The Senior Handbook. Part 1: Checklist for College Planning

Transcription

1 The Senior Handbook Part 1: Checklist for College Planning Patricia Braun College and Career Specialist, T.C. Williams High School Margaret Feldman Director of College Advising, Scholarship Fund of Alexandria

2 Welcome to Senior Year Information Central

3 School Counselors Your counselor is your gatekeeper for the college application process (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) Ms. Ford (A-C) Ms. Nguyen (D-J) Ms. Karr (K-Q) Ms. Jackson (R-Z) Ms. Merino (International Academy) SFA & CCC are here to support with technical details of college admissions and financial aid

4 Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (SFA) Offers college and financial aid advising to T.C. Williams students Provides scholarships just for T.C. seniors scholarships are renewable up to all 4 years of college Awarded over $940,000 in scholarships to T.C. Williams graduates last year 1 in 2 applicants gets a scholarship

5 How do you apply to SFA? Application opens November 1 st Online application 2 essays and a résumé Résumé template available on Blackboard under College Knowledge See me for help with editing résumé and essays 2 letters of recommendation From people who can speak to your character, work ethic, and academic achievement. SAT/ACT scores (optional, but will only help) FAFSA (required for need-based scholarships) Application is due February 5 th

6 Visit SFA s College Advisers Find a college or career that fits you and your interests Search for local and national scholarships Brainstorm and edit your essays Develop a résumé Fill out financial aid applications (FAFSA, CSS Profile) Prepare for the SAT/ACT margaret.feldman@acps.k12.va.us Room A-115 samantha.karp@acps.k12.va.us Room A-121

7 College & Career Center (CCC) College & Career Planning Navigating Naviance The Common Application Military Testing Job & internship Opportunities NCAA Clearinghouse & Eligibility Resumes & College Essays SAT/ACT Registration & Prep College Visits from Representatives Financial Aid & Scholarship Searches Room A-114

8 What are some possible options for life after high school?

9 Possible options Post-secondary education Career/Technical school (Certification Program) Community College (Associates Degree) Community College, then transferring to four-year school (Bachelors Degree) Four-year college (Bachelors Degree) Employment Military

10 What are the advantages of post-secondary education? College graduates average $1 million more in lifetime earnings than non-college graduates and have more choice over their future careers 60% of today s jobs require higher education The unemployment rate for noncollege educated workers is twice that of those with a college degree

11 Your first step Choose the right colleges for you

12 Career & Personality Assessments Naviance assessments (under Careers tab) Majors Career options

13 Average GPA & Test Scores Naviance Scattergrams (under Colleges tab) Click Search for Colleges Select the school of interest View Graph GPA chart (page 7)

14 Financial Aid Colleges actively recruit high-achieving students who come from lower-income families There are several sources of financial aid: Colleges themselves (Institutional Aid) This is typically the biggest source of funds See me for a list of colleges that meet 100% of a student s financial need The Federal Government and the state of VA (FAFSA) Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) gives you access to grants, work-study, & loans Private scholarships (such as SFA) Sign up for my scholarship list for a monthly with upcoming deadlines ow.ly/ll1y and follow me on See our scholarship database on Blackboard under College Knowledge

15 Financial Aid Colleges actively recruit high-achieving students who come from lower-income families There are several sources of financial aid: Colleges themselves (Institutional Aid) This is typically the biggest source of funds See me for a list of colleges that meet 100% of a student s financial need The Federal Government and the state of VA (FAFSA) Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) gives you access to grants, work-study, & loans Private scholarships (such as SFA) Sign up for my scholarship list for a monthly with upcoming deadlines ow.ly/ll1y and follow me on See our scholarship database on Blackboard under College Knowledge

16 The Net Price Calculator Find out how much each school will cost before you apply! Go to: collegecost.ed.gov/netpricecenter.aspx

17 Let s look at some examples Using the Net Price Calculator, we can determine that if a family of three makes $30,000 per year, they would pay the following net prices: College Sticker Price Net Price University of Richmond University of Virginia Old Dominion University Norfolk State University University of Maryland $61,370 $2,195 $28,856 $4,050 $23,635 $12,105 $22,414 $16,684 $42,919 $33,324

18 Net Price vs. Sticker Price They are NOT the same! Sticker Price Net Price What a college = costs before financial aid How much the = college will cost for you

