Kick-off to College!

1. Kick-off to College!

2. West counseling staff

3. West Counseling Staff… Glenbard West - Prep for College • Testing Information Rhiannon Sieck, Tony Bergantino • Two & Four-year Colleges/Universities Christine Lubiniecki • Closing Remarks Jeremiah Wiencek Break-Out Sessions… • Selective School Presentation • Naviance / Family Connection • Financial Aid

4. Standardized Testing • ACT/PSAE • Test Preparation • SAT I & II • Special Needs Testing

5. Four subtests given: • English • Math • Reading • Science Reasoning Subtest and Composite scores range from 1-36 Students will NOT need to registerfor April ACT/PSAE… it is given during the school day atGlenbard West

6. ACT Writing Test Option to take: ACT Plus Writing (30 minutes) OR ACT No Writing In addition to regular score report, students will receive: • A separate combined English/Writing score (1-36) • A writing sub-score (2-12) • One to four comments by raters identifying some of the essay’s strengths and weaknesses • Writing portion is now included as part of the PSAE/ACT given to juniors in April (change from 2012-13). *Taking the Writing Test does NOT affect subject area scores or Composite score on the ACT Assessment.

7. Examples of Test Preparation Courses • Stanley H. Kaplan Test Prep Centers • Excel Edge • The Write Path • The Princeton Review • College of DuPage / Teens on Campus Test Prep • The Huntington Exam Prep Center Materials • Workbooks, software and online programs

8. PSAT/NMSQT The PSAT is offered once a year. Sophomores and juniors are encouraged to take the exam given: Saturday, October 19, 2013 Students should take the PSAT/NMSQT to: • Help assess academic skills necessary for college-level work. • AP Potential • Prepare for the SAT. • Enter Competitions for National Scholarships. • Begin receiving information from colleges.

9. SAT Offered 7 times a year Glenbard Weston:May 3, 2014 www.collegeboard.org Critical Reading Math Writing Scores range from 200-800 Two writing sub-scores • Multiple choice (20-80) • Essay score (2-12)

10. SAT II Required by many highly selective colleges/universities for admission Examples include: • Dartmouth College • Harvard University • Georgetown University Can take up to three subject tests on a test date Examples include: US History, World History, Chemistry, Physics, Literature

11. PSAT/SAT/AP SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities) paperwork needs to be filled out during annual reviews for the following academic year. Special Testing and Accommodations ACT/PSAE • Special Education office will fill out information prior to April/State test (Junior year). • All accommodations must be approved and in place within the classroom/school for a student to be eligible for national test accommodations.

12. Test-optional Schools • Over 750 colleges and universities across the United States admit a substantial number of students without regard to test scores. • Some schools exempt students who meet grade-point average or class rank criteria while others require SAT or ACT scores, but use them only for placement purposes or to conduct research studies. Schools include: Augustana College Colby College Illinois College Knox College New York University Wake Forest University DePaul University • http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional Please check with the school's admissions office to learn more about specific admissions requirements.

13. Fun College Facts Western Illinois University • Just added a Scuba Diving minor Cornell University • McGraw Clock Tower can chime 2,000 songs. “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz plays during finals week. Michigan State University • Civil engineering students design and build concrete canoes, then race them against 18 other collegiate teams University of Michigan • Madonna attended the University of Michigan for one semester University of Rhode Island • One of the dorm options is a beach house!

14. How counselors can help • Help support your family in the college discussion • Help your family make the application process manageable using Naviance • Help create a realistic and comfortable list of schools • Write a recommendation where necessary

16. Finding a good “Fit” • Think about your learning style, hopes, expectations, fears → match these with the characteristics of colleges • Campus visits - size, location, major • Attend college representative visits at West • Counselor visits to English classes • Guidance Website (variety of college searches) • Individual junior meetings with counselor • Naviance– communication tool for Guidance • college searches and information • career planning • resumes and journaling • surveys

17. SENIOR PANEL

18. What do colleges look for? • Strength of curriculum • GPA • ACT/SAT* • Essay / Personal statement • Extracurricular activities • Recommendations • Auditions / Portfolios Students must request test scores be sent directly from ACT & College Board (SAT, AP)

19. What is? Naviance/Family Connectionis a web-based college research and planning tool for students, parents and school counselors. • Application Management • Electronic Transcripts • College Search • My Colleges • Scholarships • Scattergrams • My Resume Juniors will again be introduced to this program inNovember during counselor English classroom visits!

20. How to Find the Perfect Fit?VISIT! Enrollment University of Maryland – College Park 26,800 Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore 5,100 St. John’s College – Annapolis 475 St. Mary’s College – St. Mary’s City 1,900 Make plane reservations… Rent a car… ROAD TRIP to MARYLAND!

21. Oh, Canada! • International experience • World class education • Incomparable value ($15,000 - $30,000) • 90 public universities – strong financial support from the Canadian government • Paid internships plus 3-year work permit in Canada after graduation • FAFSA pays for tuition via student loans • No essay – kids ask “where’s the rest of the application?” • HOCKEY, eh?! Association of Universities and Colleges of Canadawww.aucc.ca

22. Questions for Students to Ask a College Representative • Do you offer a wide variety of majors? Double majors? Change course of study? • What percentage of students live on campus? • Do faculty members teach classes versus graduate assistants? • What technology is available to students? • Are there ample internship opportunities?

