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Juniors - Are You Ready?. CCHS Guidance Department. What Should You Be Doing Now?. Consider Future Career Options. In order to choose a career that’s going to be right for you, you need to consider: Your Abilities (What you are good at) Your Interests (What you like to do)
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Juniors - Are You Ready? CCHS Guidance Department
Consider Future Career Options In order to choose a career that’s going to be right for you, you need to consider: • Your Abilities (What you are good at) • Your Interests (What you like to do) • Your Aptitudes (What you have natural talent for) • What’s Important to You (Money, work environment, travel, job security, etc.)
Six Ways to Prepare for a Great Career • High School Career and Technology Programs • Four Year College • Two-Year Community or Technical College • Career or Trade School • Military • Apprenticeship
Junior Year Your junior year is when you should be: • Taking college tests • Making college visits • Searching for scholarships
October • 10/16/13 - PSAT/NMSQT • 10/3/13 - ASVAB
March to June If your are planning to attend a four year college, take the ACT and/or the SAT. To get information and to register for the ACT, go to www.actstudent.org. To get information and register for the SAT, go to www.collegeboard.org.
What Colleges are Looking For • Course Selection • GPA • SAT/ACT Scores • Essay • Extracurricular Activities • Recommendation Letters • Awards • Independence
Course Selection • Colleges want to see what your interests are. • Did you take courses in high school that relate to what you will study in college? • Did you take the most rigorous courses offered?
GPA - Grade Point Average • Colleges will look at your GPA along with your course selection to determine how well you will perform in college. • The higher your GPA is the greater chance you have of getting accepted into the college of your choice.
SAT/ACT • Colleges use your SAT/ACT score(s) as a determining factor in whether or not you will be able to perform at the college level.
Essay • Write,write, write and get better at writing. • Colleges are interested in reading what you have to say.
Extracurricular Activities • Colleges want to know how you spend your time outside of school. • Are you able to handle the course load while participating in other activities? • Do you work well with groups?
Recommendation Letters • College admission counselors read those recommendation letters because they are interested in what others have to say about you. • Normally, your recommendation will be requested of your Guidance Counselor or by a teacher.
Awards • Colleges want to know what awards you have received for all of your hard earned efforts. • Keep a list of all of your accomplishments. • Keep a portfolio!
INDEPENDENCE! • Colleges believe that this should be student initiated, not parent initiated. • Parents should be informed, but this should be an independent process by the student. • Colleges want to know if the student is applying because they want to be there or are they applying because their parents want them there.
ACT/SAT What’s the Difference?
Test Length • ACT • 3 hours, 25 minutes (including the 30-minute optional Writing Test • SAT • 3 hours, 45 minutes
Test Structure • ACT • 4 Test Sections (5 with the optional Writing Test): English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing (Optional), Experimental Test (sometimes added and clearly labeled) • SAT • 10 Sections: 3 Critical Reading, 3 Math, 3 Writing (Including the Essay), 1 Experimental (unscored but included as a regular section)
Reading • ACT • Reading Comprehension - 4 passages with 10 questions per passage. • SAT • Reading Comprehension - short and long passages with questions sentence completion
Math • ACT • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, algebra II, and trigonometry • SAT • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and algebra II
Science • ACT • Analysis • Interpretation • Evaluation, • Basic Content • Problem Solving • SAT • Science is not included
Essay • ACT • Last thing you do (optional): 30 minutes • Not included in composite score • Topic of importance to high school students • SAT • First thing you do: 25 minutes • Factored into overall score • More abstract topic (vs.. ACT)
Scoring • ACT • Composite score of 1 - 36, based on average score of 4 tests • 4 scores of 1-36 for each test • Plus optional Writing Test Score of 0 - 12 • SAT • Total score of 600 - 2400, based on adding scores from 3 subjects • 3 scores of 200 - 800 for each subject • Score of 0 - 12 for the Essay
Wrong Answer Penalty • ACT • No penalty for wrong answers. • SAT • 1/4 point subtracted for each wrong answer (except for Math Grid-In questions)
Sending Score History • ACT • You decide which score is sent • SAT • Your entire score history will be sent automatically. • New - Beginning with the class of 2010, you decide which score is sent.
Test Contact Information • ACT, Inc. • 1-319-337-1000 • actstudent.org • SAT • The College Board • 1-866-756-7346 • collegeboard.org
Upcoming Test Dates ACT Reg. Deadline Test Date 9/27/13 10/26/13 11/8/13 12/14/13 1/10/14 2/8/14 3/7/14 4/12/14 5/9/14 6/14/14 SAT Reg. Deadline Test Date 9/6/13 10/5/13 10/3/123 11/2/13 11/8/13 12/7/13 12/27/13 1/25/14 2/7/14 3/8/14 4/4/14 5/3/14 5/9/14 6/7/14
Testing Fee Waivers • Students may qualify for a testing fee waiver if they receive free or reduced lunch. • Students may receive a total of 2 fee waivers. (1 in the Junior Year and 1 in the Senior Year or 2 in the Senior Year)