Junior Group Guidance

1. Junior Group Guidance Counselors Nora Barmess Lauren Brown Donna Dondo Ellen Fisher Aaron Kind Denise Longano Darby McHugh Jacole Mills Kelly Mueller Andrew Nasser Vivien Ngai

2. Group Objective Students Will Be Able To: • Utilize Naviance for the college search process • Learn about what colleges look for in applicants • Choose appropriate standardized tests • Choose teachers for raves and recommendations • Identify factors in choosing a college • Learn how to research colleges • Take additional steps in the college process

3. How To Use Naviance For The College Process • Document Library • About Me - Profile (update your e-mail address) • Add Parents • Checklist • Counselor Questionnaire • Parent Questionnaire • Resumé • Personality Type • College Search • Links on left-hand side to various websites

4. What Do Colleges Look For In Applicants? • Transcript (challenging yourself with a rigorous course load, every grade counts, trends in grades, grades in college preparatatory courses). Colleges are made aware of the academic and extracurricular opportunities that Bronx Science offers. A copy of our school’s profile accompanies every transcript that is sent to a college. We do not rank students or weight courses. • Standardized test scores • Essay (Standard essay vs. supplemental essay(s), if required) • Recommendations (teacher, counselor, supplemental) If you participate in Intel Research, your mentor should submit a letter of recommendation for you. • Extracurricular Activities • Athletics/Special Talents • Demonstrated Interest (interviews, college visit, contact with admissions counselors). Colleges may begin to send you mail after you take the PSAT.

5. Which Standardized Tests Should I Take? • SAT – we recommend students take their first SAT in March and their second one in May. • SAT Subject Tests – we recommend students take at least two Subject Tests (some schools require three). Students should take them after he/she completes the course (preferably an honors or AP course). • The SAT I and SAT II offers a Score Choice Option. If colleges allow you to use score choice, you may decide which test dates you want to send to colleges. However, some colleges will require that you send all SAT scores from all testing dates. • The ACT is also accepted for college admissions. There is a score option. Students must take the writing section. • Colleges will only consider test scores to be official when they are released from the testing agency. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure their scores are sent to their colleges by their deadlines. • Many colleges/universities do not require standardized tests or have various methods in order to satisfy testing requirements. For a comprehensive list and more information, visit fairtest.org

6. Standardized Testing, cont’d • www.collegeboard.com • You can register for SAT I and Subject Tests online. • Each time you take an SAT you get 4 free score reports sent to colleges. If you DO NOT receive free/reduced lunch, the four free reports expire within BLANK days of the test date. • If you receive free or reduced lunch, you are eligible for a fee waiver for up to two administrations of the SAT I, SAT II and the ACT. If you use a fee waiver you can get 4 additional free score reports. • www.actstudent.org • You may obtain fee waivers for the SAT & ACT in the college office by speaking with Ms. Heyward.

7. Raves and Recommendations • Two Teacher Recommendations - preferably junior year teachers from major academic courses. One from math or science and one from a humanities course. Recommendations are sent directly to the colleges by the teachers in the fall of your senior year. • Choose teachers who know you best. It may not always be the teacher with whom you earned an A with in their class. Sometimes the teacher with whom you've demonstrated consistent improvement may know you the best. • RAVES are brief statements about your performance in their class. They may speak to a particular assignment or project that demonstrates your abilities or your class participation. • Request RAVES from at least two teachers (NOT the same ones who are writing your recommendations). RAVES are given directly to your guidance counselor by the teacher. RAVES do not necessarily have to be from a junior year teacher. • Letters of recommendation from outside sources such as employers, youth organizations, etc. should be sent to your counselor and s/he will incorporate it in the letter that they write for you.

8. What are you looking for in a school? Factors to consider: • Size (average class size, relationships with professors, research opportunities) • Location (region, distance from home, commuting costs, in-state vs. out-of-state) • Environment (urban vs. rural, weather, etc.) • Public vs. Private • Cost • Majors and special programs (Co-op program, combined BS/MD programs, etc). • Athletics (Division I, II, or III). You must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse if you plan to compete on the division I or II level. Go to www.eligibilitycenter.org to register. REGISTER NO LATER THAN THE END OF YOUR JUNIOR YEAR.

9. How Do I Research Schools? • Speak with your guidance counselor • Speak with admissions counselors and currents students at the college • Attend college fairs (Bronx Science in April), visit campuses • Naviance (college searches, scattergrams, college “lookups”) • College Office (DVDs, reference books, computers, college catalogues) • Reference Books: The Fiske Guide to Colleges, Edward Fiske The Best 351 Colleges, The Princeton Review Colleges that Change Lives, Loren Pope College Essays that Made a Difference, The Princeton Review Competitive Colleges, Peterson’s Guide The Hidden Ivies, Howard Mathew Greene The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, Yale Daily News On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld

10. Other Resources • Websites: www.collegeboard.com www.petersons.com www.unigo.com www.campustours.com www.allaboutcollege.com www.youniversitytv.com www.inlikeme.com www.collegeconfidential.com www.number2.com www.ineedapencil.com

11. Other Steps to Take… • Summer Opportunities (volunteer, work, intern, summer programs at colleges, take a class, read, work on essays). Check Naviance, in the Document Library for posted student opportunities. Be aware that many summer programs have late winter/early spring deadlines. It is recommended that you make productive use of your summer vacation. • Attend Winter College Night and the College Fair on April 25, 2012. • The college office organizes three college trips per year. See your counselor for more details. • Begin working on your college essay in your junior year. Continue revising it throughout the summer.