Overview

1. Cambridge High SchoolJunior Parent NightA Guide to the Next Step…Presented by the Cambridge High School Counseling Department

2. Overview

3. Counseling Department Students are assigned to counselors based on the first letter of their last name: CounselorStudent Caseload Leigh PoppA – De Bonnie Schechter (Steve Creel) Df – I Gwen Danner J – M Amey Rishel N - Su Samiah Garcia Sw – Z Chip Flemmer Graduation Coach Nancy Sheridan Records Coordinator Tammy Speer Counseling Secretary

4. Understanding Admission Factors Leslie Sanderfur Senior Admissions Counselor Vanderbilt University

5. What are colleges looking for in my application?

6. When is the best time to apply?

7. How is my GPA calculated?

8. How important are my SAT/ACT scores?

9. Do colleges care about...? • Extracurricular activities • Essays • Letters of recommendation • Demonstrated Interest • Class rank

10. What is an Honors Program and how do I apply?

11. College Admission Testing Leigh Popp Counselor Cambridge High School

12. College Entrance Exams SAT College admission test that measures students’ mathematical ability, critical reading knowledge, and writing skills. SAT Subject Tests One-hour tests offered in subjects such as English, foreign language, science, history, and mathematics. Some colleges require the SAT II test(s) & students should check with each college to determine whether it is necessary to take the SAT II(s). ACT College admission test which measures aptitude and skill in English, math, reading, natural sciences, and writing. Test Registration SAT www.collegeboard.org ACT www.act.org High School Code 112-129 It is recommended students take the SAT and/or ACT at least twice during junior year and once at the beginning of their senior year

13. SAT Versus ACT

14. Getting Ready for the SAT/ACT • Read widely and write extensively, both in and out of school • Take advantage of the PSAT/NMSQT score report (PSAT – October 15th) • Become familiar with the SAT/ACT question types, format, and directions (SAT Question of the Day) • SAT/ACT Diagnostic Test - Saturday, Nov. 15th • Sign up for a prep course at www.princetonreview.com

15. Exploring College Options Amey Rishel Counselor Cambridge High School

16. Self Assessment • Strengths & Weaknesses • Interests, Passions, & Values • Academic Goals • Career Goals Where will your student be the most happy and successful?

17. Georgia Career Information System (GCIS) www.gcic.peachnet.edu User Name: s (student id number) ORcambridgehs Password: fulton1OR gcis7516

18. Occupations Tab: • Choosing Occupations, Career Profiles, Compare Occupations, Employment Outlook, Military Occupations • Education Tab: • Choosing a Program of Study, Choosing a School, Compare Schools, Application Tracker, Financial Aid and Scholarship Search • Employment Tab: • Resume Creator, Interview Skills

19. Factors to Consider • Geographic Location • Academic Programs • Student Life • Graduation and Retention Rates • Cost of Attendance • Campus Size

20. Do your research. Knowledge is power! • Use the Internet www.gcic.peachnet.edu www.collegeboard.org www.gacollege411.org • Visit college websites to review requirements and deadlines (make a chart) • Attend college visits at CHS - Register online at www.cambridgeguidance.com • Visit college campuses - Request up to 6 days of pre-approved absences through the Attendance Office • Use the College/Career Center to research colleges and scholarships • Attend college fairs NACAC College Fair – March 22 @ Ga International Convention Center Cambridge HS College Fair – March 23 (6-8pm)

21. Focus Your List Narrow your list of colleges – balance is key View the school profiles, and compare the admissions data to your own academic record and test scores. • Dream/Reach school (less than 30% chance of admission) – Pick 1 or 2 - Your Academic Record/Test scores are below average - For highly selective schools, your scores may meet or be above avg • Good Fit/Target school (30%-60% chance of admission) – Pick 2 - 4 - Your Academic Record/Test Scores are in line with average • Safety school (greater than 60% chance of admission) – Pick 1 or 2 - Your Academic Record/Test Scores are above average - Highly selective school should never be considered safety Apply to schools that are a good match for your personality, interests, and career goals

22. Upcoming College Visits*Must sign up 2 days in advance online or in counseling office

23. Develop a Financial Plan Leigh Popp Counselor Cambridge High School

24. Georgia’s HOPE Program HOPE – Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally – is Georgia’s unique scholarships and grant program that rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and certificate programs at eligible Georgia public and private colleges and universities, and public technical colleges Qualifications: Be a legal resident of Georgia Meet US citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements Be a graduate of an eligible high school Be registered with Selective Service (males)

25. HOPE Academic Requirements HOPE Scholarship Zell Miller scholarship • Earn a 3.0 GPA in high school (calculated by GA Student Finance Commission) • Recipients must have 3.0 GPA at checkpoints to maintain • Graduate valedictorian or salutatorian OR • Earn a 3.7 GPA in high school AND earn a 1200 combined score of reading and math on a single administration of the SAT or a 26 composite score on a single administration of the ACT by your graduation date • Recipients must have 3.3 GPA at checkpoints to maintain.