23. College Application TimelineSENIOR YEAR September – November → Applications completed November – February →Organize financial aid and search scholarships March – May →Final decisions made

24. Organizing Applications • Apply to some reach schools… - schools one would like to attend, but may not fully meet admissions criteria • Apply to some probable schools… - schools where GPA, test scores and activities are verysimilar to published guidelines • Apply to some sure-entry schools… - schools that have open admission or where GPA and Test scores exceed guidelines

26. 2014 Class Statistics Ranking AreaClass RankGPA TOP 10% 1 - 57 5.77 - 5.29 TOP 20% 1 - 111 5.77 – 4.97 1stQuartile 1 - 138 5.77 - 4.87 2ndQuartile 139 - 269 4.86 - 4.26 3rdQuartile 270 - 404 4.25 - 3.51 4thQuartile 405 - 532 3.50 - 1.76 After Semester 6 Class Size 532

27. TWO-YEAR COLLEGESCollege of DuPageGreat Choice for many… • Cost = $140/semester hour • Honors Program • Post-graduate options - Summer Classes • Special Programming (Minority and Special Education Students) • 32% of Weststudents attend COD • Range of Curriculum • 3 + 1 Programs • Transfer vs. Occupational • Transfer Network (to 4-year schools)

28. College of dupagePathway to engineering at illinois... • Must be accepted into the program • Students are enrolled full-time at COD in coursework that meets all U of I requirements • Students will complete COD Associate in Engineering (AES) degree • Students must maintain a 3.3/4.0 GPA Intended Majors Eligible for the Program: Aerospace Engineering Agricultural and Biological Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Computer Science/Engineering Electrical Engineering Engineering Physics General Engineering Industrial Engineering Materials Science Mechanical Engineering Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering Guaranteed Admissions Transfer Program

29. TWO-YEAR COLLEGESOther options Lincoln College Colorado Mountain College Illinois Central College Northern Michigan University Southern Illinois University Parkland Community College

30. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Enrollment: 44,520 Cost: $29,594 Website: www.illinois.edu Phone: (217) 333-0302 Each school within the University of Illinois has differentiated guidelines for admission. NEW: Applicants submit a Self-Reported Academic Record (Courses) in addition to the application for admission. Only final transcripts will be sent (after graduation).

31. University of IllinoisClass of 2013 (Middle 50% Ranges) CollegeDivision of General Studies H.S. Rank 80-93% ACT 26-30 SAT 1280-1370 Explore Majors Website → dgs.illinois.edu

32. Illinois State Schools • Some smaller in size • Illinois State University • Differences among state schools • All have fixed-rate tuition • Most have alternative admission See Two & Four Year College and Universities Guide

33. The big ten (soon to be 14!) University of Illinois University of Nebraska Indiana University Northwestern University University of Iowa Ohio State University University of Michigan Penn State University Michigan State University Purdue University University of Minnesota University of Wisconsin Adding in 2014: University of Maryland Rutgers University

34. University of Minnesota(Minneapolis – St. paul) Enrollment: 33,607 Cost: $28,100 ACT: 28 (top 13% of the class) • Two campuses – vital urban area • Ice Age winters, but underground tunnels help! • World class research – 130 majors • Rhodes Scholars and Nobel Laureates on campus!

35. Two Gems to Consider… Ithaca College Ithaca, NY (Finger Lakes region) Full Cost: $48,000 Enrollment: 6,200 ACT: 22-27 GPA: top 25% Division I Athletics (Bombers) Clemson University Clemson, SC (at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains) Full Cost: $40,000 Enrollment: 15,300 ACT: 26-31 GPA: 5.1 Division I Athletics (Tigers)

36. Colleges that Change Livesby Loren Pope • Learning is collaborative, not competitive • Sense of community and connection • Students are there to learn, not simply get a degree • Admission is holistic • Importance of the right “fit” 40 schools that will change the way you think about college… Allegheny Beloit Denison Hiram Hope Kalamazoo Knox Lawrence Rhodes Wabash Wheaton www.ctcl.org

37. Chicago Performing and Visual Arts College Fair COD College Fair Sunday, October 13 Chicago High School of the Arts 1:00 – 3:30pm Tuesday, October 22 Student Services Center 6:30pm

39. Financial Aid Planning Seminar Thursday, December 12, 2013 Ruth A. Pusich, Director Office of Financial Aid Elmhurst College GlenbardWest High School Elliott Library 7:00pm

41. Break-out Sessions 8:10-9:00pm Selective Colleges/Universities: LibraryDustin Lynn, Senior Admissions Counselor Vanderbilt University Natalie Rubino, Counselor Naviance/Family Connection: Computer Lab Kate Culloton, Counselor (Room 320) Mike Neberz, Counselor Computer Lab Jeremiah Wiencek, Counselor (Room 313) Tony Bergantino, Counselor Financial Aid: Room 224/225 Norma Vega-Rodriguez, Counselor

42. Swag Swag Real College swag! swag swag swag swag swag swag swag swag swag