The College Process Finding the Right Fit!

1. The College ProcessFinding the Right Fit! Cheryl Sanders A-L csanders@bishopkelley.org Maureen Lawler M-Z mlawler@bishopkelley.org

2. Focus of the Presentation • What is your son/daughter looking for in a school? • What are colleges/universities looking for in your son/daughter? • How to choose a school • Applying to schools • The Common Application • Required paperwork for letters of recommendation • Admission options • Transcripts • Current State University requirements • Testing • Scholarships/Financial Aid • TCC Achieves

3. Things to consider when choosing a school…. • academic programs • cost • location • special college programs (Co-ops, travel abroad, internships, etc.) • size • campus life • athletics • Find the Right Fit!! For everyone that will be different!

4. What Colleges look for … • Leadership activities/involvement • Extracurricular activities • Community service • Work experience • Unique talents/abilities • Grades • Test scores • Level of interest in their school. Have you done a formal visit?

5. Coursework • Students need to continue to keep their GPA strong. • Coursework should be chosen to meet BK graduation requirements as well college admissions requirements. • Senior year is NOT a time to choose a “light load”.

6. How do I choose a school? • Students should be gathering information about schools by: • Visiting campuses • Signing up to hear college representatives who visit BK • Visiting college/university websites • Attending College Fairs

7. Campus visits……….. • Always schedule a campus tour through the admissions office of the college/university. Students can often do this on the school’s website under “admissions” • They can often ask to sit in on a class or meet with a professor. They must give the college/university adequate time to make these arrangements. • It looks good if the student has done an official visit, but more than anything it helps them find that school that “feels right.”

8. College Representative’s visits to BK… • College reps routinely visit BK during the school day. We email the times/dates of those visits on a weekly basis. (Students should be consistently checking their BK email!!) • Sign up must happen the day prior to the visit to allow for passes to be written/sent. • If a student can’t make a visit we will be happy to give the rep their name and contact data & pick up anything they pass out.

9. Great Plains Association for College Admission Counseling (GPACAC) College Fair Thursday, April 16th, 2015, 6:00-7:30 p.m. The University of Tulsa Reynolds Center • Colleges That Change Lives College Fair Monday, August 10th, 2015, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Marriott Tulsa Southern Hills • College Connection College Fair www.tulsacollegeconnection.com

10. Panel of College Admissions directors and/or representatives • Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 • 6:00-7:00 p.m. • Barb Adkins (The University of Tulsa) • Andy Roop (The University of Oklahoma) • Karen Chen (Oklahoma State University) • Jasimine Lang (Northeastern State University) • Ellen Silverstrand (St. Louis University) • Josh DeVoer (The University of Kansas)

11. www.collegeboard.orgis a great place to start a college search to find schools that have what students are looking for.

12. Once I choose how do I apply? • If students choose schools that use the Common Application, they can use that application to apply to over 500 schools. They fill out ONE application and can send it to any participating school. This is all done electronically! • If a school does NOT participate in the Common Application the student can use that schools on-line application to apply.

13. Common Application www.commonapp.org • The Common App lets students apply to over 500 colleges/universities with just one application! • If you are using The Common App you will need a counselor and one to two teacher recommendations. • Students/Counselors/Teachers can submit all paperwork on line.

14. More on the Common App… • Students must also fill out their personal information section and sign the waiver before counselor/teacher will submit their part. • Students must select “school forms” and invite their College Counselor and teacher(s), otherwise we have no way of knowing that they’ve applied. Students invite these school official by entering our names and email addresses and then they MUST assign the teachers to each school!! • Students can check when things have been submitted and downloaded. • Students do not have to wait until they finish their part of the application to “invite” their counselor/teacher(s). We can all be working on things simultaneously. • Transmission & delivery of data to an admission office is NOT instantaneous.

15. Students need to use their legal name throughout the entire process • For applications • For testing • For Scholarships Also write down all of their log-in info or put it in their phone under “contacts”

16. Not all schools require letters of recommendation………… • Some public universities do not require a letter of recommendation from a counselor or teacher(s), if that’s the case, students just need to request that a transcript be sent. They will do this through their parchement.com account.

17. But if you do need a letter of recommendation………. • Your College Counselor must have the following paperwork before we will write a letter of recommendation: • completed questionnaire • copy of your essay • a copy of your resume • a completed parent questionnaire • We must have all of the above at least four weeks prior to your application deadline!!

19. Counselors Letter of Recommendation… • Again, students do not have to have their application complete before giving us our paperwork. • Even if students are applying to state universities that don’t require a letter of recommendation, this paperwork is helpful as they might need “comments” or a “letter” for scholarship purposes. • Do not assume that a “simple form” can be filled out quickly, our schools know that we traditionally write letters of recommendation and we fill out paperwork in the order that we receive it.

