R each H igh S cholars

1. Reach High Scholars

2. The Reach High Scholars Program • Formed to help RHS students apply for and attend the best colleges and universities in the country. • Our mission is to: • Show RHS students why these colleges are so valuable • Provide assistance to help them successfully apply for a spot at a top school! • We are parents, teachers, students and RHS alumni.

3. RHS Alumni Student RHS Class College Grad School . Charlotte R. Christian 1950 Tufts/Jackson John McDaniels 1952 Brown Yale Law School Arthur Proulx 1964 Tufts James Dannis 1974 Dartmouth Harvard Law School Eugene Stockel 1978 West Point Alan Iverson 1985 Bowdoin Univ. of VT/ Medicine Deborah O'Donnell 1990 Bates Yale M.S., M. Phil., PHD Eric Austrew 1995 Yale BU MBA, MIS Rich Jesmer 1997 Univ. of So. Cal. Hannah Lee 2000 Wellesley Joshua French 2001 Duke BC Law School Amy Silverstein 2002 Brandeis Justin Smulski 2005 George Washington Dominique White 2006 Boston College Layne Flower 2007 Wesleyan Kaitlin Oldfield 2008 Brandeis

4. Why Attend a Highly Competitive College? • Greater intellectual stimulation from professors who are leaders in their field • An energized group of fellow students, many of whom will become future leaders • Availability of more academic facilities (classrooms, libraries, labs, etc.) • More small, seminar-type classes • Better job opportunities after graduation • Better chance of acceptance in top graduate schools (business, law, medicine) • Better long-term support system among alumni and faculty

5. Salary Potential From Highly Competitive Colleges Median Salaries ($$) StartingMid-Career Ivy League Schools56,200-66,500107,000-134,000 Large State Universities52,600-59,900 93,000-112,000 Small Liberal Arts Colleges 46,100-54,50085,800-110,000 Engineering Schools71,800-75,500122,000-126,000 UNH41,80078,300 Source: www.payscale.com. Based on graduates with Bachelors degrees (and no higher degrees)

6. You Classmates May Become Famous Amherst Calvin Coolidge, Dan Brown Bates Bryant Gumbel Bowdoin Franklin Pierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry W. Longfellow Brown John D. Rockefeller, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Jr., Mary Chapin Carpenter Dartmouth Daniel Webster, Robert Frost, Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Harvard Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Al Gore, Bill Gates Princeton Woodrow Wilson, Ralph Nader, Brooke Shields, Bill Bradley Tufts Bill Richardson, Tracy Chapman

7. Endowment per Student at Selected Colleges

8. Great Schools, Great Prices % receiving avg. cost avg. discount % of grads avg. need-based after grant from total cost with debt amount grants of debt Averages of 34 top colleges 45% $29, 260 57% 45% $11,119 UNH -- -- -- -- $25,000 St. Anselm’s -- -- -- 82%$33,365

9. Important Financial Aid Policies • Need-blind vs. need-aware admission • Need-based financial aid vs. merit-based scholarships - Grants, loans and student jobs

10. Need-Blind vs. Need Aware Admission Brown University: “Need-blind admission simply means that an applicant's ability to pay for their education will not be a factor in the admission decision. In other words, a candidate's financial need will not be taken into consideration when deciding to admit, wait list, or deny an applicant.” Colgate University: “Colgate is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of all admitted students; and financial aid awards typically consist of grants, a student loan, and a campus job opportunity.”

11. Need-Based Financial Aid vs. Merit-Based Scholarships Wesleyan: “Wesleyan's financial aid program awards assistance solely on the basis of financial need to US citizens and eligible non-citizens. No aid is based on academic merit, athletic ability or special talents.” Wake Forest: “Each year Wake Forest awards merit-based scholarships to less than 5% of its first year applicants; the recipients will benefit greatly from a Wake Forest education even as they contribute significantly to the intellectual and civic life of the campus. These scholarships, among the highest honors given to Wake Forest students, are renewable through four years, subject to satisfactory academic, extracurricular, and civic performance. Some merit-based scholarships consider demonstrated financial need as a determining factor.”

12. Grants, Loans and Student Jobs Colby: “Students who are admitted and enroll at Colby starting in the fall, 2008, and who qualify for financial aid will receive aid packages that include only student employment and/or grants (gift aid). Colby will not include student loans to help meet the need for aid, as determined by the College. The College will continue to meet full, calculated need for aid, as determined according to the Institutional Methodology and Colby policy.” Hamilton: “The goal of the Financial Aid Office is to make a Hamilton education accessible to all students through a comprehensive program of scholarships, loans and campus jobs. Hamilton is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need. We award financial aid to help families afford the difference between the cost of a Hamilton education and the amount they are able to pay.”

13. Steps to Get Into a Highly Competitive College Things you should be working on starting in freshman year • High school courses and grades • Activities and sports • Standardized tests • Supplemental academic activities • Familiarization with colleges

14. Courses and Grades • Rule 1: Take the most challenging courses RHS offers • Rule 2: Get A’s

15. Activities and Sports • Sports • Art • Music • Theatre • School clubs • Community service • Start something new!

16. SAT Preparation Classroom On-Line   Kaplan Princeton Rev. Sylvan College Board VLACS Lecture Hours 20 24 30 ~~ ~~ Lessons ~~ ~~ ~~ 18 18-36 Students per Class 18 12 8 ~~ ~~ Practice Tests 4 3 3 6 yes Course Cost $899.00 $999.00 $895.00 $69.95 $0.00 Cost per Hour $44.95 $41.63 $28.93 ~~ ~~

17. Timetable for Standardized Tests

18. How Well Do You Need To Do? • Look up the range of scores for the schools you want to attend • Examples:

19. Supplemental Academic Activities • Residential summer programs: • Saint Paul’s Advanced Studies Program • Philips Exeter Academy Summer School • John Hopkins, Center for Talented Youth • Boston University Tanglewood Institute • Research Science Institute at Caltech and MIT

20. Supplemental Academic Activities • Residential School-Year Program (one term): • The Mountain School of Milton Academy, Vershire, VT • On-line Honors and AP Courses: • Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, Exeter, NH

21. Highly Competitive Colleges Near Raymond Within Two Hours Bates College Boston College Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University Dartmouth College Harvard University Holy Cross Mass. Institute of Technology Tufts University Wellesley Within Three Hours Amherst College Colby College Connecticut College Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College Smith College Trinity College U.S. Coast Guard Academy Wesleyan University Williams College Yale University

22. Transportation Contribution • To encourage visits to the highly-competitive colleges and universities reachable in a day from Raymond. • Parents, faculty or friends taking at least two students for organized visits will be reimbursed $0.25 per mile. • Typical Contributions: Brown $62.50 Middlebury $77.50 Colby $76.50 Holy Cross $45.00 Dartmouth $45.00 Yale $95.00