26. HOPE GPA Calculation A 3.0 GPA is required by averaging core coursework, including failing grades, on a 4.0 scale Core CoursesConversion English Math Science Social Science World Language Honors points are removed and a 0.50 weighting is added back in for AP and College courses only, not to exceed 4.0 Middle school credit is not calculated in the HOPE GPA All calculations are done by the Georgia Student Finance Commission A 2.999 GPA does NOT qualify you for HOPE

27. HOPE Rigor Requirements **Class of 2016 – 3 full credits from list English/ELA AP Language/Composition AP Literature/Composition Mathematics GPS Advanced Algebra GPS Pre-Calculus Accelerated GPS Pre-Calculus H Accelerated CCGPS Pre-Calculus H CCGPS Advanced Algebra CCGPS Pre-Calculus AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC AP Statistics Multivariable Calculus (GA Tech) Social Studies AP Psychology AP Government/Politics: United States AP Government/Politics: Comparative AP Macroeconomics AP Microeconomics AP Human Geography AP World History AP United States History AP European History Science AP Computer Science AP Biology AP Environmental ScienceHuman Anatomy/PhysiologyChemistryAP ChemistryPhysicsAP Physics BAP Physics C: MechanicsAP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism World Language French IIFrench IIIFrench IVFrench VAP French/Language Spanish IISpanish IIISpanish IVSpanish VSpanish VIAP Spanish/LanguageAP Spanish/Literature Latin IILatin IIIAP Latin: Vergil

28. Award Amounts HOPE scholarship Zell miller scholarship • Public Institutions: Students attending public colleges or universities receive a HOPE award amount, up to a maximum of 15 hours, based upon a per hour rate at the institution he or she is attending. • Private Institutions • Full-time student $1,910 per semester • Half-time student $955 per semester • Public Institutions: Pays current academic year standard undergraduate tuition for number of hours enrolled (public) • Private Institutions: • Full-time student $2,110 per semester • Half-time student $1,055 per semester *Check award amounts on www.gacollege411.org*

29. Certificate and Diploma HOPE Programs Hope Grant Zell Miler Grant (new!) • Available to students seeking a technical certification or diploma regardless of high school GPA or graduation date • Covers a percentage amount of the standard tuition charges from the previous year • Must earn cumulative GPA of 2.0 at 30 semester hours/60 semester hours to maintain • Available to students seeking a technical certification or diploma regardless of high school GPA or graduation date • Covers full standard rate of tuition • Cumulative GPA of 3.5 each term to maintain

30. Financial Aid Applications • Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) • Available January 1 of senior year • Must complete FAFSA each year • Complete the GSFAPPS (Georgia Student Financial Aid Application System) • You do not need to reapply each year * Some GA colleges may prefer one application over the other *SSN must be on file at Cambridge HS

31. Add it Up COA – Cost of Attendance - EFC – Expected Family Contribution = FINANCIAL NEED • COA – College web sites Use Net Price Calculators • EFC Calculator - CollegeBoard.org, Finaid.org, GAcollege411.org

32. Scholarships/Financial Aid • All scholarships that we become aware of will be posted to www.cambridgeguidance.com. Students should check this resource frequently. • Research scholarships on the internet • www.scholarships.com • www.fastweb.com • www.gacollege411.org • www.gsfc.com • www.gcic.peachnet.edu • Contact colleges directly about financial aid and scholarship opportunities. Colleges award many renewable scholarships. Ask about criteria, procedures and deadlines. • A great site to learn about types of Financial Aid, who is eligible, FAFSA and more is: http://studentaid.ed.gov/

33. Sources of College Scholarships & Grants

34. Financial Aid Night at Cambridge High School November 18, 2014 Learn more about the FAFSA & HOPE Hosted by the Georgia Student Finance Commission

35. Junior Advisement Meetings Amey Rishel Counselor Cambridge High School

36. Junior Advisement Meetings… Coming Soon! • Students meet individually with their counselor to discuss: • Graduation Status • 12th grade classes • Post Secondary Plans • SAT/ACT • Dual Enrollment Opportunities Please do not be concerned if your student does not receive an appointment letter until the latter part of this timeframe - the process takes time and is planned so each student will have a quality meeting prior to the end of February. Parent attendance is optional and the majority of the information we discuss will focus on the information presented here. November 2014 – February 2015 Leigh Popp A-De Bonnie Schechter Df-I Gwen Danner J-M Amey Rishel N-Su Samiah Garcia Sw-Z

37. Junior Advisement Meetings Students Bring… Whether your student is attending college, technical school, military, or work, he/she should come to the junior advisement meeting prepared to discuss senior year and post-secondary plans. Student must bring to meeting: 1) List of colleges of interest 2) Questions to ask counselor pertaining to the information presented here Students will receive a letter with a pre-determined appointment time in late-October.