20. Teacher’s Letters of recommendation…… • Always ask your teacher(s) if they will write a letter of recommendation before submitting their name/email electronically on The Common Application or any other application. • It is THE STUDENT’S responsibility to ask their teachers to write a letter of recommendation. • Again allow a minimum of four weeks before the application deadline. • Make sure they have a copy of the student’s resume when they request the letter. • Do not assume a “simple form” can be filled out quickly!

21. Resumes and Essays are used for our letters of recommendation, for admission and scholarship purposes. Our representatives know that we do not just write a few comments but rather we write letters!

22. Parent response form…. • Can be filled out on line. Go to the BK website www.bkelleyhs.org. • Go to “Academics” tab • Then “Parent Response Form”

23. Parent Letter of Recommendation………. • Make sure that you include a letter of recommendation for your son/daughter. This component is most helpful! Be specific with examples to support general statements, like, my son/daughter is responsible, mature, compassionate, etc.

24. Admission Options • Early Decision (Binding) • Usually Nov 1-Dec 1 deadlines • Ex: Rice, Washington Univ. • Early Action Single Choice*/Early Action • Usually Nov. 1-Jan. 1 deadline • Single Choice ex: Harvard • Regular EA ex: Notre Dame • Rolling • Usually Sept -end of school year. • Most state universities & some private colleges/universities. i.e.: TU • Many schools with Rolling Admission will have a Scholarship Deadline. • Regular • Usually Jan. 1-Feb. 15 • Ex: TCU, SMU or could include any of the above.

25. Priority deadlines • This is a new “term” that each school is using differently………………… • For some it is a drop dead deadline but for most it is a “preferential deadline,” meaning the school would like to have your paperwork by the set priority date. • It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with each school and find out what “priority” means (if they have a priority deadline).

26. Transcripts……… • Students will open a Parchment account during our individual meetings. This is how students will request their transcript to be sent to their schools. If a student has a “hold” on their account we will not release the transcript until the hold is cleared. • If it shows that the student is being “charged a fee” to send their transcript, that means that that school does not accept electronic transcripts through Parchment. However, Parchment will send the transcript via the U.S. mail for a fee. You are welcome to do this or you can just email Mrs. Debra Butler, our registrar, and ask her to send your transcript free of charge!

27. Transcripts continued……….. • Students using the Common Application do NOT need to request transcripts be sent to those Common Application schools, through Parchment. Their transcript is already downloaded to the Common Application as part of the Counselor’s Secondary School Report. Duplicating transcripts causes confusion at the college/university level.

28. Yet more transcript information…… • Transcripts sent will have all test scores (ACT & SAT) on them. If students choose not to have any scores on the transcript, they will be responsible for paying to have them sent to each college/university that they apply to. • It is to the student’s advantage to have all scores on their transcript in case a school “super scores” a test. Meaning they take the highest score from each subtest and refigure the composite. • Many schools are now requiring students to have their test scores sent directly from the testing companies (ACT & SAT) and there is a fee for this. It is the student’s responsibility to check to see how a school will receive their test scores. • Schools only look at the highest score and it doesn’t matter if other scores aren’t as high.

29. Current State University requirements…………..

30. The University of Oklahoma… • Admission Parameters: • 3.0 unweighted GPA AND place in the top 25% of your high school class • OR 24 ACT or 1090 SAT and 3.0 unweighted GPA • OR have a 24 ACT or 1090 SAT score and rank in the top 50% of your HS class Oklahoma is now a member of the Common Application so applications are being reviewed holistically.

31. Oklahoma State University…. • Automatic admission: • 3.0 and rank in the top 1/3 of your high school class • OR 24 ACT or 1090 SAT • OR 3.0 unweighted GPA in the 15 unit core curriculum and a 21 ACT or 980 SAT • OR 3.0 or 22 ACT or 1020 SAT and answers to the 7 additional application questions. Students should give careful consideration to their answers as they will be used to determine admission (this is not guaranteed admission).

32. University of Arkansas • For admission: 3.0 AND a 20 ACT (they will super score) • To qualify for the non resident tuition scholarship, students must meet the following requirements: • 3.6 AND 26 ACT will receive a 90% discount. • 3.25 and 24 ACT will receive an 80 % discount. • Native American students w/ CDIB card will receive in-state tuition • Alumni that belong to the alumni association can receive in state tuition for their son/daughter

33. University of Central Oklahoma • 2.7 unweighted GPA AND rank in the top 50% of your class, or • 20 ACT or 940 SAT • If either of these criteria are not met, then they will look for a 2.7 in the core curriculum

34. Acceptance rates for Highly Selective Universities • Stanford: 42,167 applicants and sent 2,138 acceptance notices that will yield 1,700. Thus a 5% acceptance rate. • Georgetown: 19,501 applicants and sent 3,232 acceptance notices that will yields 1,600. Thus a 16.6 acceptance rate. • Harvard & Yale had a 6% acceptance rate. • Columbia & Princteon had a 7% acceptance rate. • MIT & U. of Chicago had an 8% acceptance rate.

