission standards.

8. Eligibility Index • Your Eligibility Index is calculated using your grade point average (GPA) and your SAT or ACT score. The score will help tell you if you’re eligible for admission to the CSU. Use the formulas below to calculate your EI: SAT Formula: (SAT scores in math + critical reading) + (800 x CSU GPA) ACT Formula:(10 x ACT composite score w/o the writing score) + (200 x CSU GPA) • If you need help calculating your Eligibility Index, check out the following site: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/eligibility-index • The site listed above also includes a GPA calculator tool!

9. When/how do you apply to CSU's? • Complete application at https://www2.calstate.edu/apply • October 1: application submission period begins • November 30: application submission period closes • In case of financial hardship, the fee waiver request is available during the application process for up to 4 applications. You will be notified at the time you apply online if you qualify for the fee waiver The application fee is $55 for each CSU campus to which you apply and there are 23 campuses across California to choose from

10. Applying for UC's

11. UC Admission Criteria UC looks at 14 factors when evaluating your application: • Academic GPA for all completed "a-g" courses (minimum GPA = 3.0) • SAT and/or ACT with Writing scores • If you go above and beyond the minimum "a-g" requirements • Number of and performance in UC-approved honors, AP, and Higher Level courses • If you're top 9% of your high school class (ELC) • Quality and rigor of your senior year

12. UC Admission Criteria cont. • Quality of your academic performance relative to the educational opportunities available at Prospect • Outstanding performance in academic subject areas • Achievements in special projects • Recent, marked improvement in academic performance • Special talents, achievements, and awards; leadership and community service • Academic accomplishments in light of your special circumstances • Location of your high school and where you live

13. When/how do you apply for UC's? • Complete application online through the UC website • August 1: Application opens for fall 2020 applicants • November 1-30: submit UC application during this window • December: deadline to send SAT/ACT score reports from the College Board or ACT • Fee waivers are available for up to 4 applications. You must apply through the application to see if you qualify The application fee is $70 for each UC campus to which you apply and there are 9 undergraduate campuses to choose from

14. What can you do now to prepare? • Work on your personal insight questions now! • You will be asked to respond to 4 of the 8 questions • Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words • Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you: But you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances

15. Applying for Private Colleges

16. Private Colleges Admission Criteria Each Private College will vary in their requirements for admission. Be sure to visit the college’s website to identify what must be fulfilled in order to be eligible. Some requirements to look for when applying: • Course requirements • Minimum GPA • SAT and/or ACT with Writing scores • SAT Subject Tests • Personal Statement requirements • Graduation from high school

17. When/how do you apply for private colleges? • The deadline to apply varies by college. Many have regular decision deadlines in January • You can apply to many private colleges through the Common App. Some have their own application system as well. • The cost to apply varies by college

18. Early Admission vs. Early Decision Early Action -Nonbinding -Receive admission decision early, usually by Jan. or Feb. -Can consider other admission offers before committing -Can apply to multiple colleges under EA Early Decision -Binding, sign ED contract -Receive admission decision early, usually by Dec. -Can only apply to one college under ED -Must withdraw all other college applications if accepted under ED -Beneficial if clear preference for one institution -Consider if you meet or exceed the admission profile (e.g. SAT, GPA, rank)

19. What can you do now to prepare? • Write your personal statements now! • You will respond to 1 of the 7 prompts to write your personal statement. • There is a 650 word limit maximum. • Some colleges may request for an additional writing response in the Writing Supplement section. • There is no right or wrong answer, they simply want to know more about your background, interests, and achievements in your own voice • Talk with teachers about writing you a letter of recommendation

20. Register for the SAT/ACT • Develop a list of colleges you are interested in and tour • Gather documents for financial aid (e.g. tax returns) • Get your FSA ID • Apply for scholarships • Register for NCAA Eligibility Center • Try your best on the SBAC test (results used to determine college readiness) • Check your emails for communication Junior Checklist Start Early!

21. Upcoming Event What: NACAC College Fair Where: Santa Clara Convention Center 5001 Great American Pkwy, Santa Clara 95054 When: Saturday, April 6 from 1:30pm-4:30pm Free event! The National Association for College Admission Counseling College will feature over 150+ college and university representatives on campus.

22. Upcoming Event What: WACAC College Fair Where: West Valley College 14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070 When: Thursday, May 2 from 10:00am-1:00pm and 6:00pm-8:00pm Free event! The Western Association for College Admission Counseling College will feature over 150+ college and university representatives on campus.

23. Upcoming Events What: District-Wide Career Pathway Expo Where: Branham High School 1570 Branham Ln, San Jose, CA 95118 When: Tuesday, April 16 from 6:00pm-8:00pm Visualize your future self through career exploration! Open to all!

24. Upcoming Test Dates SAT Reasoning: • May 4, 2019 (Registration Deadline April 5) • June 1, 2019 (Registration Deadline May 3) • Register at: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register ACT: • April 13, 2019 (Late Registration Deadline March 25) • June 8, 2019 (Registration Deadline May 3) • Register at: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration.html

25. Online Resources SAT: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register ACT: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration.html UC: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/index.html UC Personal Insight Questions Guide: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/files/uc-personal-questions-guide-freshman.pdf CSU: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/freshman Common App: http://www.commonapp.org/?scrlybrkr NCAA: https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/ FSA ID: https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm (needed to complete the FAFSA)

26. Naviance To-Do • Update your "Brag Sheet for Letter of Rec" ("About Me" home, "See all Surveys") • Update your "Resume" ("About Me" home, "See all Surveys," listed under "Quick Links" on the left) • Add your SAT/ACT scores, if taken ("Colleges" tab) • Add colleges to your "Colleges I'm Applying to" list("Colleges" tab)