Welcome To Saint Mary’s International School’s Junior Parent Night Class of 2014

1. Welcome ToSaint Mary’s International School’s Junior Parent Night Class of 2014 September 4th, 2012

2. Tonight’s Talking Points College Admission Process • Finding the right “fit” • Preparing for college • Staying ahead in the admission process

3. Finding the Right “Fit” • Knowing yourself • Knowing the tools • Making the Visits: When? How?

4. Knowing Yourself • What are your interests? • What are your strengths? • What do your parents believe are your strengths? • What do your teachers and others who know you well think? • Where do you want to live in the future? • What kind of career do you hope to have?

5. Knowing the Tools Naviance / Family Connection • Do What You Are • Career Interest Profiler • Career Cluster Finder • College Search Tool

6. Other Tools • Uniquest Activity • College Board: www.collegeboard.org • UCASS: UK • UK course finder • Hotcourses.com.au • Globe Campus: Canadian University Reviews

7. About Me Keep track of extracurricular activities, honors, awards, community service and work experiences. Update personal and account information

8. College Planning Tools Click here to add the names of any colleges that you are already considering. In the fall I will post the date and time of college rep visits to SMIS. • Many Ways to Research Colleges: • College Match • College Lookup • College Search • Scattergrams • Acceptance History Search for summer and enrichment programs

9. Colleges I Am Thinking About Compare my scores and GPA to other students in my high school accepted at these colleges. Record your interest in the school Scattergram

10. Compare Me

11. College Search Search by Type, Location, Students, Admission Standards, Athletics, Majors, Cost, Special Programs

12. Search Results Small Town Enrollment 2-5K Major: Economics Compare based on drop down options

13. Scattergram Toshi GPA SAT on 1600 scale

14. Making the Visit • Visit a variety of schools • Visit when students are there • Visit with students involved activities that you are interested in. • Allow enough time to get the feel

15. Preparing for College • What’s important to colleges and universities? • Challenging courses a • GPA a • Meaningful extracurricular activities, community service, work experiences • Admissions Tests (SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests) • Essay • Recommendations – Teachers and Counselor

16. Preparing . . . Meaningful Extracurricular Activities and Experiences (For US Colleges) • Passionate involvement in a few activities, demonstrating leadership and initiative • Community service • Work or out-of-school experiences (including summer) that illustrate responsibility, dedication, and development of areas of interest. • That Extra “Something”

17. Preparing . . . SAT Subject Test of SAT II • One hour, multiple choice test on one of 20 different subjects. • Required by some selective colleges for admission. Note – most students do not need SAT Subject Tests. • Required by some colleges for course placement. • Offers you an additional opportunity to show colleges what you know.

18. SAT Subject Tests Preparing . . . Literature U.S. History World History Math Level 1 Math Level 2 Biology/EM Chemistry Physics French French with Listening German German with Listening Spanish Spanish with Listening Modern Hebrew Italian Latin Chinese with Listening Japanese with Listening Korean with Listening

19. Staying ahead in the admission process • Prepare for SAT/ACT during summer prior to junior year • Plan when you can take (2-3) SATs and SAT Subject if needed • Plan to complete all admission testing junior year • Start visiting colleges early junior year or before! • Keep track of school and community activities, work, and volunteer hours

20. Stay ahead by planning ahead Start Preparing for the SAT now. Visit colleges in summer between Junior and Senior year.

21. 2012 SAT Test Dates

22. Suggested Junior Year Testing Schedule • Oct 17th PSAT at SMIS • March/May SAT • June SAT or SAT Subject Tests if needed

23. Score Reporting • Score Choice – gives option to send SAT scores by test date and SAT Subject Test scores by individual test. • Wait to send scores to colleges until applying senior year. • Report best scores from either SAT or ACT or use both

24. Upcoming Events • Kanto Plains College Fair for all Juniors and Seniors September 14th • PSAT Test October 17th at SMIS • New Gmail Account for all SMIS Students

25. Final Remarks The admission process can be taxing on the parent/child relationship Juniors take ownership of the admission process Parent’s role Plan ahead, stay organized, don’t get discouraged