35. What is driving these acceptance rates? • More students applying to more schools. • Easy to apply to several schools because of the Common Application. • Low acceptance rates being a “standard of quality” thus schools intentionally driving their applicant pool up. • Students choosing schools “just to see if they can get in” when they have no intention of going. • The world is flat………………..

36. Testing………………….. • ACT & SAT scores are used for admissions and scholarships. • If you don’t know where you’re applying then we suggest you take a writing test. • Some selective schools require SAT Subject Tests. Check the admissions criteria for the school you are applying to.

37. Which test should I take? • SAT has a mandatory essay component, with ACT the essay is optional. • Currently there is not a college/university in Oklahoma that requires the writing component. • Consider taking both the ACT & SAT and then continue taking the test that you feel the most comfortable with and where you score the highest. You can do practice tests on-line to see which one you prefer. .

38. When do I take the test(s)? • Our recommendation is to start taking the tests once you have completed Algebra II • All juniors will take a school wide ACT on April 28th. This test can be used for admissions and scholarships. It will be treated like a National Test date. Keep in mind if a student hasn’t had Algebra II their math score may be low. • They can take the tests as many times as they want. • The State of OK is using a score of 19 to determine basic college readiness, however, each college/university can have their own requirements for admissions/class placement. .

39. More testing info…. • Bishop Kelley’s school code is 373-620 • Student athletes send scores to NCAA Eligibility Center: Code 9999 (student athletes will be invited to meet w/ Ms. Lawler) • NAIA 9876 • Register On-line: ACT www.actstudent.org or SAT www.collegeboard.com

40. Should I send scores to the colleges/universities? • Advantages: Schools receive your scores much sooner (avg. 2-3 weeks) vs. 5-6 weeks if we receive them, transcribe them and then mail them. • When looking @ test scores for admissions and/or scholarship purposes expediency is best. • If you send directly from the test center there is a cost per test and per school. Doesn’t cost anything to include them on the BK transcript. However, some schools require you to have them sent directly from the test center. Look carefully at each school’s test requirements!

41. 2015-16 SAT dates • March 14 , 2015 • May 2, 2015 • June 6, 2015 • Oct. 3, 2015 • Nov. 7, 2015 • Dec. 5, 2015 • Jan. 23, 2016 • March 5, 2016 • May 7, 2016 • June 4, 2016

42. 2014-15 ACT dates • April 18, 2015* • June 13, 2015 • Sept. 12, 2015 • Oct. 24, 2015 • Dec. 12, 2015 • Feb. 6, 2016 • April 9, 2016* • June 11, 2016 *BK will be test site for these tests.

43. Who should take the SAT Subject Test? • SAT Subjects Tests are one hour subject tests that some colleges/universities require for either admission or class placement purposes. • If students are applying to a school that requires Subject Tests then they must take them. Pay attention to deadlines! • Students can take up to three Subject Tests on a test date. But they can NOT take the SAT Reasoning Test and Subject Test(s) on the same day.

44. Test Prep • Helps lower anxiety levels • Gives helpful test taking tips • Offer familiarity with test format • Helps students to pace themselves • Offered at BK, TCC, NSU, Huntington, Kaplan, etc.

45. Scholarships/Financial Aid • Institutional Scholarships • Private Scholarships www.collegeprowler.com www.schoolsoup.com www.fastweb.com www.nelnet.net • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA: www.fafsa.ed.gov ) to be filled out after Jan. 1, 2014. • For the Profile application go to the www.collegeboard.com site • Grants, work study, and loans

46. TCC Achieves • Requirements: Must be a Tulsa County resident High school graduate of Class of 2016 2.0 GPA on final high school transcript • Must apply, send transcript, sign agreement form & fill out FAFSA • Program Highlights: 63 attempted credit hrs. or 3 yrs. (whichever comes first) with tuition and fees paid! Volunteer service required

47. Be patient, don’t panic….and follow up if necessary • Many universities will process different parts of the application in different departments, thus a letter or email will get generated that says that they are “missing something” when in fact someone else in that department has it but just hasn’t processed it yet. Always give everyone adequate time to receive the application and then process it. Be mindful that the heavier application months are Dec-March, thus things will take longer! If an adequate amount of time has passed to allow for the processing of the application and things are still “missing” then follow up by calling the university and letting your College Counselor know.

48. Important Mantras • Deadlines are IMPORTANT-They mean whatthey say and you are NOT the exception to the rule! • Teachers and Counselors mean what they say and “ a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part!” • By ignoring deadlines students miss out on admission possibilities and possible scholarship money.

49. Post Application info……. • Choose & deposit at the school of choice by May 1st • Let other schools know that you won’t be attending • Turn in copies of all acceptances & scholarship offers as you receive them. Only those turned in will be included in the Honors Assembly & in the Graduation Program.

50. This is a process.. Trust not only in your plan….But in Gods’ plan for you!!