19 What if you can t afford the Net Price? It s OK to borrow a manageable amount of money in Federal Loans because college is an investment in your future However, if you don t have enough cash to attend the college of your choice after receiving: Federal and State Grants, Federal Student Loans, Institutional Aid, and Private Scholarships, then you need to choose another school Private student loans from banks are NEVER a good idea

20 Let s talk about

21 NOVA NOVA can be a very affordable option for your first 2 years of college! Many high-achieving students go to NOVA because it makes financial sense! Most students with Free or Reduced Lunch also qualify for the Pell Grant through the FAFSA The Pell Grant covers the entire cost of NOVA s tuition, so you can knock out your first two years of college for FREE Then you only need to pay for two years of college at a four-year university to receive your Bachelor s degree

22 Find out if qualify for federal financial aid (FAFSA) Do qualify for FAFSA: US Citizen Green Card holder Refugee Asylee Do NOT qualify for FAFSA: Undocumented (or Dreamer/DACA) Student Visa Exchange Visitor Visa Diplomat Visa

23 What if you are not eligible for federal financial aid? See page 23. You can still go to college! There are some specific colleges that will meet all of your financial need make sure you apply to the right ones There are also private scholarships that are available just for you See me as soon as possible for a list of colleges that would be a good fit for you All conversations about your status will be completely confidential

24 Know yourself Make sure to do as much research on colleges as you can, so that you won t get the college of your choice and then decide you want to transfer! Be sure to think about your preferences on things such as: Size of the college Distance from home Available majors Available sports teams and division School environment (city, suburban, or rural)

25 Know your schools Sign up on Naviance to attend College Visits in the College and Career Center. Visit schools to see if you can picture yourself on campus. Then narrow down a list of schools that: Fit your academic and personal interests Match your academic qualifications Will be affordable for you and your family

26 Get some support Find teachers and friends who can support you throughout the college application process The whole purpose of organizations like the Scholarship Fund are to provide with the support you need not just financially. We want to help with every step of the application process and be a source of encouragement along the way

27 Importance of college completion Nationally, only 58% of those starting at a 4-year institution between 2003 and 2007 received a Bachelor's degree within 6 years (NCES, rev, Graduation Rates, Selected Cohorts, ). 71% of students who dropped out of college said that work contributed to the decision also citing lack of financial aid, and the stress of trying to study while supporting their families ( With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them, 2009).

28 Make a wise investment of your time and money (page 7) Make sure you are applying to schools with graduation rates of over 50% Graduation rates are often an indication of the number of support services on campus and the amount of financial aid that a school provides If you don t have the grades to be accepted by a school with a high graduation rate, you may want to think about starting with NOVA and then transferring to a four-year school with a higher graduation rate

29 Be sure to check accreditation Make sure that the schools you re applying to actually receive federal funding Verify the college s accreditation

30 For-Profit Colleges For-profit college means a profit-seeking business This means that the school s primary purpose is to make money, rather than simply to educate students This is NOT the same as a private nonprofit college 1 in 10 students attends a for-profit program, but for-profit students account for nearly half of all federal student loan defaulters

31 Examples of For-Profit Colleges The Art Institute Stratford University Strayer University LIM College ECPI Culinary Institute of Virginia UTI (Universal Technical Institute) University of Phoenix Everest University

32 Cost of For-Profit Colleges Sample cost of a Culinary Arts Program For-Profit Virginia College $49, month program (not including room/board) Northern Virginia Community College (Nonprofit) $13, credit/16 month program (not including room/board)

33 Need a fresh start? The transfer process

34 Get a fresh start Your dream school is not out of reach no matter what your academic performance was in high school You can get a clean slate by starting a community college Guaranteed Admissions Agreement (after 2 years) Competitive Transfer (after 1 or 2 years) You can get federal & state financial aid through FAFSA, no matter what your grades are!

35 Guaranteed Admissions If you graduate from NOVA with an Associate s Degree: You can transfer to the Virginia, public college of your choice under the Guaranteed Admissions Agreement Each 4-year school has different course and GPA requirements to transfer, so you should choose which 4-year school you re aiming for before you start classes at NOVA For example: UVA requires a 3.4 GPA at NOVA VCU requires a 2.5 GPA at NOVA

36 Competitive Admissions You can transfer to any college in the country after 1 year or after graduating from NOVA with your Associate s Degree You will still write essays and be evaluated on your transcript (similar to the admissions process for high school seniors) However, your college transcript will carry a lot more weight than your high school one So you have the chance to show 4-year schools how you have turned things around at a community college

37 No 4-year to 4-year Transfers The only colleges that are built for transfer are community colleges such as NOVA. If you don t get accepted by the college of your choice right out of T.C., don t start out at another four-year college with the intention to transfer! If you know you are planning to transfer, please save yourself time and money by beginning at NOVA! Transferring from one four-year school to another ends up costing you thousands and thousands of dollars! Most four-year colleges do not accept credits from other four-year colleges, so it will end up taking 5 or 6 years for you to complete your degree.

