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COLLEGE LAUNCH . What should you be doing to get ready for college?. “ COLLEGE IS A MATCH TO BE MADE, NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON. ” - FRANK SACHS, PRESIDENT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION COUNSELING. For Starters and Most Importantly:. Do your best in school
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COLLEGE LAUNCH What should you be doing to get ready for college?
“COLLEGE IS A MATCH TO BE MADE, NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON.”- FRANK SACHS, PRESIDENTNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION COUNSELING
For Starters and Most Importantly: • Do your best in school • Colleges tend to emphasize junior year, so especially do well rest of this year • Stay (or become) involved in activities (Specialty and/or outside of ASFA) • Don’t have to win a Nobel Prize or Grammy by the time you’re 18. • Key is to show initiative and leadership.
What Should You NOT Do? • Panic • Assume that college you attend is the Most Important Decision of Your Life • Because it’s not. • Get caught up in everyone else’s advice. • Such as uncle, neighbor, girlfriend/boyfriend, mom’s best friend, six cousin twice removed, etc. • They aren’t going to college. You are. • Procrastinate, become lazy or apathetic
Junior Year • Do your best in school • Course selection & grades are top 2 factors in most admissions/scholarship decisions, along with test scores • Explore your college options. Be creative & open-minded. Look for hidden gems! • Visit college campuses – in person or by Internet • Take advantage of college visits to ASFA • List of 10-15 college possibilities • Talk with your parents/guardians about college goals, finances, etc.
What Colleges are Looking For • Venn Diagram
Junior Year • Clean up your Facebook profile, use privacy settings, and use a professional email address • Plan summer internships, research projects, summer programs, etc. • By the time senior year begins in August: have your college list narrowed to 6-8 and be ready to apply • Use Naviance & keep your profile updated so that you receive useful, individualized info
Juniors: Testing & Paperwork • Take ACT on April 23rd and/or SAT by June • If taking AP exams, consider SAT Subject Exams • DUE and REQUIRED by Feb 28thin order to receive school recommendation letter: • Student Self-Assessment – on Naviance • Teacher Insights • Updated Resume • Parent Comments – on Naviance (optional) • Meeting with Mrs. Rutsky by Spring Break
Take a personal audit What are your goals? Are you on track?
Ask yourself: • Academically: • Are you taking classes that challenge you appropriately? • Are you doing as well as you can? • Specialty or Extracurricular Activities: • Activities in or out of school that you enjoy? • Some activities sustained for 2+ years in high school? • Opportunities for increased leadership, responsibility, or skill this year or next?
http://connection.naviance.com/asfa • Assignment: Log in, explore and start adding to “colleges I’m interested in” list • This is how you get email reminders about upcoming college visits, scholarship opportunities & other personalized information from ASFA • If you’ve lost your password, click the “Forgot your password?” link • Make sure you have an updated email registered because this is THE Only Official Means of Communication regarding college admissions at ASFA
http://connection.naviance.com/asfa • Assignment: Log in, explore and begin Student Self-Assessment • If you’ve lost your password, click the “Forgot your password?” link • Make sure you have an updated email registered because this is THE Only Official Means of Communication regarding college admissions at ASFA • DUEand REQUIRED Feb 28thin order to receive school recommendation letter
Keep your college options open. • There are many excellent colleges and universities. • Any given student can be happy and successful at several. • Keep an open mind.
What exactly do you mean by “good college”? • College rankings are often manipulated • There are so many different rankings that they have become almost meaningless. • Better to create your own ranking. • Find colleges that fit the criteria that are most important to YOU.
“Prestige” of college doesn’t = success • Long-term study of 6,335 college grads by the National Bureau of Economic Research found graduating from a college where entering students have higher SAT scores—a sign of exclusivity—did NOT result in higher income. • Stronger predictor of income is the caliber of the schools where students apply. • Students who applied to several elite schools but didn't attend them were more likely to earn high incomes later than students who actually attended elite schools. • Students' motivation & ambition have a much stronger effect on their subsequent success than average academic ability of their classmates.
What this means for your college search • What you DO at college matters more than the college you attend. • One college is not right for everyone. • There are probably several colleges where you would be equally happy & successful. • Keep an open mind.
HOW DO COLLEGES MAKE DECISIONS ANYWAY? Need 6 student volunteers.
Admissions Criteria Game • Academic Courses • Grades • Specialty work/Artistic talent • Essays • Recommendations • Testing • Other: Extracurricular, geography, gender, race, first-generation, legacy, etc . . .
Why it’s harder to get into college today • Number of high school seniors is growing each year (baby boomer children coming of age) • The % of high school seniors going to college is rising • The number of applications per person is increasing
Is it all doom and gloom? No! • The frenzy really revolves around just a few dozen colleges that are highly selective. • The 15% of colleges that reject 50% of their applicants only receive 28% of all college applications. • 70% is the average rate of acceptance • There are many, many excellent colleges & universities. • Vast majority of students end up loving their college… even though it may not have been their first choice during their search.
COLLEGE ADMISSION WORKSHOPSFine & Performing Arts AdmissionsThursday, March 13th - 5th periodSelective (Academic) AdmissionsFriday, March 14th - 5th period Parents/guardians welcome!