Parent Survival 101: Getting Your Child Ready for College

1. Parent Survival 101:Getting Your Child Ready for College UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering Advising Center Jeanette M. Sorensen Director of Advising & Assessment UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

2. Preparation for Engineering Majors • Make sure your child takes math and science classes every year in high school • Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Chemistry, and Physics • The Engineering curriculum starts with placement in to Calculus I • Students who are not prepared for Calculus are urged to enroll in UNLV’s “Get Ready for College” Summer Program • Math course + College Orientation Class UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

3. To Do List (Jr. & Sr. Year) • Talk to your child about their educational and professional goals (Junior year) • Look at colleges that are interesting to both of you (Summer/Fall of Senior year) • Take SAT or ACT Exam (Spring of Junior year & Fall Senior year) • Apply to a handful of colleges by the necessary deadline (Winter of Senior year) • Complete FAFSA form on the web (Winter of Senior year) – list all colleges you are considering UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

4. Decide on a college (April/May Senior year) Factors to consider: Cost Financial aid package Location Travel Curriculum/major options Is it the “right fit”? ABET accredited? Send letter of intent/deposit Are immunizations needed? Make campus housing arrangements Contact academic advisor to plan courses Attend New Student Orientation To Do List (cont.) UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

5. Frequently Asked Questions • Application process • Financial Aid • Cost of Attending UNLV • FERPA • Campus Life • Time Management • Commuter Students • H.S. Preparation for Engineering Majors UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

6. UNLV Application Process • http://www.unlv.edu/admissions/ • UNLV deadline: February 1st • Complete on-line Application and pay fee • Submit Test Scores (ACT or SAT) • Used for Math & English placement at UNLV • Send High School Transcript • Gather recommendation letters and essays for Honors College and other scholarship applications • Gather immunization records UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

7. Financial Aid • http://financialaid.unlv.edu/ • Complete the FAFSA Form (by early February) • Determines how much money your family is expected to contribute towards college costs and how much they may receive in: • Grants • Workstudy • Scholarships • Loans • Complete paperwork for Millennium Scholarship • Complete application for Stocker Scholarship • Submit on-line UNLV Scholarship Form • Research scholarships from private organizations (Have your child do their part by searching the web!) UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

8. Cost of Attending UNLV • $100+/credit X 30 credits/yr. = $3,000+/yr. • Student Fees = ~ $600+/yr. • Books = $1,000/yr. • Cost of Living at home v. on campus? • Campus housing ~$8,000+/yr. • Total Cost Per Year: Approx. $4,600 + housing costs • Total for five years of study: Approx. $23-25,000 + housing costs UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

9. FERPA • “Family Education Rights Privacy Act” • Protects students who are 18 years of age or older from unauthorized release of academic and disciplinary information • Parents will not be able to obtain information from the University on the their child’s progress w/o prior written consent of the student UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

10. Campus Life/Services • Academic Support Services • Advising • Minority Engineering Program • Engineering Writing Center • Tutoring • Career Services • Student Activities/Leadership Opportunities • Engineering Clubs • Campus Activities • Student Government • Residential Life • Engineering-Intensive Floor UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

11. Time Management • Full-time Engineering students should not work more than 20 hours per week to ensure that they will have enough time to study and maintain the grades necessary for their major • 12 academic credits = 12-16 hours of class time • Students need to study about 2-3 hours for every credit they are taking in order to maintain a strong GPA and to meet the minimum credits needed for certain scholarship programs • That means full-time students can expect to spend 36 to 48 hours a week on their academic obligations alone! UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

12. Commuter Students • Potential issues with students living at home while attending college • Transportation • Study time/Study space • Tend to work too many hours • Do not get involved in campus activities • Family adapting to having a “college student” at home UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006

13. Questions? • Helpful contacts at UNLV: • Engineering Advising Centerhttp://www.egr.unlv.edu/advising • Minority Engineering Programhttp://www.egr.unlv.edu/egr/minorityprog.cfm • Center for Academic Enrichment & Outreach http://www.unlv.edu/studentserv/caeo/ • Financial Aid Office http://financialaid.unlv.edu/ • Undergraduate Recruitmenthttp://www.unlv.edu/admissions/ UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering 2006