38. A Review of the Credit Requirements Students planning to enter/transfer into a 4 year college/university must take a minimum of two units of the same world language.

39. Testing Requirements • Georgia High School Writing Test Wednesday, September 24 • Makeup: February 25th

40. Credits and Honor Points Credits How many credits are required to be in the 12th grade? • 17 credits earned by the start of the 2015/2016 school year • If a student does not have 17 credits, the student is placed in an 11th grade homeroom and cannot attend any senior activities. • Student can be promoted to 12th grade when proper credit is earned. Honor Points • Which courses receive honor points? • 7 additional points are added at the end of each semester to passing grades in honors, AP, and dual enrollment/college courses.

41. Cumulative Numeric Average • Fulton County calculates numeric averages by adding up all grades in classes and dividing by the total number of classes taken. The numeric average is on a 100 point scale i.e. 87.3 out of 100 • All grades are included in this calculation – failed grades, summer grades, online grades… • Class Rank is based on the cumulative numeric average

42. Special Programs Night February 2015 • INFORMATIONAL MEETING FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN: • AP CLASSES • DUAL ENROLLMENT • CAREER TECHNOLOGY PATHWAYS • FINE ARTS PROGRAMS

43. Dual Enrollment Opportunities – MOWR/ACCEL Move on When Ready MOWR/ACCEL An opportunity for students to attend a postsecondary institution full-time (MOWR or ACCEL) or part-time (ACCEL) during their junior and/or senior year of high school Students will receive high school credit and college credit simultaneously while attending college classes on the college campus. • Tuition is paid through local system funds • Students can live on campus or commute but are responsible for these expenses • All high school End of Course Tests and the Georgia High School Writing Test requirements must be satisfied • Any student interested must notify their counselor early in Spring Semester. * Deadline for applications to be submitted to college and for CHS paperwork to be completed with counselor is March 30th, regardless of college deadline. * Deadline for dual enrollment application and supplemental documents to be submitted to the college is May 1st.

44. NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse • If you are planning on participating in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or II institution, you must register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse . • Access the registration materials by visiting the NCAA website www.ncaaclearinghouse.net • When taking the SAT/ACT, enter 9999 for scores to be sent to NCAA • Students and parents are responsible for determining NCAA eligibility to Division I and Division II schools • Counselor’s are neither responsible nor allowed to determine eligibility • Be aware that the NCAA may or may not approve courses taken through a non-traditional format such as online, test-out, distance learning, correspondence, credit recovery, etc. • Counselors are not responsible for researching or advising NCAA policies. It is up to the student and family to investigate NCAA regulations as they pertain to non-traditional courses

45. Cambridge HS Counseling Website • www.cambridgeguidance.com • Junior Advisement PowerPoint Presentation • Upcoming Events • College/Career Counseling • Academic Counseling • College Visit Registration • Scholarships and Summer Programs • SAT/ACT Prep Class Information • Much more!!

46. Communication • You should have received text alerts for this meeting • Remind101 registration information located online at www.cambridgeguidance.com

47. The CC Center will provide many services including but not limited to: Our College and Career Center IS OPEN! This is a resource for ALL Students and Parents! The CC Center is located in room #2503 (Compass Center). *Students must request a Pass from Study Hall or lunch Cafeteria on Mondays and Wednesdays • GCIS – GEORGIA CAREER INFORMATION SYSTEM • COLLEGE & CAREER SEARCH RESOURCES • CAREER EXPLORATION & INTEREST PROFILE TOOLS • MOCK INTERVIEW PRACTICE • RESUME & ESSAY WRITING RESOURCES • SCHOLARSHIP & FINANCIAL AID ASSISTANCE • ACT & SAT PREP RESOURCES • NCAA ELIGIBILTIY RESOURCES • “LUNCH & LEARN” SESSIONS • PARENT INFORMATION WORKSHOPS • COLLEGE RECRUITER VISITS & “COLLEGE VISIT MINUTES” • COLLEGE FAIR AT CHS & AWARENESS OF EVENTS IN COMMUNITY • Resources for students that need Accommodations • Resources & contacts for educational & career options with Selective Service recruitment

48. College Admission Statistics – Class of 2014 Gwen Danner Counselor Cambridge High School