38 Resources for you Take out your phones please!

39 Scholarship List & Twitter 1. Sign up for my Scholarship List: ow.ly/ll1yj 2. Follow me on

40 Text messages about important college info

41 NOVA Pathway Program

42 NOVA Pathway Program Provides support for students who are considering starting at Northern Virginia (NOVA) Community College and transferring to a four-year school Free program that provides: College Access workshops during the spring of senior year Placement testing at TC Priority registration for college courses Access to grants and scholarships just for Pathway students Advising throughout the transfer process Application is due November 6 th to your counselor See page 28 for more information

43 College Entrance Exams ACT, SAT, TOEFL, SATIIs

44 SAT/ACT Most four-year schools require an SAT or ACT test score you can take either or both Do practice questions for the SAT and ACT Stop by Ms. Feldman or Ms. Karp s office to do the practice question of the day during lunch Check out a practice book from the College and Career Center If you qualify for free and reduced lunch, you can take both the SAT and ACT for free 2 times

45 TOEFL TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language If English is not your first language, you college may ask you to take the TOEFL in addition to SAT/ACT. Each college has a different policy on the TOEFL For information from a cross-section of schools, see page 30 Be sure to get a fee reduction form from your counselor

46 SAT IIs SAT IIs are SAT Subject Tests (similar to AP exams) you can choose three from: Literature History Science World languages Math Some selective colleges (such as UVA, Georgetown, etc.) want to see SAT II scores in addition to the regular SAT/ACT SAT IIs are offered on the same Saturdays as the regular SAT you can take 3 on one Saturday

47 Transcripts & Recommendations Pink & Blue forms Responsibilities

48 Pink & Blue Forms Step One- Transcript Specialist, Samantha Christian Step Two- Counselor (only if adding after submitting pink sheet) Fee for Transcripts- $3.00 after six colleges. Select wisely! Student Responsibility- Application & Fee, Test Scores and Outside Letters Counselor Responsibility- Sending Official Transcripts, School Profile, ACPS LOR, Common App. Evaluations

49 Letters of Recommendation Step One- Ask staff member(s) in person Step Two- Request in Naviance (counselor request not necessary) Common App Evaluation must be completed in order to process application packets.

50 Common App & Naviance Common App and Naviance must MATCH Step One- Common App-Complete Profile, Education, Family and FERPA Step Two- Connect your Naviance account See Page 3 for instructions

51 The Common Application Naviance Blackboard

52 NCAA Clearinghouse College Athletics

53 NCAA Register Now! Free/Reduced lunch = waiver See Ms. Johnson in CCC

54 Résumé & College Essays Selling yourself to colleges

55 Résumé Use Naviance Use Personal Template Teachers and Counselors require for LOR Some applications and scholarships require them Get free help now!

56 College Essays Resources throughout the building and beyond! SFA CCC Your Counselor Your English Teacher Karen Schwarz-Essaymom.net

57 Where to go from here? Next steps

58 Get organized Choose your schools 2 reach, 2 match, 2 safety Make a calendar with college, financial aid, & scholarship deadlines Take SAT/ACT, TOEFL, SAT IIs if necessary Ask for letters of recommendation Begin writing your college essays Finalize your résumé Submit NOVA Pathway application Start SFA application Meet with Ms. Christian to turn in completed pink/blue forms

59 November 11 Meeting Details about applying for financial aid FAFSA, CSS Profile, & verification Private Scholarships (SFA) Understanding your financial aid award Grants/scholarships, loans, & work-study Completing your college applications (before winter break!)

60 November 17, 18, 19 Meetings Meet with Your Counselor, CCC & SFA Assistance with Matching your Common App and Naviance Accounts Turn in Your Pink Packets

61 Questions? Ms. Feldman Ms. Braun (703) (703) Scholarship Fund of Alexandria College and Career Center A-115 A-114